Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced a new release date for the fourth installment of its critically-acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Set for release on October 7th in North America and October 10th in Europe and developed by series creator Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles will give gamers the unprecedented freedom to race through a hyper-realistic LA.

Rockstar San Diego has created a beautiful rendition of Los Angeles to race through at break neck speeds and explore at your own pace. With no tracks and no load times, Midnight Club: Los Angeles offers the ultimate freedom to play however you choose.

Also scheduled for release simultaneously, Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP® system will provide another incredible portable racing experience. Developed by Rockstar London, the game will take full advantage of the hardware to deliver the unrivaled sense of speed and style that the best-selling Midnight Club series is known for.

Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced Guitar Hero^®: On Tour has sold in excess of 300,000 units in North America in the first seven days since its launch, making it the largest North American launch for the Nintendo DS^TM in the company’s history by more than a factor of eight. In addition, Guitar Hero: On Tour’s performance ranks it as one of Activision’s top 5 best-selling launches of any title on any platform in the company’s history.

Guitar Hero: On Tour brings the popular Guitar Hero franchise to the handheld platforms for the first time delivering a unique gaming experience and challenging handheld gamers to prove their skills on the most diverse set list of master tracks ever offered in a Guitar Hero game.

“Guitar Hero is one of the most successful entertainment properties and continues to push the boundaries of innovation with Guitar Hero: On Tour,” said Mike Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Activision Publishing, Inc. “The game’s breakthrough peripheral brings the Guitar Hero experience to the 41 million DS users in North America and Europe, where they can play anywhere, anytime.”

Since the 1950s Rummikub® has been an immensely popular family game, played by millions of people all over the world, and being voted “Game of the Year” in over a dozen countries during its existence. Now, Engine Software and GFO are bringing the officially licensed version of the game to the Nintendo DS. Rummikub® for DS will be based on the classic version of the game, and like the original game it will be targeted at the 7+ audience.

Jurriaan van Rijswijk, General Manager at Games Factory Online said: “ When we acquired the official license for this game, we looked for a stable and experienced developer to turn the license into a succesful release for Nintendo DS. With Engine Software we found the ideal partner for this project, and we are quite excited about bringing this product to the market in the near future. “

Games Factory Online and Engine Software will be releasing further information, including screenshots and other media, in the coming period. An exact release date and price point have not yet been confirmed, and will be announced at a later date.

Nyko Technologies®, the premier gaming peripherals manufacturer, today revealed details for its upcoming Media Hub for the PlayStation 3™. The Media Hub easily attaches to the console, adding three additional USB ports and a media card reader slot that supports SD cards and Memory Sticks. Compatible with all PS3 models, the Media Hub matches the color and contour of the system to expand its media capabilities while maintaining a clean form factor.

The all-new Media Hub from Nyko attaches to any available USB port and enables the connection of three additional USB devices including flash drives, PSP, MP3 players and additional controllers. Its unique design requires no tools or internal modifications, draws its power directly from the PS3, and easily installs in just seconds.

“We found that many of our customers who had purchased the popular 40 GB version of the PS3, which has less USB ports and no media card reader, were looking for an affordable solution to expand with these features,” said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. “With the Media Hub, an additional three USB ports and a media card reader are now possible for all PS3 models, allowing consumers to enjoy the full capabilities of their multimedia system no matter which model they choose.”

Nyko’s Media Hub for PS3 is expected to hit store shelves by August 2008 for the suggested retail price of $19.99. Please visit www.nyko.com for more information.

KEY FEATURES:

• All-new, original storyline – Players guide Naruto and his squad as they attempt to complete a brand-new mission and battle never-before-seen enemies.

• Extensive character roster – With thirty different characters to choose from and the new Squad Leader and Ninja Tag systems, players have more squad-building options than ever before.

• Take command with the DS Touch Screen and microphone – Players can use the Touch Screen and microphone to explore the world, navigate menus, solve puzzles, and unleash devastating melee and jutsu attacks in the heat of battle.

• Test your reflexes – Travel across a wide variety of maps and test your reflexes with side-scrolling adventure sequences that allow players to move quickly from one area to the next.

• Wi-Fi multiplayer action – Newly added Wi-Fi multiplayer gives aspiring ninja the chance to challenge friends across North America as they earn points, special ninja cards, and bragging rights.

Release Date: September 2008
Platform: Nintendo DS™
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending (expected E10+)

YUKE’S Company of America, the U.S. publishing arm of Japanese game developer YUKE’S Company Limited, today launched a new website and unveiled the official trailer for Double D Dodgeball, its upcoming title for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The new video gives an exclusive preview of the fast-paced competition that awaits with Double D Dodgeball, slated for release on July 30th, 2008.

Double D Dodgeball recreates the classic playground sport in a new, futuristic setting with an arcade feel. Within its unique design lies one of the most competitive online sports games to hit Xbox LIVE Arcade this year, enabling online matches of up to 8 players, and up to 12 players total when including AI. Featuring both Eastern and Western dodgeball rules, Double D Dodgeball pays homage to the playground sport in its truest form.

The website not only features the brand new trailer, but also includes a variety of screenshots and gameplay details providing an in-depth look at one of this summer’s most highly anticipated Xbox LIVE Arcade titles.

To visit the website, please click here: http://www.doubleddodgeball.com/

CustomPlay Golf 2009 revitalizes the golfing experience with a game packed with features that encompasses the full embodiment of this great sport along with some little extras that will please aficionados and the leisure player equally. From the detailed delights of 15 full 18 hole championship courses to some inventive crazy golf courses, no area is left untapped to present the ultimate in GOLF!

