Pokémon Trades Span The Globe

They invaded. They evolved. And now they'll be traded - across oceans, and without regard for national borders or native tongue.

Nintendo today announces the Pokémon GTS (Global Trade Station) Web site goes online worldwide Sept. 15 and will be a great resource for Pokémon fans interested in learning more about trading their favorite characters.

The Global Trade Station already allows the trade of millions of Pokémon between trainers worldwide. Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl are the fastest-selling games in the history of the series, with worldwide sales in excess of 10 million games. Players use their Nintendo DS portable game systems to link wirelessly to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing them to scan which Pokémon are available from different nations and offer to trade with other players.

The new Pokémon Global Trade Station Web site, www.pokemon-gts.net, can be reached via any Internet-connected computer. The site will let users see which Pokémon are the most popular to trade, provide statistics about the number of trades completed and allow them to bookmark their favorite Pokémon. The site will operate in seven different languages and inform users about the nation they're "visiting" electronically. Visitors can even listen to audio files to learn how to say "hello" and "thank you" in select countries languages.

"Pokémon is now truly global in nature," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "A Pokémon Trainer from Chicago can be traveling in Sydney and trade one of their Pokémon with another owner in Helsinki."

Pokémon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia which includes licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, an animated TV series, home entertainment, the official Pokémon Web site and an online retail center www.pokemoncenter.com. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy and has since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokémon was introduced in North America in September 1998 and today is one of the most popular toy and entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video games and more than 420 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Razer Battlefield 2 Fall Game Night

3-Month Weekly Competition Offering Over $5,000 in RazerTM Player Product Prizes at 50+ iGames Centers across US and Canada

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, September 18, 2007—iGames, the world’s leading game center organization, today announced the Razer™ Battlefield 2™ Fall Game Night, a 3-month weekly ladder with special events to be held at 50+ iGames member centers across the United States and Canada, with an arsenal of products worth over $5,000 in player prizes courtesy of Razer.

Schedule:
The program will run every Tuesday evening from Sept 11 through Dec 11 from 7 PM to 10 PM EST.
• September 11 to November 13 - Preseason and Regular Season
>From 7 PM to 10 PM Eastern Time there will be a team-based 6 vs. 6 Ladder facilitated over IRC complete with Match History and Standings tracked on a dedicated iGames Mini-Site.
• October 16 – Mid-Season Break
A special night of events will occur on Tuesday, October 16 for a Mid-Season Break. Additional details will be posted at a later date on the event Mini-Site.
• November 27 to December 11 - Playoffs
The top 8 teams from Ladder play will advance to a double-elimination playoff bracket which will determine the final placement of all teams.

Prizes
OVER $5,000 WORTH OF RAZER PRODUCT PRIZES!
Each player (six per team) on a winning placing team at the conclusion of playoffs will win the following respective prizes:

1st Place Team
Prizes per Team Member
+ Razer Barracuda HP-1™ Gaming Audio Card
+ Razer Barracuda HP-1 Gaming Headphones
+ Razer Tarantula™ keyboard
+ Razer DeathAdder™ mouse
+ Razer Mantis™ mousepad

2nd Place
Prizes per Team Member
+ Razer Tarantula keyboard
+ Razer DeathAdder mouse
+ Razer Mantis mousepad

3rd Place
Prizes per Team Member
+ Razer Tarantula keyboard

4th Place
Prizes per Team Member
+ Razer DeathAdder mouse

5th & 6th Place
Prizes per Team Member
+ Razer Mantis mousepad

For registration and rules, along with the event schedule and complete list of participating iGames center, visit www.igames.org or contact the iGames events team at events@igames.org.

Snood Blaster

Developed by THQ studio Universomo, Snood Blaster takes the hugely popular Snood brand, originally available for PC and Mac, and adapts it to the mobile platform with some remarkable enhancements.

The heart of Snood Blaster is the simple, yet immensely addictive puzzle game. Clear the level by shooting colourful Snoods to the rows of Snood above, matching three or more of the same colour to remove them from the playing field. Under this very approachable and easy to pick up basic premise lie huge possibilities for clever moves, large combos and big scores.

The basic puzzle gameplay is further spiced up by the total of seven different game modes that all challenge the player in different ways.

On top of the smooth, polished gameplay Snood Blaster adds a completely new level of playing: a meta game called House of Snoods. It puts all the player's actions and achievements in context, creating completely new reasons to spend more time with the game and explore everything it has to offer. It also adds a new kind of long-term planning to the game, binding several levels and game modes together.

