Not that Guitar Hero World Tour isn't a fine game, and out of the four nominees it could certainly be argued from a certain perspective that it was the best. When the nominees are Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Super Sluggers, it's probably best to just close your eyes and hit a button.

The final group of four games to be considered for the coveted Favorite Video Game award were determined by Nickelodeon viewer survey, more than likely limited to T for Teen rated games and below, which would explain the lack of games more deserving of the title. I cannot imagine how many children were disappointed by the lack of Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Gears of War 2, and Fable II on the ballot.

With such limitations put on their choices, how does choosing Guitar Hero World Tour prove that children shouldn't be allowed to vote? It doesn't. Choosing Jesse McCartney over T-Pain in the Favorite Male Sing category does. Come on kids, he's on a boat!

2009 Kids' Choice Award Winners [Nickelodeon]

M. Night Shyamalan is even making a live-action movie called "The Last Airbender" based on the series, to debut in July 2010. With Avatar interest at an all-time high, Nickelodeon seems to have decided the time was right to make an MMO that serves as a "prequel" to the TV series.

Regardless of how you feel about Nickelodeon cartoons, this is actually an immensely cool idea — when Nickelodeon re-airs episodes of Season 3 in the fall, fans tuning in will get episode-specific hints from the TV show about unlocking things in-game. Having a multiplayer online game that runs concurrent with a TV experience is a great way to encourage players to be more involved with both game and show, I think.

Full announcement follows the jump. By the way, which TV show would you most love to have a tie-in MMO going on with?

NICKELODEON UNVEILS NEW AVATAR MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GLOBAL GAME IN SEPTEMBER

Gaming Event Continues Momentum Following Highest-Rated Series Performance Ever, the Avatar Season Three Finale

NEW YORK–July 25, 2008–Fresh off of its highest-rated performance ever on TV, Nickelodeon will treat Avatar: The Last Airbender fans to a unique experience this September with a brand-new, multiplayer global online game. In the game, Avatar: Legends of the Arena, which will serve as a prequel story to the series, players can create their own Avatar character and test their skills against players from around the globe in several 3D online arenas. Each game level will introduce and unlock new content, challenges, custom character outfits and more on an ongoing basis. The global game will live on a dedicated website http://www.avatarlegends.com and the beta version of the game http://www.tinyurl.com/5j6j6j* will be unveiled at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 25.

“The launch of this multiplayer online game gives Avatar fans the opportunity to immerse themselves in the storylines during and beyond its tenure on-air,” said Jason Root, Senior Vice President of Nick.com. “This property has always had a deep online connection with its audience and the game offers a natural extension of the franchise to keep fans engaged with the property indefinitely.”

The global gaming event, which represents Nick.com’s (http://www.nick.com) first 3D multiplayer online role play game, will take place in 81 markets in ten languages, including: the United States; United Kingdom; Australia; New Zealand; India; Southeast Asia; Canada; Mexico; Argentina; Spain; Italy; France; Korea; Japan; Israel; Holland; Northern Belgium; Germany; Brazil; and Portugal. A total of 77 countries will launch the game on Sept. 15, with the remaining markets launching through the following months (non-domestic territories will vary).

Each 3D online arena within the game will host battles featuring up to four players at a time, but combat isn’t the only focus of the experience. Players will also be able to engage in role play, building their characters through training and arena duels. As players advance, they can upgrade their characters, unlock new bending moves, and acquire outfits and other exclusive equipment to make them the envy of others.

The animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has inspired M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender”, a live-action epic adventure from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies which will debut in domestic theaters July 2010. Series’ creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will serve as executive producers on the film.

This fall, Nicktoons Network will serve as the on-air home for Avatar: The Last Airbender, and will feature a Sept. Avatar event and season three episodes of the series throughout Sept. and Oct. Additionally, Nicktoons will offer fans a chance to get in on the Avatar game, asking them to tune in on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. for episode-specific hints that will unlock exclusive content in Avatar: Legends of the Arena.

Available on DVD July 29, Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3: Fire – Volume 4 features the kid hero’s return to the Fire Nation to prepare for a final confrontation with Firelord Ozai. Fans will also have a chance to get their game on with Avatar The Last Airbender:Into the Inferno, a new action adventure video game from THQ, in stores this fall.

Launched in February 2005 on Nickelodeon in the US, the epic story of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the journey of Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a 12-year-old boy torn between fulfilling his fate as the long-awaited Avatar and just wanting to be a regular kid. The Avatar season three finale, Sozin’s Comet, recently earned the series its highest ratings ever. The previous week’s season three new premiere episodes reached a total of 19 million total viewers (P2+). Avatar is a top ranked show on Nickelodeon's international channels, and is number one on Nick in Holland and Germany.

