Namco unveils National Geographic Panda

Ever since China began loaning pandas to the West in 1958, the adorable ursines have been star attractions at zoos in North America and Europe. Now, game publisher Namco Bandai and the famed National Geographic Society are hoping to use the black and white bamboo munchers' appeal to sell games--and raise awareness about their endangered-species status.

As part of its Gamers Day events this week, Namco announced National Geographic Panda, a new DS game set for release this fall. The game will be a Nintendogs-like title where players raise and care for their own panda cubs in a wildlife park. As with other creature-rearing sims, players' treatment of their pandas will determine how they behave. To keep them happy, National Geographic Panda will offer a range of toys and treats for players to purchase with a daily allowance. Players will be encouraged to play with their pandas, as neglecting them will eventually make them so unruly and despondent, they will run away.

National Geographic Panda is the first game project by National Geographic Ventures, the society's commercial arm whose centerpiece is the iconic National Geographic Magazine. The game will feature articles and photos from the publication loaded with facts about pandas, their habits and behavior, and their natural habitat in the Chinese mountains--which is under increasing pressure from human development. Each day a gamer plays the game, he or she will unlock new pieces of content from the game's library.

National Geographic Panda is due out this fall, but has not yet been rated or priced. It is being billed as the National Geographic Society's first game venture in its 120-year history. However, video offerings from the National Geographic Channel are currently available on Xbox Live Marketplace.