Doetinchem, October 24th 2007 - Engine Software, developer based in the Netherlands, today announces that Nintendo of America has approved the company as official Licensed Wii^TM Developer. The Wii^TM Developer license is the seventh consecutive Nintendo license that Engine Software has acquired, after being approved earlier for Nintendo DS^TM, Game Cube^TM, Gameboy Advance^TM, Gameboy Color^TM, Gameboy^TM, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Nintendo’s WiiTM console, released first in November of last year, has had quite an impact on the games industry, and consumer demographic alike, and has been praised for its innovative technology and accessibility. Initial careful 3rd party support policies have been changed more recently due to the console’s apparant success on the market. With the Licensed Developer approval Engine Software hopes to expand its field of work with the WiiTM platform in the near future.

Ruud van de Moosdyk, VP of Development at Engine Software: “We are very happy to have acquired the Wii Licensed Developer status, as this will open up new creative opportunities for our team, as well as new business opportunities for our company. In the last few months many of our clients have already inquired whether or not we support Wii development, so demand for developers is high. “

Engine Software has no development projects currently scheduled for the Nintendo WiiTM platform, but will be investigating the possibilities for WiiTMRetail, and WiiTMWare projects, while recreating its key technology on the new platform, including the licensable Music & Sound Replayer already available for Gameboy AdvanceTM and Nintendo DSTM.

About Engine Software
Engine Software B.V., based in Doetinchem, The Netherlands, is a highly experienced game development studio. Founded in 1995, the company pride themsleves on being the longest running game developer in the Netherlands. Engine Software has been developing games for over twelve years, and is dedicated to creating high quality games, now spanning over sixty commercially published titles. In the last few years the company has specialised in developing games for handheld systems such as GameBoyTM Advance, digiBlastTM, Nintendo DSTM, and Playstation® Portable (PSPTM).

SUNNYVALE, CA - October 24, 2007 - Delivering the most authentic rock experience to date, Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will feature some of the world’s most influential musical instrument and equipment manufacturers including Gibson, Guitar Center Audio-Technica, Crate, Ernie Ball, Krank, Line 6, Mackie and Zildjian. Alternative Press, Decibel, Guitar Player, Kerrang and Paste magazines also make appearances giving Guitar Hero® legends the chance to see their names in the headlines.

In addition to partnering with some of the most prominent names in music, Activision has forged key strategic alliances with companies such as Pontiac and Axe whose product appears in the game.

“By forging exclusive relationships with key companies in the music and consumer packaged goods industries we are able to bring an even greater depth of realism to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” said Dave Anderson, sr. director of business development for Activision. “From venues like Pontiac Garage, to customized guitars from Axe, the game delivers the ultimate rock and roll experience.”

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will include explosive new content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status. For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform. The game will feature a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by such legendary artists as Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. While continuing to retain all the key features from their prior legendary performances, fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a killer set list from many of the most popular rock songs ever recorded.

For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform, including exclusive Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul model for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. PlayStation®2 gamers will also get to shred on a new exclusive wireless guitar controller shape, Gibson’s Kramer guitar, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics and construction for furious finger fretting.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, published by RedOctane® and developed by Neversoft, is rated Teen by the ESRB and will be available October 28th, 2007 on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ video game system from Nintendo, and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. For more information about the Guitar Hero franchise, please visit the dedicated community site: www.guitarhero.com.

Xbox gamers can now experience the authentic excitement of real arcade controls, including the choice of convex or concave buttons and optional Sanwa JLF joystick.

Tucson, AZ - Oct 23, 2007 Arcade-In-A-Box (www.arcadeinabox.com), announces the immediate availability of single and dual-player authentic arcade controllers for the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 control panels feature authentic arcade controls that are identical to those used on your favorite arcade machines including Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Galaga. In addition to being compatible with the Xbox 360, the arcade controllers can also be used with a Windows PC.

