Madagascar Kartz combines the wacky animals from Madagascar with over-the-top kart racing. So over the top that the Nintendo Wii version comes both with and without a plastic racing wheel. So extreme they have to spell karts with a ‘Z’. That’s pretty extreme.

“The Madagascar films are packed with personality and can be enjoyed by everyone,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “We designed DreamWorks’ Madagascar Kartz with the same idea. With the whole family competing against each other as their favourite zoosters, you have never seen action this wild!”

I’m not sure zoosters is a word. Even if it is, it’s not the sort of word I would ever say out loud. The game will see the animals (note I did not say zoosters) racing in various movie-inspired locales, including the New York City Zoo, the plane crash site, and the volcano, with zany powerups helping them out along the way.

I make fun, but kids will probably love it. It will certainly outsell any video game I’ve ever created.

Madagascar Kartz will be out on October 27th for the Nintendo Wii, DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Kung Fu Panda? Says who? Says the International Animated Film Society, that’s who. The video game based on Dreamworks Animation’s movie of the same name just scored an Annie, beating out Dead Space and Wall·E.

The 36th Annual Annie Awards threw down this past weekend, honoring the best that animated things have to offer, whether they be animated feature length movies, achievements in storyboarding or outstanding television commercials.

Three games were nominated in the “Best Animated Video Game” category, with Activision’s Kung Fu Panda snatching the Annie “in recognition of creative excellence in the art of animation.”

I’d cry foul, but I’ve yet to bask in the animation of Kung Fu Panda in any of its forms. Who objects?

36th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2008) [The Annie Awards]

Activision has released a trailer for their movie tie-in with the upcoming Dreamworks Animation 3D feature film Monsters vs. Aliens, and it actually doesn’t look half bad.

Sure, it’s a movie tie-in, but lately Activision’s movie tie-ins have managed to be somewhat enjoyable. Kung-Fu Panda in particular was a game I could actually play all the way through, which is saying quite a lot. With some truly memorable characters and amazing voice talent, the movie is sure to be a hit, and who knows? The game could wind up pretty decent.

Or not. We can dream.

The movie stars Reese Witherspoon as a woman who suddenly grows to 49 feet, 11 inches tall. Classified as a monster by the government, she joins other monsters in a government facility who are then called into action when aliens invade. If they get half the voice talent for the game as they did for the movie, I’m buying the hell out of this. Hugh Laurie as Dr. Cockroach? Stephen Colbert as the President? It’s like a dream come true!

The game of the movie is due out in March to coincide with the film’s release, hitting all platforms but the PSP. Poor little guy. Hit the jump for the second screen, along with a handy, informative fact sheet.

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS™ VIDEO GAME

FACT SHEET

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Based on the upcoming DreamWorks Animation 3D feature film, the Monsters vs. Aliens video game puts the fate of the planet in players’ hands as they lead a dynamic team of five misfit monsters on a mission to save the world…as only they can. The game allows fans to experience the movie’s action and humor while playing as The Missing Link, the macho half-ape, half-fish; the gelatinous, indestructible and always hungry B.O.B.; and Ginormica, the 49-foot-11-inch tall woman and Insectosaurus, the 350-foot tall grub. Players utilise each character’s distinct strengths, sizes and abilities to battle giant alien robots that are wreaking havoc on earth. Friends or family members can join in the excitement at anytime as the world’s most brilliant scientist, Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., in the unique co-op multiplayer mode.

KEY FEATURES:

Play as your favourite monsters from the film – The rag tag team of monsters are tough, funny and sometimes misguided, but all together are a force to be reckoned with, both in their alien battling abilities and wise cracking personalities. Players relive their hilarious antics from the movie and create an all-new adventure in an epic battle to conquer mankind’s biggest threat, Gallaxhar and his giant alien robots.

Experience unique gameplay as different monsters – Challenges stay fresh and lively through more than 12 distinct levels as players switch between characters, each with vastly different capabilities and sizes.

The Missing Link: Utilise his skillful acrobatics to cling to and scale various surfaces. His agility and brut strength lets him take down enemies of all sizes.

B.O.B.: The gelatinous B.O.B. can swallow and spit out enemies and objects, stretch, bounce, stick to walls and ceilings and seep through grates and cracks.

Ginormica: Her enormous size allows players to race through the city using cars as rollerskates and her sheer strength comes in handy to lift heavy objects and brawl with the robot army.

Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.: As the brainiest of the group and the mission giver, Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. is playable at any time in co-op mode to assist with slowing down enemies, overcoming obstacles and grabbing collectibles.

Insectosaurus: Command this enormous 350-foot tall monster in epic battle sequences against giant robots. Insectosaurus shoots silk and has a piercing sonic scream that will have enemies running.

Explore cool locations from the movie and more – Visit cool locations from the film and beyond including the streets of San Francisco, Gallaxhar’s huge overcompensating mothership and the super secret government containment area. Game exclusive levels, areas and locations include the inside of a 400-foot tall mining robot, a giant scorpion robot, a deeper look into the monster containment facility and Gallaxhar’s mothership.

Work as a team in co-op mode - A second player can pick up a controller and drop in at anytime as Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. As the most brilliant scientist in the world, players can blast and beam away enemies with tricky gadgets, plus reach hard to access places that only the smartest of cockroaches can get to.

Bee Movie, on the other hand, did hold my interest when Activision showed it off at Activate Asia in Cairns recently. It’s more than just based on the Jerry Seinfeld-helmed movie of the same name. From what was shown, aptly-named developer Beenox has gone to the trouble of recreating the events in the film, blow-by-blow, for the PC and console title – with the help of Seinfeld, no less.

It should go down well with the little ones, even if the resulting product is extremely linear, and I reckon it wouldn’t be too bad for a single play through.

Here’s a gallery of PC and PS2 shots for your perusal.