The Syberia series kicked off in 2002 and then continued with a sequel in 2004, both following the adventures of American lawyer Kate Walker on her surreal adventures across Europe and beyond. A point and click adventure, it would seem an odd choice to release a sequel on the ultra-powerful PlayStation 3, but developer Microïds has a plan to link together PlayStation 3 and PC gamers in an entirely new way.

Syberia 3, the new episode in the adventures of Kate Walker, actually allows those playing on PC and those playing on PS3 to collaborate online, thanks to a simultaneous data exchange and sharing mode on the two platforms. Syberia 3 will therefore see teams of players being formed so as to optimize their chances of reaching the end of the adventure by pooling the abilities of each of the participants. Only PS3 players who have collaborated with PC players, and vice versa, will be able to accompany Kate to the end of the adventure.

They are calling this sort of collaborative gaming a first, especially for the point and click adventure genre. Microïds' plan is to eventually have this sort of collaborative experience built into all of their titles, allowing gamers everywhere to share in the adventure without worrying about what platform they are playing on.

As for the story in Syberia 3, Kate Walker is still hunting down mammoths.

After having traveled throughout Europe in Syberia and Syberia 2, Kate Walker starts out on the mammoths' trail in a world on the border between reality and imagination, where strange white birds indicate the presence of extinct mammals...

Don't worry, fuzzy elephants. She's bound to find the rest of you eventually. It's what she does.

MICROÏDS launches SYBERIA 3 on PS3 [Official Company Website]

Update: And yes, this is indeed an April Fool's joke. Just not a particular interesting one.

The game has been reworked to take advantage of the DS's touch and microphone capabilities to solve puzzles, while the story has received tweaking to make it more coherent and enjoyable. Focus has also stripped the 3D action sequences from the game, making for a more traditional point and click adventure. Look for The Last King of Africa to be released to adventure-hungry portable gamers everywhere late this year.

Focus and White Birds announce Last King of Africa for the Nintendo DSTM

We are pleased to announce that Focus Home Interactive has settled on an agreement with White Birds to publish and distribute Last King of Africa, Benoît Sokal's first adventure game for the Nintendo DS. The game will be available end of 2008.

Last King of Africa on Nintendo DS invites you on a fantastic journey deep into an imaginary Africa where you will play the role of young Ann Smith, daughter of the last king of Maurania. Ann is on her way to assist her dying father on his deathbed when her plane crashes near a city held by a rebel faction, on the north side of the country. Ann lives through this terrible accident and wakes up with amnesia in a prince’s palace. That is how her extraordinary journey begins.

In order to develop the game on the Nintendo DS, this amazing adventure created by Benoit Sokal had to be totally rethought with regard to Paradise on the PC. The numerous puzzles and mind-teasers throughout the game have been completely reworked and now offer an original and intuitive gameplay that takes advantage of the Nintendo DS functions. The use of the stylus, microphone and your own logic will be of capital importance in solving the puzzles and mind-teasers.

The story itself has undergone some refreshing changes and is now much more coherent and surprising. These modifications are notable in the radical change in the relationships between the principal characters and in the combination and simplification of the dialogues that retain only the essential information needed to understand the story line without artificially prolonging the game. Still with the same intention of facilitating comprehension, Nintendo DS’s dialogue interface offers a more expressive identification of the characters. The characters are now displayed with a close up shot on the DS’ upper screen. Also, 3D action phases have been eliminated to make Last King of Africa a true, pure and traditional point & click adventure game.

Finally, Last King of Africa on Nintendo DS has equipped itself with a clear and detailed layout of the game’s zones for increased ease of orientation during the course of the adventure. The game has also equipped itself with a help system to lend a hand to players during exploration phases and to avoid fastidious « pixel hunting ». Thanks to its magnificent 2D scenes in which detailed 3D characters evolve, perplexing mind-teasers and exciting alternative stories, Last King of Africa has all the necessary qualities to make this a great Nintendo DS adventure.

Last King of Africa will be released on Nintendo DS end of the year 2008.