The gaming experience is completed by a crisp, colourful graphics that make the Snoods look better than ever before, and catchy background music!

Key Features

· Familiar, addicting gameplay of Snood with fine-tuned controls carefully adapted for mobile devices.

· New meta game House of Snoods that adds new kind of longevity and context into the game, binding a string of levels and different game modes together.

· Seven different game modes: two familiar from previous Snood games and five completely new ones.

· A graphical overhaul, creating a new, polished and stylized look for the Snoods.

· Flexible saving and loading options to allow saving and continuing the game whenever there is need.

Atari UK Signs Exclusive 'RACE 07'

Atari UK is today thrilled to officially announce the signing of an agreement with SimBin Development Team AB for the exclusive distribution rights in the United Kingdom of the highly anticipated upcoming PC racing title RACE 07.

“Atari is obviously very pleased to bring the latest offering from SimBin. They have a history of delivering top quality games in this very popular genre and RACE07 is no exception, backed up with significant marketing and sponsorship backing from both Eurosport and WTCC”, says Jeremy Wigmore, Managing Director-Atari UK Ltd & Atari Nordic AB.

“We are looking forward to working with Atari once again,” said Henrik Roos, CEO, SimBin. “Atari and SimBin have a legacy of success together with previous titles and we are looking forward to join forces with the team again”, continued Roos.

RACE 07 can be found in all good retailers from 12 October.

Demo download and official website: www.race-game.org/race07

About RACE 07

RACE 07 - The Official WTCC Game features the full FIA WTCC season of 2007 including all cars and tracks, as well as several new support classes and tracks from all over the world. The game also features the full WTCC season of 2006 which was included in the game’s predecessor RACE – The WTCC Game, released in 2006 on PC. For the first time ever SimBin is also presenting single seated action with Formula cars. Race with the incredibly fast Formula 3000, Formula BMW and also the Radical sports car models SR3 and SR4.

To support these new race classes the player will be offered the choice between one- or two-race-format. The highly detailed damage system is also adapted to give the Formula cars the vulnerability they have in real life.

All in all RACE 07 features more than 300 cars in 9 different classes on 32 real life racing tracks and city circuits from all over the world.

Features

•The full 2007 and 2006 seasons of the WTCC, plus the historic WTCC ’87 class, Formula 3000, Formula BMW, the Mini Cooper Challenge, and more.

•Intense “single seated” action: Open race cars feature realistic helmet views with visor dynamics so real players will see every speck of raceway debris.

•32 different real-life tracks from all over the world, including unique city tracks.

•Online rankings and leader boards.

•Human-like AI opponents that behave as natural race cars, trying to force the driver to make errors.

•Enhanced community appeal, with community driver names, customized skins and league-support.

Pharrell Williams launches Halo 3 in the UK

Music icon flies to London to host a video game launch party like never before

US music superstar Pharrell Williams will fly to the UK next week to host a very special party for the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft reveals today.

As anticipation for the game reaches fever pitch, the music icon and self-confessed gaming fanatic will head to London’s BFI IMAX cinema on September 25 to host the ‘Halo 3 Premiere’ which will see him taking on members of the public at the game, and other major celebrities around Europe via Xbox LIVE.

The red carpet affair, which will be attended by VIPs, celebrities and lucky competition winners is just one of a number of similar events happening around Europe as the world’s biggest ever video game is released to the masses. The premiere events, which are taking place in London, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam and Milan, will be linked via Xbox LIVE as the stars in each country take on each other for this one-off night where gaming meets partying. For consumers and competition winners, it provides a chance to be amongst the very first to see the game, experience content never seen before and play the most hotly anticipated game ever against their celebrity idols.

Following the London Premiere, at midnight, more than 1,000 retail stores across the UK will throw open their doors giving eager fans the chance to be amongst the first to get their hands on the third installment of the legendary series.

The "Halo" franchise is among the biggest worldwide entertainment properties in history and continues to change the way we think about interactive entertainment.

"Halo" is more than just a video game - it's a truly unique entertainment phenomenon and an experience that has expanded beyond games, into bestselling novels, comics, merchandise and more, and captured the attention of millions of fans including gamers, musicians, celebrities, athletes, and even storytelling visionaries like Peter Jackson. First week revenue of the game is set to outstrip major Hollywood blockbusters like Spiderman 3 or the Harry Potter franchise.

