Animal Paradise Goes Gold

Following the recently signed deal with Atari, Empire Interactive has started to work hard on its ongoing projects to make sure they will hit the stores before the holiday season. The first title that went gold is Animal Paradise, a Nintendo DS exclusive that will be available for purchase on the 23rd of September. The game is rated E for Everyone.

Your aim in the game will be to create the greatest Animal Park in the world by developing, managing and making sure that your animals are well taken care of. With even more pets brought to you by Animal Paradise 2, you will definitely have more fun but not everything will be available to you from the beginning. A new task and reward system will allow you to unlock new animals and areas, plus brand new minigames.

"We know players want pet simulation games with a variety of animals to choose from, and Animal Paradise delivers just that with loads of adorable animals, engaging gameplay and appeal for children and animal lovers of all ages," said Karim Farghaly, vice president of sales, Empire Interactive. "We think this is a perfect title to kick off our distribution deal with Atari and another step forward in establishing Empire as a major player in the US gaming market."

One good thing for the industry, but something that could cost the developers a lot if not done correctly, is the fact that Empire Interactive does not agree with the "if it works well, don't change it" theory and plans to bring fans a completely new Animal Paradise game, too, pretty soon after this title is released. It is however very possible to see AP2 only in Europe. Yet, we should all applaud such a decision since the game will also get a bit educational, with Empire Interactive planning to implement an encyclopedia that will give players detailed information about animals and their natural habitats. But the sequel will be available only in the second quarter of 2009 - if all goes well with the development and beta tests. Until then, we will be able to enjoy the cutesy original on our DS handhelds.