CustomPlay Golf 2009 builds on the solid base of CustomPlay Golf 2, built on realistic physics, swing mechanics, stunning courses and player customization. The new editor is fast and easy to use, allowing for the most realistic looking courses yet. In-game the whole course is always displayed in the distance and loading times between holes have been eradicated. Added to this are the following all new course types; Crazy Golf, Mini Golf, Par 3, Pitch and Putt and Driving Range, to make an all-encompassing golf experience.

“We are excited to be working with the CustomPlay Golf team as their experience and knowledge in the creation a golf game is exceptional. Lexicon Entertainment believes they can create a new unique benchmark as they truly understand the most important nuances of this great sport and we believe a golf title that will have gamers coming back for more”. Christopher Allcroft, President of Publishing for Lexicon Entertainment UK Ltd.

THE COURSES
Including 15 full 18 hole championship Golf courses, including licensed and fantasy courses, along with the following, additional varieties: - Par3 (full 18 hole par 3 courses with all clubs available), Pitch and Putt (short 18 hole courses, with just the pitching wedge and putter available), Mini Golf (putter only courses), Crazy Golf (themed courses with obstacles, moving objects and animating objects), Driving Range (traditional and fantasy).

CUSTOMISATION
The editor allows anyone to create any kind of course from scratch. Create a player and tailor their playing style and look. When playing you can setup the game according to tee time, weather, pin location, tee difficulty and game mode.

FEATURES

• Game Modes; Practice Mode, Offline, AI, Matchplay, Strokeplay, Stableford, Modified Stableford, Foursomes and Fourballs.
• Online – play against 1 to 7 opponents.
• PlayMail – email a playable version of any hole, to anyone, they can play it even if they don’t own the game.
• Dynamic time of day system, choose your tee time and watch time fly.
• Physics – the ball data in game was provided by T&K Golf Research who collate data for the major golf equipment manufacturers.
• Stunning graphical weather/effects including enhanced lighting and shadow systems for objects and terrain, normal map, detail map, mega-texture and more
• PlayMail, allowing you to email, detailed playable holes to anyone, even if they don’t own the game

“We are pleased to be working with a publisher who shares our vision of creating the best golf game going. Our goal is to create the most realistic golf game and to add as many options and varieties of the game as we can! We also look to work closely with our fanbase to keep improving everything we do and we will continue to strive for perfection. We strongly believe Lexicon to be the perfect partner to help us take our game to a much wider audience.” Dean Baker, CustomPlay Games Ltd.

PITCHING IN A NEW DIRECTION

CustomPlay Golf 2009 delivers a lot, lot more and will be available October 2008 for PC and Q1 2009 on Nintendo Wii.

Release date for PC: October 2008
Wii TBC
Price: PC £19:99 - Wii TBC
Rating: 3+

Appearing on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC, Beijing 2008™ delivers a host of Gymnastics events.

The Gymnastics events in Beijing 2008™ are split up into male and female events. One of the three female events is the Uneven Bars, where the player uses both analogue sticks to mimic the movement of the athlete. In the Floor Exercise, the player uses the four buttons of the controller to guide the player to the rhythm of the music. The last of the female events is the Balance Beam, in which the player needs to keep the athlete on the beam while pressing the 4 buttons corresponding to the colour on the beam to make the athlete move.

The first of three Gymnastics Events are the Parallel Bars, in which the player uses the analogue sticks and buttons to complete the athlete’s routine. In the Vault, players need to build up speed with their lower buttons, and use the analogue trigger to launch them off the board over the horse, while turning the analogue sticks will balance the landing. The final male event is the Rings, in which you follow the arm movement of the athlete with both your analogue sticks, while you make sure the landing is stable by pressing a button combination that shows on-screen.

Beijing 2008™ was released globally last Friday for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The PC version will be released 11th July.

WHAT:

Leading game center organization iGames will host a new and expanded season of Xbox LIVE® HD Game Nights, an exclusive 10-week series celebrating the wide-ranging HD content available on Xbox LIVE.

WHEN & WHERE:
• Every Wednesday and Thursday night July 9 through September 18 at 40 select iGames member centers across North America (July 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31; August 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28; Sept. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18)

WHY YOU SHOULD GO:

• Red-hot games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ in addition to your favorite arcade and casual games
• Free HD showings of popular movies and TV shows
• Tons of free stuff, such as 4000 MS Point Cards, 1600 MS Point Cards, 64 MB Xbox 360 Memory Units, Xbox 360 Silver Faceplates, Xbox T-Shirts XL, Xbox blankets

“We are delighted to welcome back Xbox LIVE HD Game Nights,” said Mark Nielsen, Executive Director, iGames. “After the success of the first season, it is our pleasure to work with the LIVE team again to bring an augmented second season, filled with more games, more on-demand special content, to our 1.2 million gamers. The fact that the length of the second season was almost doubled, from 6 weeks to 10, really says something about the quality of the series in addition to the great stuff available on Xbox LIVE.”

For more information and a complete list of iGames game centers hosting this event, including signup information, visit: http://www.igames.org/ or contact the iGames events team at events@igames.org.

Rock Band 2 Makes Exclusive Debut on Xbox 360 This September

Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company in the world, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.

Rock Band is the groundbreaking platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before - challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.

Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

• Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.
• The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.
• Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.
• More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs - all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.
• And much more.

“As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we’ve now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans’ requests and to build upon that foundation,” said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. “Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level.”

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.

More details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2 will be revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Rock Band, the first installment in the franchise, garnered more than 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007.

In addition, Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 15 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 200 tracks available to date via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.