Nintendo does have a lot of celebrating to do cos the past couple of years have been really good for them. Not only did their gaming consoles (DS and Wii) give them much source of pride -- and profit -- they have also been just recognized as one of the world's most reputable companies, landing in at an impressive #6.

The BBFC has announced that it will be launching a new online rating scheme which will let them rate more media content such as downloadable games, films, and programs. Want to find out more about this? Head on over to the full article for more information.

Disney and Capybara's Critter Crunch was awarded the Best Game Award at the Independent Game Festival (IGF) which was held as part of the 2008 Game Developers Expo. If you haven't heard of this game, you might want to head on over to the full article for more information.

The Disney brand of games have always been known for its fun and wholesome content aimed for the younger audiences. Disney Online's Mike Goslin recently talked about the challenges and the merits of how they were able to create an game which caters to kids while retaining the compelling elements of an MMO game. Read more of what Goslin had to say in the full article.

If you're a pirate looking for more treasures, then we'd like to tip you on the cave full of goods from Walt Disney in Pirates of the Carribean Online. From added customization systems to Quest tracking and a Lookout system, there sure is a lot for everyone - and more to come! To check out what's in store for you this month at PotCO, click on our full article.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek had some harsh words for HD-DVD backers, saying that those in the HD-DVD camp are prolonging the format war even though it is clear that Blu-ray will win. During a two-day Blu-ray festival in Hollywood, Chapek said the following:

Blu-ray's competition's attempts to sell less than the best will inevitably be trumped by what we stated from the very beginning: That the Blu-ray technology is not a half-step format that will sell consumers short, but rather it is a revolutionary technology that will change the way we view movies for the long term.

And we firmly believe that revolutionary technology, my friends, is indisputably, undeniably and inevitably Blu-ray.

Chapek wasn't alone in chastising HD-DVD backers. Fox's home entertainment president Mike Dunn earlier this week blasted Paramount for switching to HD-DVD. Dunn referred to the rumored US$ 50 million payout that Paramount supposedly received, accusing the studio of "taking the bait".

A group of major Hollywood studios and leading consumer electronics manufacturers have announced that they will be extending the 5 Free Blu-ray Movies promo through this year's holiday season.

The promo goes like this: Consumers who buy any qualifying Blu-ray player - this includes the Sony PlayStation 3 home video game console - between now and January 31, 2008 will be able to choose 5 free Blu-ray titles from a total of 18 titles being offered by participating studios.

Titles available in the promo are Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Wild Hogs, American Psycho, Chain Reaction, The Devil's Rejects, Flight of the Phoenix, Full Metal Jacket, Hart's War, The Last Waltz, Omen 666, The Patriot, The Prestige, Species, Stir of Echoes, Superman: The Movie, SWAT, Swordfish and Ultraviolet. All of these titles will be available through mail-in redemption.

Participating hardware manufacturers include Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony Electronics and Sony Computer Entertainment. The studios offering the free Blu-ray movies are Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, MGM Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video.

Riding on the fame Square Enix has developed for the series during the previous years, Kingdom Hearts readies itself for a new generation of games for the handheld and the mobile.

Announced during this year's Tokyo Game Show, the new games will be featured in Japan first before any thoughts of a U.S. release will be settled. However, we can give everyone a little preview into each of these releases.

First off, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS features the story of Organization XIII's Number 13 Roxas. The game looks into the life of the semi-protagonist of Kingdom Hearts 2's life during his days in Organization XIII. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 will feature single-player as well as multiplayer missions through the WiFi capabilities of the Nintendo DS.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for the PSP is a sort of prequel to the entire series. It tells the tale of a trio of heroes who seek out a wayward Keyblade master. Those of you who've unlocked the hidden FMV found in Kingdom Hearts 2 will finally be able to follow the teaser ending it gave everyone through the end. The game will feature the same traditional controls, game system, and the visual style of its predecessors.

Finally, Kingdom Hearts coded for the mobile bring together the first collaborated project between Square Enix and the Walt Disney Internet Group. It tells the story of the events after Kingdom Hearts when Jiminy Cricket finds a mysterious message in his journal. King Mickey then digitizes the contents of the journal and asks Sora to investigate the matter. A digitized Sora enters the new world and tries to unravel the mystery behind it.

All these games definitely sound like a good way to extend the series and further flesh out an already fantastic story. Hopefully, the release for their respective U.S. versions won't be too far off so we can immerse ourselves in more Walt Disney video game goodness.

With Disney finally jumping on the Blu-ray bandwagon, they've already released several well-known titles, allowing everyone to relive their favorite films in high definition clarity. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Some discrepancies on the new format has been noted by several forum members on AVS.

The release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was noted to have a few glaring visual problems after its release last May. AVS forum member Denner first posted the report of the discrepancies early last week. And now, screen captures taken by master AVS screencapper, Xylon show significant framing problems between the DVD and the new Blu-ray formats. Several scenes were found to have a badly clipped aspect ratio compared to the original film on DVD.

 

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has assured everyone that they will be investigating the matter, however no official statement has been issued yet at this time. Only time will tell if Disney will be able to remedy the situation and be able to recover from this little faux pas.

 

Our last update (and the first) on Disney Interactive's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was back in mid-July, after the publishers released a pair of videos and a few screenshots to admire. The video game adaptation of the second feature of C.S. Lewis' fantasy series would be served to gamers on almost every platform available.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will see the return of the Pevensie siblings, in an effort to restore the throne of Narnia to young Prince Caspian. Features of the game will include the ability to play 20 characters in total, including all four Pevensies, Prince Caspian, and a minotaur.

Online and offline multiplayer was also mentioned, with an instant join, instant leave two-player gameplay experience. It was reported that Disney Interactive will include two exclusive scenes recorded by Walt Disney Pictures to the game. Expect all these to come to light when The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian hits your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PSP, DS, PS2, and Windows PC next year. For the time being, give the few stills provided here a glance or two.