Nintendo's New Wii Zapper Targets Fun

First Wii Game-Play Accessory Comes Packaged with Zelda Software

Nintendo announced today that the Wii Zapper™ interface for the hit Wii™ home video game system will come packed with Link's Crossbow Training™. The software is based on the hugely popular Legend of Zelda® series and provides a perfect demonstration of the way the Wii Zapper could be used in other games. The Wii Zapper casing houses both the motion-sensitive Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers in a single unit for precision targeting. It goes on sale Nov. 19 at an MSRP of just $19.99.

"The Wii Zapper combines our remarkable controllers into one housing with a classic style reminiscent of arcade-style games," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Both veteran and first-time players will find it brings a whole new dimension to games where targeting is key and provides even more exciting game-play experiences."

Link's Crossbow Training drops players into a world in the style of The Legend of Zelda®: Twilight Princess. Players assume the identity of hero Link, who progresses through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship. Start with stationary bull's-eyes and graduate to moving targets before defending Link against all kinds of enemies.

Third-party publishers have lined up to support the Wii Zapper. EA's Medal of Honor Heroes™ 2 lets players take World War II into their hands with the Wii Zapper. The game features an all-new Wii-exclusive Arcade Mode that offers accessibility to gamers of all skill levels, a full single-player campaign and support for up to 32 players in multiplayer. Capcom's Resident Evil®: The Umbrella Chronicles reveals the back story behind the fall of the Umbrella Corporation by exploring locations from Resident Evil 0, 1, 2 and 3, as well as new never-before-seen locations like Umbrella's stronghold. One or two players use the Wii Zapper to take aim against a horde of zombies in first-person perspective. SEGA's Ghost Squad™ lets players replicate the arcade light-gun experience at home with the Wii Zapper.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its 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.

Colin McRae: DiRT set to roar into stores this week PLAYSTATION 3

PLAYSTATION 3 adrenaline junkies will get the drive of their life this week as Codemasters announces that Colin McRae: DiRT, the game that takes traditional rally racing and turns it into a cavalcade of off-road competitions, is now shipping and will be available from retail stores this Friday, 14th September*, for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

Featuring a massive range of off-road race experiences on gravel, mud and dirt, gamers will get their fix of throwing 46 vehicles, including FWD, 4WD, Classic and RWD cars, through the most challenging and treacherous stages, tracks and circuits all over the world.

In addition to superlative rally stages, Colin McRae: DiRT delivers an exhilarating series of multiple car events as detailed in the all new video, featuring exclusive PLAYSTATION 3 system footage, now available from www.codemasters.co.uk/dirt in ‘Downloads’.

Introduced by Matt Horsman, Chief Games Designer on Colin McRae: DiRT, the video spotlights multiple car events including Rally Raid, where players race in super powered SUVs and Dakar-style trucks across gruelling desert terrain, and Rally Cross where the course switches between dirt and road surfaces.

There’s footage from the two-car chase duels of the Crossover circuits and from Championship Off–Road Racing (C.O.R.R.) events, where powerful off-road buggies combined with thrilling dirt tracks featuring tabletop jumps and drop-offs make for an intoxicating mix.

In addition to the video, the Colin McRae: DiRT website is also the place for the community to share their love of everything messy in the all-new ‘Dirty Pictures’ section; visit www.codemasters.co.uk/dirt and hit the ‘Upload Your Dirty Pictures’ button. The section is a gallery and showcases all manner of real-life filthy fun, from the muddiest cars to the grubbiest people.

For a real taste of Colin McRae: DiRT, take the PLAYSTATION 3 system edition for test drive with the three-event playable demo, featuring Crossover, C.O.R.R., and a point-to-point rally stage, now available to download from PlayStation Store.

Get ready for total mud splattering, gravel churning, off-road racing with Colin McRae: DiRT coming this Friday, 14th September, for the PLAYSTATION 3 system. For the new video and more, visit the home of Colin McRae: DiRT online at www.codemasters.com/dirt

Hot Pitch Wins Over Videogame Dragons

A start-up videogames firm has won a Dragon's Den-style contest to find the hottest young talent in North East England's videogame development sector.

