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Monster Jam Set to Crown 2009 Champion at the Monster Jam: Urban Assault National Tournament Finals in Las Vegas This Weekend

Activision and Feld Motor Sports, Inc. announced today the championship round of the Monster Jam: Urban Assault National Tournament, taking place at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas’s Sam Boyd Stadium this Saturday, where one of nine finalists will be crowned as the new National Champion. Eight of the nine finalists qualified for an expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to compete in the Monster Jam: Urban Assault National Tournament by winning their regional qualifiers at Monster Jam events during January and February. The finalists will challenge each other using the Monster Jam: Urban Assault game on Wii.

The tournament consisted of 16 regional qualifying rounds that began back in January and took place at the top Monster Jam stadiums across the country. Players competed on Wii gaming platforms in front of thousands of screaming Monster Jam fans. The eight fastest winners have been awarded expense-paid trips to Las Vegas, where they will compete against each other for the national championship in the Monster Jam World Finals at Sam Boyd Stadium. The winner will become the second Monster Jam Video Game National Champion.

Michael Furlow, from Jacksonville, IL, is the lucky wild card winner who qualified for the 9th and final National Tournament spot by registering online at www.MonsterJamOnline.com.

The Monster Jam: Urban Assault 2009 National Tournament Championship participants are:

Winner Won In Hometown Time
1. Joe Schaefer Houston, TX Brenham, TX 1:42:00
2. Matt Regevig Phoenix, AZ Glendale, AZ 2:07:80
3. Eric Myers Oakland, CA Fairfield, CA 2:12:84
4. Alberto Trevino San Antonio, TX Portland, TX 2:20:79
5. Tony Lee St. Louis, MO Auxvasse, MO 2:21:12
6. Drew Winthrop Miami, FL West Palm Beach, FL 2:25:93
7. Justin Kerfoot Anaheim, CA Newport Beach, CA 2:30:00
8. Craig Knor Indianapolis, IN Munster, IN 2:32:66
9. Michael Furlow *Wildcard Winner* Jacksonville, IL

The nine qualifiers will compete in three separate semi-final rounds throughout the day on Saturday at the Built Ford Tough Party in the Pits at the Monster Jam World Finals. The three winners of the semi-final rounds, in addition to the fastest gamer of the six who did not win, will compete in the final round for the National Championship.

Last year, 14 year-old Jordan Rager of Loganville, GA, won the first ever Monster Jam Video Game National Tournament in Las Vegas by first qualifying at the Atlanta Georgia Dome regional qualifier. He was then awarded an expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to compete against the other regional qualifiers at the Monster Jam World Finals. At the Las Vegas Monster Jam Finals, Jordan bested all finalists to become the inaugural Monster Jam Video Game National Champion.

In Monster Jam: Urban Assault, all-out destruction is taken to a whole new level by busting the traditional Monster Jam action out of the stadiums and onto city streets across the globe. Players can choose from over 27 different monster trucks, including classic Monster Jam icons like Grave Digger®, Maximum Destruction®, Monster Mutt®, El Toro Loco®, Blue Thunder® and Captain’s Curse®, as well as newer stars such as Stone Crusher^TM and Backwards Bob^TM. The game focuses on crushing everything in your path while doing insane tricks in never before seen urban environments. Monster Jam: Urban Assault features 26 new urban tracks, 12 authentic Monster Jam stadiums, seven different game modes and 12 skill competitions, and players can challenge up to four of their friends via split-screen multiplayer.

For more information about the event and daily updates about the finals please visit www.monsterjamonline.com.

Monster Jam: Urban Assault is available now for Wii, PS2, PSP, and Nintendo DS.

Alyssa Milano Takes on the Role of Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, Archeologist and Love Interest, in ‘Ghostbusters: The Video Game’ Coming June 2009 

 Atari today unveiled Alyssa Milano as the new love interest in the forthcoming blockbuster title Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Alyssa Milano is best known for her roles in long running successful television series “Who’s the Boss”, “Melrose Place”, “Charmed” and most recently “My Name Is Earl” to name a few. Milano joins members of the original cast from the beloved Ghostbusters movies to recreate the unique blend of humour and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game prides itself in staying true to the Ghostbusters universe, so it just wouldn’t feel right if Bill Murray’s character, Dr. Peter Venkman, wasn’t turning on the charm. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, he’s chasing one in particular: Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn is a smart and sassy archaeologist who doesn’t take too kindly to Dr. Venkman’s advances.

