Capcom and Nickelodeon today announced that they are working together to create a new Neopets title. Called Neopets Puzzle Adventure, this game will have 150 different quests across vast Neopian lands. Players will also be able to unlock codes that will allow players to unlock items in the virtual world on neopets.com.

“As part of Neopets’ strategy to extend the property into a multiplatform brand, we are continuously giving our audiences new ways to play on and off of the site,” said Kyra Reppen, Senior vice president and general manager for Neopets. “Our partnership with Capcom provides a new form of game play for Neopets that is relevant to the platforms our audience is using, and that complements the game play on the site.”

“Capcom is working to expand the breadth of our catalog to gamers of all ages in North America and Neopets is a perfect brand for us to bring to casual and family gamers,” said Germaine Gioia, senior vice president, licensing for Capcom Entertainment. “Combining Capcom’s experience, the rich world of Neopets, and Infinite Interactive’s skills in the puzzle/adventure genre makes a perfect match.”

Neopets Puzzle Adventure will release on PC, DS and Wii in late 2008

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Today Ubisoft announced several new titles, including Shaun White Snowboarding.

“Shaun White Snowboarding will turn all of the traditional ideas and experiences of past action sports titles upside down,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “The combination of Ubisoft’s innovation approach and the influence of Shaun’s lifestyle and perspective make this gaming experience like no other.” The game will be available for PS3 and Xbox 360 in addition to a Wii version that will take advantage of the Wii Balance Board.

Ubisoft also announced the next title in the Rayman Raving Rabbids series. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party will be coming to the DS and Wii, with the latter also having compatibility with the Wii Balance Board. The game pokes fun at TV shows and popular culture in general.

“The Rayman Raving Rabbids titles have been an immense success, entertaining the world over,” said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer, Ubisoft. “The inclusion of the Wii Balance Board into the game was a huge source of inspiration for our development team and I guarantee you will see the Wii Balance Board used in ways that will be surprisingly unexpected!”

In what was easily the most unusual and unexpected announcement at Ubidays, the publisher announced Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking. Based around the series of books, clinics and DVDs, the game’s goal is, as the title states, to help people to stop smoking.

“Ubisoft’s creative team has worked hard to deliver a game that successfully communicates Allen Carr’s Easyway method via play,” said Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. “The player experiences a truly interactive engagement with the game through which he or she learns that it can actually be enjoyable to quit smoking.”

Ubisoft also announced the latest title in its Imagine series. Titled My Fashion Studio, players are cast as a young woman looking to make her mark in the fashion industry. This DS title allows players to design and tailor their fashion creations.

In the casual realm, Ubisoft also announced Dogz 2008. This Wii title is designed to use the Wii Remote for activities like jump roping and playing catch. The dogs can also travel to (more…)

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VMK’s (Virtual Magic Kingdom) notice of closure.

As many of you know, Virtual Magic Kingdom was created and launched back in 2005 as part of the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration. VMK exceeded expectations in terms of performance, and as a result we extended the promotion (that is, VMK, the game) well beyond the 50th Celebration.

Eventually though, all promotions must come to an end, so I’m announcing today that on May 21, 2008, VMK will open our virtual gates for the last time. You read that right: VMK was never intended to last forever - we’ll close the game for good at the end of day on May 21st, 2008.

Now we understand this news may be upsetting to you but let me explain. Again, VMK was launched as part of Disneyland’s 50th Celebration in 2005 and the game has lived well beyond the originally intended time it was planned to run.

Over time you’ve seen our in-Park presence and other parts of VMK go away. You may remember our V.I.P Tours at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, or our in-Park Quest. (more…)

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As you well know, movie fans finally get another dose of their favorite adventuring archeologist Indiana Jones this weekend with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hitting theaters today.

Fans who crave more Indy-themed fun will find it online with National Geographic’s new interactive game “Tomb of the Unknown Mummy,” where they can dig for and learn about virtual ancient artifacts, then matching those discoveries to the specific mummy they belong.

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Microsoft’s beta version of its Community Games on Xbox Live initiative has launched, along with a revamp of its XNA Creators Club website that allows paid members to submit, rate and share their games.

Part of its XNA Game Studio 2.0 program, the Creators Club allows members to create cross platform games for PC, Xbox 360, and, most recently announced, its handheld Zune media player. With its Community Games initiative, games made in Game Studio can be uploaded and shared with other members, and soon to the Xbox Live community at large.

Currently, the site contains a quick start guide to show off new site features and how its proposed pipeline will work, a Community Spotlight area with interviews and articles by community members, and a Role Playing Game Starter Kit that gives programmers a jumping off point to create new content.

Submitting and reviewing games currently requires a premium subscription membership, but the site is free for all to join. (more…)

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