LADYDRAGON.COM - X02 SHOWS EUROPE HOW TO PLAY MORE

Tuesday September 24, 2002

X02 SHOWS EUROPE HOW TO PLAY MORE

Xbox Rocks Isla Magica Theme Park, Announces Rare Acquisition, Shows More Than 80 Upcoming Games, And Unveils Xbox Live In Europe – It’s Going To Be An Xbox-Green Christmas And Beyond

Question: What would happen if the SEVILLE, 24^th coolest video game system in Europe, poised for an exceptional Christmas, New Year and beyond, offering nearly 200 fantastic games by Christmas and another 300 in the pipeline, was in the mood to celebrate? And what if that celebration entailed completely taking over an amusement park for two days, inviting a thousand of Europegame industry luminaries, giving them stunning news ’s video announcements, A-list entertainment and free rollercoaster rides, and above all hitting them with the hottest games ever to grace a video game console?

Answer:You’d get X02, the Xbox brand experience, which kicked off tonight at the Isla Magica theme park and is the venue for some exciting news from Xbox. Superior Xbox graphics, sound, DVD playback, and above all killer games are all on show as is Xbox Live, the revolutionary online gaming service, and more than 80 of the world’s most wanted new games.

X02 is hosted by Xbox and gives European games press, retail representatives, and selected consumers the chance to test more than 80 games heading to Xbox this Christmas and beyond. Last year’s event (X01), held at Pierre Cardin’s mansion in Cannes, was the venue for announcing Xbox European launch details. This year, the announcements were no less impactful, and highlighted the Xbox difference – more power, more excitement, and more fantastic gaming experiences.

In a major coup for Xbox, Microsoft announced it has purchased UK-based Rare Ltd., one of the world’s leading video game developers, further demonstrating Microsoft’s commitment to providing the most innovative interactive experiences available on its Xbox video game system. The cash deal is valued at $375 million.

Rare has created some of the most popular video games in history, including such global multi-million sellers as “Golden Eye 007,” “Perfect Dark,” “Banjo-Kazooie” and “Donkey Kong Country.” Beginning today, Rare will be creating console gaming blockbusters exclusively for Microsoft, and gamers can look forward to five Rare-created titles over the next 12-24 months.

Xbox also announced European pricing and availability for its Xbox™ Live service, a comprehensive online game service fully dedicated to fast-action, always-connected broadband gaming experiences.

Xbox Live will be available from 30^th November in the UK, France and Germany as part of the Xbox Live Test Drive phase.

The service will launch at retail on 14^th March 2003 – the one-year anniversary of the Xbox launch – in eight European countries: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. The Xbox Live Starter Pack, available online in the UK, France and Germany during the Xbox Live Test Drive and at retail in all eight countries from 14^th March 2003, has an estimated street price of €59.99/£39.99 – about the same cost as one game.

The Starter Pack includes the Xbox Communicator headset (used for voice communication during online gaming), a 12-month subscription to the Xbox Live service, and special versions of two top Xbox games, MotoGP and Whacked!™ – both optimised for Xbox Live play.

Also, Xbox announced that its “Controller S” will be on sale across Europe from 1^st November for an estimated street price of €39.99/£24.99.

Controller S is the Xbox answer to gamers who wanted more choice.

Smaller than the standard Xbox controller and featuring a new button layout, Xbox Controller S allows gamers to choose the controller most comfortable for them.

“Forget white Christmases – this year, it’s going to be an Xbox-green Christmas, and an Xbox-green New Year, and beyond,” said Sandy Duncan, European VP, Xbox.

“Our games are THAT good - they deliver more of what the gamer wants: more action, more unbelievable gaming experiences and more intense graphics and sound. The Xbox difference is amplified by the advent of Xbox Live, revolutionising gaming as we know it. And not only is Xbox the best console on the market, it is also the absolute best value around. For €249.99/£159.99 gamers can experience everything Xbox has to offer this Christmas - it’s never been a better time to own an Xbox.”

