Critically acclaimed baseball franchise gets ready for another season of
> great family fun
>
> New York, NY, and El Segundo, CA – May 8, 2008 – 2K Sports, the sports
> publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO),
> and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the next
> iteration of the wildly popular baseball franchise, MLB(r) Power Pros
> 2008, scheduled to be available for Wii(tm) home video game system from
> Nintendo and PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system this July, as
> well as Nintendo DS(tm) later this fall. As the highest-rated and
> top-selling baseball title in Japan, MLB Power Pros was available in
> North America for the first time last year. Its comedic visual appeal of
> miniature Major League Baseball player models has attracted a dedicated
> following through its easy-to-use controls and addictively fun gameplay
> experience.
>
> “We’re thrilled to partner with Konami again, and with the Baseball(tm)
> season now in full swing, we’re proud to offer our fans a refreshingly
> smart and exciting baseball game that is easily accessible for all
> ages,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Baseball enthusiasts
> will appreciate the variety of newly added features, intuitive game
> modes and improved overall feel, and we look forward to hitting one out
> of the park this season with MLB Power Pros 2008.”
>
> With over ten different exciting game modes including the traditional
> Practice, Exhibition, League and Home Run Challenge modes, MLB Power
> Pros 2008 will bring fans closer to the action than ever before. Gamers
> also get the opportunity to act as general manager and control the
> destiny of their own franchise in Season mode, or engage in entertaining
> role-playing story modes such as Success and MLB(r) Life modes. As
> general manager, gamers can trade, sign free agents, coordinate practice
> schedules, purchase new equipment, call up and send down players from
> the Minor Leagues(tm), along with other management options to bring in
> fans, win playoff games and eventually, earn the title of World
> Series(tm) champion.
>
> In Success mode, fans can participate in a story-based career of rising
> players in the Double-A Minor League system trying to improve their
> baseball skills and make an impression on baseball scouts while also
> having to balance various situations in their personal lives. Through a
> variety of amusing training and game challenges, players who complete
> Success mode will also be able to take their created player files into
> MLB Life as well, or also play as either an existing Major League
> Baseball(r) player in Dream Mode, or start as a rookie in Major League
> Career mode. As a new feature in MLB Power Pros 2008, MLB Life is
> another story-based mode that will allow fans the possibility to
> simulate the exciting life and experience of being a Major League
> Baseball player over the course of a 20-year career. While continuing to
> play in games through the regular baseball season, players will also
> participate in a number of realistic situations such as signing
> contracts, purchasing houses and cars, making charitable donations,
> building up relationships with friends and teammates, picking up hobbies
> and much more.
>
> With easy, pick-up-and-play hitting and pitching controls, along with
> intuitive Wii functionality, other new features in MLB Power Pros 2008
> include support of 40-man rosters, change of ball speed, adjustment of
> defensive shifts, along with a real-time bullpen check functionality for
> substituting pitchers. MLB Power Pros 2008 will also support the option
> for players to import their Wii-based characters, Miis(tm), from their
> Wii or Wii Remote(tm) to become part of the exciting action!
>
>
>
> MLB Power Pros 2008, developed by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., is
> not yet rated by the ESRB, and will be available for Wii and the
> PlayStation 2 system this July, as well as Nintendo DS later this fall.
> For more information, please visit www.2ksports.com
> .
>
>
>
> About Take-Two Interactive Software
>
> Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., is
> a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive
> entertainment software games for the PC, PLAYSTATION(r)3 and
> PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment systems, PSP(r)
> (PlayStation(r)Portable) system, Xbox 360 and Xbox video game and
> entertainment systems from Microsoft, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo
> GameCube(tm) and Game Boy(r) Advance. The Company publishes and develops
> products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games, 2K
> Sports and 2K Play, and distributes software, hardware and accessories
> in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two’s
> common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For
> more corporate and product information please visit our website at
> www.take2games.com .
>
>
>
> About Konami
>
> Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic
> entertainment properties. Konami’s titles include the popular franchises
> Metal Gear Solid(r), Silent Hill(r), Dance Dance Revolution(r) and
> Castlevania(r), among other top sellers. The latest information about
> Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. Konami Corporation is
> a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan, with subsidiary
> offices, Konami Digital Entertainment, Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, Japan,
> Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., in the United States and Konami
> Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. Konami Corporation is
> traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the
> ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be
> found at www.konami.com.
>
> (c) 2008 Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
>
>
>
> All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their
> respective holders.
>
>
>
> Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission
> of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit the official Major
> League Baseball website at MLB.com (c) MLBPA-Official Licensee, Major
> League Baseball Players Association. Visit www.MLBPLAYERS.com

