Narnia Fans » Narnia Games

Those who long to spend their days in Narnia will be able to revisit as old heroes return 1,300 years later and a new hero must rise. Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game will be released at retail stores throughout the United States in time for the film’s May 16, 2008, opening, Disney Interactive Studios announced today.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™ and Windows-based PC.

Developed by Traveller’s Tales, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for home consoles and Windows-based PC takes players throughout Narnia and includes a level, which is unique from both the novel and the film. The level, which is set between the events of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian,” takes place at the castle of Cair Paravel and tells the story of how Narnia fell to the Telmarine hordes. In “Prince Caspian,” Cair Paravel is seen only as abandoned ruins the Pevensies discover hundreds of years later.

The action/adventure game offers gameplay for one or two players on the same system and drop-in/drop-out features, allowing either player to join the game and leave. With combat, exploration and puzzle solving that extends beyond the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is the ideal complement to the movie-going experience. The game features more than 20 playable characters including the ability to play as Prince Caspian. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game is the sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for consoles, which received the prestigious IGN.com Editor’s Choice Award.

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game is an epic adventure that provides memorable experiences as it takes players throughout the familiar areas of Narnia from the second film,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Fans of the films and books will re-live the excitement, the battles and the memorable characters while going beyond the events of the film.”

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for Nintendo DS, which is an action/role playing game, will debut DGamer, Disney Interactive Studios’ innovative new technology that provides a fun, connected game community for Disney video game fans. With DGamer, players earn content, interact and chat with others on Nintendo DS through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or on a computer through the Disney.com website. DGamer will be offered in North America in future Nintendo DS games from Disney Interactive Studios with a future launch scheduled in other global regions. Prince Caspian for Nintendo DS is being developed by Fall Line Studio, the Nintendo platform-dedicated development studio of Disney Interactive Studios.

Christys’ & Company has revealed Prince Caspian Costumes for Kids. They include Peter the Knight, Susan, Lucy, and variations of Prince Caspian. And let’s not forget the continuing releases of Special Edition Monopoly sets. I’ve got Lord of the Rings and Star Wars editions. Now I’ll be able to add the Prince Caspian Edition!

[Check out the Prince Caspian Costumes]

Thanks to everyone who sent this in early in the morning.

Nintendo has released a press release featuring all of their upcoming game releases for the first half of 2008. In that, they’ve given us the release dates for the Wii and DS versions of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game. I’m sure that the game will also be releasing for practically everything else on the same date, but we’ll see! The release date announced is May 13, just three days prior to the release of the film, nationwide, and in a few other countries. This is a US release date, however, no word on other countries as of yet.

The press release follows.

With their focus on fun for everyone, Nintendo’s Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems are leading a new movement in the world of video games. Games based on brain exercises. … New experiences that surprise even core gamers. … Grandparents buying video game systems – for themselves! Surely, these are unprecedented times.

“The video game industry has never had so many new players, and they’ve never had so much fun,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “Our momentum is not limited to one system or one game. We’re going broad and bold in 2008, with something for every member of the family.”

Nintendo DS and Wii finished as the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling systems of the year, respectively. Nintendo continues its momentum into 2008 with a strong lineup of games. In the first half of 2008 alone, more than 65 new Wii games will add to the current library of more than 195 and 80 new Nintendo DS games will add to the current library of nearly 500. Nintendo DS opens the first half of the year with games that demonstrate the breadth of the Nintendo DS library. Advance Wars®: Days of Ruin is a treat aimed squarely at core gamers, while Crosswords DS™ is for all consumers, whether they currently play games or not.

Likewise, the first half of 2008 brings a diverse array of Wii games from Nintendo, including core games like Super Smash Bros.® Brawl; games with universal appeal for gamers old and new with Mario Kart® Wii, which uses the easy-to-pick-up Wii Wheel™; and Wii Fit™, which comes with the Wii Balance Board and has appeal for new consumers well beyond the traditional video game audience. On top of all that, new downloadable WiiWare™ games will make their debut. These unique games have much lower entry barriers for developers and let consumers enjoy an incredibly diverse selection of content.

Third-party publishers also continue their strong support for Wii and Nintendo DS. Some of the innovative Wii games for the first half of 2008 include Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts, No More Heroes™ from Ubisoft, DeBlob from THQ, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts and Okami from Capcom, in addition to compelling Nintendo DS games like FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Rings of Fate from Square Enix, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword from Tecmo and Quick Yoga Training from Ubisoft.

The following is a partial list of Wii and Nintendo DS software for the first half of 2008. Note that details are subject to change.