DiMartino and Konietzko serve as executive producers of Avatar: The Last Airbender. DiMartino is an award-winning filmmaker and has worked on the prime-time animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill. Konietzko was a character designer for Family Guy, assistant director on Mission Hill and King of the Hill and a storyboard artist and art director for Nickelodeon’s Invader Zim.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group includes all of its gaming initiatives, both paid and subscription, for online, PC, handheld and console, and will be led by senior VP and GM Dave Williams. It also includes Nickelodeon's Addicting Games and Shockwave sites, for which the company recently promised 1,600 new casual games in 2008. The company will be seeking new game developer and publisher partnerships under this division.

The virtual worlds group, which includes the company's Nicktropolis and Neopets online worlds for kids, will be led by Neopets SVP Kyra Reppen to support its kids and family-friendly online worlds efforts and casual MMOs. Nickelodeon has several virtual worlds in the works based on Nickelodeon IP as well as existing properties.

Full release follows the jump.

NICKELODEON KIDS AND FAMILY GROUP FORMS NEW

GAMES AND VIRTUAL WORLDS DIVISIONS

Dave Williams Named Senior Vice President and General Manager, Games Group;

Kyra Reppen Tapped as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Virtual Worlds Group

NEW YORK-June 17, 2008-To provide its audiences with more innovative gaming and virtual world experiences, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group has formed new Games and Virtual Worlds Groups. Dave Williams will run the Games Group and Kyra Reppen will lead the Virtual Worlds Group, both under the title of Senior Vice President (SVP) and General Manager (GM). The announcements were made by Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media, to whom Williams and Reppen report.

“With these two dedicated teams, our new gaming and virtual world divisions will further enable us to create even more relevant content and foster innovation in the virtual world and gaming spaces,” said Youngwood. “Dave and Kyra have built great momentum in their respective areas, and will provide more engaging experiences for our audiences in their expanded leadership roles.”

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group will encompass all paid and subscription gaming initiatives across all relevant platforms including: online and CD-ROM games; handheld and console games; and will include the company’s dedicated casual games sites, Shockwave (http://www.shockwave.com) and AddictingGames (http://www.addictinggames.com). It will focus on the creation of games for the entire family around existing and new properties. The company recently announced it would add 1,600 new games in 2008 to its library of 5,000 games and an investment of $100 million in the casual games space.

The Virtual Worlds Group will manage all company virtual world initiatives for kids, tweens, teens and families, including the original youth-oriented virtual community of Neopets (http://www.neopets.com), Nickelodeon’s online playground for kids, Nicktropolis (http://www.nicktropolis.com) – in partnership with the Nick.com team – and new virtual world destinations. The group will focus on the innovation of the company’s existing worlds with projects like World of Neopia (working title) and of the expansion of Nicktropolis with a premium layer. It will also develop original properties like the recently announced Monkey World.

Williams, based in San Francisco, will expand the company’s subscription game services, licensing and self-publishing businesses. He will grow offerings like the educational online gaming site myNOGGIN.com and Shockwave’s established subscription services, as well as develop new ones. Williams will also work in partnership with Nickelodeon’s Consumer Products division to increase the company’s retail games business around hit franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly and newer, original properties like Shockwave’s Carrie the Caregiver. Another area of focus for Williams will be securing new partnerships with game developers and publishers.

In addition to his new responsibilities, Williams will continue to manage Shockwave and AddictingGames and plans to add more community features and new offerings to each to make them the preeminent social gaming sites. Under Williams’ guidance, AddictingGames has become the number-one independent gaming site for teens since February 2007, growing its library to more than 3,000 games. Shockwave, the original casual gaming site, has also flourished by focusing on family play and will add over 400 titles this year, including over 100 exclusive self published titles.

Following Atom Entertainment's acquisition by MTV Networks in late 2006, Williams–formerly Atom’s Chief Marketing Officer and GM–was named to SVP, AddictingGames and Shockwave. Before Atom Entertainment and MTV Networks, Williams led the design and development of Rhapsody’s music service as Vice President of product management at Listen.com, was GM of music product management at Real Networks, and held senior product and marketing roles at CitySearch and DoubleClick.

Reppen, as the head of the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Virtual Worlds Group, based in Los Angeles, will spearhead the strategy, creative development and management of new and existing virtual worlds and casual massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for the company. These new virtual worlds will be based both on original concepts and existing properties.

In addition to her new responsibilities, Reppen will continue to manage Neopets. She will be responsible for evolving and innovating upon that site and will be responsible for expanding Nicktropolis, which will continue to add new environments to the site in the U.S. and launch a regionalized site in the U.K. over the next few months.

