Aspiring DJs can put their skills to work at the Lumines II online Video Mixer contest. As announced by Buena Vista Games, the contest will see DJs creating a new music track, utilizing loops, beats and other sound effects from the Junkie XL song “Breezer,” along with visual elements, including Lumines II gameplay footage and prerecorded footage of a dancer executing various moves.

December 31 is the last date for entries, which can be shared with friends and other users. The finalists will be selected and judged by Junkie XL, who will choose a winner based on creativity, overall sound/visual appeal and feeling. The lucky winner will receive a trip for two to Miami for the Winter Music Conference, a VIP experience with Junkie XL, hotel accommodations, round-trip airfare, car rental and $500 spending cash. Unfortunately, the contest is open only to US residents, although anyone can create a remix.

From the creator of the infamous Carmageddon series comes Novadrome, a vehicle-combat title for Xbox Live Arcade. Announced by BVG, the game is in development at Stainless Games and will put players behind the wheel of an armed, buggy-style vehicle to face off in gladiatorial action on a distant planet.

The game will feature both single and multiplayer modes, 24 unique vehicles, 15 arenas, boss encounters and more. It will be out this Holiday season.

BVG has announced that it has formed Fall Line Studio, dedicated entirely to developing games for Nintendo platforms. The studio will work on established Disney franchises as well as create new ones.

Fall Line is being headed by Scott Novis, former member of Rainbow Studios, and will specialize in “small team, creative projects.” No specific projects have been announced.

Buena Vista Games will acquire Climax Racing, the team behind the MotoGP and ATV Offroad Fury franchises. They’ll be joining the ranks of the publisher’s other internal studios Avalanche Software and Propaganda Games.

It is not known yet what will happen to the aforementioned franchises, though BVG has mentioned that Climax Racing will now work on “triple-A racing titles for the next-generation of games consoles.”

Coming from Kyoto-based Jupiter Corporation, the studio behind Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, is BVG’s first videogame based on an original IP: Spectrobes. An anime-inspired action-RPG, the game is on track for release on March 15, 2007 for the DS.

Faced with the daunting task of defeating the Krawl, a powerful force poised to destroy the galaxy, Rallen and Jeena must excavate, awaken and train Spectrobes, prehistoric creatures that have recently been discovered. Only by enlisting the help of these ancient beings will Rallen and Jeena be able to save the galaxy from certain demise. Players will progress through the game and complete their mission by training each Spectrobe, helping them to evolve and become more powerful. With highly customizable elements and powers, gamers can tailor unique Spectrobes to fit their playing style. Spectrobes, featuring the look and feel of Japanese anime and manga, will immerse players in its engaging story and fascinating characters.

The Spectrobes website will feature webisodes that will give interested gamers the chance to know more about the characters of the Spectrobes world. Six episodes are planned for release over the next six months, culminating in the launch of the game.

Licensed music is the in-thing these days, and puzzle games aren’t too far behind! The soundtrack listing for Lumines II was sent out yesterday, revealing tracks from Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Missy Elliott and many others. Below is the full list:

• Beck - “Black Tambourine”
  
• Black Eyed Peas - “Pump It”
  
• Chemical Brothers - “Star Guitar”
  
• Fatboy Slim - “Gangster Trippin’”
  
• The Go! Team - “Bottle Rocket”
  
• Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”
  
• Hoobastank - “Born to Lead”
  
• Junior Senior - “Take My Time”
  
• Missy Elliott - “Lose Control”
  
• New Order - TBD
  
• Junkie XL - “Breezer”
  
• Stigmato Inc - “Reality Check”

Music videos from the above artists will be available in the PSP title that will hit North America this November. In addition to the above, Lumines II also features music written exclusively for the game by Japanese artist Shinichi Osawa, also known as MONDO GROSSO (yes, all capital letters), who provided the opening track for the original title. Tracks from Ken Ishii and TECHRIDERS, both from Japan, are also in the game.

Bethesda sent word that “celebrated orchestral composer” Inon Zur has created the original musical score for the recently released Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow game. Available now for the PS2 and PC, the game retells the story of the original PotC film. Zur composed over 45 minutes of original orchestral music, including the main theme, specifically for the game, which was recorded with the Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra at the Bastyr Chapel in Seattle.

BVG unveiled its E3 2006 lineup, revealing a next-gen Turok among other titles. Here’s the full list:

They will be set up at booth #1024 in the South Hall.

• Turok (PS3, Xbox 360)
  Turok is an epic, story-driven FPS game set on a dark, mysterious planet in the near future. Players take on the role of Joseph Turok, a former Black Ops commando, now part of an elite Special Forces squad on a mission to take down a war criminal on a genetically-altered planet. After the ship is shot down while approaching the planet, Joseph Turok must use his instincts and elite military training to elude an army of well-trained soldiers, and the ravenous, unpredictable creatures that populate the dangerous environment. Joseph Turok’s mission? Survive at all costs.
  
• Lumines Plus
  
• Disney’s Meet The Robinsons
  
• Disney’s Chicken Little: Ace in Action
  
• Disney’s Kim Possible: What’s the Switch?
  
• Desperate Housewives: The Game
  
• Spectrobes
  
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
  
• Lumines II
  
• Every Extend Extra
  
• Meteos: Disney Edition
  
• Disney’s American Dragon: Jake Long, Attack of the Dark Dragon
  
• Disney’s Kim Possible: Global Gemini
  
• Hannah Montana
  
• That’s So Raven: Psychic on the Scene
  
• Disney’s The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
  
• The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble
  
• Games for the Game Boy Advance include:
  
• The Cheetah Girls
  
• Phil of the Future.
  
• W.I.T.C.H.
  
• Disney Pixar Cars
  
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow

From BVG comes word that it has entered an agreement with Q Entertainment to pubish four new titles in all regions except Asia.

The first title is the highly anticipated sequel to Lumines for the PSP, along with Lumines Plus, a new version of the original title for the PS2. Every Extend Extra, a puzzle shooter game for the PSP and Meteos: Disney Edition, another action puzzle game featuring Disney characters, for the DS round out the announcement.

No other details were announced, except that all the above titles are set for release this Fall.

Gamers can now become desperate housewives! Yes, you read that right: Buena Vista Games has announced that it will publish Desperate Housewives, a lifestyle simulation game based on the popular soap opera on ABC.

The game will have players take on the role of a new housewife who moves into Wisteria Lane and unlocks the “delicious” scandals hidden in the neighborhood. Brenda Strong will reprise her role from the TV series as the voice of Mary Alice Young, a deceased housewife, who serves as the show’s narrator in each episode.

Desperate Housewives will be available for desperate housewives this Fall.