07/05/2009 02:39 PM

New Computer Games Help Sustain Movies' Thrills

By: Adam Balkin, NY1

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Two new game titles will help players continue the adventures from two big-screen movie releases. NY1's Adam Balkin filed the following report.

NEW YORK -- "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," the computer game that was released alongside the movie of the same title, lets players hang out with historical figures as they try to defeat a pharaoh's evil brother, seen above.

Players take on the role of Ben Stiller's Larry Daly, the goofy night watchman stuck inside the Smithsonian who tries to find and piece together fragments of the magical tablet that makes all of the museum's history come alive. With each piece comes a special ability to help players reach the goal.

The helpful historical figures include Amelia Earhart and General George Armstrong Custer and the evil ones include Al Capone or Ivan the Terrible. In-game audio tours and factoids mean that kids may learn a thing or two while playing the game.

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is rated "E10+" and is available on the Wii, XBox360, PC and Nintendo DS for between $20 to $40.

The upcoming Pixar movie "Up" also has a video game of the same name, that lets players into the movie's action, letting them slide and float around all sorts of South American environments.

Players can be a combination of four characters. Carl is a retired balloon salesman who refuses to be forced from his home, ties a bunch of balloons to his house and flies away in order to turn his twilight years into one giant adventure. Russell is an eight-year-old Junior Wilderness Explorer who accidentally finds himself on Carl's porch when Carl airlifts his house away. Players can also be Dug the Dog and Russell the prehistoric bird, as the onscreen characters help each other push logs or catapult themselves over a deep ravine.

Gamers can also play with up to four friends at once, to unite and do battle against exotic jungle animals and the bad guy, Muntz.

"Up" is rated "E10+" will be available on May 26 on all the major consoles and handhelds and will cost between $20 and $40.