“Xbox 360 gamers have a wide variety of classic arcade games to play, but until now there hasn’t been a high-quality, stick with the authentic controls that hard core gamers demand” Says Ed Farias, Owner of Arcade-In-A-Box. “Our goal was to design and deliver a product for the gamer who wanted the most elite, most authentic, and most thrilling Xbox 360 arcade experience possible.”

The Xbox 360 arcade controller joins other items that are at the top of home arcade gamer’s holiday wish lists, including the Arcade-In-A-Box home arcade console, Jamma-In-A-Box featuring authentic arcade PC Boards and the extremely popular home arcade cabinet kit. More information on those products can be found at: http://www.arcadeinabox.com

Xbox 360 Arcade Controller Specifications:

URL:

http://arcadeinabox.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=42

- 15″ L x 10″ D x 4.5″ H
- Authentic Arcade Buttons and Joysticks
- Optional Custom Overlay
- You choose the colors for T-molding, buttons and joystick D-Pad, A, B, X, Y, RB, LB, Start, Back, and Guide buttons are included 
- Optional Headset Jack
- Wired USB controller means it’s also compatible with Windows XP and Vista
- Constructed with 3/4 black melamine coated wood to give that authentic arcade weight and feel
- Optional joystick upgrade to the Mag-Stik Plus or Sanwa JLF
- Your choice of button types, either Concave or Convex

Pricing: Single-Player $149, Dual-Player $299

Images of the Xbox 360 Arcade Controller and other products are available on the company’s web site: www.arcadeinabox.com.

The smash hit animated adventure heading to Nintendo’s handheld in 2008

October 23, 2007- Nintendo DS™ owners will need to get ready for an unbelievably exciting trip, as today Focus Home Interactive and Pendulo Studios are pleased to announce Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS. With Runaway for DS, players will be invited to travel all around the world, where they’ll solve some of the most unique (and hilarious) puzzles and greatest mysteries seen in adventure games. Taking full advantage of the DS’ stylus controls, coupled with a new graphical codec that will bring the animated world of Runaway to life, the game promises to keep players immersed in the game world as they encounter outstanding characters and environments.

The game will be released in North America in Q2 2008.

The official Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS site:
http://www.runaway-thegame.com

View the “making of” video:
http://www.runaway-thegame.com/video_ds/RDS.php

More about Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS:

THE GREAT ADVENTURE DEBUTS ON DS!

A truly phenomenal adventure game with more than one million of players on PC, Runaway has now debuted in full force on the Nintendo DS™ with this groundbreaking new version.

The game begins as Brian and Gina are enjoying a well-deserved vacation under the Hawaiian sun. The couple decides to visit Tiki Falls. Unfortunately, their plane crashes in the jungle, and our two miraculously uninjured heroes are separated during the crash. This sets off a wacky adventure that leads Brian and Gina to the four corners of the globe where they meet military men, pirates, spies, surfers and possibly even aliens!

Perfectly tuned to take advantage of the touch-screen features of the DS, Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS introduces a wonderful animated graphical adventure with a hilarious storyline, full of unique humor and plot twists

This DS version features more than an hour of amazing animated sequences to underpin the plot, its surprise developments and multiple comedic moments.

With Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS, you’ll feel like you’re living an incredible adventure at the heart of a hilariously fun animated film. The player moves and interacts in truly vibrant, rich and detailed environments, from tropical jungles to arctic wastelands

Follow Brian and Gina and meet dozens of eccentric characters while completing wacky puzzles and exploring more than one hundred places at the four corners of the globe with a flick of the stylus! A unique and exciting adventure is at your fingertips!

MAIN FEATURES

• The fabulous adventures of Brian Basco and Gina Timmins for the first time on console
• Discover 6 great chapters of an unforgettable adventure full of surprises and meet more than 30 eccentric 3D characters!
• Up to 100 locations from all four corners of the globe, all rendered in lush graphical detail.
• A unique graphical experience due to a perfect combination of animations in 3D and the traditional 2D design of adventure games.
• As never seen before on DS, the game offers one hour of amazing animated sequences that will underpin the plot. This true technological exploit has been made feasible thanks to the use of the advanced VX2 codec.
• Enjoy the great experience of Point ‘n Click gameplay on DS thanks to the mouse / stylus substitution.
• An intuitive zoom system offers an excellent visibility when exploring the adventure environments.
• Thanks to the DS double-screen, a highly-optimized navigation system gives you the possibility to switch from the inventory to the game screen at any time.
• Integrated help system making it easier to solve the most difficult puzzles.

