On December 27, 1999, Activision, Inc. shipped VIGILANTE 8: SECOND OFFENSE
for the Sega Dreamcast. In this new adventure, players must stop the Coyote
terrorist gang that has traveled back through time in an attempt to change
the course of events that will allow evil to dominate the world. Developed
by Luxoflux Corp., the game features multiple modes of play -- single
player quest, arcade and survival mode, two-player versus, cooperative and
Starting January 1, 2000, Looney Toons Sylvester and Tweety hit the air,
that's the friendly skies, when Delta Air Lines began presenting Cartoon
Network's pigskin parody, BIG GAME: SYLVESTER VS. TWEETY during its
in-flight entertainment. Select domestic flights will show highlights from
BIG GAME, a Cartoon Network parody special featuring classic cartoon
episodes along with analysis by Jerry Glanville, Nick Buonoconti and Len
Dawson of HBO's INSIDE THE NFL. These football personalities break down the
As Jacquie Kubin relates the gaming industry is seeking more and more animators as new systems raise the aesthetic bar, making games faster, more realistic and well, animated.
Brazil's Justice Ministry has banned six video games it considers too
violent for the public. This ruling comes on the heals of last month's
deadly shooting rampage in a movie theater by a medical student. "The games
are considered violent and [are] affecting people who play them,
particularly children," a ministry spokeswoman said. "As for DUKE NUKEM,
the ministry regulation says its virtual world may have motivated Mateus da
Costa Meira to stage the cinema shooting on November 3 in Sao Paulo." All
In continued coverage of the war to empty the pockets of the POKEMONpeople, Bandai America Incorporated, the company responsible for the PowerRangers and Tamogotchi virtual pets, unveiled a new line of toys based onthe POKEMON-like DIGIMON: DIGITAL MONSTERS, at an event held at FAO Schwarzin New York. Since the debut of the TV series in August on Fox Kids,DIGIMON has become the #1 ranked show in its time period among allcompetition with Boys 6-11. Kids can also visit the DIGIMON Web site which
At Licensing Expo 2008, 4Kids will capitalize on its role as a global leader and look to develop extensive licensing programs for both its all-new, unique multi-platform properties as well as for its well-received favorites. 4Kids highlights will include:
A focused licensing and merchandising program for the Chaotic Trading Card Game, the first multi-platform, collectible trading card game that is quickly become a major sensation both at retail and online;
Digital Leisure has released SPACE ACE DVD-ROM, the sequel to DRAGON'SLAIR. As one of the first animated video games in history, Space Acefeatures non-stop video entertainment. The evil Commander Borf haskidnapped Ace's girlfriend, the beautiful Kimberly, and is plotting toenslave the Earth using his dreaded "Infanto Ray," a weapon that changeseveryone it blasts into a helpless baby. Game enthusiasts can choose toguide Ace, or his weak alter-ego Dexter, through Borf's strongholds to
Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman looks at the marketing and licensing scheme that has turned 150 viscous monsters into the Pokon every kid in America must have.
Joseph Szadkowski reports on Sega's new Dreamcast system, the latest technology to hit the gaming world and put Sega back on top.
Lucas Learning Ltd. has released STAR WARS: PIT DROIDS, a STAR WARS EPISODEONE-based puzzle game. Players must direct an endless row of pit droidstoward appropriate goals, and prevent them from falling off the edge of theworld. Players can play the puzzles at random, or work from location tolocation to achieve a high score. There are eight game levels, six gameenvironments, and more than 300 puzzles. The game is compatible with bothPC and Mac, and has a retail price of US$29.99.
Infogrames and DreamWorks will release ANTZ for Game Boy Color this fall inthe US. Based on the animated film, the game will star the famous ant Z, aninsecure little bug who has high hopes of finding Insectopia, a mysticalworld where food is plentiful and all insects live in peace. ANTZ allowskids to jump into the action. Ant-oriented hazards presented to theminiature heroes include acidic termites, out-of-control water droplets,gum-soled shoes and, the sun-filled, magnifying glass. Infogrames is a
Activision, Inc., in collaboration with Disney Interactive, Inc., has released a game based on Walt Disney Pictures' and Pixar Animation Studio's computer-generated animated film, A BUG'S LIFE, for the Nintendo 64 game console. A BUG'S LIFE lets players run, fly and slide through an interactive journey. In the game players take on the role of the film's hero, Flik, an inventive but occasionally over-enthusiastic ant, who enlists a group of flea circus bugs to help him in his quest to save his colony from the hands of the villainous Hopper and his legion of grasshoppers.