Over the past two years, since becoming the SVP and GM of Neopets, Reppen has grown Neopets to a registered user base of 45 million, maintaining its stickiness and status as the number-one tween virtual world in time spent, increasing its average per user to more than two hours and 20 minutes, according to comScore. She has expanded upon the site’s business model with its first major mass retail launch, converging the web experience with a consumer products line, and paid item sales. Reppen has also integrated the site into the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group by developing mini-Neopets shorts for Nickelodeon and cross-platform marketing events such as Altador Cup. She completely redesigned the site incorporating user generated content, a video player, pet customization and much more.

Reppen previously helmed NickJr.com as Vice President and GM, and was the creator and architect behind the ParentsConnect brand. She repositioned Nickjr.com from a television promotional site to the number-one website for parents of young children. Reppen also created and launched Nick Jr. Parents TV, the broadband video service for parents; spearheaded the educational site development of myNOGGIN; produced the first-ever 3D online games for preschoolers; and led the networks' preschool introduction to wireless and interactive TV experiences. She began her career at Viacom in MTV Networks Law and Business Affairs and worked as a corporate associate in several law firms beforehand.

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group portfolio of digital sites which serve kids, tweens, teens, and parents, focus on the activities that its audiences participate in most online: gaming, socialization and community, and video. According to comScore (May 2008), Nickelodeon Kids and Family digital ranks as the number-one kids and family online destination in visits with more than 27.2 million unique visitors.

MTV Networks currently boasts 11 deeply engaging virtual world experiences that reflect its audiences’ favorite online activities, on-air franchises or personal interests, and include MTV’s Emmy-winning Virtual Laguna Beach and Neopets, the largest global youth-focused virtual world, among others.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

THQ's survived a series of hard knocks in the market thanks to the strength of its kid-friendly titles based on licenses from the likes of Nickelodeon and Pixar, even while its stock has taken a serious dive since January of this year. The company's about to announce its fiscal fourth quarter results tomorrow - as a new year begins for THQ, is it on track for smoother sailing?

It's been somewhat of a mixed bag for THQ over the last few months - the company saw a studio acquisition (Big Huge Games) at the beginning of 2008, while on the other hand, its Sandblast and Rainbow studios just recently saw layoffs, according to reports. While it's canned a couple of its former key franchises, Stuntman and Juiced, it saw a boost in sales last quarter thanks largely to its WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and MX vs. ATV Untamed.

Thanks mainly to its family portfolio, though, THQ's hung in there, and most analysts seem to believe the worst is behind the company, seeing them poised to climb in the year ahead thanks to more attractive license opportunities for 2009 — for example, analysts frequently comment that they expect THQ's upcoming game based on Wall-E to perform better than did the Ratatouille game, because robots are more likable than rats.

Both Cowan Group analyst Doug Creutz and Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter expect THQ to remain a little conservative on its 2009 estimates, since it turned out to disappoint on last year. Still, Creutz says the publisher can outperform the overall market by 20 percent, while Pachter thinks it'll stay in line with overall market growth of 10-15 percent.

So with games based on more Nick properties including The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game, Tak and the Power of Juju, Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob Squarepants and Back at the Barnyard, THQ may turn a cautiously optimistic eye to the future — we'll see when results and future guidance are revealed tomorrow.

For more details on THQ's upcoming Nickelodeon portfolio, check out our earlier story. Note the "parkour-inspired" gameplay for the Tak and the Power of Juju game — everyone's catching the parkour trend train, it seems.

THQ's Nickelodeon Portfolio Surpasses Billion Dollar Mark as Company Announces Extensive New Lineup for 2008

First-Ever The Naked Brothers Band Video Game Puts Kids on Nationwide Concert Tour Where They Play Instruments, Control the Stage Shows and Create Music Videos

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced its upcoming portfolio of video games based on the company's long-standing relationship with Nickelodeon. THQ's longstanding partnership with Nickelodeon has resulted in sales of more than $1 billion and accounted for more than 50 million units worldwide.

This year's feature titles include the video game debut of The Naked Brothers Band. The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game (working title) is based on the highly rated TV show that follows the lives of a kids' rock band fronted by real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff. In addition, SpongeBob SquarePants will take on a new creative form this year in Drawn to Life™: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition. Based on last year's top selling Drawn to Life™ video game for Nintendo DS™, the game will allow players to draw their own characters and populate the world of Bikini Bottom with their own creativity. The 2008 portfolio will also include new games based on leading Nickelodeon TV shows Tak and the Power of Juju, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Back At The Barnyard. Nickelodeon fans can also look forward to a new installment of the popular Nicktoons.

