(14 May 2007 5:10 pm)

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has announced a slate of mobile games to be released this year.

From Spider-Man 3 to Jeopardy, the studio’s offerings range from puzzle and classic arcade games to those based on blockbuster feature films, Sony PlayStation platforms, and America’s favorite television game shows.

Timed with the release of the movie Spider-Man 3 is a 2D side-scrolling game that takes advantage of Spider-Man’s darker side. Utilising his new-found Black suit and its increased powers, Spider-Man is stronger and more aggressive than ever. Stop villains with fierce hand-to-hand combat, earn intense combination moves, and have fun with agile navigation.

Fans can use the destructible environment to feed the power of the black suit: punch, climb, swing, jump, shoot webs and break objects. Spider-Man must fight numerous thugs and stop disasters caused by key characters from the movie. In the final scenes, Spider-Man returns to his more modest blue suit to fight against Venom using skill and prowess, since he no longer has the power of the Black Suit to defeat him with force.

Then there is the Spider-Man Puzzle. It is a casual mobile game inspired by the motion pictures, this is a “match 3 with a path” game where the player matches three or more identical game pieces on a grid-shaped board in order to advance, score points and defeat villains - Venom, Goblin and Sand-Man.

Backgrounds are inspired by the film, and the path is a significant addition to the popular match three gameplay. Making matches uncovers a path, which the player moves along as it is revealed, allowing for a number of story-driven elements including interacting with other characters. A character follows a path on a scrolling board. Game levels can be completed in short 3-5 minute sessions, each level becoming increasingly difficult.

Another game is God of War: Betrayal. Taking place after the events of God of War, in this first installment of the God of War mobile series, Kratos wages a bloody campaign as the new God of War. During battle, humans and Gods alike mistakenly accuse Kratos of betraying the Olympians.

As the fury of the Gods rain down upon him, Kratos must clear his name and win back the favor of Olympus. Original story from the Writer of the console game, this title features a cutting edge mobile 2D character animation engine, triple the number of frames per second versus recent competitive titles, and a rich interactive environment.

Jeopardy! 2007 is a sequel to the quiz game. There is a newly designed interface, all content is created by writers of the hit TV Show. Opportunities exist to win over 75 different virtual trophies and badges.

The game includes five modes of play including single, against computer, and play against other contestants in daily tournaments. Users can play the category of the day or download randomly generated games based on existing content. This is a subscription game with fresh content delivered monthly.

In Jump That Car fans can drive a buggy through environments filled with hills and valleys, taking crazy jumps and trying to make even crazier landings. The challenge is to drive and jump the car while landing as smooth as possible, overcoming hills, ramps, tunnels and obstacles. During the race, the player can collect power-ups which will enhance the buggy’s performance.

All of the collectibles will be placed in the air, requiring the player to adjust the speed of the jump to collect the power-up. Players can race alone, against a ghost buggy of their previous best time or play a crash mode, where the farthest crash-landing wins. Features single player with multiple modes (race, survival, and crash), pass and play multiplayer with 2 modes, physics-based jumps and landings, and easy one thumb play.

The other titles available include James Bond: Casino Royale, Ghostbusters and Elevator Action.