ACTIVISION
PUBLISHING PARTNERS WITH NICKELODEON

ON GLOBAL LICENSING DEAL AROUND NETWORK’S HIT TV SERIES

SANTA MONICA, CA – May 13, 2009 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), and Nickelodeon today announced a global partnership where the two companies will create an all-new videogame based on the number-one live-action kids’ television show iCarly. Releasing internationally this Fall, the videogame will bring the interactive elements from the series to Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ for the first time.

“iCarly is a groundbreaking show that encourages viewers to contribute content of their own,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “This game is a natural extension of that creativity, and allows players to interact with the characters they know and love through a variety of different ways, any time they like.”

“In order to make a property as huge and irreverent as iCarly into a videogame, we tapped into the interactive model of the show itself,” said Steve Youngwood, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “iCarly’s entire premise is to allow kids and tweens to actively participate in their entertainment experience, and Activision is doing a phenomenal job in recreating that for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems.”

In the iCarly videogame, the possibilities are truly endless as players help Carly, Sam, Freddie and the other characters from the hit TV series craft all-new webisodes of the show in an original storyline designed specifically for the game. Fun and frenetic mini-games, presented as show skits, capture the creativity of the series, and allow players to work with the characters through new adventures. The innovative iCreate mode provides opportunities for gamers to add their own touches to the webisodes by swapping out props, characters, color schemes, audio, intros, outros and more. Up to four players can either compete or cooperate together on Wii to complete the skits and earn Web-Cred, which can then be used to purchase new items, props, accessories and locations from in-game websites.

Nickelodeon’s iCarly, a web show within a show, is the number-one live-action program on all of broadcast and basic cable television with kids and tweens, and the top kid-targeted live action series on basic cable with total viewers. It averages nearly 26 million total viewers each week (source: Nielsen Media Research). The show’s companion website www.iCarly.com recently boasted its best month ever in March among total visits, visitors and page views (source: comScore Media Metrix March 2009).

For more information visit www.activision.com.

These are some new images of the Nintendo Wii game Carnival Games: Mini-Golf

(more…)

More About: Nintendo, Wii, Carnival Games: Mini-Golf

Nancy Drew Wii Press Release:

BELLEVUE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Her Interactive, Inc., the designer, developer and publisher of the award-winning Nancy Drew® PC game series, today announced they are partnering with SEGA® of America to bring the best selling franchise to the video game console market. Already a cross-generational phenomenon for over a decade and the number one bestselling PC game adventure series, Nancy Drew ®: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek will make its Wii™ debut this October.
(more…)

More About: Nancy Drew Wii

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel and two games to the WiiWare Channel. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

Dr. Mario® Online Rx (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): The doctor is in! Mario™ takes a break from his adventuring ways and once again dons his stethoscope for a new generation of germ-battling mayhem. In addition to the classic mode of using vitamins to exterminate viruses, you’ll find two battle modes and an online multiplayer mode where you can hone your skills against players from around the world. Feel like challenging a friend who doesn’t have Dr. Mario Online Rx? Then the WiiWare-exclusive Friend Battle Demo is just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe you’d like some help taking on those nasty viruses? Try out Virus Buster, where four players can simultaneously move capsules simply by pointing at them with a Wii Remote™ controller. Any way you look at it, Dr. Mario Online Rx is a prescription for fun that everyone can enjoy.

Family Table Tennis (Aksys Games, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): It’s time for some good old family fun, and what’s more fun than table tennis? Just like a real family, choose your character from a cast of four, which includes Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy. There are four table tennis-tastic stages where it doesn’t matter if you’re an indoors or outdoors table-tennis player. Pick your poison from a gymnasium, a forest park, a beach or even an amusement park. Choose from Single or Versus mode, or select a minigame to play. In Versus mode, you and a friend can play against each other to see who is the better table-tennis player. And if Single and Versus modes aren’t enough, select between three minigames, which include Target Table Tennis, Thrilling Table Tennis and Matching Table Tennis. The appealing cell-shaded graphics and endearing music, on top of the super-fun game play, will have you and your family playing from morning till night. Get your paddles ready.

Virtual Console™

City Connection™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, Tobacco Reference, 500 Wii Points): Based on the arcade hit, a young man born in California sets out to tour famous sites and cities around the world. As he drives the highways surrounding these locations, the road is painted white as proof of his visit. Only once all sections of the road have been painted will he move on to the next location in his world tour. Not surprisingly, the local police will chase the driver and do their best to stop him from completing his goal. In addition, cats roam the highways and spikes lie in wait for unsuspecting drivers. To combat these dangers, the driver’s customized car can jump, fire cans of oil and collect balloons to warp to a new stage. It’s the ultimate road trip.

Metal Slug (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1996 by SNK, Metal Slug is a side-scrolling military-action game. Players control Marco and Tarma, both members of the special-ops force Team Peregrine Falcon (commonly known as Team PF), and battle their way through stage after stage of intense action. The goal is to try to overthrow General Morden and win back the stolen weapon, the Metal Slug. Players must blast through waves of enemies and machines (while also jumping over any obstacles in the way) to advance through the stages. It’s not as hopeless as it might sound, though—weapons such as heavy machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers and flamethrowers, as well as the Metal Slug itself (which appears frequently in the game), will make the battle easier. Take on General Morden with a friend to lighten your load and ramp up the excitement even more.

With 1 million copies shipped worldwide for Carnival Games, Take Two Interactive announced the development of a new game for the Nintendo Wii: Carnival Games: Mini-Golf, its release is scheduled for next autumn in USA

More About: Nintendo Wii, Carnival Games: Mini-Golf

Developed by Black Lantern Studios, the game is based on the highly rated Iron Chef America program, a spinoff of the worldwide hit Iron Chef, produced by Fuji Television. Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine features the voice and likeness of the show’s host, Mark Dacascos, and Destineer will announce the involvement of additional talent from the show shortly. (more…)

More About: Iron Chef America, Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine

This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge 2008

In a sea of Wii shovelware, Wii Winter Sports isn’t the worst choice you could make. Conspiracy apparently picked this one up for cheap, but for fans of downhill skiing and a handful of other Olympic events, “The Ultimate Challenge 2008” will satisfy for at least long enough to warrant a rental. The control works for the most part (aside from a pretty unsatisfying curling experience), but it’s never more than a quick arcade-inspired mini-game the likes of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. The graphics aren’t nearly as polished as official screens would have you believe, and the game – while better than every other Conspiracy effort thus far – grows dull fast. Unless you can find this one extremely cheap, skip it.

Full Review

More About: Review, Nintendo, Wii, Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge 2008

The JaP company Konami announced the game Target: Terror Exclusive for Nintendo Wii, This game is in development by Leviathan Games, this game will be based on the arcade game of the same name but his game will feature a multiplayer mode, minigames and Wii Zapper comatible (more…)

More About: Target: Terror, Nintendo Wii, Wii Zapper

This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game Zack & Wiki by USA Today

.. With more than 30 hours of game play, the puzzles can be played slowly over time. There are also minigames to explore. Plus, the game allows others to get involved as advisers who can draw circles around areas to investigate. This is a fun way for a parent and child to play together …

Full Review

More About: Review, Nintendo, Wii, Zack & Wiki

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

More About: Review, Nintendo, Wii, The Bee Movie Game