Pre orders for “Halo 3” have soared past 1.25 million globally as the world holds its breath and awaits the launch of the title in Europe on September 26th 2007. Microsoft also revealed that production of the game disc itself has reached 81 per second as it gears up for what is expected to be the biggest entertainment launch in history.

Get rich playing games

New Book Reveals the Inside Secrets to GET RICH PLAYING GAMES

Paperback Shipping Now, eBook 100% FREE from www.GetRichGaming.com and Special High Score Edition Coming January 2008

“A must-read… The first book on the videogame business that’s both insightful and entertaining.”
-Ed Zobrist, President, Sierra Online

In a watershed moment for PC and videogame fans of all ages, Scott Steinberg’s Get Rich Playing Games ($17.95, P3: Power Play Publishing), the first book to reveal everything readers need to go from rags to riches in the star-studded interactive entertainment business, is finally here. Thirty years in the making, the critically-acclaimed volume has all the answers both casual and hardcore players alike need to make a fortune without ever leaving the couch!

Get Rich Playing Games, penned by acclaimed entrepreneur Scott Steinberg, author of Videogame Marketing and PR and The Videogame Style Guide, features nearly 200 pages of in-depth commentary and insight from the biz’s biggest names including Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, Sid Meier, John Romero, Trip Hawkins, Ted Price, Lorne Lanning, Lord British and more! From tutorials on building your own videogame to strategies for rocketing up the corporate ranks or turning pro and earning millions in sponsorship dollars, it’s an essential read for anyone who’s ever dreamed of building a fortune off making, marketing, writing about, publishing or playing computer and video games. Also includes a foreword by Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, Chuck E. Cheese’s and uWink.

Available now at all major retailers including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, Get Rich Playing Games covers all major topics from PC to console, casual, mobile, massively-multiplayer, online and independent games. The eBook edition is available to the general public 100% FREE from www.GetRichGaming.com, with paperback editions also ready to order right from the website or Lulu.com. This volume is a must-have for anyone seeking a career in game art, design, programming, audio, management, PR, marketing, publishing, journalism, testing or sales.

A special High Score Edition, featuring new chapters, additional interviews and other must-see updates will also be available in January 2008.

Praise for Get Rich Playing Games:

“Shows you how to make all your dreams come true – and make serious money doing it!”
- Brian Fargo, Founder, Interplay and InXile Entertainment

“A home run… touches on all the bases necessary for creating a winning strategy for success in the videogame field.”
- Bill Gardner, President and CEO, Eidos

“Reveals the secrets of playing to win… and how to do it making great games!”
-“Wild Bill” Stealey, Founder, MicroProse and Interactive Magic

“There’s a fine line between getting rich and losing your shirt in the videogame business, so arm yourself with the essential weapons to succeed: This book’s a cruise missile!”
- Charles Bellfield, VP Marketing, Codemasters Inc.
“In every field, it always pays to love what you do – especially when that involves rescuing the princess, saving the world from nuclear annihilation or fending off hordes of rampaging zombies,” said Steinberg. “Only now, thanks to Get Rich Playing Games, it also does so with compound interest. This one’s for all the videogame fans worldwide… and all the soon-to-be-overjoyed parents.”

UBISOFT - NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes on PSP has shipped

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that it has shipped NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system to retail stores across Europe and other PAL territories.

This game based on the popular animated TV series NARUTO offers a furious fighting game experience with team-based gameplay, intense single player action and a wireless multi-player versus mode for up to two users all within the Naruto Universe. With eight interactive stages and 20 playable characters to choose from, gamers can take the battle outside the perimeters of the home to become the ultimate Hokage.

Developed by CyberConnect2 exclusively for the U.S. and Europe, NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes is the highly anticipated fighting game that gives gamers the ability to sharpen their ninja skills with intense single and multiplayer team-based fighting. In a new addition to the franchise, gamers also have the ability to create and customize their own ninja dream squads to battle opponents or trade player’s profiles via wireless connectivity. To further maximize the character power-up feature, players can form different team combinations to awaken hidden skills that lie within each group. Depending on the combinations, special team based skills can be unleashed. Gamers can also earn power-up points towards upgrading each character’s attack, defence, chakra, speed and even special abilities.

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes boasts the following features:
• Form your own Ninja team in Heroes Mode - Choose from 20 powerful ninja to form your favourite ninja team from the show or create your original dream team!
• Discover unique skills in the team based skill system - Try out a wide variety of different team combinations to awaken the hidden skills that lie within each character! Even one character will bring about a different set of skills depending on different character combinations.
• Ad hoc multiplayer – Engage in intense wireless battles anywhere and anytime via the PSP system’s ad hoc capability. Power-up squad members and battle against a friend’s team
• Game Sharing - Play against a friend using a single UMD
• Upgradeable player profile – Level up your ninja rank that appears in the player’s profile by completing different classes of missions using your favourite character.

