PS3 Screen

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec 09, 2008: Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has released new details on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, whose titular hero is one of the most popular Marvel characters of all time. The video game, scheduled for release in May 2009, coincides with the global debut of Twentieth Century Fox’s release of its feature film, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, which is also based on the famous Marvel character.

From the award-winning studio Raven Software, the video game enlists players to experience the tormented origins of Wolverine, from his escape of the Weapon X facility to the jungles of Africa and beyond. The game is currently in development for the Xbox 360 TM video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION ® 3 computer entertainment system, Windows ® PC, Wii TM home video game system, Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation ® 2 computer entertainment system and PSP ® (PlayStation ® Portable) system, and is not yet rated by the ESRB.
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This is a new video of the Nintendo WiiWare game Frat Party Games: Beer Pong

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THQ Announces Plans to Launch Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E Across All Major Gaming Systems

Gamers Will Bring Humanity Back to Earth in Summer 2008

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This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game The Bee Movie Game by GamersInfo

I assumed that a game licensed from a kid’s movie would be a game (surprise) for kids; as it turned out, I was right, but not because of the game’s storyline or content. The Bee Movie Game is a kid’s game because it requires really, really good hand/eye coordination, not to mention the reflexes and flexible focus of a Jack Russell terrier. The games are not terribly complicated or difficult to understand; it’s just that they take full advantage of the Wii-mote’s capabilities. If you’re not skilled at moving, shooting and watching two to three places on the screen at the same time, some of the games can be brutal. I have a feeling I made it past one tutorial for a Pachinko-like game that involves collecting good honey in a bucket and shooting bad honey only because it was set up so that failure was nigh-impossible.

The Bee Movie Game should be very popular with kids, and adults may find a measure of enjoyment from the nostalgia factor in the minigames. Sadly, that loading screen issue, much like the final episode of “Seinfeld,” is both annoying and disappointing — the rest of the product proves that the team responsible could have done much better.

Full Review

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These are some new images of the Nintendo Wii game Bee Movie Game

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SPIDER-MAN: FRIEND OR FOE

FACT SHEET – BASED ON CONSOLE AND PC VERSIONS

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by the Spider-Man film trilogy and the classic Spider-Man™ comics, Spider-Man™: Friend or Foe challenges players to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie nemeses including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, and embark on an epic quest to overcome a worldwide evil threat.  Throughout the game’s original story and thrilling battles, fans control Spider-Man and one of numerous Super Hero or Super Villain sidekicks and master unique fighting moves and styles while switching between characters to execute team combos and defeat foes.  For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe features a unique co-op mode in which a friend can join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick as they battle through the game side-by-side and replay favorite levels.

KEY FEATURES:

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe allows players to choose a sidekick from Spider-Man’s allies – Pick from a long list of Spider-Man’s powerful allies, like Blade and Iron Fist, and swap between the web-slinger and the chosen sidekicks at any time during gameplay.  Each sidekick, good or evil, features their own unique attributes and powers that will assist Spider-Man throughout the game’s challenges.   

Fight against movie Super Villains and then alongside them in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe – Using an innovative combat system, face off against and defeat some of the Spider-Man movies’ most notorious Super Villains such as Doc Ock, Sandman and Green Goblin, and then convert them to join Spidey’s list of potential sidekicks. 

In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, gamers team up in two-player co-op – A unique co-op mode lets friends join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick.  Playing in two-player co-op mode allows gamers to discover new ways to overcome obstacles and enemies.  As players progress through the game, battle arenas are unlocked where raw one-on-one brawling with any Super Hero or Villain can take place at any time.

Come back for more, again and again, with Spider-Man: Friend or Foe – Replay the game or experience Versus mode with a different sidekick and eventually play as Black-Suited Spider-Man (Spidey’s darker, more aggressive persona) featuring unique powers and abilities.  Throughout the different worlds, a host of secret areas containing special tokens can be discovered in the first play through, which players can go back and explore at any time.  Gamers can also uncover a variety of hidden items scattered throughout the game which unlock collectables, powers and mini-games.

Publisher:                 Activision, Inc.

Developer:                 Next Level Games (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2)

                                    Artificial Mind & Movement (NDS, PSP)

                                    Beenox (PC)

Release Date:             Fall 2007

SRP:                           TBD (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, NDS, PC)

ESRB Rating:             “E10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Cartoon Violence) – Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, NDS, PC

                                    “RP” (Rating Pending) – PSP

Contact:                      Lindsay Morio

                                    Publicist, Activision Games

                                    Activision, Inc.

                                    310.255.2609

                                    lmorio@activision.com

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This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix by 1up

The experiment is a success and testament to the fact that EA really has been spending more time crafting these games as the movies and books become more ambitious. If Half-Blood Prince produces the same leap in concept as we’ve seen here, Potter fans will really be in for something.