The 'Game Academy' competition, run by games industry business network Codeworks GameHorizon, saw local companies and graduates practise pitching their ideas and concepts in a live situation and gain valuable feedback from an expert panel.

Lo-Jen, set up by Teesside University graduates Caleb Lowe and Tom Jenns along with University of East Anglia graduate Jesse Roberts, took first place, beating off stiff competition from five other start-up companies and graduates.

The industry panel consisted of Pete O'Donnell, chief games designer for leading UK publisher Codemasters; Tom O'Connor from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE); Darren Jobling, director of business development at Gateshead-based driving game specialist Eutechnyx; and Tony Parkes, executive producer at Midway's Newcastle studio.

Lo-Jen's pitch, a remix of the classic turn-based strategy genre aimed at the handheld console market, was seized on by the judges as a strong and commercially viable proposition, winning them the first prize of a training and mentoring package worth more than £2,000.

Jesse Roberts (22), managing director, said: "Winning Game Academy is an important step for Lo-Jen. The chance to get in front of industry professionals, to take on board their criticism is extremely useful, and to win is a satisfying validation of our ideas.

"We hope the prestige of winning this award will give our games and our company a major boost as we seek to break into the market."

Caleb Lowe (21), operations director, added: "We're surprised and thrilled to win the competition against some big local names.

"The feedback on the day from the likes of SCEE and Codemasters was fantastic, but to win the additional mentoring package means we'll have expert support to help turn our ideas into reality."

Nina Cliff, business development manager of Codeworks GameHorizon, awarded the prize to Lo-Jen. She said: "Game Academy helps these talented businesses ensure their products are up-to-scratch by giving them invaluable experience of a live pitch situation and feedback from industry experts.

"What's more, the format has already proven successful. Last year's winner, Teesside University graduate Jeremiah Alexander, used his prize to set up an educational games company, Babel Digital."

Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 Song Packs has 650,000 Downloads

More Than Two Million Single Songs Accessed Through Xbox LIVE Marketplace® since April Highly Anticipated Sequel Guitar Hero III to Feature Master Tracks, Original Songs and Downloadable Content

Downloadable Xbox 360 video game song packs for Activision, Inc.'s (Nasdaq:ATVI) Guitar HeroTM II hit multi-platinum status with more than 650,000 downloads through Xbox LIVE Marketplace® in less than five months, as defined by the music industry's RIAA. Each downloadable pack contains three individual songs. Individual songs combined have topped the two million mark, making the Guitar Hero II packs some of the most downloaded content on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

"Activision was the first third-party publisher to offer downloadable content via Xbox LIVE to consumers and as a result, we have tremendous insight into the types of content that consumers want," states Dusty Welch, head of publishing, RedOctane. "The Guitar Hero II downloadable video game song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox LIVE and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream and powerful promotional vehicle for musicians and record labels today."

Tim Riley, worldwide executive of music for Activision, added, "Activision has long been a pioneer in recognizing the importance of music in games and has forged unprecedented partnerships with all of the major record labels, music publishers and bands in order to offer Guitar Hero fans unrivaled access to music catalogues."

"We have been working very closely with Activision to make our catalog available for download for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. The results we have seen from download sales to date have been very impressive. This partnership is providing EMI Music Publishing and its songwriters with a valuable new source of revenue, and at the same time giving us the opportunity to exploit portions of our catalog that might otherwise not get such high-profile exposure," remarked Rod Kotler, Director of Music Services, EMI Music Publishing.

On August 14, 2007, Activision released a new My Chemical Romance video game song pack which included original recordings of the hit songs Teenagers, Famous Last Words, and This is How I Disappear from the band's latest album "The Black Parade." In its first week of release, over 50,000 downloads of the three-song pack were purchased through Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Commenting on the success of the My Chemical Romance video game song pack, Brian Schechter, the band's manager, said, "Activision has always had the artists and music culture in mind for their games. Now, the band's fans will be able to enjoy their music in a new way that they truly enjoy. As long as Activision and Guitar Hero keep providing quality products to the world, I would love to have all Riot Squad artist's in business with them."

