Console Digest

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‘Skate It’ Delivers Popular Flickit Controls and Introduces Support for Wii Balance Board to Deliver Unique Skateboarding Experience

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced Skate It, a new game in the award-winning Skate franchise that taps into the heart and soul of being on a skateboard. Designed exclusively for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems, Skate It has Nintendo players riding with the skate pros, owning the best spots in San Vanelona and pulling off the sickest tricks using the popular FlickIt controls. Loaded with all-new gameplay features, Skate It breaks new ground by introducing innovative support for the Wii Balance board which gives players a fresh way to create their own signature skateboarding style.

“We knew it would be an exciting challenge to bring the soul and feel of skateboarding to the Wii and Nintendo DS,” said Scott Blackwood, Executive Producer - Skate franchise. “With fresh new designs and gameplay components built from scratch, we’ve been able to, once again, capture the true experience of skateboarding in a completely innovative way.”

Skate It unleashes the FlickIt revolution on to the Nintendo platforms, letting gamers use the Wii remote or the Nintendo DS stylus to string together their best tricks for the ultimate skate line. The Wii remote becomes a skateboard and reacts to gestures that mirror actual skate flips and moves. Players can also deepen this experience by planting their feet on the Wii Balance board. Skate It brings the hit Skate franchise to a new level of creative ingenuity and gameplay excellence.

Skate It will ship in 2008. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Separately, Skate 2 is also currently in development for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system.

Popular Online PC Franchise From Sandlot Games Coming To Wii

Baking bedlam goes motion-based as Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, and Sandlot Games, a leading developer and publisher of casual and family-friendly games, today announced Cake Mania®: In The Mix! for Wii™.

Following the hectic, time-management style gameplay of the original Cake Mania, and the branching storyline of Cake Mania 2, Cake Mania: In The Mix! introduces all-new characters, motion-based mini-games and a unique co-op mode where cake baking heroine Jill Evans receives some much needed assistance. Based on Sandlot Games’ award-winning PC franchise that has been downloaded more than 80 million times worldwide and sold 315,000 units on Nintendo DS™, Cake Mania: In The Mix! is expected to release in Europe and PAL territories in early 2009.

“Joining Cake Mania’s trademark resource management play with the Wii’s motion-based control is a natural extension of an incredibly successful brand on PC and DS,” said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations, Majesco. “The Wii version’s expanded feature set, ranging from catering integration to cake design mini-games, enables fans of the series to experience the franchise in an entirely new way.”

“We are thrilled to combine Majesco’s expertise on the Wii platform with the massive fan base and addictive gameplay of Cake Mania,” said Daniel Bernstein, founder and CEO, Sandlot Games. “The combination of a great story, memorable characters and the Wii platform will deliver something that Cake Mania fans have never seen before.”

In Cake Mania: In The Mix! players use the Wii Remote to lead Jill through nine new bakeries filled with baking and frosting mania. Aspiring bakers control every aspect of the business, from serving cakes and advertising in the Dessert Daily newspaper, to running a catering business by phone.

By unlocking bonus levels, players can expand the bakery to exotic locales on the moon, under the sea and in the rainforest, among others. In addition, the all-new Shop Rating feature lets players earn extra cash, promote catering services and unlock special kitchen upgrades and new cake designing mini-games where they can use the Wii Remote as a cake decorating tool.

Additional new game features include:
• 10 customer friendly bakery add-ons: fish tank, bench, table, table game, promotional decorations and more!
• Phone system allows players to accept catering orders and increase their business exponentially.
• Demanding customers ranging from ninjas to pregnant moms to leprechauns.

Developed by Gorilla Systems, Cake Mania: In The Mix! for Wii™ is expected to be released early 2009 in Europe and across PAL territories, where it will be distributed by Codemasters. For additional information about Majesco’s exciting line of products, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com and www.majescoeurope.com.

Conspiracy Entertainment, a developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software in North America and Western Europe, announced today that it has entered into a publishing agreement with Epicenter Studios, developer of Real Heroes: Firefighters (”Real Heroes”), the fire-fighting action game exclusively designed for the Nintendo Wii. According to the agreement, Conspiracy has the rights to market, sell and distribute Real Heroes in the US, Canada, Mexico and South America. Conspiracy expects to begin distribution in the 2nd Quarter of 2009.

Real Heroes emphasizes non-violent, game-integral puzzles that mirror the challenges and on-the-fly choices firefighters face every day. Featuring Epicenter’s proprietary “Thinking Fire” technology, Real Heroes’ blazes will seem almost alive as they not only attack structures, potential victims and firefighters, but also cause unexpected changes to the environments that will suddenly alter the player’s options and strategies. No two scenarios will play out the same way.

“The motion sensing capability of the Wii Remote, combined with Epicenter’s intuitive fire technology, equips anyone to step into the role of rookie firefighter,” said Sirus Ahmadi, CEO of Conspiracy Entertainment. “Not only is this game thrilling, but its realistic action pays homage to the nation’s real firefighters and is appropriate for the whole family.”

Epicenter CEO Nathaniel McClure, “We are favorably impressed by Conspiracy’s flexibility and industry expertise in reaching the North American marketplace. We look forward to a successful product launch next year.”

Keith Tanaka, CFO of Conspiracy Entertainment, said, “We are pleased to add Real Heroes to our product line up for 2009. Designed by some of the world’s top gaming producers, the early buzz on Real Heroes has been very positive. We anticipate a very busy year into 2009, including distribution of this highly-anticipated release.”