Fans of Electronic Arts' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, DS, Wii, GBA, PC, Mac) should know that the video game version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been officially announced. For more information on this game, check out the full article.

 

An official announcement made available recently called out news that the game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has shipped across North America and should also be available in Europe by June 28. The game developed under the watchful eyes of Electronic Arts is now available on almost every current platform imaginable.

Boasting a non-linear gameplay feature, the title will allow players to explore the innards of Hogwarts Academy and uses an intuitive spell-casting gesture system that should please gamers on the Nintendo Wii. The game will boast the authenticity of the movie, from locales to characters, so we won't spill the story details until everyone's comfortable with the motion picture release.

Otherwise, the EA UK-developed game is rated E 10+ for Everyone (10+) and should be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for a suggested retail price of US$ 59.99, the Nintendo Wii for US$ 49.99, the PlayStation 2 and PSP for US$ 39.99, and the Nintendo DS, GBA, PC and Mac for US$ 29.99. Another ported version for your game-capable mobile phone is also slated for release, although no price has been named as of press time.

THQ today announced its 2007 Nickelodeon video game lineup. The lineup includes the video game debut of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera as well as new titles based on some of the shows on Nickelodeon. A new Nicktoons game is also slated for release this year. Here's the list of upcoming titles:

• Nicktoons 2007 (working title) (PS2, Wii, DS, GBA - fall)
• SpongeBob's Atlantis Squarepantis (PS2, Wii, DS, GBA - fall)
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis Treasures (working title) (Mobile)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth (Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, DS, GBA - fall)
• El Tigre (working title) (DS - fall)
• Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco (DS - summer)
• Drake and Josh: Talent Showdown (DS - summer)

"Our Nickelodeon video game portfolio continues to lead the kids market with more than 45 million units sold-in to date," said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. "We expect a continued robust Nickelodeon business in 2007 with an even greater presence on the popular Wii, our first title slated for release on Xbox 360, and additional titles in our new series of games based on Nickelodeon's live-action properties."

We all love the funny green ogre Shrek and his band of heroes. As the third movie is already scheduled for a May 18 release (along with the multiplatform videogame for PS2, Xbox360, GBA, PSP, DS, PC, and Wii), the mobile gamers aren't be left out in the cold either.

Gameloft and DreamWorks Animation SKG teams up to bring Shrek the Third to the handsets. The mobile game will reportedly follow the movie's storyline with all the main characters in attendance. With the mobile version set to be unleashed upon "170 operators in over 75 countries", expect Shrek the Third to grace a handset near you around the same time of the movie's release.

Michel Guillemot, Gameloft's president, had this to say about the partnership:

We are thrilled to partner with DreamWorks Animation to bring the imaginative world of Shrek the Third to mobile gamers worldwide. We look forward to collaborating with DreamWorks to capture the trademark humor and originality featured in the Shrek series in our products.

Well, ready to start another adventure in the kingdom of Far Far Away? Be sure to pack your sense of humor with you.

Mr. David Gosen is currently the CEO of company I-Play. Despite this affiliation, his love and fondness for gaming transcends beyond the scope of mobile phones. After all, he was previously the managing director of Nintendo Europe Sales and Marketing division. He was there when GameCube and GBA was launched.

During a recent interview, Gosen disclosed his belief that the mobile and handheld markets will soon surpass that of the consoles'. He mentioned that in terms of revenue, the consoles are still more lucrative as of now, but only because of its fanbase. However, he reiterated that mobile gaming is an emerging market. He explained:

2006 marks the first time that there will be more touch points for mobile gaming than there will for console. In terms of revenues, console's far greater but more games will be played on mobile than they will on console. So if you are a brand owner, if you're looking to get your content out to the mass market, mobile offers tremendous scope to do that.

Currently, mobile gaming is dominated by Sony and Nintendo with their PSP and DS respectively. Interestingly, mobile phone company Nokia has been expressing its desire to re-enter the market and challenge the two. With a market worth sure to balloon to US$ 17 million in just five years, who wouldn't?

Anyway, the CEO then mentioned that mobile games shouldn't be considered a threat. If anything, mobile games can be used as a starter for non-gamers. Gosen concluded,

I think mobile can be a recruitment device. Someone that gets a great gaming experience on mobile can easily move up to console or move to handheld and then move to console. The more people we get into playing games in general, whether it's on mobile or on DS, is a bigger pool for all of us.

Squeenix (pardon me for using such a childish contraction) is best known for making games that have your character level up in some form or another. Be it in an Action-RPG setting in Kingdom Hearts II, or in a turn based strategy game like say Front Mission. That's why people's eyes rolled when they heard that Squeenix will be making a basketball game for Nintendo in the form of Mario Hoops, and understandably so.

Squeenix making a basketball game? Why? Can they? Will they somehow have Mario use gambits or something? Apparently, Mario Hoops was not that hot review-wise. A lot said it was good, but they're hesitant to attach the word "great" beside the game. Maybe it was too weird for some?

Speaking of weirdness, here's the latest WTF game creation by Squeenix. Gamasutra reports:

Square Enix and Sony BMG have announced "mobile dance game" Destiny's Child Groove due later this winter, featuring images of vocalists Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams as well as versions of the popular group's songs.

Beyonce plus Square equals what?! Apparently the game is supposed to be a back-and-forth dance battle in which users compete against dancing AI, and the game should feature a bevy of Destiny's Child hits.

Why Squeenix why!

But if you thought Mario Hoops and this latest one by Square-Enix weirds you out, just take a look at this list of non-RPG/non-Strategy games that Squeenix has made through the years. You tell us if they're any good. (Note that games released only in Japan have JP on them)

That long list, and the rest of the article after the Jump!

Need For Speed Carbon is definitely making sure you'd get the paramount street-racing experience as it gets ready to invade the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, GBA, PSP, PC and mobile.

Whew! Those sure are a lot of grounds to cover!

No worries, though: EA earlier revealed more cars from the handsome list of wheels featured in the game. From the vintage to the newest models, the cars in NFS Carbon will definitely make your heads spin with its cool collections.

The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, together with the 1967 Shelby GT500, makes an appearance side by side the 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG and the 2006 Corvette Z06. The 2005 Monaro Vauxhall VXR is also available for you to let rip across the treacherous canyon roads. And those are but a few of what NFS Carbon has stashed in its garage.

Check out these screens to pick your ride.