Category: ADVENTURE
Developer: PENDULO STUDIOS
Publisher: FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE
Release date: Q2 2008
ESRB: T
Platform: NINTENDO DS
Website: www.runaway-thegame.com

Tonight, Battersea Evolution in London’s Battersea Park played host to the British Academy Video Games Awards in association with PC World. Hosted by comedian Vic Reeves with live music from Athlete and Remi Nicole, these awards are emblematic of a modern Academy, embracing and recognising all art forms of the moving image.Chairman of the Academy, Hilary Bevan Jones said “The Academy believes video games have limitless potential to enlighten as well as entertain and our role is to encourage creative excellence in the field, for the benefit of a rapidly growing audience”.

Wii Sports dominated the evening, winning six out of the thirteen categories – Gameplay, Casual, Innovation, Multiplayer, Sports, and Strategy & Simulation. In this game of universal appeal, players use the remote as a tennis raquet, golf club, boxing glove, baseball bat and bowling ball to emulate the actions in real life sports.

Three other titles claimed two categories each; Crackdown, in which players enforce justice in a crime-ridden metropolis, was victorious in Use of Audio and Action & Adventure, Okami, which centres around a celestial brush enabling players to literally paint things into their world, took the coveted mask in the categories of Artistic Achievement and Original Score, while the mythological, high-octane, God of War 2, sequel to the 2005 title, won for Story & Character and Technical Achievement. The Best Game award went to Bioshock which enables players to explore a ruined seascape, and using myriad tools and weapons, to battle mysterious creatures.

There were two rounds of voting for the awards; in the first round, BAFTA games members and industry experts cast their votes on line for the 1000+ entries received. The top-voted titles were then sent out to jurors, while those pre-release titles which were ready in time for the judging process, were played on test units in a secure room at BAFTA by every juror, over a period of some five weeks. Once every juror had played every game, each jury convened to create the 6 nominations in each category. Other late releases not ready for this year’s Awards will be eligible for next year’s.

The one publicly-voted award of the night – The PC World Gamers’ Award – went to Football Manager 2007, fighting off competition from Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training, FIFA 07, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Resistance: Fall of Man and Wii Play. The shortlist of titles in this category was taken from the top-selling games on each console in the UK between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007.

The Academy is keen to nurture the up-and-coming stars in games, as well as recognising those at the peak of their talent. This year’s ceremony also included a brand new award – The BAFTA Ones To Watch Award. Working with the University of Abertay and its Dare To be Digital competition, this new award was contended by three groups of university graduates who had each designed a new game prototype. The winning game was Ragnarawk designed by a team calling themselves Voodoo Boogy. In addition to collecting their award, they were also each gifted a state of the art gaming PC from Packard Bell.

The climax of the evening saw gaming legend Will Wright receive the highest accolade the Academy can bestow – The Fellowship. Wright, who is widely accepted as one of the world’s leading visionaries in the field of video game design, has been passionately creating games for more than twenty years. Although he has worked on a number of hugely successful games, among them Raid On Bungling Bay (1984), SimCity (1989), SimCity 2000 (1993), SimCity 4 (2003) and SimCity DS (2007), he is best known for one of the best-loved games franchises in history, The Sims – a game whose inspiration sprang from a combination of the aforementioned titles.

Wright will also present the Academy’s first Annual Lecture in this sector on October 24 at BAFTA’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly from 6pm. All enquiries to Jo Stein on 0207 292 5818.

The show will be broadcast on E4 on November 4 at 11pm and repeated the following weekend on Channel 4.

The Awards ceremony takes place during London Games Festival.

