Ben10
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Augmented reality makes Thundercats packaging way cooler than the toys themselves
What happens when the toy packaging becomes more exciting than the toy itself? It's an interesting experiment that's now seeing the light of day courtesy of Bandai's new Thundercats and Ben 10 toys, which come to life through a smartphone screen via Aurasma's augmented reality. The company promises that the packages help kids "examine every part of the toy before purchase." That's important. And hey, so's setting them up for a lifetime of disappointment. Video after the break.
D3 Pub riding 'Ben 10' wave this holiday
D3 Publisher is boasting to MCV that versions of Ben 10: Protector of Earth for Wii, DS, PSP and PS2 have sold a collective 2.5 million copies worldwide. While not nearly as impressive as Gears of War 2's feat of selling 2 million in one week, we suspect the cost of development for Ben 10: PoE was quite a bit less (and D3's metric perhaps a bit lower). The title has been in the Top 40 UK software sales consistently since launching October 2007. This bravado is not without apt timing, of course, as the publisher is gearing up for the release of Ben 10: Alien Force in February. Expect mediocre reviews for the game and a hefty profit margin for D3 -- behold the power of a licensed IP.
Ben 10 coming to multiple consoles and handhelds this fall
One of our guilty pleasures is Ben 10, a very fun anime-inspired show on the Cartoon Network (and we aren't afraid to admit it ... just mildly embarrassed). It revolves around young Ben Tennyson and the bizarre Omnitrix, a sort of an alien watch thingy, that allows him to turn into different aliens to fight the baddies with. Sure, it sounds simple ... but watch one episode and you're hooked. D3Publisher of America has announced that they are developing several different versions of the game that will be released this fall, appearing on the Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the Nintendo DS. What, no love for the 360? Even more exciting is that Ben's nemesis Kevin 11 (we kid you not) will be appearing in the game as well.