Additionally, Activision's highly anticipated sequel, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will feature master tracks from some of rock's most legendary bands like the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica, as well as original songs by such guitarist icons as Slash and Tom Morello. The sequel also will offer a vast array of downloadable content including songs from some of the most popular European bands.

"Having Warner Music Group's master recordings in Guitar Hero III is a fantastic opportunity for everyone. Both our current and catalog artists are being exposed to new audiences through this great game. By selling additional tracks, we don't have to wait for another volume of the game to be released to offer new artists and music to gamers around the world," said Mark Pinkus, SVP Synch Licensing & Strategic Marketing at Rhino Entertainment.

To date, Guitar Hero games have sold more than 5.5 million units, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is scheduled to launch in October on all major console platforms and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

Take-Two Interactive Software. Announces Sale of Joytech

Take-Two Interactive Software today announced that it has sold substantially all of the assets of its wholly owned Joytech video game accessories subsidiary to Mad Catz Interactive. The Joytech sale reflects Take-Two's previously announced plans to divest its non-core businesses.

"The sale of the Joytech assets is consistent with one of the key goals we established in our 100 Day Plan: to develop strategic alternatives for any operations that we determined to be outside our core publishing business," said Ben Feder, Take-Two's Chief Executive Officer. "We are particularly pleased that we accomplished this goal in a manner that will allow substantially all of our Joytech employees in the U.S. and U.K. to join Mad Catz, which is a highly respected provider of video game peripherals."

Star Wars Galaxies

While in-game events are a fairly common occurrence in a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game it’s not often that they result in the joint effort of a major video games publisher and a leading charitable organization promoting affordable housing. But it’s exactly that kind of event that has enabled Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) LLC’s Austin, TX studio to team up with Austin Habitat for Humanity (AHFH), contributing financially as well as through volunteer efforts to help people in the Austin community find homes.

In SOE’s Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) MMO, there was a surplus of player-created houses and buildings that had been abandoned or left unoccupied by players. SOE Austin VP of Development John Blakely wanted to remove the houses, but do so in a way that is uniquely Star Wars – the buildings were marked as “condemned” by the evil Galactic Empire, and scheduled for demolition – TIE fighters would swoop in and bomb the buildings to the ground.

The SWG community was also given the chance to join in the fun of this “urban renewal;” players were provided reward points for the number of buildings they destroyed, which could be redeemed for special in-game items like droids, paintings and furniture. “When we initially conceived this idea, we didn’t know how the community was going to react,” said Blakely. “Oddly enough, it was very well received; some players that hadn’t been in the game for months came back to reclaim their property, re-activate their accounts and start playing the game again.”

SOE Austin took things one step further and offered to match the number of houses demolished with a donation to charity, considering Austin Habitat for Humanity first. “Using the money we raised blowing-up virtual houses and buildings to help build real homes was a no-brainer for us,” said Blakely. “Austin Habitat for Humanity has done incredible work in the community, helping people find good homes, and our whole studio wanted to contribute to their efforts.”

On Thursday, September 6th, Blakely will present AHFH Executive Director Michael Willard with a donation at SOE’s industry reception at the Austin Game Developers Conference.

“Teaming up with Sony Online Entertainment is a wonderful opportunity for Austin Habitat and the families we serve. The creativity and diligence that these professionals exhibit in their work are traits which translate well to our efforts to eradicate poverty housing in our community,” said Willard. “Austin needs creative solutions in our quest to create more affordable housing and diligent leadership in as we work toward those goals.”

Skate is Right Around the Corner, but Why Wait?

Get the free Xbox 360 playable demo on Xbox Live Marketplace! Fire up your Xbox 360 and download the skate demo and experience a new way to skate. The demo features tutorials and gameplay challenges in San Vanelona’s community center skatepark. It also includes skate. Reel for you to capture video footage of your sickest tricks and share it online.

