In a huge move for Atari, which had been struggling over the past few years, will publish the highly anticipated and much previewed Ghostbusters game in development by Sierra.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed for Blast that the New York-based American arm of Infogrames Entertainment will publish the game.

We announced last year that the game will be available this fall on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, Playstation 2, Wii and DS.

This is the second — and certainly bigger of the two — development to come out of the Atari camp today. We previously heard that they will also publish a new “Riddick” game.

Stick with Blast for more on the Ghostbusters game!

This largely linear fantasy adventure, based on the book series of the same name, follows the adventures of the Grace family as they stumble into a unique situation when they move into a new house. Freddie Highmore does great double duty as twin brothers Jared and Simon while sister Mallory is voiced by Sarah Bolger. All three children do a fantastic job with their American accents and believable performances.

Jared seems detached while Simon avoids conflict at all costs. Sarah’s fencing skills are predictably handy when mysterious events begins happening around the house. The adventure begins as one of the siblings uncovers some amazing history about their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick, voiced by David Strathairn.

You can play as Jared, Simon, Mallory Grace and even small Thimbletack the Brownie throughout the chapter quests. Optional side quests are also available. As with other fantasy games like Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, etc. etc., you must use certain characters to complete certain level areas. Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You offers available help at any time (+ button) and background into finding hidden creatures like faeries and goblins. The guide also gives hints for your next task while providing background, interesting trivia and options/abilities.

The game has a good mix of puzzles and collection activities as well. Collect from ten types of faeries/sprites then keep up to three at a time. Get your creative juices flowing a bit by painting each sprite when you nab each one to record them in the guide. You can go back to capture free sprites, found in the same spot. Catching several of the same kind boosts their power. Observant players (plus players who have read the book) can take quicker advantage of the items while keeping others in mind for future use, though you can get stuck at times (e.g. finding the broomstick in the beginning turned into a bit of a chore for this reviewer).

Enemies include goblins (collect their teeth for bonuses), changelings, trolls and ogres. Attack movements and range weapons (e.g. tomato sauce gun) help you dispatch them fairly quickly, though the sprite power come in very handy for key battles, even the puzzles. The attack movements, which make good use of the Wii remote, include charge attacks (holding A then releasing) and regular charge by pointing the remote up.

Flipping the Nunchuk up to enact a sliding jump move, which has advantages in battle, but be sure to plan your direction on the Nunchuk before you do it. Options and button combinations allow you to set the camera to your liking, otherwise the way you move is pretty basic. Players can get to a center point in the environment then pan around or just run through every nook and cranny waiting for the interaction icons to appear.

The plotline (closely follows the film) predictably has a linear base, so you can’t always use exits when you want to. Moving through the dark environments (you can adjust the lighting) can be challenging as well. Most dead ends have a large solid black background.
The colorful icons help show the exits and key interaction points. Four save points help manage the progress/checkpoints, especially for younger players.

This game provides a nice bonus by allowing unlimited character switching once you complete the game. Other bonuses, including a competitive multiplayer mode, and unlockables reward you along the way too. Well schooled players can conquer the game quickly, but even without extensive knowledge (though cut scenes, with film’s stars, provide some background), most players can finish the game without hitting double digit hours, so the unlockables and multiplayer mode helps boost the replay value. Options for possible future installments could include designing your own sprite then sharing online plus participating in International Sprite League tournaments.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Platform: Wii (reviewed), Playstation 2, Xbox 360, DS, PC
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1

Playability: 3 out of 5 stars

The adventures of a small ball — what could be so great about that?

Everything.

Switchball is a game that needs not a storyline, nor characters, nor a plot to be great.

Gameplay is simple. Use a little ball to roll around the levels, completing puzzles by moving boxes around to make paths to the end of the level. Sometimes you’ll be a heavier ball to push heavier boxes, or a lighter ball to cross sensitive bridges. That’s about it.

There are also some 40 objects to interact with including wooden blocks, sheets of cloth, spinning fans and magnets to make things more interesting.

The single player mode is six worlds each composed of six levels each. Some levels take 2-3 minutes at maximum, while some take about 45 minutes to an hour. The puzzles will have you slamming your controller in frustration at times, but beating a level feels like such an accomplishment. making this game so addictive that you won’t want to stop playing until you beat it.

The elevator-like music is pretty annoying, but it’s really the only downfall to this game. While you’re focusing so hard on your next move, the music doesn’t seem to matter.

The graphics are … cute? It’s a 3D game, with different environments in each world. There is the ice world, the lava world, the sky world, all of which reflect in the environment of the game. — very impressive graphics for an Xbox Live arcade game.

Overall, the simple, downloadable Switchball is more addictive than some of the 360′s most prestigious high-budget titles.

Switchball is available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points. There is also a PC version of Switchball. Click here to download the demo!

Quick hits:

Publisher: Sierra Online
Developer: Atomic Elbow
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: November 7, 2007

Playability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

We have a review of Switchball coming 1/1/08, but for now, here’s a chance to get the demo.

