Jugaccino

Corrie on the big box and the little box at the same time…

Some people like watching Coronation Street, some people love it in fact.  It makes perfect sense therefore to release a game for the Nintendo DS based on the very street that has sparked the imaginations of the country for so many decades.

That’s right – a video game based on Coronation Street is getting ready to hit your DS later on in 2009.  Coronation Street lovers will weep at the description that has been given to the game as it sounds as though it will be everything they have ever wanted.

The game is being described as “an adventure and task-based concept set within the theme of the famous fictional street”.  What better way to spend the evening when the episode is over?

Fair play – a lot of people watch Corrie.

It would seem as though the developers of the game, Mindscape, have tapped into  a cash cow with the Coronation Street game as the popular television show is viewed by more than 78 per cent of the British public.

Such a view is backed by Aysha Kidwai, ITVs Global Entertainment’s international merchandise and licensing director, who claimed, “Coronation Street is a national institution and was watched by over 78% of the UK television population in 2008.

“We receive thousands of fan letters enquiring about the series every month. We’re responding to this huge demand by developing a range of exciting and innovative family targeted products inspired by the show,” continued Kidwai.

Adventure - Challenge - Corrie…really?

The game is supposed to provide challenges and adventure to the player as they wander around the now infamous street.

It’s fair to say though that even with the huge following, the Coronation Street game may not necessarily be a success.  After all, can the game really provide any interest, other than the obvious novelty factor.

There are lots of things that we like to watch, but we’re not necessarily asking for them to be slapped onto the DS.  Can anyone imagine Friends: the Videogame?

Let’s learn from the past…

Games previously released around the same idea, buying up television show gaming licenses, involve the likes of Deal or No Deal, Golden Balls and Ready, Steady, Cook.

These games aren’t exactly household classics and throwing more rubbish into the mix won’t be helping anyone.  Let’s hope that they have magically changed their gaming views.

Corrie isn’t the first television show to be turned into a planned game.  Eidos made news back in 2007 for snapping up the rights to the southern soap opera, Eastenders.  However, we’re still waiting to see Eastenders: Mitchell’s Fight Back…

By all means, all the best to Mindscape as no one wants another unsuccessful game, particularly when companies are  struggling to stay solvent.  However, with the Corrie DS experience waiting to keep us entertained, only time will tell if the soap conversion actually pays off.

Buy or goodbye?

Will you be buying it or walking straight past it in your local HMV?  Let us know what you think about soap television gaming…

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 9:49 pm and is filed under Game Development, Gaming, Nintendo DS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.