For those of us who spent countless hours lost in the land created by C. S. Lewis, we will soon be able to help Aslan ourselves. Disney Interactive is working on “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” (PC, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA, Nintendo DS, PSP).
A film tie-in with the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures release, this action/adventure lets you play as the four young heroes of the fantasy story (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie), working with Aslan to defeat the malevolent White Witch and save the land of Narnia from 100 years of winter.
One exciting feature about this game, is that all the creatures in the game are being created by Weta Workshop, the CG visual effects company that created the distinctive environments and monsters in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
With puzzle-solving, two-player capability and integration between film footage and game content, this could be a very faithful adaptation of the books. Look for it this Christmas, when the film is released.
Warhammer Franchise Announced
Following the recent success of THQ’s “Warhammer 40k: Dawn Of War” real-time strategy game, Namco has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Games Workshop. Namco will be using the medieval fantasy world created by the UK company to publish several games for the PC platform, as well as allowing Namco to use the franchise on future console and handheld platforms.
Games Workshop created the Warhammer world over 20 years ago for the tabletop gaming community. The world is a dark forbidding fantasy realm where elves, orcs, dwarfs, undead and other races are constantly waging war for control of the world.
The Warhammer community is huge, encompassing over 4000 retailers worldwide and holding regular tournaments and events in the US, Canada, France, the UK and many European countries.
Namco’s successes include the “Tekken,” “SoulCalibur” and “Ridge Racer” series, and Games Workshop is “confident that Namco will make some incredible games” set in the Warhammer world.
Ready? Fight!
Major League Gaming (MLG), the leading console gaming league for videogame players of all types, is coming to Texas.
On March 12-13 2005, MLG is holding its third tournament of the year in Houston. Working with the event coordinator Texas Showdown, MLG is offering competitions in “Halo 2,” “Super Smash Bros Melee” and “Tekken 5,” all with the chance of winning an invitation to the Central Conference Championship in Chicago and the National Championship in New York.
Whether you fancy taking your chances against some of the best console fighting game players in the state or just watching the action from the back row, visit www.mlgpro.com for more details.
Best Gamer On Campus Contest
Major League Gaming (MLG) is also in search of America’s premier college gamer, with a contest called “Best Gamer On Campus.” Sponsored by BestBuy and UbiSoft, and in conjunction with mtvU, the 24-hour college network, MLG is looking for five finalists to compete on the country’s largest HDTV screen.
On April 21, the finalists will be flown to New York and compete in a variety of gaming categories to determine the best all-round gamer. Online voting and guest judges will then narrow the field to two finalists, who will then compete in a best-of-three challenge.
Based on their performance and online voting through mtvu.com, one player will be crowned mtvU’s “Best Gamer On Campus” and also receive a management contract with MLG, a gaming internship at mtvU and a prize pack.
So if you think you’ve got what it takes, if you spend more time playing than studying (always a bad idea), if you want to compete in front of thousands of spectators in Times Square — sign up at www.mtvu.com.
The Guildhall at SMU is an intense 18-month certificate program in digital game development. The curriculum was designed by expert teachers working with leaders in the gaming industry to provide students with a solid foundation in game development. Visit http://guildhall.smu.edu.
