Aqua Panic will launch in North America on October 19 for the PlayStation 3. In the game, a giant cyclone caused an ecological disaster by sucking up a million fish. Tanks of water are immediately assembled throughout the world so that all of the fish can be returned to sea. Players make sure the sea creatures are returned quickly and safely, using various tools to control water flow. PlayStation 3 features will consist of an online scoreboard, true 1080p HD graphics, and trophies.

Disney Sing It: Party Hits, the newest karaoke video game in the Disney Sing It franchise, is now available for the PlayStation 3 and Wii. The title features 30 songs and videos from such artists as Allstar Weekend, Jordin Sparks, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas & The Administration, Paramore and Selena Gomez. The game also includes vocal exercises and tips from Sonny with A Chance star, Demi Lovato, to assist players in improving their vocal skills.

Disney Sing It: Party Hits allows players to sing solo, partner with a friend in duets and compete in new competitive modes. In its new Sing Off mode, two groups of up to eight players, go head to head in a huge sing-off, where each group takes turns singing solo and as an ensemble, and the group with the highest score declared the winner. In Performance mode, the song lyrics and pitch bar are removed for a more relaxed experience for beginners, while expert singers can try their hand at getting high scores without the aid of prompts. Finally in the new Karaoke mode, players have the ability to reduce the vocal difficulty level of the artists in each song, giving themselves a chance to shine.

With the PC release of the game approaching, Cities XL 2011 just revealed a wide overview of what the title has to offer when it releases later this month.

Imagine and conceive cities of all types and sizes, from a crowded metropolis to a lavish seaside resort, to an industrial city. Take advantage of the more than 700 buildings and structures, and 47 different types of maps. As a virtual mayor, find the right balance between economic development, attractiveness, transportation (road traffic, bus, metro…), pollution, social services, taxes and even leisure activities. Cities XL 2011 even lets you go beyond the simple creation of a city, and connect every city that you build in a trade network.

Educators and researchers are discovering that active video games such as Wii Sports and EA Sports Active can be valuable tools to convince students to get out from behind their monitors and HDTVs and get healthy. ”The power of exergames is they are fun and interesting and immerse the player in the activity so kids don’t even realize they are exercising,” according to Barbara Chamberlin, director of the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces. Chamberlin’s group is also looking into a possible link between active game participation and increased academic performance. Other studies have shown that regular sessions with games such as Dance Dance Revolution can halt weight gain and improve fitness in young children.

Source: USA Today

MSNBC reports that the Angry Birds got their feathers ruffled when Microsoft highlighted the app as appearing on their Windows Phone 7 devices. It would make sense for the world’s most popular iPhone app to be available for the new phones, but apparently Rovio, the folks behind the birds, never agreed to port their game. The Finnish developers issued a statement on the matter via Twitter.

“We have NOT committed to doing a Windows Phone 7 version. Microsoft put the Angry Birds icon on their site without our permission…We didn’t get mad, just wanted to set the record straight. And we haven’t said we wouldn’t do WP7.”

Microsoft has since removed the Angry Birds information from their new site.

OBob has some extra-special musical guests to look forward to at this year’s BlizzCon. Blizzard Entertainment just confirmed that Tenacious D will headline this year’s closing ceremonies. According to 1Up, we can expect Jack Black and Kyle Gass to debut never-before-heard material when the comedy/rock duo takes the stage on Saturday, October 23.

Tickets for the convention have been completely sold out for some time now, but fans can still catch Tenacious D and the rest of the BlizzCon 2010 action on DirectTV’s $39.99 stream.

Eurogamer reports that there’s going to be a sequel to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

Oscar Araujo, composer of the game’s soundtrack, broke the news on Spanish radio. “If you liked the first [game], hope that the second is even more spectacular.” He added that Konami had asked for a “rough” and “aggressive” score to contrast with the “effeminate” image already established.

It was common knowledge that Konami had developer MercurySteam at work on a new game, but until now only speculation pointed to a Castlevania sequel.

This final launch trailer for Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes features all of the playable characters from the samurai warrior battle game for the PlayStation 3 and Wii. Players wield the Basara arts to unleash special moves as they battle hundreds of enemies and war machines. Set against the backdrop of feudal Japan, the story follows players as they take over camps on the battlefield, form new alliances and ultimately change history as they fight their way through the battle of Sekigahara.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes will be available tomorrow (October 12) in North America.