"With the enormous popularity of Wii™ and DS coupled with our exceptionally diverse portfolio of Nickelodeon-based games, THQ continues to lead in family entertainment," said Jim Huntley, director, global brand management, THQ. "Featuring new forms of gameplay such as the music-based The Naked Brothers Band and the drawing-based Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition, we expect our upcoming titles to offer completely new ways for families to play together."

"Gaming is one of the primary activities of our audience, whether it's online or on the console," said Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family. "THQ's interactive video games based on our hit shows have continued to help Nickelodeon maintain its position as a leader in gaming entertainment for the family, and we look forward to the addition of these new releases to our library."

The 2008 Nickelodeon portfolio is scheduled for release in Fall 2008 across multiple game systems, including the Wii™ video game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo DS. For more information on THQ's Nickelodeon titles and the rest of THQ's family product lineup, please visit www.playthq.com.

Dance Dance Revolution
Guitar Hero
High School Musical: Sing It!
Madden NFL '08

Kids' Choice Award's Official Nominee Announcement [Nickelodeon]

Ape Escape Cartoons [Frederator Blogs via Toon Zone - Thanks MDawg!]

"We welcome our new partnership with 2K Play," said Shaul Olmert, Vice President/Digital Media products for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "This is the first time Go, Diego, Go! is coming to handheld and console systems and will mark Dora the Explorer's debut on the popular Nintendo DS™ system. We are excited to welcome 2K Play into our growing family of innovative digital products."

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces New 2K Play Publishing Label and Video Game Partnership with Kid's Entertainment Leader, Nickelodeon

New label leverages growing casual game market

Nick Jr. Preschool Television Hits Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! lead new 2K Play portfolio of family-friendly games

New York, NY - September 10, 2007 -Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced the formation of 2K Play, a new publishing label dedicated to casual gaming. As part of the 2K Play initiative, Take-Two also announced an expansive new handheld and console video game licensing agreement with Nickelodeon, a partnership involving top-rated properties including Nick Jr. preschool television hits, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!

Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! will be the first titles under the new 2K Play label and will be released this fall in North America. According to Nielsen ratings (4/2/07-7/1/07), Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! are the top two ranked television shows for kids 2-5. The NPD Group cites Dora the Explorer as the #1 toy license in 2006 based on dollar sales and Go, Diego, Go! is now supported by over 300 licensees worldwide.

"We welcome our new partnership with 2K Play," said Shaul Olmert, Vice President/Digital Media products for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "This is the first time Go, Diego, Go! is coming to handheld and console systems and will mark Dora the Explorer's debut on the popular Nintendo DS™ system. We are excited to welcome 2K Play into our growing family of innovative digital products."

2K Play joins leading publishing labels 2K Games and 2K Sports as a new division in the 2K portfolio. The new label will absorb Take-Two's Global Star Software label, including the Carnival Games brand, the Cat Daddy Games studio and PC games based on the popular Deal or No Deal franchise.

"The 2K Play label targets the growing market of casual gamers interested in accessible, high-quality products," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "It will be home to games that are fun and engaging for players of varied skill types and ages. Our exciting initiative with Nick Jr. will offer a host of games featuring world-famous brands that appeal to the family-friendly gamer."

Additional information regarding the 2K Play lineup of games will be available in the coming months.

While much of the money will develop preschool-oriented content, expect overhauls on Nickelodeon sites Addictinggames.com, Shockwave.com and NeoPets.com. More NeoPets? Sweet. Pokemon rip-off, I choose you!

But when you realize all of those sites are owned by one of the most powerful media conglomerates in the world, it makes you crave something a lot more substantial than Pong repackaged as a soccer ball. Hopefully this $100 million goes to good use and feeds content-starved gamers.
Nickelodeon Commits $100 mln to Casual [nextgen]

Also in the pipe are Nintendo DS games from some of the channels live-action games such as Drake and Josh and Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco, which puts you in the shoes of the Spears sister that hasn't yet been completely destroyed by her own success.