In the game, Milano’s character, Ilyssa Selwyn, is an expert in Sumerian and pre-Sumerian cultures and is visiting New York City as guest curator for the highly anticipated ‘World of Gozer’ exhibition opening in 1991 at the Natural History Museum. In the story line, Gozerian mythology has attracted a wide popular following since the still-unexplained events and attacks that occurred in the city in 1984. Ilyssa is working late at the museum the night before the opening when a cataclysmic force is unleashed and summons an ancient enemy back to New York City. Strange events continue to erupt around her: what secret does she know? It’s up to the Ghostbusters to help Ilyssa find the key and stop the forces of evil that threaten the balance of the universe. That’s if they can keep Peter Venkman from hitting on her every three minutes.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game, based on the smash hit motion picture franchise, is penned by original Ghostbusters writers and stars Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. The other original Ghostbusters, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson, lend their voices and in-game likenesses to the original story set two years after Ghostbusters II, with Manhattan once again overrun by ghosts and supernatural forces. The player joins up as a new recruit with the original team, testing a variety of unique equipment and gadgets, to track, wrangle and trap this wide range of awe-inspiring phantasms in an all new funny and frightening battle to save New York City from its latest paranormal plague.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii and Nintendo DS in North America on 16 June 2009 followed by worldwide release on 19 June 2009 to coincide with the 25th anniversary celebration of the film’s original theatrical release. For more information on Ghostbusters, please visit www.ghostbustersgame.com, and for Atari’s entire line up, visit www.atari.com.

Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II combined to gross over $500 million world-wide at the box office. The film spawned some of the most memorable comedic catch-phrases and scenes in motion picture history. To further celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary milestone this year, Sony Pictures Consumer Products has licensed the property for several new commemorative products including: toys, t-shirts, comic books, prop replicas, and a theme park attraction. In addition, the original Ghostbusters car (Ecto-1) has been fully restored with plans for special promotional appearances throughout the US and additional replicas touring across Europe. The Blu-ray Disc release of Ghostbusters will see unsurpassed picture and audio quality and advanced new bonus features including Slimer Mode, a picture-in-picture graphical viewing experience, a featurette on the refurbishing of Ecto-1, and more.

MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce “Rock Band Track Pack Classic Rock” Coming To All Consoles May 19, 2009

New Rock Band Track Pack Allows Players to Download On-Disc Songs Into Their Rock Band Music Library at No Additional Cost

Harmonix and MTV Games, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc., today announced plans for a North American release of Rock Band Track Pack Classic Rock for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii on May 19, 2009.

Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock is a standalone software product that allows owners of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 to keep the party going with more hit songs from the pantheon of rock music. In addition, Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock, like all Rock Band software, is compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals. The 20-song pack features an outstanding mix of Rock Band fans’ favorite classic rock hits including songs by mega artists The Who, Rush, Boston and The Police.

Fans who buy the Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock for Xbox 360 and PS3 can play directly from the disc or download the songs onto their consoles’ hard drives through a free offer with Xbox LIVE online entertainment network or the PlayStation Network. Once downloaded, the songs will automatically appear in the player’s custom Rock Band library and can be integrated into setlists and played in all game modes. With more than 600 tracks available in the Rock Band music catalogue and regular releases of downloadable content every week, Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock is yet another way rockers can continue to expand and customize their music libraries.