Switchball is an intricate puzzle game set in a stunning 3D world. Control an ever-changing ball along a narrow winding course suspended in midair. Solve your way through challenging levels jam-packed with obstacles, traps and mazes. This one is addictive!

Features:

• Inventive and fun puzzle-driven play based on real world physical interactions.
• Beautiful and elegant 3D graphics offer panoramic views of 30 incredible levels in 5 amazing environments – Skyworld, Iceworld, Caveworld, Cloudworld and Lavaworld.
• More than 40 interactive objects including wooden blocks, sheets of cloth, spinning fans, magnets, cannons and many more.
• Morph the marble into a different ball, with unique physical properties including the metalball, powerball and airball to more easily get through each area.

Download the Switchball PC demo free from Blast Magazine.

In a way, Crash of the Titans represents everything about Playstation 2 in 2008 — still bloody good, but there’s not a whole lot more to expect out of it.

Even without its original creator, Crash Bandicoot is still a strong video game franchise, and it’s the best thing Sierra has going for it right now.

“The evil Neo Cortex has turned the creatures of Crash’s island into horrific mutations! But by using a whole arsenal of new combat moves, Crash can hijack the monsters and gain control of their awesome powers.”

Radical Entertainment has come in to develop Crash games, and “Titans” is a hearty effort, though fairly predictable. Crash and Neo Cortex crossed paths in 2004′s Crash Twinsanity and are back to do battle once again.

The best part of this game is that you build up your power by attacking Cortex’s monsters. Once you build up enough star power, you can hop on the monster and use it as a makeshift mount, employing its attacks on other enemies. It’s a pretty original tactic, and there are plenty of these monsters to dive up on.

While you don’t get the same experience as the original PSX classics, Radical does show that they have the potential to bring Crash Bandicoot back to glory, and it will be interesting to see how they handle the Playstation 3 this year.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Platform: Playstation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance
Genre: Action
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: October 4, 2007

Playability: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Vivendi and Activision announced today that they have signed an agreement to combine Vivendi Games — which includes Blizzard Entertainment — with Activision, creating the world’s largest video game publisher.

According to a statement Sunday, The new company, called Activision Blizzard, is expected to have approximately $3.8 billion in revenues this year and the largest operating margins (read: the richest) video game publisher in the world.

“This is … a pivotal event in the continuing transformation of the interactive entertainment industry,” said Robert Kotick, Activision’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “By combining leaders in mass-market entertainment and subscription-based online games, Activision Blizzard will be the only publisher with leading market positions across all categories of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry and reach the broadest possible audiences.”

Vivendi/Blizzard bring World of Warcraft, the largest and most proliferated online game while Activision already boasts mega-hit console and PC games including the best-selling Guitar Hero franchise.

“By joining forces with Vivendi Games, we will become the immediate leader in the highly profitable online games business,” said Kotick.

Financials

Under the terms of the agreement, Vivendi Games will be merged with a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision. In the merger, shares of Vivendi Games will be converted into 295.3 million new shares of Activision common stock. Based on the transaction price of $27.50 per share of Activision common stock, this implies a value of approximately $8.1 billion for Vivendi Games. Concurrently with the merger, Vivendi will purchase 62.9 million newly issued shares of Activision common stock at a price of $27.50 per share — a premium of 31% to Activision’s average closing price over the past 20 trading days — for a total of $1.7 billion in cash. As a result of these transactions, Vivendi will own an approximate 52% ownership stake in Activision Blizzard on a fully diluted basis. When the transaction finalizes, Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard and will continue to operate as a public company traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ATVI.

A host of managerial moves will be made also.

Robert Kotick will be President and Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. Bruce Hack, current Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi Games, becomes Vice-Chairman and Chief Corporate Officer of Activision Blizzard, in charge of finance, human resources and legal matters. Mike Griffith will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing, which after deal finalizes, will also include the Sierra Entertainment, Sierra Online and Vivendi Games Mobile divisions.

Mike Morhaime will continue to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Blizzard Entertainment. Thomas Tippl, currently Chief Financial Officer of Activision, will be appointed Chief Financial Officer of Activision Blizzard and Jean-Fran§ois Grollemund, currently Chief Financial Officer of Vivendi Games, will be appointed Chief Accounting Officer of Activision Blizzard.

Vivendi’s board of directors has approved the deal, which is now subject to the approval of Activision’s shareholders and regulatory officials.

This is one of the largest corporate transactions in the history of the video game industry. Both companies are promising a painless transition.

“There will be no changes to our games, our websites, our personnel or our day-to-day operations as a result of the deal,” said Blizzard, in a statement on their website. “However, this combining of resources will benefit all of the companies involved and will further strengthen Blizzard’s ability to continue delivering high-quality content for our players around the world for many years to come.” Blizzard is offering fans a FAQ to explain the merger.