Puzzle Quest dev working with Capcom
Neopets due for Wii, PC and DS this year.
Capcom has announced that Puzzle Quest developer Infinite Interactive is hard at work on a new game called Neopets Puzzle Adventure for Wii, PC and DS.
Surprise surprise, it's a bit like Puzzle Quest! In this case, you create a virtual pet (Neopet) by customising one of 12 base units and then go out into an RPG-style world fighting enemies in games of Othello (also known as Reversi).
Othello is the game where you have to try and take control of an 10x10 grid by placing counters to annex those of your opponent.
As with Puzzle Quest, the basic puzzle gameplay of Othello is complemented by the act of collecting gems to build up a stock of spells, which can be deployed to win points and reduce the other player's control of the board.
As some of you may already know, "Neopets" is licensed from the popular web-based game/community run by Nickelodeon, where people create and nurture virtual pets and swap recipes and do all sorts via a website.
To tie in with the existing property, Neopets Puzzle Adventure will generate codes at certain points that players can redeem on the Neopets.com website to gain bonuses there.
The multi-platform game will offer around 150 quests in single-player, with mini-games and altered versions of the core Othello game used to upgrade your character's stock of spells.
There will also be multiplayer, and Capcom told Eurogamer at its Las Vegas Captivate 08 event last week that demos are likely, and Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PSP versions haven't been ruled out at this stage.
Check out our Neopets Puzzle Adventure hands-on preview for much more information on how the game works and what we made of it, and check out our screenshot gallery for the first grabs.