Complete Track List:
Artist – Song Title (Year)
1. Boston – Peace of Mind (1976)
2. Boston – Rock and Roll Band (1976)
3. Dead Kennedys – California Über Alles (1987)
4. Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia (1987)
5. Free – All Right Now (1970)
6. George Thorogood & the Destroyers – Bad to the Bone (1982)
7. James Gang – Funk #49 (1970)
8. Jethro Tull – Hymn 43 (1971)
9. Lenny Kravitz – Let Love Rule (1989)
10. Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot (1980)
11. The Police – Can’t Stand Losing You (1978)
12. The Police – Truth Hits Everybody (1978)
13. Rush – Closer to the Heart (1977)
14. Rush – Red Barchetta (1981)
15. Siouxsie and The Banshees – Kiss Them For Me (1991)
16. Steve Miller Band – Take the Money and Run (1976)
17. Steve Miller Band – The Joker – (1973)
18. The Stone Roses – Love Spreads (1994)
19. The Who – Baba O’Riley (1971)
20. The Who – Behind Blue Eyes (1971)

**All 20 tracks utilize original master recordings**

Price: $29.99 MSRP

The Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock is the latest in a series of popular software releases developed to increase player’s library of music for the Rock Band platform including Rock Band Track Pack 1, Rock Band Track Pack 2 and AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band® Track Pack^TM.

World’s Best-Selling Soccer Video Game Franchise Also Available On Next-Gen, Current-Gen and Hand-held Systems

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today that Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PES 2009) for Wii has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Already available on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Wii owners now have the ability to experience Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 with exclusive co-op play and much more!

As one of the premier soccer games on the market, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 for Wii offers an authentic soccer experience, incredible realism, and exciting new gameplay. Featuring real players, a large variety of licensed teams and a number of professional arenas, gamers will be able to re-create the excitement surrounding the world’s most popular sport. As in previous releases, the ball is treated as a separate entity, with the timing of shots completely controlled by the player. An updated AI system ensures that teammates will be constantly seeking the best field position, making intelligent moves on both offense and defense. Unique to the Wii version, players can easily move their players on the pitch using intuitive controls, enabling a variety of offense patterns on the fly. Dribbling control has also been enhanced, and a number of subtle moves have been added to bypass defenders in order to move the ball down the pitch. For the first time, to further the gameplay’s realism, the Wii version now features the acclaimed ‘Master League Mode’ where players can complete a squad with real players based on transfers, blending real soccer strategy with real soccer fun.

Utilizing the Wii capabilities, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 has exciting new online features and customization options. Featuring a co-op play that supports up to 4 players, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 has a greatly improved online mode that can support up to eight players competing online simultaneously, using two consoles and with four players per Wii console. Anything up to four against four is allowed online, while offline allows for four players simultaneously. Based on controller preference, players can choose from the nunchuck and Wii Remote, the horizontal Wii Remote or the Classic controller. In addition, this version offers the Edit Mode where players can create badges, kits and soccer stars from scratch.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 offers gamers the ability to compete as the world’s best players as it is the only game on the market to have the UEFA Champions League Mode. Additionally, Argentinean forward Lionel Messi and one of Mexico’s finest soccer players, Andres Guardado will be the faces of the latest version of the multi-million selling Pro Evolution Soccer series. Messi is regarded as one of the most exciting talents of the modern game as this 21-year-old is an ever-present fixture on both the Argentinean national team and his club team, FC Barcelona. Guardado, known for his renowned play on the Spanish professional club team Deportivo de La Coruña and for the Mexican national soccer team, has developed a large and loyal fan base worldwide.

Taking the commitment to Latin America one step further, Konami has also invited two renowned Latin narrators into the Pro Evolution Soccer family, adding to the impressive roster of different language narrations. Well-known soccer analysts Luis Garcia and Christian Martinoli will be the Spanish commentators in the game, allowing players to listen to the personalities they have grown accustomed to while watching their favorite teams.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is now available on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Windows PC, and Wii. For more information on Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and other Konami products, please visit the company website at www.konami.com.

Some Screens for you from the press conference in SF a couple days ago:

(sorry, no DS screens)

Missed this one Friday folks….

Rock Band expands it’s alternative collection with tracks from R.E.M. and The Offspring; Richard Thompson makes Rock Band debut

Harmonix and MTV Games today announced the addition of four new tracks to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of downloadable content including songs from alternative rockers R.E.M. and The Offspring. In addition, British guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson makes his Rock Band debut.

Known as one of the pioneers of the alternative rock movement, R.E.M. makes its second appearance in the Rock Band music library with next week’s release of the band’s mainstream breakthrough hit “Losing My Religion” from the 1991 album Out Of Time. R.E.M.’s track “Orange Crush” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack.

