CBS shows are soon to visit your consoles and other gaming devices

by: Tina - posted: 11/3/2009 9:26:00 PM

The Amazing Race, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Diagnosis Murder, Ghost Whisperer, Hollywood Squares, Criminal Minds and Survivor. These are the names of the eight CBS shows that are soon to be published into respective video games. I don’t watch any of these shows (should I?) but I imagine the excitement would be palpable for those who do. The games will span a myriad of platforms: PC/Mac, 360, Wii, DS, and the iPhone/iPod touch.

If you’re a CSI fan, you’re in luck. Two of the CBS games that are currently available are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Deadly Intent and CSI: Deadly Intent – The Hidden Cases. The first of the two is available on the Wii, 360 and PC and takes you through 5 crimes across Las Vegas that were written by the series’ own writers. The latter is exclusive to the DS and has additional cases to play around in touch screen format.

When 2010 finally hits you’ll have a few more of the CBS series-based games to add to your watch list of games coming out. The Amazing Race is a time-based race across various locations where you will have to pick up hidden clues along the way to reach each pit stop.

Survivor sounds like the most terrible idea for a video game. I have always avoided those “reality” shows like the plague, not including the studies in many media courses I have had to undergo that find the genre so fascinating. Nevertheless, it’s very similar to the television show in that it is basically a series of competitions that you’ll partake in against the other competitors that are presumably on an island of some sort.

The 2010 holiday barrage of games will also feature some of these CBS titles. More crime and mystery solving come in the form of Diagnosis Murder and Criminal Minds. Ghost Whisperer sounds interesting based on the story line – you will play the role of helping people move on to the afterlife. I wonder if they can make their gameplay just as interesting. Finally you’ll have The Hollywood Squares, which if you are not familiar with you should go and buy a television set already. Celebrities, questions, tic-tac-toe, and of course money and prizes are what this game entails.

CBS CONSUMER PRODUCTS EXPANDS ROSTER OF TV LICENSED VIDEO GAMES WITH EIGHT NEW RELEASES

Beginning Holiday 2009, Top Publishers and Developers to Release All-New Games Based on Top-Rated Series The Amazing Race, CSI, Survivor,
Ghost Whisperer and More

NEW YORK - November 03, 2009 -- CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Entertainment, announced today that eight new video games based on television's top-rated and most beloved series will soon become available for fans. The rights holder to some of the most popular shows on television, CBS has teamed up with the industry's most renowned casual games developers and video game publishers -- including Ludia, Ubisoft, Merscom, Legacy Interactive and Mindscape - to ensure that fans will be able to extend their experiences with their favorite shows in a fun and compelling way.

Included among the highly anticipated titles will be video games based on the TV properties The Amazing Race, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Diagnosis Murder, Ghost Whisperer, Hollywood Squares, Criminal Minds and Survivor. Available at retailers where video games are sold or at top casual gaming sites starting holiday 2009, the games will be released on a variety of platforms including PC/MAC, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, iPhone™ and iPod® touch.

"These deals are perfect examples of our strategy to mine CBS's deep portfolio of iconic television series across multiple platforms," said Liz Kalodner, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Consumer Products. "We understand how passionate the fans of these programs are and how they are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to interact with them. Whether on console, handheld or the PC, we are working with some of the most innovative publishers and developers to ensure that we meet fans' expectations."

A complete rundown of product introductions from CBS Consumer Products follows:

AVAILABLE NOW:
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Deadly Intent (Ubisoft)
In CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Deadly Intent, players help solve Las Vegas' most gruesome crimes with the brand new characters and cast from the latest season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The video game features five shocking cases written with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television writers. Now available in stores for Wii™ from Nintendo, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC.

CSI: Deadly Intent - The Hidden Cases for the Nintendo DS (Ubisoft)
Exclusive features to CSI: Deadly Intent - The Hidden Cases for the Nintendo DS system allow players to solve additional bizarre cases through an enhanced questioning system and game mechanics with unique touch game play. Players will feel like a real CSI character with heart-pounding interrogations, stylish visuals and a unique story structure that unveils the shocking truth when all the cases are linked together. Now available in stores where video games are sold.

For more information on CSI: Deadly Intent video game and the CSI: Deadly Intent Instant Win Investigation and Solve the Case Sweepstakes, please visit http://www.deadlyintentgame.com


AVAILABLE 2010:

The Amazing Race (Ludia Inc.)
Get ready for around-the-world competition with the video game based on the eight-time Emmy® award-winning television series The Amazing Race where team players split up in pairs for a remarkable journey across exotic locations in a race against time. Players will face frantic challenges and tasks as they navigate through detours, roadblocks and other unpredictable game elements from the show. Working together strategically throughout the game is essential as each team tries to discover hidden clues that are crucial to getting them to the Pit Stop first -- and one step closer to ultimate victory at the check-in mat. This video game will be launched throughout North America across multiple platforms in tandem with the show's 16th season.

Survivor (Mindscape)
This game is perfect for any fan of the show Survivor. Players will be able to live like the contestants on Survivor. With challenges such as fishing, collecting food and participating in Immunity challenges, players will compete to outwit, outlast and outplay in order to be crowned the ultimate sole Survivor. Available on Wii & Nintendo DS platforms.

AVAILABLE FOR HOLIDAY 2010:
Diagnosis Murder (Merscom)
Available in early 2010, this is an adventure game where the player must find different items in a scene to use as clues in order to solve the mystery. Available for the PC/Mac, this video game will be sold on most casual gaming websites and at major retailers.

Criminal Minds (Legacy Interactive)
In the Criminal Minds game, players will be able to take on the role of different members of Behavioral Analysis Unit to solve a series of five shocking crimes. In order to track down the killers and solve each case, players will need to examine crime scenes for clues, interview witnesses and suspects, analyze evidence and build a profile based on real-life criminal profiling techniques. The videogame is slated to launch in the fourth quarter of 2010 on the PC.

Ghost Whisperer (Legacy Interactive)
Debuting in early 2010. Ghost Whisperer will be the first-ever video game based on the hit series. Written by Emmy Award-winning television writer Lance Gentile, the PC game calls for players to embark on the adventure of helping the recently departed move on to the afterlife and providing closure to loved ones left behind.

The Hollywood Squares (Ludia, Inc.)
This timeless TV game show experience comes to fans everywhere on the platform of their choice. The Hollywood Squares game will feature all the favorite elements of the show as played on television, as two contestants play head-to-head in a bid to win money and prizes. Nine open-faced cubes make up the tic-tac-toe style "board" for the game which are occupied by celebrities/TV personalities. The stars are asked questions and players judge whether their answers are true or false, all the while incorporating outrageous "zingers" and "bluffs" to fuel the fun. Each correct answer earns the player a square on the board, and the first player to mark three squares in a row wins the game. Additionally, the game will incorporate bonus video of the funniest moments from the TV show. The North America-wide exclusive deal will result in games across major platforms including PC/Mac, consoles, iPhone™ and iPod® touch. The first of The Hollywood Squares games is slated for release in 2010.