UK PRODUCT PREVIEW: Imagine DS range

Ubisoft’s Imagine range is expanding at an exceptional rate. The previous 12 months have seen great success for Imagine titles such as Happy Cooking, Babies, Fashion Designer and Pet Vet.

Last month saw the release of Girl Band and Teacher, but there’s still plenty more to come from the brand in 2008. Alongside My Secret World, also look out for Figure Skater and Modern Dancer, as well as the following titles...

IMAGINE: MY SECRET WORLD
Rather than opting for the life-simulating digital escapism offered by the majority of the existing Imagine range, My Secret World takes the brand in a different direction. More tool than game, the title can be thought of an interactive diary for the 21st century.

“The positioning of the Imagine range is to ‘live your dreams’ so the titles under the Imagine brand reflect this with games/titles that are inspirational in their nature,” group brand manager Mark Slaughter tells CasualGaming.biz.

“With My Secret World, the title is slightly different, more reflective and personal and as such the game sits slightly apart from the other Imagine titles. However the product is still firmly planted in the girl mindset and as the definitive gaming brand for girls we wanted Imagine endorsement of this product which will give girls the confidence and trust that comes with the Imagine brand.”

My Secret Diary, importantly, allows users to keep all their information safe via a secret code needed to access. It’s able to store up to 100 pages of diary entries, each of which can be customised with up to 500 different items. Other options present include a personal agenda, personality tests and solo mini-games.

Also important to the experience is the avatar creation system which includes over 1,000 separate personalisation elements. Once created and named, avatars also become the user’s identity when wirelessly connecting to other DS owners.

“For this title the creative positioning will be slightly different to reflect the software, so it will feature young girls in the advert,” Slaughter adds.

“It will still be part of the overall Imagine campaign with a call to action to visit the Imagine website and win a perfect girly day and a bedroom makeover.

“We have high expectations for My Secret World it has a strong positioning backed with strong media spend.

“We know girls love the concept and the added elements of personalization and interactive make this a great product proposition.”

IMAGINE: MOVIE STAR
Girls get to live the red carpet dream in Imagine Movie Star, creating their own celebrity and seeing how far they can extend their fame.

They can get involved in every aspect of modern celebrity life, including developing cosmetics ranges, clothing lines and even their own magazines. They take part in photo shoots and hang out with other celebrities at parties and nightclubs.

To stay hot, however, a careful eye needs to be kept on their career, and roles should be chosen with care. As you would expect, Movie Star comes with its own entourage, including a stylist, an agent, a manager and, of course, the people that make it all possible: the loyal fans.

IMAGINE: DREAM WEDDINGS
Dream Weddings allows girls to create the perfect wedding according to different brides’ taste and expectations.

They plan every aspect of the big day and face unexpected guests and events during the ceremony or reception. There are six different brides to meet, and the users must decide which style suits each one: elegant, formal, country style, exotic – it’s all about imagination.

They then have to create the invitations, choose the dress and accessories, do hair and make-up, decide on location, pick the music, manage the invite list – the list is endless. Then comes the wedding itself, when quick wits and cool nerves are needed to cope with whatever arises.

IMAGINE: BABY CLUB
Most girls’ unofficial first job is as a baby sitter for family and friends, and Babies Club is great training. They play a young baby sitter who moves into a quiet and friendly little town and takes care of a whole host of babies – all cute but all different.

As well as keeping them safe, they must monitor the babies’ progress as they learn to grab things, interact with each other and start to toddle around.

A wide variety of different tasks include dressing the babies, feeding them, organising play times and making sure they all get along together. There are a total of eight babies in the area, and there are 20 missions and 15 mini-games, each with three different difficulty settings.

IMAGINE: FASHION MODEL
Not everyone can be a model. And, thank goodness, not everyone wants to be a model. But pretty much all young girls love fashion and dream of being a top designer. It’s this aspect of the business that they get to explore in Imagine Fashion Model.

They start as a novice designer on the bottom rung of the ladder at a famous New York agency – and their goal is to become the hippest name in town.

First they need to learn the basics before moving on to designing their own outfits. They’ll also need to interact with photographers, journalists and models. Players also get to explore New York, Paris and London as they make their name all over the wide world of fashion.

RELEASED: September 19
FORMATS: DS
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft
PRICE: £29.99
DISTRIBUTOR: Trilogy
Contact: 0845 456 6400