Wii

Jan. 21: Endless Ocean™ from Nintendo
Jan. 22: One Piece™: Unlimited Adventure™ from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
January: No More Heroes™ from Ubisoft
February: Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore from Konami
March 9: Super Smash Bros.® Brawl from Nintendo
March 25: Okami from Capcom
May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games
May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios
May: THE DOG Island™ from Ubisoft
June: Cooking Mama Cook Off 2 from Majesco Entertainment
June: Rygar: The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
June: DeBlob from THQ
June: Wall-E from THQ
Spring: Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel from Nintendo
Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts
Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts
Q2: Wii Fit from Nintendo

Nintendo DS

Jan. 24: Aquarium by DS from Bold Games
Jan. 24: Fantasy Aquarium by DS from Bold Games
Jan. 29: Pet Pals: Animal Doctor from Majesco Entertainment
Feb. 4: Paws & Claws: Pet Resort from THQ
Feb. 12: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney from Capcom
Feb. 12: New Zealand Story Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
Feb. 19: Zoo Tycoon II from THQ
Feb. 26: Bubble Bobble Double Shot from Ignition Entertainment
February: My Horse and Me from Atari
February: Assassin’s Creed Altair’s Chronicles™ from Ubisoft
February: Petz® Wild Animals: Tigerz from Ubisoft
February: Puppy Palace™ from Ubisoft
March 3: Let’s Ride: Friends Forever from THQ
March 4: Disney Friends from Disney Interactive Studios
March 4: Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest from Majesco Entertainment
March 8: Plushees from Destineer
March 8: Harvest Moon DS Cute from Natsume Inc.
March 11: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Rings of Fate from Square Enix
March 11: Lost in Blue 3 from Konami
March 25: Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc.
March: Myst from Empire Interactive
March: Naruto™: Ninja Destiny from Tomy Corporation
March: Petz® Bunnyz™ from Ubisoft
May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games
May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios
June 8: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness from Natsume Inc.
June: Wall-E from THQ
Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts
Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts
Q2: Pokemon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time from Nintendo
Q2: Pokemon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness from Nintendo

[See the full release lists at GamesIndustry.biz]

I went to Toys R Us today to pick up a game for Wii when I found a calendar at the check-out counter. It is a Disney/Toys R Us 2008 Calendar. I started flipping through the calendar, eventually stumbling upon the month of May. In the top left, there was Aslan, and on the top right: the logo for “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.” In the bottom right, King Peter in his armor. Miraz’s castle is in the background of the calendar itself.

At the bottom there are two coupons. Both are valid from May 1, 2008 – May 31, 2008. Play Along Toys (we’ll have more on them very soon, they’re the licensee this time around for the Narnia toys) have a coupon to “Save 10% on any Play Along Narnia role play item.” The other coupon is from Disney Interactive Studio: “Save $5.00 on the purchase of any Narnia Prince Caspian video game.” It’s good for the game on any system, including: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.

The calendar can most likely be found at any Toys R Us. It does ring up for a penny at checkout though, as a “Promo Item” but then that penny is removed from the sale, making it free.

Either way, it’s our pleasure to announce that Play Along Toys is releasing an incredible line of Prince Caspian related toys as the master licensee for the film.

David J. Theroux, the Founder and President of the C. S. Lewis Society of California has e-mailed us with the latest updates on many upcoming events that you’re all invited to attend! Please note the following in this issue of the C.S. Lewis Society Update (8/29/07):

1. More on Harry Potter and Christianity
2. Film News
3. New Publications
4. Next meeting of C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club: Studies in Words
5. Other Events

1. More on Harry Potter and Christianity:

In agreement with a recent Wall Street Journal review by Mechan Cox Gurdon of the new book, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, Newsday columnist Raymond Keating discusses the Christian imagery in J.K. Rowling’s new and final book in her Potter series.

“Harry Potter and the Christian allegory,” by Raymond Keating

2. Film News:

A. A number of the fantasy novels by novelist, playwright, poet, biographer, and theologian Charles Williams, starting with his ALL HALLOW’S EVE, will be made into major films by renowned producer Ralph Winter. Mr. Winter is also producing the film version of C.S. Lewis’s best-selling book, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, which is scheduled for release in late 2008. Among his many other film credits are the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Star Trek III-VI films as well as “Planet of the Apes,” “Mighty Joe Young,” and “Flight of the Intruder,” as well as the ABC TV series, “Lost.”

Charles Williams was a member of The Inklings literary circle at Oxford, which included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and Lewis’s acclaimed dystopian novel of a scientistic totalitarianism, THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH, was heavily influenced by the work of Williams.

Web site for The Charles Williams Society

B. At the recent German Games Convention, Disney Interactive featured portions of a new video game based on Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia book, PRINCE CASPIAN, which will be released in conjunction with the forthcoming film in May 2008. Here incidentally is the official web site for the Narnia films:

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/

3. New Publications:

A. BOOK: For those interested in using Lewis’s books in schools and colleges, study groups, book clubs, churches, and seminars, the following new book is recommended. The book provides summaries, questions, references, and insights into how to teach Lewis’s books.

