ENDEMOL AND DESTINATION SOFTWARE, INC. BRING THE EXCITEMENT OF THE SMASH TV HIT "1 VS. 100" TO PORTABLE VIDEO GAMING

NEW JERSEY (May 20, 2008)— Endemol and Destination Software Incorporated (DSI) today announced the release of a video game for the Endemol franchise "1 vs. 100." The title will be in-stores in June for the Nintendo DS™ system for $19.99. This is the second collaboration for the two companies, as DSI published the multi-platform video game release for "Deal or No Deal" in 2007.

The "1 vs. 100" game recreates the television smash hit while additional modes of play add elements completely unique to the portable video game. Players can compete against a friend through a multiplayer challenge in a tense battle of the brains, as one player must assume the role of "The Mob" of 100 and stop the other from winning. Other variations include a CardGame-style trivia game, where players wager cash based on their confidence of the answer. The video game will feature "1 vs. 100" television host Bob Saget.

"We strive to find unique ways to expand home entertainment and television viewership, and bringing a fantastic TV game show like '1 vs. 100' to portable video gaming achieves those objectives," says Tina Hoover, Director of Production for Endemol USA. "We look forward to continuing our relationship with DSI as they achieve repeated success with the family and casual gaming markets."

"We at DSI are incredibly excited to continue our partnership with Endemol," says Steve Newton, Executive Vice President of DSI. "Bringing this incredibly successful game show to a portable video game system allows players to enjoy not only the game, but also a library of challenging trivia questions. '1 vs. 100' is a perfect pick-up-and-play video game title."

In both its seasons on air, "1 vs. 100" has consistently been the #1 or #2 rated program in its timeslot, handily beating tough competition. Also, the show's ratings consistently increase from the first half hour to the second, proving that viewers just can't turn it off and can't get enough!

The deal between DSI and Endemol was facilitated by Joy Tashjian Marketing Group (JTMG) and DSI's licensing agent, 360ep, Inc.

For more information on the "1 vs. 100" video game, visit www.dsigames.com.

NINTENDO'S NEW WII FIT MAKES FITNESS FUN

Wii Balance Board Forms the Centerpiece of 40+ Activities; Launches during National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

REDMOND, Wash., May 19, 2008 - The path to fitness begins with a single step.

Nintendo's new Wii Fit™, launching today, combines fun and fitness in ways that will have people getting up off their couches, moving around, having fun and maybe even breaking a sweat. Wii Fit gets everyone pumped up about making enjoyable physical activities a part of their daily routines. Wii Fit even tracks users' progress, which lets people see how they have improved while challenging them to better their scores and stay motivated to keep going.

At an MSRP of $89.99, Wii Fit comes packaged with the Wii Balance Board™ accessory, a precisely engineered platform that senses both weight and shifts in movement and balance. The Wii Balance Board connects wirelessly to the Wii™ console and serves as the centerpiece for more than 40 fun activities that challenge users in areas like yoga, aerobics, strength training and balance. Helpful virtual trainers in the game talk users through the different activities and make suggestions for improvement.

"Wii Fit will get you moving whether you've been playing video games for years or this is your first time," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Wii Fit is easy for anyone to try and is yet another example of how Nintendo continues to expand the world of video games to new audiences."

To celebrate the launch of Wii Fit, Nintendo is holding an interactive release party today for the public in the southwest corner of New York's Central Park, near the Merchants' Gate. "We're looking for everyone to 'get on board' and get excited about their fitness," said celebrity trainer Ashley Borden, who will be on hand to do personal Wii Fit demos and training.

Wii Fit, which has sold more than 2 million in Japan, starts with a simple measurement that calculates an adult user's Body Mass Index, or BMI. From there, the Wii Balance Board accessory can be used as a platform for twirling a virtual Hula Hoop®, shredding on a virtual snowboard, performing leg extensions or doing a downward-facing dog yoga pose. Wii Fit contains a wide variety of fun games and physical activities that target the body's core.

Different people in the same household can use Wii Fit and track their progress separately. Users' Mii™ caricatures even reflect their fitness levels and change as people become more proficient at the activities.

Wii is the first video game system ever included in the President's Challenge, a program of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports that encourages all Americans to make physical activity a part of their daily lives. Wii Fit builds on that honor by encouraging people to keep their bodies moving.

All of these happy people are in line to check out Wii Fit on its launch day. Be sure check out the New York City launch day event down in Central Park. (photo via Kotaku)

Wii Fit is available today exclusively at the Nintendo World store in New York, and will be at retail stores across the country May 21.

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.

For more information about Wii Fit, visit www.WiiFit.com.

About Nintendo: 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 2.7 billion video games and more than 460 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 www.nintendo.com.

WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO WIIWARE GAMES AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

May 19, 2008 - Today begins a new phase for the Wii-kly Update. From now on, we'll have all the information about the arrival of both WiiWare™ and Virtual Console™ games. So basically you're getting access to the best games of the past and the coolest creations of the present. With this week's releases you can blast space-based enemies with your starfighter, fly the not-always-friendly skies or even corral some cute critters in the barnyard.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Critter Round-Up (Konami, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The critters have escaped, and the barnyard is in chaos! It's up to you to quickly corral the animals in this puzzle-action challenge. You'll have to mend fences in a hurry to keep all the critters safe and satisfied. But the fun doesn't stop with the farmland; more than 50 challenging levels take you to several exotic locations, including the outback, the icy Arctic and more. There's even a series of minigames for when the critters get you down: Snowball Soccer, Predator Rampage, Chicken Catch and Fence Trap. Up to four players can compete or cooperate as the critters run wild. So roll up those sleeves and grab a friend-those critters won't catch themselves.

