Console Digest

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Video Game Captures the Intense Action-Adventure, Fantastic Creatures and Epic Locations of Upcoming Universal Pictures’ Supernatural Adventure Staring Brendan Fraser and Jet Li

Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced the development of The Mummy™: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a video game based on one of Summer 2008’s most highly anticipated movies from Universal Pictures. The game, which will mirror the fast-paced action and adventure depicted in the film, is being developed by Eurocom Studios for the Wii™ home video game console and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and by A2M for Nintendo DS™.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor game was created through a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group.

“Sierra Entertainment is pleased to partner with Universal to deliver an exciting extension to this popular film franchise,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Sierra Entertainment. “Developed in collaboration with the film’s creative talent, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game will add another opportunity for players to experience the thrill and excitement of this adventure favourite.”

“The Mummy is one of the most distinctive and expansive franchises in Universal’s portfolio, and there is inherent gameplay in the property,” said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. “The new film amps up the action, introduces a ruthless new villain and takes our heroes to incredible new locations. We are thrilled to bring all these attributes to life in this game.”

In the third-person action-adventure game The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, players will take on the roles of Rick O’Connell and his son, Alex (played by Brendan Fraser and Luke Ford, respectively, in the film). Gamers will follow the lead characters on their harrowing journey - across exotic locations from ancient Chinese catacombs to beautiful, but dangerous, Himalayan peaks - to defeat the revived servants of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor allows players to switch seamlessly between gunplay and hand-to-hand melee attacks, and also features a fast and fluid combat system and an arsenal of weaponry that can be used to vanquish the many bone-chilling enemies players will face during their journey. Fans of the upcoming Universal Pictures film, directed by Rob Cohen and set to hit cinemas this 1st August, will fight their way through The Mummy universe by utilising combat, puzzle-solving and hieroglyphic decoding gameplay elements.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game is expected to be available from UK retailers on 8th August, 2008. For more information, please visit the game’s official Web site at www.mummyvideogame.com.

Publishers of the Renowned WWE^® SmackDown^®/SmackDown^® vs. Raw^® Franchise To Establish New Property for Next Generation Systems

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) today announced that WWE® Legends of WrestleMania® is currently in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Joining the distinguished WWE® SmackDown®/SmackDown vs. Raw® franchise, which has shipped more than 37 million units worldwide since 2000, WWE Legends of WrestleMania is scheduled for release in March 2009 to coincide with the annual pinnacle of sports entertainment, WrestleMania® 25, in Houston, Texas.

“We have generated significant year-over-year growth in key global territories with WWE-licensed videogames, including tremendous success with the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw franchise,” said Peter Matiss, vice president, global brand management, THQ. “The development capabilities afforded by next generation hardware, combined with our established history and deep understanding of fighting videogames, allow us to leverage the strength of the WWE brand to further extend our leadership in the fighting videogame genre and bring this new property to market.”

“JAKKS Pacific is pleased to introduce a new WWE videogame property to the fighting genre,” said Nelo Lucich, senior vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. “The WWE SmackDown vs. Raw franchise has captured a collective audience of WWE fans, game enthusiasts and casual players, and we are confident that WWE Legends of WrestleMania will be poised for great success.”

Konami reissues 360, PlayStation 2 and PC-DVD versions of PES 2008 at new, low price

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that its best-selling PES 2008 title will be reissued as a budget release for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 on May 16th.

Originally released in October 2007, PES 2008 has won worldwide acclaim for its utter realism and closeness to real football. Now newcomers to the series will be able to experience all the feints, through balls and blistering runs the game has to offer, with the 360 reissue retailing for £24.99 and the PlayStation 2 version for £19.99.

The heart of PES 2008 is a proprietary adaptive AI system entitled Teamvision. Unique to the Konami game, Teamvision is a sophisticated AI programming that can adapt to the individual’s playing style. Through repeated play, it will learn new ways to build attacks and to counter specific movements and previous attacking or defensive errors, ensuring games are more in line with the tactical but flowing nature of the real thing.

As an extension of the Teamvision system, every aspect of PES 2008’s on-field play has been reworked and fine-tuned to create the balanced and strategic play of a high stakes match. Set-pieces have been improved, with full control given over the number of players and the position of the defensive wall. A wider range of set piece options are also available to make use of specific talents within the team.

Coupled with a wealth of licensed teams, instantly recognisable players who move identically to their real-life counterparts, and a stunning array of training, online and competition modes, PES 2008 is still the top of its league, and will be the bargain signing of the summer.