Monthly Archives: November 2007

Two Worlds moves on to it’s First Expansion!

Two Worlds moves on to it’s First Expansion!

    Karlsruhe, 28. November 2007 – Head for a new horizon! With the add-on, “Two Worlds – The Temptation”, the “Two Worlds” universe continues to grow, introducing new game content, extended gameplay and providing you with the answers to many questions and mysteries which arose in the main story!

The developers are focusing on a blend of the proven and the new: besides several well-known regions of Antaloor, there are also completely new territories to explore. The combat system has been further enhanced too – now you can use active blocking, for example. Many other additional developments have been added – developments which have enabled a completely new means of transport and a much enhanced reaction from NPCs – but more on these and a whole host of other surprises shortly! The release of “Two Worlds – The Temptation” for PC and consoles is planned for the first half of 2008. You can get an idea of what to expect at:

Official Two Worlds – The Temptation Website.

Blu-ray Disc Movie Sales Across Europe Surpass 1 Million Units

Blu-ray Disc Movie Sales Across Europe Surpass 1 Million Units

    LONDON – (27 November, 2007) –Total Blu-ray Disc movie sales across Europe have topped one million units, it was announced today by the Blu-ray Disc Association European Promotions Committee. Of the High Definition movie discs bought by consumers year-to-date in Europe, 73% were in the Blu-ray Disc format and 27% were HD DVD, according to sales data provided by Media Control Gfk International.*

The only High Definition packaged media universally supported by the film, music, gaming and computer industries, BD is the #1 selling High Definition packaged media. The one million sales figure relates to movies: if BD game disc production is added into the equation then total number of discs produced for sale in Europe already exceeds 21 million units. The so-called ‘PlayStation effect’ is important since it is creating major economies of scale and makes BD disc replication cost effective.

Blu-ray Disc movie sales experienced their highest weekly sales since the inception of the format, in week 44, topping 66,000 units. * This is due to the launch of new release titles such as 300, Spider-Man 3, Die Hard 4.0 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End releasing in some markets.

“This is an important milestone for Blu-ray Disc in Europe and proves once again that whenever consumers have the choice they decide overwhelmingly in favour of BD,” stated Frank Simonis, Chairman of the Blu-ray Disc European Promotions Committee. “Early indicators show that the Christmas holiday season will be exceptionally good for Blu-ray Disc across all categories from packaged media to standalone players and BD capable games consoles.”

Blu-ray Disc has become the first High Definition movie format to sell more than one million discs in Europe, with Blu-ray Disc’s sales lead over the rival HD DVD format increasing each month since the PS3’s release in March, outselling HD DVD by 2:1 YTD and 3:1 since the launch of the PS3.

The launch of the PS3 in March was seen as a turning point for the Blu-ray Disc format across Europe, with weekly movie sales of Blu-ray Disc titles averaging between two- and five-times the amount of HD DVD sales week over week.*

The best selling Blu-ray titles year-to-date are 300 – the number one selling title in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux and Sweden and Casino Royale – the number one selling title in UK and Ireland.

News of the 1 millionth Blu-ray Disc sale in Europe was met with pleasure in many of the leading Hollywood studios. Bob Chapek, Worldwide President, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment believes that this news is the prelude for an exponential growth period in BD sales.

“Blu-ray will inevitably prevail because Blu-ray delivers what consumers want: True High Definition picture without compromise, the best sound quality, the best choice in content, the most in special features, and of course the most disc storage capacity. No tradeoffs. No compromises,” commented Chapek.

Nintendo Of America Reports Historic Sales Week

Default Nintendo Of America Reports Historic Sales Week

    REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 27, 2007 – In the first week of the 2007 holiday shopping season, Nintendo of America has sold more Nintendo products than at any other time in its history. This includes more than 653,000 Nintendo DS™ portable video game systems, 350,000 Wii™ home systems and millions of games and accessories throughout the United States – and the season is just getting started.

Nintendo DS set a new all-time sales record for Thanksgiving week, eclipsing the previous mark of 600,000 Game Boy® Advance systems sold during the same period in the United States in 2005. Nintendo DS remains on track to be the top-selling video game system of 2007.

Nintendo’s 350,000 Wii systems represent the highest one-week U.S. sales total outside of its launch week one year ago. Wii has been dubbed the must-have gift of the 2007 holiday season and has been placed at the top of numerous gift lists. Nintendo has repeatedly increased its shipments and its fiscal-year sales forecast for Wii in an attempt to meet soaring demand. Wii reached 5 million sold in the United States faster than any video game system in history, after only 12 months of availability there.