The Offspring deliver two tracks this week including “All I Want” featured on their 1997 album Ixnay on the Hombre and “The Kids Aren’t Alright” from the band’s 1998 album Americana. Rock Band fans now have access to a total of seven songs from The Offspring in the Rock Band music library.

Rock guitarist and critically acclaimed songwriter Richard Thompson makes his Rock Band debut with the addition of “The Way That It Shows” to the Rock Band Music Store. The song was released on Thompson’s 1994 album Mirror Blue. Thompson’s distinct sound and celebrated career earned him numerous awards including Rolling Stone’s 2003 Top 20 Guitarists of All-Time and the 2006 BBC Lifetime Achievement Award.

Release Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360®)
Thursday, March 12, 2009 (PlayStation®Store)
 ** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:
The Offspring “All I Want”
The Offspring “The Kids Aren’t Alright”
R.E.M. “Losing My Religion”
Richard Thompson “The Way That It Shows”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360
PlayStation®Network

Music Videos:
Click on the track below to view the song’s corresponding music video. Videos can be embedded on your site.
The Offspring “All I Want”
The Offspring “The Kids Aren’t All Right”
R.E.M. “Losing My Religion”

Website Links:
For more information, please visit:
Rock Band Website
The Offspring Official Website
R.E.M Official Website
Richard Thompson Official Website

New Fields, New Players and New Gameplay Make Backyard Baseball ‘10 the most exciting Backyard Sports game of all time

It’s a whole new ball game as Atari steps up to the plate with its ninth iteration of Backyard Baseball, the best selling kids baseball game of all time, shipping this March on Wii, Nintendo DS and PS2computer entertainment system. Combining all the elements of a realistic sports title with the thrilling action of a crazy arcade game, Backyard Baseball ‘10, is the ultimate kids’ baseball experience with new fields, detailed graphics, precise game controls, and a beefed up MLB roster including David “Big Papi” Ortiz, who is returning for a second season as the game’s cover player.

“Backyard Baseball is a great way to extend the love of baseball from the outside field to the virtual field,” says David Ortiz. “My kids and I always have fun playing Backyard Baseball together. They’ve actually learned a few things about real baseball by playing the video game.”

Along with Ortiz, Backyard Baseball ‘10, let’s kids play with or alongside other pro players featured as kids in full uniforms including stars from all 30 MLB teams such as Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro, Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano, and Ryan Howard. As kids play more, they are able to unlock several additional stars.

Backyard Baseball ‘10 includes new custom features, such as personal name announcing during the action, and lets kids who play a full season qualify to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and be immortalized in the Backyard Baseball ‘11 edition. Additionally, Backyard Baseball ‘10 presents enhanced game play and a new pitching camera perspective that puts the camera behind the batter when hitting and behind the pitcher when pitching. New batting and pitching control schemes have also been designed to complement this camera positioning.

Rated “E” (for everyone) by ESRB, Backyard Baseball ‘10 will be available for Wii^TM ($29.99) and Nintendo DS^TM ($29.99) and PlayStation® 2 system ($29.99).

Backyard Baseball is part of the Backyard Sports series, the only game brand licensed by ALL professional US sports leagues: National Football League (NFL), PLAYERS INC, Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, and National Hockey League. Since 1996, the franchise has sold over 12 million units and has received over a hundred awards. What’s more, according to an independent study, 15 percent of boys in the United States ages five to 10 own at least one Backyard Sports game.

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that the debut album from late electric blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble will be added to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content. The weekly Rock Band music catalogue update also includes “New” from alternative rockers No Doubt.

Stevie Ray Vaughan is often recognized as one of the most influential blues-rock guitarists in music history. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s debut album Texas Flood (1983) sold more than 500,000 copies and cracked the top 40 of the Billboard 200 charts within a year of its release. All ten songs featured on the album, including the popular studio cuts “Pride and Joy” and “Rude Mood,” will be available as downloadable Rock Band tracks individually or as a full album. Please see below for a full list of tracks.

The alternative rock pioneers of No Doubt make another appearance in the Rock Band music catalog with the addition of “New” from the band’s album Return of Saturn (2000). No Doubt launched onto Rock Band in December 2008 with the release of their 2003 album The Singles 1992-2003.