For more information on NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes visit:
http://www.ubi.com

SEGA Rally Demo

SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that the demo for SEGA Rally™, the truly thrilling and highly anticipated racing game, is available for download on the Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The demo features two quick race tracks taken from the colourful, steep sided Canyon environment and the gloriously muddy and downright dirty Tropical environment. Players will also have the choice of literally tearing up the deformable surfaces in either the Mitsubishi Evo IX FQ3 or the Subaru Impreza STi Spec C type RA.

SEGA Rally will be released across Europe for the Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and the PC on September 28th 2007.

Now, go and try out the unique deformation technology which the SEGA Racing Studio has worked so hard to implement into SEGA Rally. For the first time ever you can not only see the deformation in action, but feel every bump along the way.

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams from Sega

SEGA Reveals New Details on NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
SEGA® Europe Limited today announced that NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams™, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed hit NiGHTS, will feature a two-player mode and network support at launch. SEGA also unveiled plans to reawaken the Artificial Life (A-Life) feature in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, which gives gamers the freedom to oversee and develop their own sandbox environment enabling them to capture, raise, and even combine the inhabitants from the world of Nightopia.

Unlike any other game available today, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams will deliver the feeling of flight through the innovative Wii Remote™. Players will glide, spiral and loop through a variety of mystical dream worlds packed with action and adventure as they dive and blast through rings, gather orbs and come up against fantastic and unforgettable boss battles. Anchored by a storyline about courage, hope and inspiration, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is an ideal game for the entire family.

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams unfolds in Nightopia, the spectacular dream world of two young characters, Helen and Will. Struggling to overcome the every day challenges of growing up, these two 12-year-olds find their real life experiences spilling over into their dreams. As Helen and Will fall into a deep sleep, they are greeted by NiGHTS, a fantasy jester, who leads them to explore the rich and vibrant land of Nightopia. Along the way, NiGHTS helps the youngsters bravely face their fears by finding inventive ways to confront, outpace, and outwit foes - such as the villainous Nightmarens. Through the freedom of flight, execution of stunning acrobatic moves and tapping into special abilities that enable gamers to combat danger and restore peace to Nightopia.

Three classic games added to Wii channel

Everyone's favorite long-tongued, egg-tossing dinosaurs make a colorful splash on the Wii Shop Channel this week. Yoshi's action takes place in storybook "pages" made up of bookmaking materials and other familiar textures, including cut-paper forests, denim clouds, inflatable plastic islands and stacks of colored spools. It's a classic Nintendo® 64 game remembered as much for its beauty as its game play. Once you're done with that, you can probably find time to fly an attack helicopter or play a little baseball to get ready for the post-season.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel 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:

Yoshi's Story™ (Nintendo 64, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): The evil Baby Bowser has cast a spell turning Yoshi's Island™ into a picture book. Worse yet, the Super Happy Tree has been stolen, making the island dark and gloomy. Players must take control of six Yoshis, each a different color, and travel through six pages (worlds) of platforming adventure to recover the tree and return the island to normal. Featuring huge character models and bright, vibrant colors, the game's various environments (such as woods, caves, mountains and oceans) come alive in a uniquely gorgeous 2½-D look. Eat fruit, avoid enemies and obstacles, and throw eggs from the Yoshis' never-ending supply in your quest to stop Baby Bowser's plan from succeeding. If you're good enough, you can aim for higher scores by being picky about the fruit you eat. And who knows, you might even find the mysterious black and white Yoshis.

Super Thunder Blade™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone - Mild Violence, 800 Wii Points): In this follow-up to Thunder Blade, you'll fly a new and improved attack helicopter in a series of attacks against guerilla armies that are bent on taking over the world. Although your aircraft is formidable, your enemies are vast and varied. You'll have to take on submarines, tanks, fighter planes and more. Your command of this state-of-the-art battle copter must be top notch, as you'll have to dodge oncoming fire and use your various weapons to eliminate all enemy targets so you can reach the guerilla base and end their nefarious plans once and for all. Put on your flight suit and step into the thrilling action of Super Thunder Blade.

