Diddy Kong Racing DS Drives Fans Wils

Custom Vehicles and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Reinvent a Racing Classic

An array of cute monkeys, tigers, turtles and crocodiles (who were somehow granted licenses to drive) populate Nintendo's newest Wi-Fi-enabled game for Nintendo DS™ Lite, Diddy Kong® Racing DS. The racing adventure further revs the engines of Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, which already has connected more than 3.5 million unique users worldwide for more than 100 million online game-play connections. Diddy Kong Racing DS adds another classic to this portable wireless community, complete with new tracks, upgradeable vehicles and a course-design mode.



Racing games have always been a popular choice for competitive gamers, particularly for Nintendo fans. From Mario Kart® DS, which has sold more than 1.5 million units in the United States to date, to the original Diddy Kong® Racing for Nintendo® 64, which was one of the best-selling racing video games for N64, Nintendo's racing games are ranked among the top. The newest addition to this genre of games, Diddy Kong Racing DS, available Feb. 7, is expected to race to the top of the charts as well. With its new characters, gamer tags and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection capabilities, this DS version will re-energize fans who remember the original, while attracting new ones to join in.

"Nintendo does mass-appeal racing games better than anyone," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Diddy Kong Racing's irresistible combination of characters, vehicles and adventures is sure to drive fans wild."



Diddy Kong Racing DS takes place on Timber's Island, which has been invaded by an evil space pig. Unlike traditional racing-only games, the game is a true adventure. Players explore the island and complete a series of racing challenges while piloting cars, hovercrafts and planes. The game features 38 different tracks and upgradeable vehicles with improvements in speed, durability and looks. Players can even create their own tracks using touch-screen controls and share them with others wirelessly. Up to six players can compete online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and eight can race via local DS Download Play, even if only one player has a game card.

Diddy Kong Racing DS, Rated E for Everyone, is available Feb. 7. For more information about the game, visit DiddyKongRacing.com.

Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2, PSP, and Wii

Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2 system, PSP system, and Nintendo’s Wii™. Manhunt 2 is the debut title from the newly formed Rockstar London studio, which is developing the game in conjunction with series creator Rockstar North. The Wii™ version is being developed by Rockstar Toronto. Manhunt 2 will be available this summer.



"With Manhunt 2 we have tried to create a game that stays close to the original concept of chilling suspense and stealth, whilst pushing the game design and storytelling forward," said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games. "We are also excited to have our newest development team, Rockstar London, working on the title alongside our two established UK studios, Rockstar North and Leeds."

Four Wii units sold for every PlayStation 3 in Japan

PS2 also outselling Sony's next-gen console

Enterbrain's Hirokazu Hamamura has predicted a price cut for PlayStation 3 after new figures revealed that the console is being outsold by both Nintendo Wii and PS2 in Japan.

According to Media Create, more than 80,000 Wii units were sold in the territory between January 22 and 28. During the same period Sony sold 21,000 PS2 consoles and 20,000 PS3s. Just 7000 Xbox 360 units were shifted as Microsoft continues its struggle to secure a foothold in the Japanese market.



Wii sales for the entire month of January stood at 400,000 units, while 150,000 PlayStation 3 consoles were sold.

The PS3 launched in Japan on November 11, followed by the Wii on December 2. Since then Sony has sold 614,000 consoles while Wii sales have topped 1.4 million.

According to Hamamura, who is president of Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, "There could be a price cut for PS3 by the end of the year, and more software titles will hit the market."

He said he expected PS3 "to be doing better after a while," but added, "Of course, the Wii will keep running ahead."

New casual games studio opens doors

Two industry veterans have established a new development studio in New York City which will specialise in producing casual games.

Operating under the name of Rebel Monkey, the new studio has been co-founded by Margaret Wallace. She formerly helped to set up and run San Francisco-based casual games studio Skunk Studios and will take on the role of CEO at RM.



Wallace has established the company together with Nicholas Fortugno, whose design credits include Diner Dash and Plantasia.

"Rebel Monkey came about as a meeting of like-minds - with a common goal of taking casual games to the next level," said Wallace.

"Both Nicholas Fortugno and I have been involved in casual games since the beginning, so we are bringing a lot of experience to the table."

Rebel Monkey has yet to announce details of its first project.

September launch date for new N-Gage

Nokia-sponsored blog has revealed that the next-gen N-Gage platform is set to launch this autumn, with two major publishers already committed to releasing a range of new titles.

"We expect EA Mobile and Gameloft to bring a number of top-selling, award winning titles to our platform between our launch in September and the end of 2007," a statement on the blog reads.



"They aren't the only ones, as throughout the year we will continue to make exciting announcements of other leading publishers adding their titles to our games catalogue."

The news comes just days after reports emerged that Nokia has begun showcasing its new N-Gage technology at a secret meeting in Santa Monica. The technology will be used in a series of phones rather than a single dedicated handset.

According to Nokia's blog, the "biggest franchises and hottest mobile games" will be available to N-Gage users "by early 2008".