TEACHING C.S. LEWIS: A Handbook for Professors, Church Leaders, and Lewis Enthusiasts, by Richard A. Hill and Lyle Smith (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007)

B. JOURNAL: The Arizona C.S. Lewis Society has recently launched SEHNSUCHT: The C. S. Lewis Journal, with the first issue featuring articles by Walter Hooper, Victor Reppert, and others. (“Sehnsucht” means longing.)

4. Next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club:

Book for Discussion:

STUDIES IN WORDS, by C.S. Lewis:

Wednesday, September 5th, 7:30 p.m.;
Meeting moderator/leader: Andrew Dosa

Wednesday, September 12th, 7:30 p.m.;
Meeting moderator/leader: Andrew Dosa

Man is unique among all creatures in his use of words, and words affect us directly in most every aspect of our lives. In this absorbing, breathtaking and entertaining book, Lewis examines eleven selected words and teases out their connotations from a vast range of English literature in which their meaning has changed through the centuries. The selected words are Nature, Sad, Wit, Free, Sense, Simple, Conscience and Conscious, World, and Life, plus the phrase, “I dare say!” Lewis reveals the “dangerous sense” of assuming a word’s current meaning in reading earlier literature, which can produce a complete misunderstanding of an author’s intent.

In STUDIES IN WORDS, Lewis invokes the mysteries of G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown, quotes the deepest yearnings expressed by such writers as Homer, Dante, Chaucer, Lucretius, Seneca, and Coleridge, and traces shadows upon the Hellenic cave while juggling Anglo-Saxon monosyllables. He does this without a trace of the pointless and contradictory “deconstructionism” which, in the hands of contemporary writers more interested in condemnation than description, has cast an affliction upon modern literature. Far from leaving readers gasping for air, Lewis opens the layers of linguistics, “driving words from different languages abreast” in order to bring out the wonderful meanings of words.

“Rarely is so much learning displayed with so much grace and charm. My only regret is that the book was not twice as long.” –New York Times Book Review

“…a brilliant book addresses to students and lay people alike, unbaffling, deeply informative, and timelessly persuasive.” –Robert Burchfield, Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary

The meetings will be held at:

11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619 (atop the Oakland hills)
510-482-2906 phone
wine, soft drinks and other refreshments served

Here also are a couple short articles that discuss STUDIES IN WORDS and related issues:

“Studies in Words,” review by Michael Jose

“Studies in Words,” by Wikipedia

STUDIES IN WORDS in available in paperback

Here also is the schedule of future Lewis Society book club meetings.

Here also is information on C.S. Lewis

We hope that you and/or others you know will be joining with us! (Please feel free to forward this update to others.)

5. Other Events:

“The Crisis of the University: Freedom, Tolerance and the Pursuit of Truth”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
October 5-6, 2007

http://www.cslewis.org/programs/ff/2007/index.html

“C.S. Lewis: Man and His Work: A 21st Century Legacy”
Sponsored by L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007

http://www.sebts.edu/CSLewis/

“C.S. Lewis Conference”
Sponsored by Hope Lutheran Church
Atascadero, CA
January 25-27, 2008
(More details to follow)

“Sixth Frances Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Lewis & Friends”
Sponsored by Taylor University, Upland, IN
May 29-June 1, 2008

http://www.taylor.edu/academics/supportservices/cslewis/colloquium/

“Charles Williams and His Contemporaries”
Sponsored by The Charles Williams Society
Sr. Hilda’s College, Oxford, England
July 4-6, 2007

http://www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc/events.html

From the Leipzig Game Conference in Germany comes this awesome news.

As the convergence between Hollywood and videogames moves closer, the relationships are producing otherwise impossible fruits on each side. Right now, Disney is filming The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for a release next summer, and while 1UP checked out the early-in-development game adaptation, Traveller’s Tales revealed Disney just shot two scenes never to appear in the movie — they were done specifically for the game.
The game and movie are tied to the same release date in 2008, so it’ll be some time before we see what Disney put together for the folks at Traveller’s Tales, but it’s sure to be a neat bonus for fans looking for the complete Narnia experience.

This will help to make the game a unique experience for players that want to get more of the world of Narnia. Perhaps the footage, if it is not exclusively tied to a portion of the game’s storyline, will end up in a Prince Caspian Extended Edition. The real question on everyone’s mind right now is probably: if they are indeed filming everything from the book, with added material to make the film version more exciting, what could they have possibly shot footage for?
I do not think that it’ll be a favorite scene from the book, but perhaps something for the storyline that can bring you to a different part of the action. For instance, if there’s a part of the film that some characters get separated, and you only follow one character to a meeting point, perhaps the new footage is to show the other side of that same story. This is all speculation at this point, however. We’ve got a long time to wait until the game releases next spring.