Star Soldier R (Hudson Entertainment, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Star Soldier R is a new kind of shooter where players aim for the best scores within a two- or five-minute time limit. Develop various scoring strategies, and pump out those points within the breakneck time frame. Assembled in record time to counter the advance of a powerful enemy, the mysterious Brain Forces, the "Caesar" starfighter takes off to fight for the very future of mankind. Shoot down countless enemies, upgrade your ship to the max with power-ups hidden throughout the levels and wage an all-out assault against the core of the enemy fortress. Combining the excitement of shoot-'em-ups with in-depth scoring strategies, this state-of-the-art competitive shooter will keep you coming back for more. Upload your best scores with Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, and pit your skills against the world's best fighter pilots from the comfort of your living room. Hone your skills and show the world who's boss.

Virtual Console

SKYKID™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Red Baron, from the freedom- and peace-loving nation of birds, Bird Land, faces off in the skies with his rival Blue Max in this side-scrolling shooting game. Defeat the many enemies that await you as you complete your mission, using moves like the loop-the-loop to shoot down enemies from behind. Fly low to pick up bombs placed in the stage and drop them on command posts, warships or other designated targets to destroy them. Then land safely at base to proceed to the next mission. Beware of enemy fire, though-it will cause you to crash, unless you're able to recover by rapidly pressing the buttons. You can even play with a second person and fly simultaneously, sometimes helping each other and other times competing against each other. Prepare yourself and take to the skies, but make sure that the catchy background music (which became an instant classic when this game was originally released) doesn't distract you from your goal.

For more information about Wii, please visit www.wii.com.

Nintendo hit with $21 million patent infringement

Thu May 15, 2008, 5:17 AM ET - LUFKIN, Texas - Nintendo of America Inc. was ordered to pay a small East Texas gaming company $21 million Wednesday for infringing on a patent while designing controllers for its popular Wii and GameCube systems.

A federal jury found in favor of Anascape Ltd. in the lawsuit that was originally filed in 2006. Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta said the company will seek an appeal and expects the court to reduce the award "significantly."

The jury found that Nintendo infringed on Anascape's patent while designing its Wii Classic, WaveBird and Gamecube controllers.

Scibettra said Nintendo was pleased no infringement was found with the motion-sensing technology used in its wandlike Wii and Nuncheck controllers, which mimic movements by users in games such as tennis and boxing.

Attorneys for Anascape did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tyler-based Anascape also sued Microsoft Corp. for patent infringements on game controllers but reached an agreement with the company before the start of the trial against Nintendo, The Lufkin Daily News reported.

Microsoft said in a statement that terms of the settlement reached May 1 were confidential.

Source: AP reports (via Yahoo!)

Unlike Nintendo of America, Nintendo Europe are giving PAL customers a little time to prepare for WiiWare's launch, by announcing their first lineup of games for the service a week in advance (European launch is May 20, 2008).

Europeans will be getting eight games instead of six, and while they won't be getting Defend Your Castle or VIP Blackjack, they will be getting Dr Mario, Germ Buster, Pirates: The Key of Dreams, Toki Tori and Star Soldier R.

Full press release follows..

13th May 2008 – The opportunity to create the next groundbreaking video game for Wii has well and truly arrived for developers as WiiWare hits Europe, launching on 20 May 2008. Developers, no matter how big or small, will be able to create exciting new downloadable games to be sold through the Wii Shop Channel. Changing the way developers create Wii games and players access them, WiiWare will make it possible for smaller, creative titles to take centre stage. Developers will be able to see their big ideas step into reality, without risk or the need for a big budget.

With WiiWare games, the possibilities are endless - only limited by the imaginations of the developers. Expect to see a raft of new, fresh and original games head to Wii from an entire range of genres. Utilising the Wii’s unique control methods from the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to potentially the Wii Balance Board and Wii Wheel, developers have the freedom to create the game of their dreams in an affordable way, with low entry barriers and flexible criteria in front of them. Such is the opportunity that, already developers who have never created or published games for Nintendo are working on a host of potential ideas.

Laurent Fischer, Managing Director of Marketing & PR of Nintendo of Europe comments, ‘We are excited by the positive response we have received from third-party developers to the announcement of WiiWare. We hope that this opportunity and the inspiration to produce original and exciting games will allow developers of all sizes to bring new concepts, genres and game play experiences to Wii. Opening this creative door will also provide Wii users access to a huge choice of games that they can easily download and enjoy.’

Easy to access and simple to use, WiiWare games will be available to download from the Wii Shop Channel at a cost starting at 500 Wii Points. To date, a vast array of exciting and creative new projects are already in the pipeline, ensuring fresh concepts and content will frequently become available for all to enjoy. Players themselves will also become central to the creative process as their download choices and genre selection will become instrumental in helping developers determine future projects.

From 20th May onwards, a whole host of brand new creative games from developers across Europe and the rest of the globe become available, including:

• Dr. Mario & Germ Buster (Nintendo) - 1000 Wii Points (GBP 7 / EUR 10 approx)
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Square Enix) - 1500 Wii Points (GBP 10.50 / EUR 15)
• LostWinds (Frontier) - 1000 Wii Points (GBP 7 / EUR 10 approx)
• Pirates: The Key of Dreams (Oxygen)
• Pop (Nnooo) - 700 Wii Points (GBP 5 / EUR 7 approx)
• Star Soldier R (Hudson) - 800 Wii Points (GBP 7 / EUR 10 approx)
• Toki Tori (Two Tribes)
• TV Show King (Gameloft) - 1000 Wii Points (GBP 7 / EUR 10 approx)

With so much creative freedom on offer to developers there is sure to be something for everyone on WiiWare. Keep checking www.nintendo.co.uk for all the latest WiiWare news and releases.

We'll post more details as they become available.
Thanks to www.eurogamer.net for the heads-up.