Village Gamer

Format: Wii™
Launch Date: May 18, 2009
ESRB: E 10+ – Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
Game Type: Action
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Official Site: PunchOut!!

Vancouver – One of the biggest names in boxing returns after a 15-year hiatus. Grab a Wii Remote™ controller in one hand and a Nunchuk™ controller in the other and step back into the ring with a modern update of the classic Punch-Out!! developed by Next Level Games.

• Little Mac is back! Everyone’s favorite underdog from the 1980s joins the best of the original Punch-Out!! cast in a modern re-imagination of the series. Players will find familiar names like Glass Joe, King Hippo and trainer Doc Louis. These boxers come to life again in cell-shaded 3-D, complete with hilarious fighting animations and back stories that capture all the fun and flair of the original Punch-Out!! games.
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Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that EA SPORTS™ has innovated a new, physical brand of hockey that includes first-person fighting in NHL® 10 to match the toughness and emotional intensity real-world NHL players endure in pursuit of a Stanley Cup™ Championship.

Towel Wave

The franchise that has won 19 sports game of the year awards over the past two years begins a new era with gameplay innovations that deliver a new standard of toughness, the emotion of playoff hockey on the ice and in the arena, and over 200 gameplay refinements that replicate the skill and finesse that every fan sees throughout the NHL playoffs.

A new first-person fighting engine enables players to trade punches with an NHL tough guy. Feel what it’s like to be on the ice in the skates of an NHL player to throw and dodge punches. Grab and tug an opponent’s jersey to land a punch that ignites the fans and sparks your team to victory. Challenge a skill player and an opposing team tough guy will step in to settle the score.
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Burnaby – EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., today announced that both EA SPORTS Grand Slam® Tennis and the Florida-developed Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 will ship to stores June 8 in North America, one week earlier than originally announced. EA SPORTS recently announced that the Wii™ version of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 will be available packaged with the Wii MotionPlus™ accessory in both North America and Europe. In Europe only, EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis will be available with Wii MotionPlus at launch.

“This was important for us to bring in our ship dates for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis to hit right at the launch of the new Wii MotionPlus accessory in North America,” said Todd Sitrin, Group Vice President Global Marketing, EA SPORTS. “Fans deserve great games that use the new accessory, and now they’ll have two that deliver authentic sports motion as soon as the Wii MotionPlus hits stores.”

Both Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis have been rated “E” by the ESRB. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 has an MSRP of $59.99 when bundled with the Wii MotionPlus. Both products will be available for $49.99 without the accessory.

EA Sports Announces 500 Millionth Online Game Played This Week

Burnaby – EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., today announced that 500 million online games have been played since launching its ‘09 product line last June. On average, more than 2.2 million EA SPORTS games are played online each day, which reflects an increase of more than 175 percent over last year.

“The massive migration to online gaming has transformed the video game landscape, and this week’s 500 millionth online EA SPORTS game highlights the radical shift that we’ve helped pioneer in the industry,” said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. “Online gameplay allows real-time competitions with fans from around the world who speak the global language of sports. EA SPORTS is committed to providing personal access to the emotion of sports by continuing to create immersive online features, compelling new downloadable content and daily real-time stats updates.”
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Burnaby – EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., today announced that the Wii™ version of EA SPORTS Grand Slam® Tennis will be bundled with Nintendo’s new Wii MotionPlus™ accessory for its European launch. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 will also be bundled with MotionPlus™ when that title launches in both North America and Europe.

“This exclusive and limited-time offer is exciting news for sports fans who want to enhance their Wii experience for a great value with the new Wii MotionPlus right at launch with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10,” said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “The functionality of the Wii MotionPlus will help us deliver the authentic, true-to-life sports motion for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis that will redefine the sports experience on the Wii.”
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Vancouver – 2K Sports announced today that MLB® All-Star first baseman, Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for this season’s highly anticipated arcade-style baseball video game, The BIGS™ 2, which is currently under development at Vancouver’s Blue Castle Games.

After breaking the MLB record for youngest player (23) to hit 50 home runs in a season, formerly held by Hall of Famer Willie Mays, Fielder has quickly become one of the most powerful and spectacular home run hitters in Major League Baseball® today.