Disney takes us through a brief preview of the new lands we’ll soon explore and the larger than life characters we’ll meet.

Prince Caspian’s video game trailer has been released, as well as more details about the game, and stills of the game in progress.

Fragland.be writes, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game takes players beyond the events of the upcoming Summer 2008 blockbuster film. A year after the events of the first film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” but 1,300 years in Narnian time, Prince Caspian finds the Pevensie children returning to a darker land where the Narnian creatures have been driven into hiding and Narnia is under the rule of the evil tyrant Miraz.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for consoles is developed by Traveller’s Tales. Fall Line Studio, Disney Interactive Studios’ Nintendo-focused studio in Salt Lake City, is developing the Nintendo DS version.

Key Features

- Players take the role of 20 playable characters, including Narnians (non-humans)
- Cooperative drop-in/drop-out multiplayer allows two players to work together both locally and online
- Non-linear level structure enables players to explore multiple paths in any order
- A combination of puzzle solving and action combat gameplay
- Team-up with characters to combine abilities

Click here to download the Prince Caspian game teaser trailer.

Following on the heels of its successful videogame based on Disney Pictures blockbuster, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Disney Interactive Studios and developer Traveller’s Tales ares collaborating on the second live-action adaptation of author C.S. Lewis’ beloved Narnia works. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game will ship in May 2008 in conjunction with Disney Pictures’ theatrical release that summer for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, and Nintendo DS. (Disney-owned Fall Line Studio is creating the Nintendo DS game.)

According to Samantha Parker, producer of the game at Disney Interactive Studios, the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will feature even more collaboration between the filmmakers and the game creators than the first venture.

“Just as there is continuity between the crews involved in the first and second films, there is also with those responsible for making the videogames,” said Parker. “As such, the relationships formed during the making of the first film will be built upon. In regards to the videogame’s development, there are elements of the land of Narnia and the characters, which we are now more familiar with. Our intention is to develop those characters in line with the film narrative but also to put their abilities to the test in situations not directly portrayed in the film.”

Parker said Traveller’s Tales also has access to the assets they used to generate the first game, but now the developer can re-visit those models in the context of next generation hardware. She added that their hope is to create even closer videogame representations of the amazing creative content depicted in the film.

The new game is being developed in tandem with the big budget movie and the creative teams from the film side have opened the doors to the interactive team.

“We work closely with the filmmakers in terms of content,” said Parker. “There is a steady stream of assets, which we use to build the content of our game. Particularly with the creatures and the characters. The better the reference we get, the more we can faithfully represent them in the video game. The same goes for the locations, although there is an amount of deviation when the game warrants it; some of the film’s sets just aren’t big or complex enough to allow for exciting gameplay.”

With many more Hollywood creatives now familiar with videogames, Parker said the filmmakers consequently give the game makers the latitude where they believe it will benefit the game. She said they understand that gamers have different needs that they need to cater for.

“Obviously, we get to see the script and physical assets taken from the shoot itself, as well as some bespoke items,” said Parker. ” In Prince Caspian, we are intentionally building out some of the story elements alluded to but not shown in the game or the book. Similarly, where the game will not do justice to set pieces in the film, we won’t try to emulate these scenes, but we’ll be sure they’re included in some form.”

Parker said the goal for the new game is to include the film voice talent wherever possible. The game will also feature the likenesses of the actors. “There are even plans in the pipeline to create sequences, unique to the videogame, using some of the actors and sets from the film,” said Parker.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will allow players to assume the role of 20 different characters from the film, including non-human Narnians. In addition, the game supports two-player, drop-in/drop-out cooperative gameplay.

Disney Interactive Studios is today going to announce the release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian games, which are coming out in the spring of 2008.

Disney’s renewed focus on video games will be on display today, when the company plans to announce an online community called D-Gamer.

The service, which is slated to launch next spring alongside the company’s release of the “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” movie and games next year, will let kids build their own characters and socialize around Disney’s games.

And it appears that the games will be released on the Nintendo DS and Wii. Although that should be obvious (as the Wii is the fastest selling and best console of the latest generation), it is good to know.

It already has 700 developers in four studios in Glendale; Salt Lake City; Brighton, England; and Vancouver, Canada.

Disney needs that talent to ramp up its game and shrug off the reputation that kids’ titles are too lightweight.

“Kids today are sophisticated gamers,” Hopper said. “It’s our job to provide safe content, but with the sophistication they expect.”

Disney isn’t likely to overtake industry leaders EA, which had $3.1 billion in sales last year, or Activision Inc., which had revenue of $1.5 billion in the last fiscal year. EA is based in Redwood City, Calif. Activision is based in Santa Monica.

But the company is leading with its strengths by focusing on family-oriented games for the wildly popular Nintendo DS hand-held and Wii consoles, IDC analyst Pidgeon said.

“They have the content and they’re focusing on the right platforms,” he said.