Joseph Szadkowski details the proceedings at E3 and details the new games and products, and who is bringing them to life for us.
Red Storm, which has been broadening the boundaries of computer gaming withproducts like Tom Clancy's RAINBOW SIX, has reached an agreement withBohbot Kids Network (BKN), a New York-based syndication networkspecializing in children's programming, to produce a series of games basedon BKN's series ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES: ALIENS, MYTHS & LEGENDS, a new showwhich will begin airing in the spring of 2000 and already has a two-yearair commitment. The show is a creation of Allen Bohbot, Chairman and CEO of
On Friday, May 14, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS),created to advance and recognize outstanding achievement in the interactivearts, announced the recipients of its second annual Interactive AchievementAwards. The awards were presented at an event held May 13 at the VarietyArts Theater during the Electronic Entertainment Exposition in Los Angeles.ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME (Nintendo of America/Nintendo Co. Ltd.) won sixawards including Interactive Title of the Year, Adventure Game of the Year,
San Francisco-based (COLOSSAL) PICTURES created a 30-second PSA for Partnership for a Drug-Free America called "Hombeez Bee-Ball Game." The spot, which will begin airing in May, features bee-like characters from, HANGIN' WITH THE HOMBEEZ, a series of books written by Dann Gershon and illustrated by David Robinson. Music and narration for the PSA are provided by the well-known New York hip hop and R&B producers Full Force. The message-driven piece pits a group of Drug Bugs against the clean and sober Hombeez in a game of basketball, and the results are obvious.
* Tuesday, March 16. San Jose, California, USA.
The "Performance Animation Society" and the "Game Developers Conference" present "Evolving Humans for Games," an evening that takes a look at the next wave of tools that are enabling game developers to add photorealistic humans and 3D objects to their game environments. The meeting, at the San Jose Conference Center, takes place from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. and is open to everybody. For more information visit www.pasociety.org/gdc.
* Monday, March 15 - Friday, March 19. San Jose, California, USA.
The Game Show Network has signed a deal with Interactive Television Entertainment (ITE-USA) to start airing the live, real-time animated action game THROUT AND NECK in the U.S. Using technologies developed by ITE-USA, home viewers are able to control the movement of the animated characters using their telephone keypads to input commands. In the game, Throut and Neck are two unruly beasts who somehow wind up in SheepHeaven, a mind-numbing world of annoyingly cute and adorable sheep. The players at home control their monsters to see which one can defeat the most sheep and return home.
Acclaim Entertainment has released the highly-anticipated "South Park" video game for Nintendo 64 with a PC version that will be available in January 1999. The adventure game features original dialogue recorded by Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and Issac Hayes and can be played in a single or multi-player mode. The game unfolds as a mysteriously evil comet approaches South Park causing much mayhem. It is left up to Kenny, Kyle, Stan and Cartman to save the day. All the perennial "South Park" characters pop up throughout the game including Mr. Hankey, Chef, Terrance and Phillip, and Big Gay Al.
Coinciding with the U.S. tour of The Spice Girls, Psygnosis has released "Spice World," a PlayStation console video game. The game, aimed at pre-teen girls, gives users a chance to choreograph dance routines starring animated versions of Ginger, Scary, Baby, Posh and Sporty Spice. While it may not be rocket science, the Spice Girls game does address a need for games designed for girls. "Spice World" for PlayStation is $35.95.
While our first assumptions about gaming lead us to thoughts of a violent, action-packed, male dominated past-time, Jacquie Kubin reveals why it is important never to assume anything as the numbers certainly do not support this ideal anymore.
What's new in the gaming world? Joseph Szadkowski gives us the lowdown on the new animation related games from this year's E3.
Are animation and multimedia producers really learning to work together? Deborah Todd gives us the lowdown of what happened at the 1998 International Content Market for Interactive Media (MILIA) in MILIA 1998: Towards Convergence?
Animation World Magazine's picks for the top animated games of 1997.
