Emergence Day Revealed: Critically Acclaimed Xbox 360 Title “Gears of War” to Surface Nov. 12, 2006
Countdown begins for the most anticipated game of 2006 as gamers eagerly await the flagship title from Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games.
REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 3, 2006 — Since the first frightening images appeared a little over a year ago, gamers worldwide have felt the ominous rumblings of something approaching that defies all convention. Sightings as recent as at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2006 have confirmed its existence, leaving gamers breathless. Microsoft Corp. today announced what anxious players have been eagerly awaiting: Emergence Day 2006. Available exclusively for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the highly anticipated title “Gears of War” will be available in North America on Nov. 12, 2006.
Developed by Epic Games Inc. and published by Microsoft Game Studios, “Gears of War” tells the harrowing story of mankind’s struggle against the monstrous Locust Horde through stunning high-definition graphics and an intense storyline on the scale of a blockbuster movie.
One of the most anticipated next-generation console titles of 2006 and the critic’s choice winner for the E3 2006 Best Console Game, “Gears of War” will explode onto store shelves with a standard edition available for $59.99* and a limited collector’s edition available for $69.99. The limited edition will offer an even deeper look into the graphically stunning and frightening world of “Gears of War,” providing an official “Destroyed Beauty” art book and a bonus DVD featuring an inside look at the making of the game — all enclosed in a highly collectible metal box.
“‘Gears of War’ represents the emergence of a thrilling new franchise for Xbox 360 and is the must-have game of 2006,” said Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios. “Combining the best in innovative gameplay, next-generation graphics and interactive storytelling, Epic has harnessed the extraordinary power of Xbox 360 to create an extremely powerful and immersive entertainment experience.”
“Our vision is to deliver a one-two punch of cinematic action paired with a thrilling and compelling interactive experience,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer at Epic. “With ‘Gears of War’ we’ve created a title that will place gamers directly in the shadows of a ravaged world, surrounded by the beautiful remnants of a destroyed city and the horrific dangers that hide in the rubble.”
“Gears of War” thrusts gamers into humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Blending the best of tactical action games with the best of survival horror titles, “Gears of War” features cinematic, beautifully rendered interactive environments with high-definition visuals.
Demand for the game is high as retailers anticipate the one-two punch of “Gears of War” and Xbox 360 appearing in quantity on store shelves this holiday season. “The interest and buzz on this game has been intense,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. “Certainly gamers are counting the days until Emergence Day arrives, as pre-orders have been very strong.”
Today's Ubisoft's turn to jump in with their newest entry, Import Tuner Challenge, which will be an exclusive to Xbox 360.
"Import Tuner Challenge brings unprecedented car customization and speed to the racing genre," said Jay Cohen, vice president of publishing at Ubisoft. "The game offers more tuning possibilities than any other street-racing game to date on Xbox 360 and will submerge players into Tokyo's thrilling underground."
Microsoft Corporation, which will be launching its second generation gaming console, Xbox 360 in Indian markets shortly before Diwali this year, has drawn up an elaborate marketing strategy and distribution network to facilitate sales in the estimated $50 million market.
India, with an estimated 1.6 million avid gamers who spend more than 20 hours a week on gaming and an average of Rs 926 on buying legal gaming software, is a fertile sowing ground for gaming companies.
Microsoft, with its latest offering, is going full throttle with conventional promotional activities in the seven metro cities in India, tie ups with Adidas, MTV and Samsung for joint promotions, and putting in place a network of 1,200 retailers under the distributorship of Redington India Limited, said Mohit Anand, country manager, entertainment and devices division of Microsoft.
‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ punches its way into Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays on August 2
One of the most anticipated games of the summer, ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ hits Xbox Live Arcade today, Wednesday, August 2. The old-school classic from Capcom stays true to its roots with an amazing retro feel, and brings multiplayer action to the classic title for the first time. ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ melds the best of retro arcade gaming with the preeminent next-gen features that only Xbox 360 and Xbox Live can offer.
GAME FOCUS:
As a true tribute to this critically acclaimed arcade fighting game, ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ delivers the game in original form but also includes all new content specifically designed for Xbox Live Arcade. High definition video resolution, Achievements, Leaderboards, and online multiplayer combat over Xbox Live including the all new innovative "Quarter Match" takes this classic franchise phenom to next generation levels.
GAME FEATURES:
‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ comes packed with high-definition graphics, Xbox Live Achievements and Leaderboards plus online multiplayer matches providing endless hours of fun.
‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ offers:
* Online Multiplayer Mode - The game has both Ranked matches and Player matches, including the 4-player Quarter Match option * Quarter Match - entirely new mode for Xbox Live Arcade which is a spectator-based system as a tribute to the arcade roots, allowing online competitors (2 competitors and up to 2 spectators) to use a “virtual quarter” to “buy into” heated two player matches * Arcade Mode - simulates the single-player experience where gamers must work their way through a ladder of opponents until they face off against the final boss * Vs. Mode - allows two friends to select characters and battle it out * Fully customizable controls - players can map attacks to any of the main buttons and have the choice to map all three punches and/or all three kicks to a single button which simplifies complex moves * Comprehensive leaderboards - tracks overall and monthly best players using a point based system as well as rankings based on who is the best using each game character and most consecutive winning streaks * Achievements - complete 12 challenging offline and online objectives and earn your Achievements
WHEN CAN I GET IT: Download ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ today, Wednesday, August 2, at 1am PST on Xbox Live Arcade.
HOW MUCH WILL I HAVE TO PAY: 800 Microsoft Points for the Full version; however, as with all Xbox Live Arcade Titles there will be a free trial version so you can try this game out.
For more information please visit Xbox.com or hit the 360-HQ games database.
TVersity Inc., the pioneer in delivering Internet and home media to televisions and mobile devices, today announced support for the Xbox 360.
"We are very excited to allow owners of the Xbox 360 to overcome some of the inherent limitations of this device", said Ronen Mizrahi, President of TVersity Inc., "With TVersity they can, for the first time, access audio files in formats not natively supported by the Xbox 360 (like Vorbis and FLAC), play Internet radio stations of their choice, and access podcasts and photo feeds (from photo sharing sites like Flickr) -- All this without requiring a Media Center PC!"
Combined sales of Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 game consoles accounted for less than 1% of Japan's game console market in July, according to a report by Japan-based research firm Media Create.
Sales of the Xbox 360 during the week of July 17-23 totaled only 1,472 units, lagging far behind the 22,288 for the PS2 (PlayStation 2) and the 262,453 for the Nintendo DS Lite, the report said.
In addition, the top-10 most favorite game titles played in Japan are those designed for the Nintendo DS (NDS) and PS2, with six out the 10 titles designated for the NDS, the reported added. However, none of the titles designed for the Xbox or Xbox 360 was listed among the top-50, it added.
Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and PlayStation consoles Ultimate Games (@ULTGames) confirmed that Metro Simulator 2, the realistic and relaxing simulator with faithfully reproduced subway realities and train control mechanics from KishMish Games, will laun..
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