The Game Developers Conference Mobile (GDC) 2007 announced the rules for its upcoming Mobile Game Innovation Hunt. The Mobile Game Innovation Hunt is an opportunity for developers and publishers to pitch their game ideas to a panel of expert judges, as well as the audience. The hunt is open to 12 to 15 developers and each only gets three minutes to sell what could be the next big mobile game.

There will be two winners, the judges' choice and the audience favorite. The Judges' Selection will receive:

• A personalized trophy
• $1,500 prize
• An O2 Xda Flame, powered by the NVIDIA GoForce 5500 with Premier Developer Support
• Two conference passes to GDC Mobile 2008 (Approx. $2,100 value)
• A year subscription to Game Developer magazine
• Announcement of the winner on the GDC Mobile web site

The Audience Selection will receive:

• A personalized trophy
• $500 prize
• Two conference passes to GDC Mobile 2008 (Approx. $2,100 value)
• A year subscription to Game Developer magazine
• Announcement of the winner on the GDC Mobile web site

To get in the game, interested parties should complete the online submission form before February 2. Applications will be reviewed to find 12 to 15 games that will make it to the Mobile Game Innovation Hunt session. The session will be held on March 5.

For complete details, please click on the "Read" link below.

Prepare for a puzzle overload with Slingdot's two games for the price of one: Pop Pop Pop! and Brain Aneurysm.

Pop Pop Pop! is the most fun you can have without a bubble plastic wrap. Your goal is to burst groups of two or more bubbles of the same colour to earn gifts. Popping all the bubbles gets you a DotteryBall. If you can leave five or less bubbles on the screen at the end of a game, you earn bonus dots. Certain bubbles contain gifts, other contain hammers. By popping a gift bubble you earn its content. Popping a hammer bubble will either break all bubble of that colour, or break bubbles around the bubble with the hammer.

In Super Aneurysm!, you must challenge and defeat The Aneurysm by lighting all the squares on the game board. Light up a square by placing a crystal on it. Crystals can only be placed next to other crystals and they must match in either color or shape. To clear clear crystals from the board, make a complete horizontal or vertical line. You receive bonus points for every line you clear. If The Aneurysm is part of a line that is cleared he is removed from the board, but he isn't gone for good!

Marble Madness is one of the few arcade games with the staying power to transcend changing technology. Who knew the game would one day be playable on mobile phones in glorious 3D? Well that day has come. And this mini-me version of the grand arcade game comes packed with all new features and levels, and yet looks faithful to the classic gameplay.

Marble Madness 3D features:

• One on one or 4 player multiplayer via Bluetooth

• State of the art 3D graphics with dynamic environments

• Over 12 different levels to play through

Published by THQ Wireless, Marble Madness 3D is compatible with

Primary handsets: Motorola - V980, Nokia - N6680, Samsung - Z140v, ZV10, SE K300i,Z520i, V600i, F500i, V800, K700i, S700i, K750i, Sharp - 902, 703, GX40

Secondary Handsets: Motorola - E1000, C980, V1050, V1150, Panasonic VS3, ZV30, Samsung – E860V, Z500, Sharp – 903, Siemens S65v, CX75v, C75v, Toshiba TS803

Ozura Mobile recently launched Cicak-Man Mobile Game and tournament. Cicak-Man, based on Malaysia’s very first Action Hero Movie, is the story of two best friends. One of them, Hairi, accidentally gains superpowers and becomes Cicak-Man. Now he must cope with the transition from everyday mortal life to superhero stardom.

Characters from the movie are featured in the gameplay with their own distinctive form of defense and attacking skills. Danny, a lab technician has a unique attacking skill called the Giant Syringe Poke where he attacks his opponents by tossing test tubes. Another character, Professor Klon, attacks his enemies by using the Multiple Illegal VCD Throws.

Meanwhile, the Cicak-Man competitive game is steadily building up participants. The Grand Prize Winner will win a trip for two to Disneyland, Hong Kong.

Electronic Arts has released the mobile version of The Sims 2 Pets for those of you who can't bear to part with your non-pooping pixel pets. In The Sims 2 Pets mobile gamers can take care of a puppy, teaching it tricks and completing many goals anytime, anywhere. If a pet is neglected, you will have to deal with a naughty puppy - and we all know what kind of mess one little dog can make. The Sims 2 Pets features:

• Create a Sim customise everything from gender and skin tone to hair color and the clothes they wear
• Customise a Sim’s Pet from the breed, gender and fur colour
• Complete puppy care including feeding potty, energy, fun and hygiene
• Pet tricks like sit, speak, and dance and others
• Doggie treats, toys, accessories, and more at the Pet Shop
• Rewards for completing goals including buying new toys and accessories for your pet

Check out more screens after the jump!