RELEASED NORTH AMERICA Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that ZACK & WIKI™: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure for the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo is now available at retail. Capcom’s first original title exclusively for the Wii is an innovative, full-length puzzle adventure game that utilizes the unique control mechanics of the Wii Remote™ and challenges gamers to “play different.” Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), ZACK & WIKI: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure carries a suggested retail price of $39.99.Legend has it that a revered pirate named Barbaros once stole the world’s treasure and hid it on a mysterious island. Though no one knows of its exact location, stories about the untold riches that lay in wait have been passed down through the ages, driving pirates from all walks of life to pursue the alluring prizes. One of these treasure seekers, a young apprentice pirate named Zack happens upon a mysterious talking skull, the skull of Barbaros himself. Barbaros promises to reveal the key to the island, if Zack will help to lift the curse he is under.

Players will explore a variety of wondrous environments and stages, solving puzzles and interacting with the world in search of a legendary pirate ship and the ultimate pursuit of becoming the greatest pirate the world has ever seen. Inventive gameplay mechanics and controller movements allow players to move and open objects, transform enemies into items, unlock new pathways and navigate through perilous stages based on a variety of themes including Jungle Ruins, Frozen Temple, Volcano Cavern and more, each with multiple sub-areas. Players will use the Wii Remote controller in various ways - rotate handles, turn keys to open doors, play a piccolo and much more in order to solve the progressively difficult puzzle stages and collect key items that will lead to the legendary pirate ship.

Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Phoenix Wright™: Ace Attorney™ Trials and Tribulations for Nintendo DS™ is now available at retail. The third installment in the popular courtroom battle series from Japan features the completion of Phoenix Wright’s story, as players explore both the past and present of the idiosyncratic lawyer Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations is rated T for Teen and carries an MSRP of $29.99.In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations players star as a defense attorney, who must prove a seemingly guilty client’s innocence no matter how dire the circumstances may seem. Phoenix faces the toughest prosecutor yet, as the mysterious hard-boiled “Godot” will try to take him down at any cost. The complete story of Phoenix Wright comes together as truths are revealed in twisting storylines and intriguing gameplay.

Players must collect evidence, survey crime scenes, weed through inconsistent testimonies, and overcome corrupt agendas to ensure that justice prevails. With the return of the popular “pysche-lock” interrogation tool from the previous title, Phoenix Wright™: Ace Attorney™ Justice for All, players will have to overcome even more intense courtroom standoffs in order to close the case.

For more information, please visit www.ace-attorney.com

Popular Action Franchise Utilizes Nintendo DS Features To Create The Ultimate New-Gen Mega Man Game

SAN MATEO, Calif — October 23, 2007 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Mega Man® ZX Advent for the Nintendo DS™ is now available at retail. As a flagship franchise for Capcom, the Mega Man® series has garnered sales in excess of 26 million units worldwide. Mega Man ZX Advent is rated E10+ for everyone 10 and older and carries a suggested retail price of $29.99.

“The team listened to fan feedback to design a game that would appeal to Mega Man fans old and new,” said Jack Symon, director, brand marketing, Capcom Entertainment. “It was evident that we needed to create a game that is uniquely made for the Nintendo DS while still delivering a great Mega Man action game.”

Mega Man ZX Advent follows two heroes, Grey and Ashe, on two separate but intertwining adventures as they search for answers amidst a chaotic war between humans and robots. They will fight against a menacing, evil force in a battle unprecedented in the Mega Man series.

The title takes full advantage of the Nintendo DS features to enhance the action-packed gameplay and story line of the popular series. A dynamic “Biometal” system is central to gameplay, allowing players the ability to change into several forms, including eight bosses, each with a variety of unique abilities and powers. With a touch of the Nintendo DS screen, players can easily switch back and forth between the Biometal and Map navigation screens. Bosses can be fought in several different ways, testing players’ skills and rewarding them with nearly 24 different items depending on how they take on a boss. Further gameplay options are available as players explore and open up new areas of the map.