Capcom has decided to include the community in the development process of Mega Man 3.

The company is hiring a temporary Community Liaison for the development of the project. The candidate must be fluent in both English and Japanese and live in the San Mateo, California area. The company is also holding a vote to determine the look of the title’s new female heroine. Each of the nine character sketches comes from a veteran Mega Man designer, and votes will be accepted through October 25.

Playdead’s CEO, Dino Patti, recently revealed the company’s latest plans in a conversation with Joystiq. While Limbo will remain exclusive to XBLA, we may see the next Playdead title branching out to the other platforms.

“I can’t tell much, but I can tell you that if you liked Limbo, it’ll definitely be for you,” he said. “The gameplay style you’ll really like. You’ll feel it’s the same team who made it, but everything will be changed…If we end up going exclusive, we may do it for various reasons, but we just want as many people to play the game as possible.”

Neocore Games and Paradox Interactive just announced the release of a free DLC pack for anyone that purchases Lionheart Kings’ Crusade between release day and October 17. This New Allies DLC is available now via all leading digital distribution platforms.

You can now add Taqi al-Din Umar, one of the trusted allies of Saladin, that has been fighting alongside his vizier since they first moved to reclaim the Saracen lands. Or choose Arthur of Brittany. He fought so bravely during the battle for Cyprus that he earned frequent comparisons to his legendary namesake. You could also bend the rules of history by adding Joan of Arc, the enigmatic warrior-woman from another time and place. She will appear in Jerusalem in a flash of blinding light claiming that God had brought her to free the Holy Land. Also at your disposal is also Lancelot, King Arthur’s greatest champion, and knight of the Round Table.

Last week we showed off some of the Capcom team, so now it’s time for the Marvel side of the equation.

First up is Magneto, the powerful mutant known for his ability to command the very forces of magnetism. He’ll be lending his talent to the Marvel team in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Next up is the “Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing”, better known as M.O.D.O.K. This huge-headed megalomaniac will make his debut in the series, bringing an unconventional but highly effective fighting style to the game. Other Marvel characters previously announced include Spider-Man, X-23, Dormmamu, Thor, Deadpool, Hulk, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Doom and Super-Skrull.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds hits the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the spring.

Until very recently, Duke Nukem Forever and its 13-year development period had been a running joke just about everywhere. Everywhere except perhaps where George Broussard was standing, as it’s just come to light that the man kicked $20-30 million of his own money into the project.

Speaking to the UK press at an event in London Thursday, Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford detailed to VG247 how important it was to George personally to make sure that Duke Nukem Forever saw the light of day. He recalled a conversation with Broussard, on the day 3D Realms was shut down.

“I spoke to George Broussard and he said, ‘Randy, this is the worst day of my life.’ But you could hear in his voice there was more,” Pitchford said. “This was 12 years of his life…try and imagine what you’ve achieved in 12 years, Gearbox has made 15 games in that time. George Broussard is not a poor man but I would estimate that he lost 20 to 30 million dollars of his own money on Duke Nukem Forever.”

Broussard is still involved with the title’s development at Gearbox.

Eurogamer reports that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has confirmed the 3DS will come with a special charger cradle to combat the device’s voracious appetite for power. Speaking at a recent Nintendo conference, Iwata explained, “as for the battery, it is inevitable that Nintendo 3DS will be a device which requires more frequent recharging than Nintendo DS. This is why we are going to include the cradle, which is a dedicated battery charger.” And just in case a 3DS owner forgets to use it and keep their device charged, the company is planning to include a “helpful” audio reminder.

As announced last month, the 3DS launches in Japan on February 26 and will follow in Europe in March.

In Monsters Love Gum (what sounds like a virtual version of Hungry Hungry Hippos) you have the option to play solo against three artificial opponents or three other human players, or any combination thereof as you strive to “catch em’ all” first. Monsters Love Gum features several modes, including Battle-Mode and Hoarder-Mode. In Battle-Mode the first player who collects a certain number of blue gumballs wins the game, while in Hoarder-Mode there are four colors of gumballs, and you can only collect the ones that match your platform. While both modes include bonus gumballs that let you unleash attacks on your opponents, Battle-Mode is ideal for a quick game, and Hoarder-Mode requires more skill, patience and precision to master.

Monsters Love Gum is now available at the App Store for the iPad.