HeroCraft has launched a new mobile puzzle game that will come in handy for people who will be spending the holidays alone.Smile Lines: Winter Season is a logic game where the goal is to organize a Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa party.

Sounds simple? In Smile Lines: Winter Season, you need to find a place for a holiday, prepare the party food and to round up and gather guests in time. The game poses enough challenge to stump Martha Stewart and the entire Queer Eye team.

There are several playing styles available and its increasing difficulty is designed to grab your attention away from the reality that you are as isolated as Scrooge. Smile Lines: Winter Season features:

• Attractive festal graphics
• Funny music
• User-friendly interface
• Four 4 different types of game

Smile Lines: Winter Season can be downloaded directly to compatible handset for €3.99 (US$ 5.27) from the Herocraft website.

Electronic Arts announced the Dakar 2007 mobile game will roll out starting December 22 across Europe. The game is based on the gruelling Dakar race - the toughest rally in the world. Dakar 2007 features a race through 15 different stages in over 5 countries including Lisbon, Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, and Dakar itself before reaching the finish line. The course is littered with traps, and driving and navigating skills are essential for victory:

• Extreme driving through circuits you’ve unlocked. Push yourself and your vehicle to breaking point as you race to improve on your best time
• Take the heat  and keep your vehicle revving by picking up bonus items to refuel and repair engine and tyre damage caused by the hostile conditions
• Forks in the road could lead either to a more direct route with hordes of hazards or choose a smoother but longer ride
  

We know its only a few days before game is out but no harm in checking out the Dakar 2007 mobile trailer from Electronic Arts.

Download: [Dakar 2007 Trailer]

Did you know Atari's classic Centipede was the first arcade game designed by a woman? Back in the 1980s Dona Bailey's vertical shooter featured a host of creepy crawlies including a centipede, fleas, spiders and scorpions in a backyard jungle setting. To complete rounds, the player must shoot a centipede before it reaches the playing field.

As part of Glu Mobile's "everything old is new again" partnership with Atari, Centipede is coming back as a mobile game. Although the gameplay of the mobile version of Centipede is close to the original arcade, Glu Mobile gave it a twist of the 21st century with such elements as additional themes, power ups, and upgrades in graphics, control and functionality.

Now on its final stages of development, Centipede for mobile phones is set to launch around the world starting the first quarter of 2007. Other Atari arcade classics following the hundreds of footsteps of Centipede include Asteroids and Super Breakout. Proof that great games don't fade away. They just get ported!

Rise of Antares 2, an all-new turn-based space strategy game from HeroCraft, is back and its a very bitchy mood. The game is designed for all gamers with political ambitions bigger than Hillary Clinton's. As head of an interstellar corporation, gamers must take the reigns, set a successful plan and fight elections in order to rule the freaking galaxy. Oh and there's one more thing on the agenda: kick Star League Bureaucrats asses back to where they belong! Which is anywhere but your turf.

Rise of Antares 2 is packed with features to help fight for intergalactic dominance including:

• Full stepwise space strategy
• A diverse array of technologies
• Masses of different ships and buildings
• Easy-to-follow training system and a captivating campaign
• Game graphics to advanced interstellar standards

Rise of Antares 2 is supported by various handsets from Alcatel, BenQ-Siemens, LG, Motorola, Nokia Panasonic, Samsung and more.

Some may say that mobile games have lost their luster due to weak technology, as the stunning flop of N-Gage was seen as the final nail on the industry's coffin. But it looks like that the said industry isn't dead yet, just in a coma. And it's starting to wake up.

If Namco Bandai really wants to dominate the mobile game industry, it's going to try a little harder because a certain company called Electronic Arts is aiming for it, too. Namco and EA aren't the only ones shocking mobile games back to life. Nokia is giving it another try.

What's bringing the buzz back? People are expected to spend US $ 3 billion this year on mobile games. By 2011, that figure will jump to US $ 17 billion. That's billion with a capital B. Where's all that money coming from? A recent study by researchers Nielsen Entertainment said that mobile phone users in six countries are now playing games more often and for longer periods. The latest digits says 80% of respondents play at least once a week and an average play session of 28 minutes.

Mobile handset technology has taken a giant leap forward. Downloading costs are plummeting, while downloading content is becoming easier. And last but certainly not least, the quality of games has entered 3D domain. EA says this is the right time to best in the market because "We see all the pieces coming together."