Full Review

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Secret Files Tunguska comming To Wii  and DS

Basingstoke, 12th June 2007 - Koch Media has assigned the exclusive production rights in the Secret Files Tunguska PC game to 10TACLE STUDIOS MOBILE (implementation for Nintendo DS) and to Keen Games (implementation for Wii). This fun adventure. leading the player all around the globe, will soon be ready for all owners of Nintendo DS and Wii.

Pete Walentin, Development Director of keen games, stated: “It is a real pleasure to implement one of the best adventures of recent years for Wii in cooperation with Koch Media. We will optimise the controls for Wii Remote and Nunchuk in order to turn a game that is very good already into a ‘perfect-match’ for Wii.”

“Secret Files Tunguska is one of the most successful adventures of recent years. We are happy that we can bring this gaming adventure to a new platform by developing a Nintendo DS version and that we can also enhance it in a useful way with our innovative touch screen control,” says Alexandra Gerb, Managing Director of 10TACLE STUDIOS MOBILE.

The Nintendo DS version of Secret Files Tunguska will hit the shops in the 4th quarter of 2007, the Wii implementation is expected to be published in the 1st quarter of 2008.

About Secret Files Tunguska:

Background: On the 30th of June 1908, an explosion with the destructive power of 2,000 Hiroshima bombs rocked the Tunguska region in central Siberia, felling more than 6,000 square metres of pine forest. The explosion could be heard within a radius of 1,000km. Witnesses saw an oblong object, glowing in a blueish-white light, fall from the sky. A 20km high pillar of light was followed by a mushroom-shaped black cloud. The three following nights were so bright all over Europe that you could read a newspaper outside without additional light. In California, on the other hand, they noted a continuing reduction of sun light.

Up to this day it is still not clear what really triggered the Tunguska catastrophe. These are the most prevalent theories:

• An asteroid or comet crashing to the earth - but why was there no crater to be found?
• A vulcanic-like eruption, probably of natural gas - but how does this explain the growing radioactivity in the Tunguska region?
• A (natural) nuclear explosion - but why do the trees bear no evidence of a fire?
• A small black hole - but where is the exit hole?
• The crash of an extraterrestrial spaceship - but why was there no UFO wreckage to be found?

So far, no hypothesis can logically account for all of the facts and features surrounding the Tunguska catastrophe. It could have been a thermal, chemical or even nuclear explosion.

The story: Nina is torn from her normal life when she finds that her father has disappeared without a trace. The police cannot (or will not?) help her, so Nina begins searching for clues about her father’s whereabouts on her own. In the course of her investigations, she meets Max Gruber, a young colleague of her father’s, who spontaneously offers to help the pretty young woman. Together they soon find out that Nina’s father was involved in a previous expedition to Siberia that set out to investigate what lay behind the mysterious Tunguska catastrophe of 1908. At the time a huge explosion triggered an inferno, and the reasons behind that remain a mystery to this day.

Nina and Max soon realise that events of that time are linked to her father’s disappearance. Their search for answers leads Nina and Max to the most distant corners of the earth (Berlin, Moscow, Cuba, China, Antarctica etc.). Soon it becomes very obvious that some mighty opponents are also interested in the secret of Nina’s father. In the end it turns out that this is about much more than just the disappearance of an old man.

“Secret Files Tunguska represents a challenging mystery design, a long gaming duration and is state-of-the-art technically,” promises Lead Designer Jörg Beilschmidt. And Marco Zeugner, founder of Animation Arts, adds: “We are looking forward to our cooperation with Deep Silver, as the past has shown that in particular German developers’ teams are in very good hands with them.”

Features:
• 2D/3D symbiosis – the best of both worlds (2D backgrounds for optimum clarity and richness of detail, 3D characters for smooth animations and atmospheric light and shade effects)
• 110 highly detailed and atmospheric pre-rendered backgrounds
• 25 movie quality motion captured 3D characters
• Real time light and shade effects of the 3D characters
• Atmospheric weather effects (e.g., snow and rain)
• Backgrounds that can be scrolled over several screens
• Facial animation to show emotions and speech
• Cinematic-quality videos for intro and cutscenes in wide screen perspective
• Real time light and shade effects
• Powerful 3D animations system
• Well thought out story and riddle designs (up to 25 hours of gaming fun)
• Lively locations thanks to numerous background animations

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Shrek the Third heads to retailers

Santa Monica, CA – May 14, 2007 – The wait is Ogre with the announcement that the ShrekÒ the Third™ video game from Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has shipped to retail stores nationwide. The fate of Far Far Away is in gamer’s hands as they assume the role of their favorite characters from the film – Shrek®, Donkey, Fiona, Puss-in-Boots, Artie and Sleeping Beauty – and embark on an all-new adventure to save the land from the clutches of the evil Prince Charming. The Shrek the Third video game is based on DreamWorks Animation’s highly anticipated feature film, which opens on May 18.