Release Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, March 5, 2009 (PlayStation Store)

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Love Struck Baby”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Pride and Joy”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Texas Flood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Tell Me”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Rude Mood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Testify”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Dirty Pool”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “I’m Cryin”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Lenny”
No Doubt “New”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$15.99 (1280 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for LP Texas Flood

Locations:
Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360
PlayStation Network

Website Links:

For more information, please visit:
Rock Band Website
Stevie Ray Vaughan Website
No Doubt Website

Rock Band 2 is available for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii.

Activision Publishing and Nelvana Enterprises announce upcoming video games based on Toy of the Year winner Bakugan

Activision Publishing, Inc. announced today an agreement with Corus Entertainment Inc.’s Nelvana Enterprises to develop and distribute video games based on the breakout hit toy and wildly popular action animated television series Bakugan. The first Bakugan game will be released for Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, and PS3 and PS2 in the fall of 2009.

“Bakugan’s success in 2008 speaks for itself and we’re confident it will be even bigger in 2009,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “It is our goal to expand this proven property in a way that both fans and gamers will love.”

“Ever since Bakugan exploded in popularity, players have been clamoring for a video game version,” said Doug Murphy, President, Nelvana and GM, Corus Kids. “We share our fans’ excitement in doing battle in an interactive Bakugan world!”

Bakugan tells the story of Dan and his friends as they battle their Bakugan Brawlers to save the planet of Vestroia and, ultimately, Earth from destruction. The series airs on Cartoon Network in the United States and internationally, and on TELETOON in Canada. The toy line, developed by Spin Master Ltd., brings action to the popular genre of collectible trading card games with marble-like Bakugan spheres that transform into “battle brawling” action figures when rolled onto special game cards. A genuine toy craze in the 2008 holiday season, Bakugan recently won three “Toy of the Year” awards from The Toy Industry Association: overall Toy of the Year, Boy Toy of the Year, and Property of the Year.

The video games, under development by veteran Japanese studio NOW Production, will render the elements that made Bakugan a worldwide phenomenon into mind-blowing digital experiences. Everything a Bakugan enthusiast and gamer would love is here – intense battles, the ability to create your own Brawler, cartoon quality graphics and multiplayer combat.

Having united forces with rock ‘n’ roll legends Metallica for encore performances and recordings throughout the years, Grammy Award-nominated heavy metal vocalist and Mercyful Fate frontman King Diamond will take to the cyber-stage with Metallica this spring in Guitar Hero Metallica.

Fans, stagehands and groupies alike will have the opportunity to shred and drum with or wail as the digital King Diamond during performances of “Evil.” The song, which originally was recorded in 1983 and is one of the Mercyful Fate songs that comprise Metallica’s “Mercyful Fate” medley, was re-recorded by four of the five original band members for Guitar Hero Metallica. The recording session was overseen by guitarist Hank Shermann in the band’s native Denmark; after which King Diamond laid down his vocals in Dallas, Texas, and mixed the song with J.T. Longoria.

“It’s been absolutely amazing to be a part of this Guitar Hero experience. It was quite a trip to re-record the song ‘Evil’ almost 25 years after the original recording took place. The end result with four out of the five original musicians turned out so much better than I would ever have hoped for,” said King Diamond. “Seeing my animated character take form was totally eerie in a very good way. It’s so strange to see yourself animated in such perfect detail – cross bone microphone, Eye necklace and all. This game looks and sounds METAL all the way. HORNS UP!!!”

“Ride the Lightning” with musical icons Metallica and 21 other rockin’ acts in an all new Guitar Hero experience – Guitar Hero Metallica. Enter the world of Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo and experience the intensity and skill of one of the greatest bands of all time. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to a set list featuring over 45 explosive hits from Metallica’s illustrious career and a wide variety of other legendary artists personally selected by the band, such as Alice In Chains, Bob Seger, Foo Fighters, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen. Fans will be able to rock as Metallica while performing in venues reminiscent of the band’s epic album covers, themes from their music and real world locales.

Guitar Hero Metallica is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The Wii and the PS2 versions are being developed by Budcat. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero Metallica, please visit guitarhero.com.