BMW M3 Challenge

Europe’s largest independent computer, video and online entertainment developer 10TACLE STUDIOS AG will be delivering goose bumps this September when the first PC fires up the engine of the new BMW M3 Coupé. The racing specialists from London-based subsidiary Blimey!Games show for the first time on PC just what the impressive 420 horsepower Bavarian powerhouse can do in the freeware game ”BMW M3 Challenge”.

For the Munich-based automobile concern the title represents an important part of the communications mix for the launch of the new BMW M3 Coupé. This innovative product is designed to quickly reach a large target group using a free-of-charge distribution system. The partners also followed this innovative communications strategy in financing the mid-six-figure development budget, carried by BMW and other sponsors and through in-game advertising. In cooperation with marketing partner YOGO Media from Düsseldorf allowed renowned partners such as INTEL, Bilstein, Castrol and Sport1.de to be won for the project.

In addition to this project 10TACLE STUDIOS AG is already in the midst of concrete negotiations with a world-renowned firm looking to commission a comprehensive game project as part of an upcoming marketing campaign. The goal is to begin work on the title, which is to have a budget volume in the double-digit millions, before the end of 2007.

For the Germany-based firm the background for the cooperation with automobile concern BMW lay not only in an intense interest in the product to be advertised, but also in the fast-growing market for in-game and online content marketing. New studies predict a turnover volume for 2011 of 971.3 million US dollars generated through in-game advertising. Branch turnover for the year 2006 totalled around 77.7 million US dollars (Source: Yankee Group, 2007).

For 10TACLE STUDIOS the cooperation with BMW represents a consequent continuation of their concentration on cooperating with large brand name partners (such as MTV or FERRERO before this). The firm sees these cooperations as a means to tap the developing market for advertising and advertising platforms in computer and video games and secure a large market share at an early stage.

10TACLE STUDIOS AG CEO Michele Pes: “For years we have been successfully positioning ourselves in a gigantic market of which others are just beginning to take notice. We want to build on that and continue to grow with the market in this area as well. I expect this segment to provide a sizable additional yield for the 10TACLE Group, a yield not yet taken into account in any planning. Others acquire and invest vast sums in doing so – we let our strong products and first-line brand name partners do our persuading for us. “

New PS3 starter pack is for France only

Sony has confirmed that the rumoured new PlayStation 3 starter pack is genuine - but the bundle is only intended for the French market.

An image surfaced yesterday of a starter pack that replaced Motorstorm and Resistance with Heavenly Sword and F1 Championship Edition. At the time, Sony declined to comment.

In a clarifying statement, a Sony spokesperson has now said: "The choice of which titles to include in the Starter Pack, and the freedom to change the titles is up to the individual markets based on their unique market conditions."

"The F1 and Heavenly sword pack is only being introduced in France for the time being, and will be available from the launch of Heavenly Sword in France on 19th September."

Ubisoft could be behind SCi offer

SCi Entertainment, owner of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider computer game franchise, admitted yesterday that for the second time in two years it had received a bid approach, believed to be from its French rival Ubisoft.

The news is likely to arouse interest from Time Warner, which has a 10% stake in SCi; the leading US gaming company Electronic Arts - home to The Sims and Medal of Honour - and possibly Sony.

A deal, however, is by no means certain. SCi warned recently that the delayed launch of Sony's PS3 had hit sales. Its shares plunged to levels not seen since SCi bought Eidos, creator of the pneumatic Ms Croft, in May 2005 and the Ubisoft approach may be mere opportunism.

Shares in SCi closed up 44.5p at 384p yesterday, valuing the company at £332m. Just before July's profit warning, however, they were at 520p and Time Warner bought its stake at 502p a share.

The property magnate Robert Tchenguiz is also likely to play a key role in any takeover as his Thorson Investments vehicle is SCi's largest shareholder with a stake of 15.5%. He acquired the shares from Robert Bonnier, a well-known internet figure and founder of Scoot.com, who had stalked SCi after the dotcom crash

SCi has been in talks before. After seeing off competition for Eidos from the private equity group Elevation - fronted by U2's Bono - it received a bid approach in October 2005. The talks, which are believed to have been with Ubisoft that time too, dragged on but in February 2006 SCi admitted they had come to nothing.