“I’ve been playing baseball video games for as long as I can remember. All of my idols have appeared on a video game cover, and now to have that same opportunity is truly an unbelievable feeling,” said Fielder. “I can’t wait to see myself in The BIGS 2. I’ll be the guy crushing mammoth home runs into the stands.”

Drafted as the 7th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002 out of Eau Gallie High School, Fielder broke out in an MVP-caliber season, in which he was chosen by fans as the starting first baseman for the National League in the 2007 All-Star Game. That season, he won the Players Choice Award for Outstanding Player in the National League as voted on by the players, along with the Hank Aaron Award, given to the top offensive performer in each league as voted on by the fans. Fielder, who also currently owns the Milwaukee Brewers’ franchise record for home runs (50) and extra base hits (87) in a single-season, led his team to an exhilarating Wild Card berth in 2008 and its first playoff appearance in 26 years.

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Burnaby BC – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that tennis stars John McEnroe, Roger Federer and Serena Williams will be the North American* cover athletes for its new tennis franchise, EA SPORTS™ Grand Slam® Tennis. Eight different regional player partnerships will be announced soon. McEnroe, one of the sport’s most recognizable figures, was recently confirmed as exclusive to the game. Federer and Williams are among the biggest names in tennis and the most accomplished; having won 23 Grand Slam singles titles between them. Williams becomes the first woman to grace the cover of an EA SPORTS simulation product.

“It’s very exciting to be on the cover of EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis. This game not only shows EA’s enthusiasm for tennis but for also women’s tennis,” said Williams. “I know from experience how tough and gratifying it is to win all four Grand Slams so I hope people will enjoy the Grand Slam experience that is offered in this game.” Read the rest of this entry »

Toronto – DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD Productions, leading publishers of interactive entertainment software worldwide, are pleased to announce that Yoga for Wii™ is under development and set to be released October 2009.  Fans of yoga and those interested in improving their overall fitness and well-being will be able to practice Yoga from the comfort of their own home.

Utilizing the Wii Balance Board™ and following step-by-step instructions from a variety of in game Yoga Gurus, players will be guided through a variety of popular Yoga exercises. Players will be able to monitor their progress with a dynamic tracking system and set up a schedule to follow.  The yoga guru, acting as your own personal trainer, will make suggestions to you based on your progress and computations taken from the Balance Board.  The Wii Remote™ and Balance Board will be used for many poses to determine the player’s balance and any movements or shifts in weight by the player will be detected and recorded once the pose is complete.

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Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that a new downloadable game mode called FIFA 09 Ultimate Team is available now to download to the award-winning EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 09 on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system.

FIFA 09 Ultimate Team challenges gamers to collect the most talented players in the world, develop them into a dream team and then compete online. Feel the exhilaration as you take your carefully assembled squad into matches and tournaments online against the most formidably talented teams ever assembled—and out play them. Here is the ultimate test of your skills as a player and manager.

Collect bronze, silver and gold virtual cards, including Player, Staff, Contract, Formations, and Tactics, to create a fantasy team. Strategically collect and manage players and different types of cards, and then set the match strategy to win. Carefully select or trade for the right Manager, then choose the best Tactics and Formations that forge the team chemistry necessary to take your club to the top.

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Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that tennis legend John McEnroe will headline a roster of some of the sport’s all-time greats to be featured in EA SPORTS™ Grand Slam® Tennis. An enigmatic personality both on and off the court, McEnroe will make his videogame debut in EA’s new tennis franchise. The game is being developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. It will be available first for the Wii™ and ships to North American retailers on June 16th, 2009.

“It’s great that EA SPORTS has embraced tennis into its family of games. I think it’s a solid sign the sport is thriving and I hope it will continue to generate more interest and excitement in tennis,” said McEnroe. “Having Wimbledon exclusive to this game is huge because Wimbledon is such a special tournament, for the entire sport of tennis and for me personally.”

One of the greatest tennis players of all-time, McEnroe won seven Grand Slams, including three at Wimbledon, and amassed 77 singles titles. He stopped playing singles on the main ATP tour at the end of 1992 but has remained heavily involved in tennis, playing on seniors tours and providing television commentary for a number of networks at the Grand Slams. McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999. Off the court, he hosted his own talk show and written an autobiography, titled “You Cannot Be Serious”, a phrase he made famous through his on-court outbursts during his career.

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