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Now is the Time to Become a god Amongst Men; Xbox 360 Exclusive Too Human has Gone Gold

Xbox LIVE Marketplace demo downloads surpass 900,000

Microsoft Game Studios and Silicon Knights announced today that the blockbuster action RPG “Too Human” has gone gold and will be shipping to retailers throughout North America on August 19. In anticipation of the title’s release, gamers can jump into the first level of “Too Human” with a demo now available on Xbox LIVE.  The Too Human demo has already been downloaded more than any other action demo on Xbox LIVE Marketplace in its first week of availability and has been one of the top played titles on Xbox LIVE overall.  In addition, gamers that pre-order will get access to five exclusive armor sets, one for each class in the game.

A modern take on classical Norse mythology, the Xbox 360 exclusive “Too Human” chronicles the epic story of cybernetic god, Baldur, and his quest to save humanity at the potential price of sacrificing his own humanity. By combining elements of both action and RPG genres – along with the ability to fully customize Baldur’s weaponry, armor, and combat techniques – Too Human creates a truly unique gameplay experience.  Players can also invite a friend to join the explosive combat via advanced, online two-player co-op gameplay on Xbox LIVE *.

“Too Human” will have an estimated retail price of $59.99 and is rated “T” for Teen.  For more information, visit www.xbox.com/toohuman.

*Online co-op play requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership.

If variety is the spice of life, we’ve got an extra-spicy lineup for you this week on the Wii™ Shop Channel. From bouncing balls to out-of-control cars to hardcore fisticuffs, the latest game additions offer an incredibly diverse mix of Wii™ thrills. So if you’ve been saving up your Wii Points™ for something new and different, here’s your opportunity to cash in and kick up some serious fun. Enjoy!

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

Pong Toss-Frat Party Games™ (JV Games, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Language, 800 Wii Points): Pony up-it’s Pong Toss time. Compete against your friends or the computer in this ultimate party-game favorite. Play on a regulation table with up to four players. Make consecutive shots for the Fireball bonuses and Roll-Backs as you or your team try to dominate the table and reign as Pong Toss champs. In Speed Pong, up to three challengers can compete at the same time. Speed and strategy are the keys to this fast-paced game. Jack up your opponents by using a slew of power-ups that will slow them down. The first one who sinks the last cup wins it all. Be fast. Be furious. Be victorious.

Virtual Console™

Chase H.Q.® (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Drug Reference, Mild Violence, 600 Wii Points): This is a different style of racing game in which you attempt to catch criminals by chasing them and ramming their cars off the road. Playing as two cops from the NYPD special “CHASE H.Q.” unit, the first half of each stage involves you maneuvering your unmarked car in a heated chase, followed by an action sequence in the latter half. Once you reach the target vehicle, you flip on your lights and siren, and then try to stop the culprits by repeatedly colliding with them. Use your different gears wisely as you make your way through streets and around corners, and be careful not to hit objects or other cars, or you’ll lose speed. Also at your disposal are turbo units for temporary extra speed and ramming power.

ART OF FIGHTING 2 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen-Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1994 by SNK, ART OF FIGHTING 2 sees 12 characters compete for the title in the toughest fighting contest of them all: King of Fighters. Each character has a range of deadly techniques in his or her arsenal, and players must use these lethal techniques to fight their opponents. As in the original ART OF FIGHTING, however, using a deadly technique lowers a character’s mental-energy gauge. For this reason, players must use these techniques carefully. Meanwhile, players can taunt an opponent to exhaust his or her mental energy, and even suppress their opponent’s techniques if successful. This type of mental-energy offense and defense gives ART OF FIGHTING 2 a uniquely enjoyable spin on the fighting-game genre. Further adding to the strategy required to win, an attack will become stronger or weaker depending on exactly when the button is pressed. And even if a player is thrown, defensive action is possible with the timely press of a button. All of this adds up to an intense and nail-biting fighting-game experience not found anywhere else.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

July 30, 2008 - Atlus today released new gameplay videos for Spectral Force 3™, a fantasy strategy RPG for the Xbox 360® system. Spectral Force 3 is now available in stores across North America.

Combo

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/YLDzqDLrEXY]

Assist

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/U9uZEPxxp1c]

Battle Formation

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/8Y-VWw5eL58]

Teamwork

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/jBLkBu5x8Ag]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeZU_NmiDGY]

Format: WiiWare™
Launch Date: 07/28/08
ESRB: E (Everyone): Mild Language
Wii Points: 800
Game Type: Sports, Arcade
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-4
Publisher: JV Games Inc.

Game Information

Pony up-it’s Pong Toss time. Compete against your friends or the computer in this ultimate party-game favorite. Play on a regulation table with up to four players. Make consecutive shots for the Fireball bonuses and Roll-Backs as you or your team try to dominate the table and reign as Pong Toss champs. In Speed Pong, up to three challengers can compete at the same time. Speed and strategy are the keys to this fast-paced game. Jack up your opponents by using a slew of power-ups that will slow them down. The first one who sinks the last cup wins it all. Be fast. Be furious. Be victorious.