I've included the press release with the full games list after the jump, so you can print it out, circle your favorites, and put it on the fridge for mom and dad to find! Awesome! Michael Fahey

THQ Announces Robust Product Slate for 2007 Based on Nickelodeon's Biggest Hits

El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera to Make Its Video Game Debut; Avatar: The Burning Earth to Become First Nickelodeon Title for Xbox 360(TM)

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—May 8, 2007—THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced the company's 2007 Nickelodeon video game lineup. The upcoming portfolio will include the debut of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, as well as all-new titles based on some of the top-rated kids TV shows including SpongeBob SquarePants(TM) and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon fans can also look forward to a new installment of the popular Nicktoons. In addition, THQ plans to release new adventures based on highly-rated Nickelodeon live-action TV shows Zoey 101 and Drake and Josh. The company's overall portfolio is expected to ship across multiple game systems, including the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, along with Nintendo's Wii(TM) video game console, the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

"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're excited to expand our relationship with THQ in 2007 as we introduce our first El Tigre video game, along with all new games based on Nick's biggest hits," said Shaul Olmert, vice president of digital products, Nickelodeon. "Nickelodeon is the number one entertainment brand for kids and the innovation that THQ brings to our gaming lineup continues to elevate us to new creative heights."

The 2007 THQ Nickelodeon videogame lineup includes:

* Nicktoons 2007 (Working Title) — Players must defeat Professor Calamitous' vast army of evil toys based on the Nicktoons Heroes in this fast-paced action platform game. Featuring the largest selection of playable Nickelodeon characters from the most popular TV shows including SpongeBob SquarePants, Danny Phantom and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Nicktoons 2007 (working title) is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 2 system, Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance this fall.
* SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis — The game will follow SpongeBob and the rest of the Bikini Gang as they leave Bikini Bottom and journey to the legendary city of Atlantis. Players will discover the treasures of Atlantis, while experiencing new game mechanics and multiplayer features. SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 2 system, Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance this fall. In addition, SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis Treasures (working title) is scheduled to release for various mobile carriers.
* Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth — Based on the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, players will follow the second season storyline as Aang teams up with friends to defend the greatest Earth Kingdom city against a deadly Fire Nation threat. Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth is scheduled to release for Xbox 360, the PlayStation 2 system, Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance this fall.
* El Tigre (Working Title) — Based on the animated series, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, players will follow the adventures of Manny, the son of a superhero and the grandson of a supervillain. Players will help Manny as he must choose to use his El Tigre superpowers for good, or let his mischievous side take over. El Tigre is scheduled to release for Nintendo DS this fall.
* Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco — Players will take on the role of Zoey Brooks, played by Jamie Lynn Spears, as she embarks on a field trip to Red Stone Gulch Canyons with her friends. With the aid of a park ranger, players will learn the techniques needed to survive the seemingly hostile wilderness terrain once they become separated from their guide. Zoey 101 is available now for Game Boy Advance. Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco is scheduled to release for Nintendo DS this summer.
* Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown — Featuring all of the humor from the hit TV series, players will enjoy adventure-style gameplay as they help Drake and Josh win the infamous talent show, "Teen American Talent," by avoiding sabotages from other contestants and by perfecting their music skills. The game allows players to interact with all of their favorite characters from the TV show, including Drake, Josh and Megan. Drake & Josh is available now for Game Boy Advance. Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown is scheduled to release for Nintendo DS this summer.

The series features Patrick Warburton returning to the voice of Lok, with Hal Sparks (ug) replacing Jason Marsden as the voice of Tak himself. Expect zaniness to ensue. Oh the zaniness we will have for you.

I would have thought (zany!) that they'd want to release a cartoon series around the release of a new game, or at least close enough to one that it's still in people's minds, but perhaps I am wrong. The show's forums are already buzzing:

Umm...who is Tak? I mean, i read the mod's description, but how does everyone already know all about him and stuff! Can someone PLEASE xplain! Thanx!

NICE! I love the games. I play them all the time! The show will be sosososo kool!

Tak and the Power of Juju [Nickelodeon]

Dear Internet;

You know I love you, baby, but this has got to stop. I told you never to talk about this stuff, but you do it anyway. Rubbing my face in childhood embarassment over and over, until I just can't take it anymore. I never meant to hit you, but you drove me to it! I had completely obliterated all conscious thought of this "video game" nightmare, and the eye-singeing shirts of its host, but you just had to keep runnin' your mouth, and runnin' your mouth and look what happened.

- Eliza

Parts 2 and 3 after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Zakarth.

I was a little disturbed to read that two of the early titles of the Revolution will be based on Nickelodeon shows. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Avatar: The Last Airbender or SpongeBob SquarePants, but this doesn't strike me as the best way to fight off the perception that Nintendo makes games just for kids.

"We have a fundamental point of view that we are No. 1 with kids, we seek to be everywhere that kids are, and we seek to be leaders in that space," said Steve Youngwood, executive vp digital at Nickelodeon MTV Networks Kids and Family. "It's hard to say you're everywhere kids are if you're not on the new Nintendo product."

Ouch.

Nick Joining the Revolution with 2 games [Hollywood Reporter]