World Class Baseball (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Acclaimed for its steady game play, World Class Baseball is the definitive baseball game on the TurboGrafx16. Battle the computer in OPEN MODE or play a friend in VERSUS MODE. Customize your team in EDIT MODE or even watch a game between two computer opponents in WATCH MODE. World Class Baseball offers the complete baseball gaming experience. Of course there's also plenty of single-player action. The main feature is PENNANT MODE, where the player chooses a team from one of the world's leagues and strives to win their team's league. Beat league rivals and save your progress with passwords on your way to becoming league champions. After winning your league, get ready to the face the other league's champion in the heated series for the world championship.

Free Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 Tournament

Right on the back of XLEAGUE.TV announcing their intentions to run Mario Strikers & PES6 as their inaugural Free Tournament, it has been announced that XLEAGUE.TV are to run a Free Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 Tournament.

“GRAW2 is one of the most popular FPS titles around the world and XLEAGUE.TV are proud to announce this Free Tournament.” Says Ray Mia, XLEAGUE.TV Channel Manager.

The GRAW2 Tournament rules and start dates are available now on www.xleague.tv, as are the last remaining places for the PES6 Tournament which will be kicking off soon. So don’t miss out, get involved and win yourself a nice bundle of cash!

The remaining free tournaments will be unveiled over the following weeks.

XLEAGUE.TV will also be rolling out a Pro XLEAGUE.TV structure in the near future, where the very best teams and solo players will be invited to play in one of the most competitive online gaming arenas. More details to follow shortly.

For more information on the XLEAGUE.TV survey, new free tournaments and prizes, please visit www.XLEAGUE.TV or contact Marketing Manager Lee Catania on lee.catania@nasnet.co.uk. XLEAGUE.TV can also be found on Sky Channel 279.

About XLEAGUE.TV:
XLEAGUE.TV is the UK’s first dedicated eSports channel and fully integrated website launched in May 2007. The revolutionary channel, which broadcasts on Sky channel 279, offers a comprehensive range of services to its members including leagues and tournaments, customisable user profiles, match scheduling and club and team creation. By competing on www.xleague.tv, gamers can win the opportunity to be invited to the studio for the chance to play on television.

The channel was launched at a cost of £5 million and is part of the Portland Media Group. XLEAGUE.TV has a wealth of In-house facilities include production, post-production and play-out, as well as an advertising agency, a media buying and planning department and a modelling agency.

Ubisoft expands into China

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announces the opening of a new video game development studio in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Richard Tsao, senior producer at Ubisoft’s Shanghai studio, has been appointed managing director of the new studio. Ubisoft Chengdu will initially focus on internal outsourcing and in time will be responsible for developing online titles for PC, consoles and handhelds.

The opening of the new studio was celebrated today at a signing ceremony with Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft, as well as the Party Secretary of Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone, Mr. Jing Gang and Mr. Han Chun Lin, Director of Chengdu’s Hi-Tech Zone.

Following on its history of success in China, with Ubisoft’s Shanghai studio already the second-largest Ubisoft development team in the world, the new studio in Chengdu will open its doors in Tianfu Software Park with 10 team members and the goal of expanding to 200 developers over the next year. Chengdu, with over 35,000 software programming graduates per year, is one of the most technologically developed cities in Western China, offering long-term growth opportunities based on a talented and highly educated local population. With its cutting-edge infrastructure and a local Hi-Tech Zone, Chengdu attracts international companies from all over the world and will provide a perfect environment for Ubisoft to establish an outstanding development studio.

“The success of our studio in Shanghai, which has been further confirmed with the launch of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, has encouraged us to extend our growth in China,” said Christine Burgess-Quémard, executive director, Worldwide Studios at Ubisoft. “We are convinced that Chengdu offers the perfect environment for our expansion, offering a great number of highly educated and talented people.”

Richard Tsao’s career in games development began at Microsoft, where he helped to ship games such as Dungeon Siege and Mech Warrior 4. He then moved to Crytek, shipping Far Cry® and managing pre-production for Crysis before coming to Ubisoft Shanghai where he was most recently responsible for projects including Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter® 2 for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Before video games, Rich gathered a decade of development experience as a technical project manager and programmer for various client/server software projects, including deploying the first online billing system for MSN Internet access service.

Ubisoft was the first major developer to establish itself in China, opening a development studio in Shanghai in 1996. Ubisoft’s Shanghai studio, managed by Corinne Leroy, has developed internationally renowned games including Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow® for the Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, which reached No. 1 shortly after its release in 2004. The studio celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and the team is currently developing an entirely new franchise, Tom Clancy’s EndWar™, which will release in 2008.