“Activision’s Shrek the Third game captures the film’s signature humor as it takes gamers on a grand journey featuring original characters and storylines created exclusively for the game,” said Kim Salzer, Vice President of Global Brand Management, Activision Publishing. “Players will enjoy hours of fun and engaging gameplay as they travel through the Shrek universe in 20 action-filled levels and encounter a cast of twisted fairy tale characters such as Pinocchio, Prince Charming and a dim-witted Cyclops.”

Shrek the Third the video game takes players on an epic journey through magical worlds while mastering each character’s special moves and abilities, battling villains, gathering collectibles and joining friends to complete challenging mini-games in either single-player or two-player multiplayer modes. The game also introduces two new playable characters from the movie – Fiona’s rebellious cousin Artie and her fellow fairy tale princess Sleeping Beauty.

The Nintendo DS™ and Game BoyÒ Advance versions of the Shrek the Third video game offer players unique gameplay experiences. The Nintendo DS version is the first DS game to offer wireless cooperative multiplayer gameplay through all levels. Told from Donkey’s point of view, the Nintendo DS game allows players to assume the roles of Shrek, Puss-in-Boots and newcomer Artie, and journey beyond Far Far Away with the help of Merlin’s magic wand. Shrek and friends must work together to solve puzzles and defeat enemies while overcoming a band of Prince Charming’s henchmen.

The Game Boy Advance version closely follows the storyline of the movie as the characters complete great quests that end with them saving Far Far Away from the villainous Prince Charming.

Additionally, the game features a bonus sneak peek at Bee Movie Game, based on the upcoming animated feature from DreamWorks Animation which releases in November 2007.

The Shrek the Third video game is available now for the Xbox 360™ video game system from Microsoft and the WiiÔ for a suggested retail price of $49.99, the PlayStationÒ2 computer entertainment system for the suggested retail price of $39.99, the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS for a suggested retail price of $29.99 and the PC version for a suggested retail price of $19.99. The PSPÒ (PlayStationÒ Portable) system version will be available in early June for a suggested retail price of $39.99. The console, PSP system and PC games have been rated “E10+” (“Everyone 10 and older” – cartoon violence, crude humor), the Nintendo DS has been rated “E” (“Everyone” – cartoon violence, comic mischief) and the Game Boy Advanced has been rated “E” (“Everyone” – cartoon violence) by the ESRB.

The Article:

Press release email

EA officially announces The Simpsons Wii game

A carnival atmosphere pervades as people in Squishee brand cut-off tees serve bright red and blue drinks from the store front of the Kwik-e-Mart and servers with tall blue wigs take drink orders.

It’s hot on the FOX lot, but on the set of what appears to be Main Street, Everytown USA the event feels like a block party. The slick socialites and chest-slung babies that dot the FOX lot speak to the mass appeal of the Simpsons, and though they are all waiting for the much anticipated 400th episode, everyone is busy taking photos on the familiar Simpsons’ couch or enjoying fajitas from the Krusty Burger.

A large film screen looms over a DJ. A naked running Homer is projected on screen, “The streak continues…” it says.

Elsewhere in the FOX studio, EA prepares to unveil the Simpsons Game to the press for the first time. Stand-ups border a large flat screen, each portrays the Simpsons characters comically interjected into game settings, they read: “NeverQuest,” “Medal of Homer,” “Bartman Begins,” and “Grand Theft Scratchy.”

As the press files in, there is a sense that something special is about to take place. Despite the fact that if one looks back, this is the 22nd in a storied series of Simpsons’ titles, the fact that the announcement of this game is taking place alongside the staggering accomplishment of the series’ 400th installment, sets it apart as unique.

Once everyone is settled, the event begins. After a brief introduction the series’ writers are introduced: Tim Long, Matt Selman and Matt Warburton take the stage. They talk for a few minutes about the experience of writing the original script for the game, close to an hour of original cinematics, and 8,000 lines of dialogue define the game as an extension of the show itself.

After the writers finish talking, the demo begins. We see the first glimpse of the game. A level entitled, “Around the World in 80 Bites,” showcases Homer as he runs through the Duff Brewery, eating everything from tacos to Chinese takeout. As never before, the game looks like just the show, bringing familiar characters like Barney Gumble and The Bumblebee Man to life.

As the demo concludes, Matt Groening enters the room and speaks enthusiastically about the game alongside the writers. He tells the press about the unique experience of playing an original season of the Simpsons, and the writers speak about the title as a rebirth of Simpsons as an interactive experience. Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart, shows up as well to show her support.

After the press leaves the room, people filter across the street. The sun sets softly on the same street, and hanging lights are lit overhead. Groening takes the stage and humbly thanks the animators of the show, the sound team, and everyone responsible for the last 20 years of the Simpsons.

As the lights dim and the familiar theme plays, we watch the 400th episode together, in the streets. As one looks across hundreds of faces, it is easy to see that the Simpsons is not merely a show, a movie, or a game, but an experience that has touched us all, its distinctly human humor is electric as the whole crowd chuckles, roars, and smiles together.

Source: EA

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