July 31 2008 – Want to break some faces? The FaceBreaker™ Demo is now available on Xbox LIVE™, and will follow on the PlayStation Network™ on August 7th. The demo features characters Sparrow, Ice and Steve going at it in the fast-paced boxer, as well as the game’s custom face generator called Photo Game Face. Photo Game Face will allow gamers to upload a cartoon likeness to the FaceBreaker online boxer gallery at EA SPORTS World. Created boxers will all be available for download – and can be shared with the world - when FaceBreaker ships to retailers on September 3. Players can use an XBOX LIVE Vision camera or a PLAYSTATION®Eye camera to upload themselves – or someone else - directly onto their consoles, or alternatively use a regular photo. Transform your created boxer with 60+ customization options to play with, a full color palette and a closet full of costumes.
Expect the unexpected with FaceBreaker; an all new arcade boxing title featuring laugh-out-loud fisticuffing action and over-the-top characters. FaceBreaker ships to retailers under the EA SPORTS Freestyle brand on September 3 on Xbox 360™ and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system with an MSRP $49.99. FaceBreaker K.O. Party for the Wii™ will available this holiday season.
For more information on FaceBreaker please visit www.easports.com/facebreaker

DEEP SILVER ANNOUNCES CURSED MOUNTAIN, A SURVIVAL HOROR GAME SET IN THE HIMALAYAS

Designed Exclusively for Wii, Cursed Mountain is Set for Worldwide Release in 2009

Hermosa Beach, Calif. – July 31, 2008 – Global video game developer and publisher Deep Silver today revealed the first details of Cursed Mountain, a survival horror game produced exclusively for Wii ^TM by their internal development studio and its partners.

Set in the late 1980s, gamers will take on the role of a fearless mountaineer as he climbs into the Himalayas on a quest to find his lost brother. As he ascends the mountain, he encounters an ancient curse: the souls of the people who died in that region are stuck in limbo, caught in the Shadow World. Villagers, pilgrims, mountaineers and Buddhist monks – dead but not yet reincarnated – are all that is left on the mountain. Terrible visions will disorient him, and ghosts and demons block his path. But the question remains – is his brother still alive?

Designed exclusively for Wii, Cursed Mountain features rich visuals and breathtaking views – set on the roof of the world in the life threatening death zone, the entire game world is visible from every level. The gesture-based combat system takes full advantage of the Wii motion sensitivity. Players will use the Wii Remote^TM to look around, sense the environment, climb and fight enemies.

“With a fresh setting, gloomy atmosphere and the innovative use of the Wii controls, Cursed Mountain will deliver a unique, terrifying game play experience,” said Hannes Seifert, Managing Director at the Deep Silver development studio. “Deep Silver is confident that Cursed Mountain will help to further establish our international presence, and help expand the survival horror game genre on the Wii platform.”

Cursed Mountain is scheduled for a worldwide release for Wii in 2009. For more information, visit: http://cursedmountain.deepsilver.com

INDEPENDENT DATA REVEALS NINTENDO SALES FOR 2007

Nintendo DS and Wii Finish as the No. 1 and No. 2 Best-Selling U.S. Systems
REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 17, 2008 – Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ finished strong in 2007, commanding sales in the holiday shopping period and finishing the year as the two best-selling video game systems in the United States, according to new data just released by the independent NPD Group.  Nintendo DS was the top-selling U.S. system of 2007, with nearly 8.5 million sold, including more than 4 million in November and December alone. Wii placed second, with nearly 6.3 million sold through the year, more than 2.3 million of which sold in the final two months.

“By the end of 2007 we were sold out of virtually all hardware, and much of our stock of software and accessories was sold out as well, thanks to the broad appeal of Wii and Nintendo DS to core gamers, women, families, grandparents – and seemingly everyone in between,”said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “And that momentum continues here in the early weeks of 2008.”

Some additional facts about Nintendo’s 2007 performance in the United States (note: All figures are from NPD):

• Nintendo accounted for 52 percent of all video game hardware systems sold in 2007 – more than all other manufacturers combined.
• Since their respective launches, Nintendo has sold more than 17.6 million Nintendo DS systems and nearly 7.4 million Wii systems in the United States alone.
• Wii Play™, a collection of nine fun mini-games, finished 2007 with 4.1 million units sold.
• Super Mario Galaxy™ sold through more than 2.5 million copies since it launched on Nov. 12.
• The two games in the Brain Age® series each sold about 1 million copies in 2007.
• Half of the top 30 best-selling games of 2007 were made for Nintendo systems, including Pokemon® Pearl, Pokemon® Diamond, Mario Party® DS, Guitar Hero III™: Legends of Rock and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games™.
• Nintendo continues to dominate the hand-held market: Of the top 30 best-selling portable games sold in 2007, 25 were made for Nintendo DS and another two were made for Game Boy® Advance.
• Sales of Nintendo DS systems grew 60 percent over those from 2006.
• In 2007, the video game industry grew by 43 percent over 2006. Nintendo is responsible for 60 percent of that growth.

Activision Collaborates With Logitech to Develop Premium Instruments for Guitar Hero(R) World Tour

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and FREMONT, Calif., July 31, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVID) and Logitech International (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced a collaboration to develop and market premium instrument controllers for Guitar Hero(R) World Tour, the latest installment of the world’s best-selling music-based video game franchise, which ships this fall for the Xbox 360(TM) video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and Nintendo Wii(TM).

Logitech plans to offer premium instruments for each of these platforms, the first of which will be available later this year. Logitech’s products will be compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour’s advanced feature set, allowing players to elevate their Guitar Hero(R) jam sessions to full-fledged rock concerts.

“Logitech is the leading producer of peripheral devices and the company is widely considered to be the gold standard for innovation and quality peripheral products,” said Charles Huang, vice president business development for RedOctane. “With Logitech, we know we have found the right partner who can deliver top-quality premium hardware that consumers have come to expect from Guitar Hero.”

“As huge fans of Guitar Hero(R), we are very excited about the opportunity to bring the Logitech experience to the Guitar Hero franchise,” said Bruce Lancaster, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s gaming business. “A few years ago, Logitech refined the consumer steering wheel market with high-end controllers that enhance racing games. Now we are looking forward to elevating the market for premium music-based video game controllers in a similar fashion.”

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. The Wii(TM) version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit http://www.guitarhero.com.