Posted using Meow

‘Conquest’ Grants Players Freedom to Fight Epic ‘Rings’ Battles Any Way
> Desired
>
>
>
>
>
> LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 8, 2008 – Pandemic(tm) Studios, an
> award-winning developer of blockbuster video games, is proud to announce
> the development of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest(tm) for the Xbox
> 360(tm) video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION(r)3 computer
> entertainment system, PC and Nintendo DS(tm) platforms. Pandemic
> Studios is a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS).
>
>
>
> In a partnership with New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
> is an action-packed game created by the same Pandemic Studios team
> behind the best-selling Star Wars Battlefront(tm) and Star Wars
> Battlefront(tm) II titles. Set in “The Lord of the Rings” universe of
> J.R.R. Tolkien as depicted by the Academy Award(r)-winning films,
> players will finally fight the entirety of these epic battles any way
> they want. In addition to crusading as the heroic forces of good, for
> the first time ever in a ‘The Lord of the Rings’ action title they’ll
> conquer Middle-earth while playing as the legions of Sauron’s evil army,
> including Cave-trolls, Oliphaunts, the Balrog and Sauron himself. The
> game is set for a global release in fall 2008.
>
>
>
> “Our Pandemic Studios creative teams have years of expertise bringing
> giant battlefields to life,” says Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios
> co-founder and general manager. “We’ve always wanted to harness our
> experience in a fantasy universe with warriors, archers, mages and
> castle sieges. Of course, there is truly no better fantasy world to
> recreate than the enormity of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ realm.”
>
>
>
> “We’ll freely admit that we’re rabid fans of The Lord of the Rings
> fantasy,” says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic
> Studios. “Our experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games
> means that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what
> they want: full control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic
> battles any way they want – even if they choose to play from the evil
> side.”
>
>
>
> “We are thrilled to be working with Pandemic Studios on this game,”
> commented David Imhoff, Senior EVP of Worldwide Licensing &
> Merchandising for New Line Cinema. “They bring not only their
> incredible technical and creative abilities but also a great passion for
> The Lord of the Rings.”
>
>
>
> The world premiere of game footage and the first trailer for The Lord of
> the Rings: Conquest will premiere exclusively on Spike TV’s GameTrailers
> TV with Geoff Keighley on Friday, June 20.
>
>
>
> This announcement reveals the third blockbuster video game project in
> the works at Pandemic Studios’ Los Angeles-based headquarters alongside
> the upcoming Mercenaries 2: World in Flames(tm) and Saboteur(tm), both
> in development for the Xbox 360(tm), PLAYSTATION(r)3 and PC platforms.
> For more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, please visit:
> http://www.pandemicstudios.com/conquest.
>
>
>
> About Pandemic Studios
>
> Pandemic Studios is one of the world’s premier developers of console and
> PC entertainment and a wholly owned division of Electronic Arts Inc.
> (NASDAQ: ERTS). Over its 10-year history, Pandemic Studios has
> established a reputation for producing top-selling, award-winning and
> cutting-edge original content and enhancing the value of existing
> intellectual properties. Recent hits include the record-selling Star
> Wars Battlefront(tm), Star Wars Battlefront(tm) II, and three original
> Pandemic Studios-created intellectual properties: Mercenaries(tm),
> Destroy All Humans(tm), and Full Spectrum Warrior(tm). Following the
> 2006 release of Destroy All Humans(r) 2, Pandemic Studios is developing
> a number of new, original titles for next-generation platforms including
> Mercenaries 2: World in Flames(tm) and Saboteur(tm) at its Los Angeles,
> California, and Brisbane, Australia, studio locations. For more
> information on Pandemic Studios and its games, please visit:
> http://www.pandemicstudios.com.
>
>
>
> About Electronic Arts
>
> Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
> the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded
> in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
> software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular
> handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
> four brand names: EA SPORTS(tm), EA(tm), EA SPORTS Freestyle(tm) and
> POGO(tm). In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24
> titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online
> game site is www.ea.com.