Both Wii and Nintendo DS have continued their yearlong momentum into the holidays without altering their prices. And both remain attractive values for shoppers: Wii has an MSRP of $249.99, while Nintendo DS has an MSRP of $129.99.

“As shoppers look for ways to maximize their limited holiday spending money, they turn to gifts that can be used by the entire family,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Wii and Nintendo DS offer something for every member of the family. They’re the most fun video game experiences at the most affordable price.”

With higher gas prices and fuel costs, and the lukewarm expectations for the 2007 holiday shopping season, Wii and Nintendo DS might be just what Santa ordered: Thirty-five percent of consumers said they plan to spend less than they did last year, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. Similarly, a USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that 25 percent of Americans expect to spend less on gifts this year than they did in 2006.

Note that the internal Nintendo of America numbers referenced in this release represent sales from Sunday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 24.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at Nintendo :: Country Selector.

EVE Online: Trinity Expansion Launch Date Announced

Default EVE Online: Trinity Expansion Launch Date Announced

Reykjavik, Iceland – November 28, 2007 – CCP, one of the world’s largest independent game developers, today announced that the highly anticipated EVE Online: Trinity expansion for its popular massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) will be available on December 5, 2007. Available as a free online download for all EVE subscribers, Trinity features a next-generation graphics engine that sets a new aesthetic standard for online games. This expansion comes on the heels of another important milestone: more than 200,000 players now subscribe to EVE Online.The release of the Trinity expansion fortifies EVE Online’s position at the forefront of three-dimensional game graphics, creating a breath-taking cinematic experience during actual gameplay. In order to achieve its visual goals, CCP developed a new graphics engine, architected for Shader Model 3.0 and above. In this first showcase for the new engine, all ships, stations and stargates have been reconstructed. EVE Online: Trinity employs advanced lighting techniques and complex surface materials to make these highly detailed models even more realistic.

“EVE Online players always inspire and amaze everyone at CCP, and it is invigorating to see our subscription numbers surpass 200,000 as we prepare for the Trinity release,” said Hilmar Veigar Petursson, Chief Executive Officer of CCP. “We’re pleased that advances in graphics technology allow us to present the world of EVE as we had always envisioned it. We look forward to sharing the Trinity edition with the fast-growing, dedicated community that shares our passion to remove the barriers that constrain virtual worlds from meeting their full potential.”

The Trinity launch also includes a host of new features. For full details of added features, please visit:
http://www.eve-online.com/trinity/

To experience a preview of EVE Online: Trinity, see the trailer here:
EVE Online | Downloads | Videos.

Final Fantasy XI : Winds of The Goddess MMORPG Expansion Pack now Available in Stores

Default Final Fantasy XI : Winds of The Goddess MMORPG Expansion Pack now Available in Stores

    London (26th November 2007) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, announced today that WINGS OF THE GODDESS™ the fourth expansion pack for FINAL FANTASY® XI, a successful massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG), is now available for Windows® and Xbox 360™.

This fourth expansion to FINAL FANTASY XI sends players twenty years back in time, right at the core of the Crystal War, the main event upon which the FINAL FANTASY XI storyline is based. With new jobs, enemies and exciting features it will make FINAL FANTASY XI one of the most involving and deep MMORPG experiences ever.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “The world of FINAL FANTASY XI continues to grow with both new content and new players. WINGS OF THE GODDESS provides the latest exciting expansion to Vana’diel® with a host of features that ensures FINAL FANTASY XI continues to evolve and entertain.”

About WINGS OF THE GODDESS

New Combat Features:

  • An all-new “Allied Campaign” system will allow players to take part in large-scale battles and explore new special dungeons
  • New Areas:
  • New settings further expand the vast world of Vana’diel
  • Mog House Guests:
  • Players will be able to invite their friends to their Mog Houses, showing their personalised furniture and special items. It is a new way to talk about past adventures and future plans in an entirely customised setting.
  • New Jobs
  • New Monsters

New Jobs

Dancer
With their aggressive steps, these thewy terpsichoreans would weave forbidden magicks upon themselves and their enemies, producing results rivalling those of even the most powerful sorcerous cants. The popularity of this profession reached its peak during the Great War, when dancers were common additions to the allied army units fighting on the front lines.

Scholar
During the Crystal War, these military tacticians often served as high-ranking officers in allied forces across Vana’diel. Extensive knowledge of ancient martial theory granted them the ability to wield dual schools of magic, between which they would alternate depending on the situation at hand.

For more information about WINGS OF THE GODDESS, please visit FINAL FANTASY XI – Wings of the Goddess