Posted using Meow

Nintendo Debuts Groundbreaking Fitness Program at Interactive
Release Party and American Heart Association Fundraiser in NYC



WHAT:
How will Wii Fit(TM) move you? Discover for yourself at New York’s
Central Park Merchants’ Gate on May 19, as Nintendo hosts a
spectacular all-day launch event for Wii Fit, the highly
anticipated new program for the popular Wii(TM) home video game
system that combines fun and fitness. The event doubles as a
celebration of May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month,
putting all kinds of bodies — young and old, big and small — in
motion with live demonstrations of Wii Fit and the new Wii Balance
Board(TM).

For every attendee who “gets on board” for a Wii
Fit demo, Nintendo will make a donation of $5 (up to $25,000 total) to
the American Heart Association in support of its effort to help
Americans live healthier. Expect crowds of people throughout the day,
plus an appearance by celebrity trainer Ashley Borden.

Featuring more than 40 physical activities and the revolutionary Wii
Balance Board, Wii Fit makes fitness fun for the entire household.
Anyone can benefit from its mix of aerobic, yoga, strength training
and balancing exercises. Following the phenomenal success of
active-play titles such as Wii Sports(TM), Wii Fit gets everyone
active and playing together.
WHO: Hundreds of parents,
kids, fitness enthusiasts, American Heart Association supporters and
consumers of all ages. Executives from Nintendo and the American Heart
Association New York City volunteer leadership.
WHEN:
Monday, May 19, 2008
Event: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE: Central Park, Merchants’
Gate Located at the
intersection of Central Park West, Central Park South, Columbus Circle
and Broadway in Manhattan
VISUALS:
– Hundreds of consumers of all ages twisting and tilting
their bodies atop the innovative Wii Balance Board

– Celebrity trainer Ashley Borden providing personal Wii Fit
training session
– Wii Fit b-roll available

INTERVIEWS:

– Interviews will be available with Nintendo of America and
American Heart Association New York City volunteer leadership, as
well as celebrity trainer Ashley Borden

Posted using Meow

I played a little MKSM this morning. It’s a good fighting game. There’s a storyline to the single play and co-op modes. It’s pretty much a brawler action-adventure game. You smash and bash your way through a tutorial first. The fighting system is directional so you can attack in any direction by pressing the L thumbstick towards the enemy. So it’s possible to chain attacks and get combo bonuses. There are a lot of animated fatalities. You and your character learn them through the course of the game and they just get more and more involved and gruesome. It’s almost reason enough to play through the single player mode.

Continue reading »

Last night, my sister Sallie and I drove to Atlantic City to go to the World Poker Tour launch party. It was a pretty classy party at the Borgata. I promise not to let the 15 fried oysters that I ate affect the review. [Photos of me and Sallie are coming. She didn't bring the right cable to connect her camera to my laptop.]

2K Sports is going to come out with the World Poker Tour video game on October 17, 2005 at the $19.99. I got to play it last night and, aside from the few little things that were wrong simply because it is an early build, the game looks solid. There are tons of different combinations that can be made while creating your character, anything from your shirt to your personality can be set. There’s also a Poker Boot Camp that is poker lessons done over full motion video. My luck was pretty streaky: I won the first ten hands and then lost the next ten. Then I handed the controller to Sallie and within minutes we were out.

Continue reading »

by Tina Romero
For basketball aficionados like my brother Yan, last night’s NBA 2K6 launch at Slate was a dream come true. I am not a gamer nor a basketball fan like Yan but I have to admit that Shaq’s gargantuan presence made me feel larger than life.

It was even made bigger when I rubbed elbows with other NBA stars like Phoenix Sun’s Amare Stoudemire, Trevor Ariza (NY Knicks) and NBA conference host Craig Anthony.

Continue reading »

Last night brought the culmination of all of my years of intense training in the NHL 2K6 video game. What does this have to do with Nina and Sonja? They have been present at each training session. Sonja cheers me on and Nina just tells me to get in more fights.
Last night I met and played Xbox with Marty Turco, the goalie for the Dallas Stars. He told me that he was going to kick my ass because he’s really good at the game, and I said, “I can guarantee you that every minute you spend training for real hockey is matched by the number of minutes I spend training for video hockey,” and he restated that he would kick my ass.

Continue reading »