The Games

It’s all about the games, and some of the most well-received announcements were of new Xbox games. The range revealed at X02 demonstrated the large amount of support that Xbox enjoys from 3^rd-party developers, as well as a stellar line-up of 1^st-party games. In total there were more than 80 playable games at X02, with many more being announced for the first time and shown on video.

Xbox offers more – more power, more excitement, and more fantastic gaming experiences – and the games line-up shown at X02 demonstrates that difference beautifully. Heading up the list of games that gamers are drooling for are two new Xbox-only games from

Rare Ltd., the legendary video game developer that has been acquired by Microsoft. Gamers can expect Rare to create titles from all their favourite genres – racing, shooters, platformers, among others. Specific titles include:

Perfect Dark 2: Joanna Dark’s back and she’s only on Xbox. The sequel to the landmark Perfect Dark, Perfect Dark 2 will take full advantage of the power of Xbox to deliver an incredible gaming experience.

Kameo: Elements of Power: Rare's original role-playing adventure starring an all-new cast of characters in a lush new world, is coming exclusively to Xbox.

An exclusive new game from Microsoft Game Studios was announced at X02:

Sudeki: A sultry wizardress… a soaring gunslinger… a powerful swordsman… a dark huntress. Four heroes hurtled over the edge into a flight into darkness. Sudeki will push the limits of what gamers think an RPG can be with bigger worlds, more powerful heroes and sexier heroines all wrapped around Hong Kong-style cinematic combat. And it is all only possible on Xbox

Previously announced Microsoft Game Studios titles Blinx, Brute Force, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Quantum Redshift, MechAssault, Midtown Madness 3, Kakuto Chojin, Tork, Kung Fu Chaos, and Whacked! were playable at X02.

As well as 1^st-party titles, new 3^rd-party games were shown, such as:

Metal Gear Solid Substance (Konami) Playable for the first time in Europe, Metal Gear Solid Substance is the definitive version with enhanced graphics and extra missions and modes, taking advantage of the power of Xbox.

FIFA 2003 (Electronic Arts): An all-new game engine brings the latest in EA’s successful series of football games to life on Xbox, with more intelligent AI and no less than 10,000 players, brought to life by fantastic graphics and sound.

Championship Manager 02/03 (Eidos) Announced as exclusive to Xbox this Christmas, Championship Manager 02/03 updates the successful football manager simulation with current team and player data.

MotoGP 2 (THQ): Following on the success of MotoGP on Xbox, THQ announced the next instalment in this exciting, graphically stunning motorcycle racing sim.

Other highly-anticipated 1^st and 3^rd-party games slated to arrive before the end of the year and playable at X02 included:

Splinter Cell (Ubi Soft)Putting the gamer into the shoes of an anti-terrorist commando, Splinter Cell (recently named Game of the Show at ECTS 2002) features incredibly realistic environments and deep gameplay that pushes the Xbox hardware into new gaming directions.

Blinx (Microsoft Game Studios): Blinx is a cool, clever cat on a quest to recover time crystals and fix glitches in the space-time continuum. Blinx uniquely features time travel and gamers can actually alter the flow of time in the game, possible only with the Xbox built-in hard disc.

Toejam and Earl III: All Funked Up (Sega) Bringing a much-love 16-bit franchise exclusively to Xbox, Toejam & Earl offers massive worlds to explore as the funky pair use “funk-fu” to battle their way on a quest for 12 sacred funk records – and all in glorious Dolby 5.1 sound.

Unreal Championship (Infogrames)Only on Xbox, Unreal Championship offers explosive gameplay and amazing graphics, and offers it online via Xbox Live – it’s an experience action addicts have been craving.

SEGA GT (Sega) One of the most anticipated games on any console, Sega GT is only on Xbox and offers the definitive car racing simulation with more than 100 current and classic high-performance vehicles.

X02- Play More

X02 is the result of months of planning by the European Xbox team at Microsoft, who wanted to create an event that brought the essence of the Xbox brand to life. The team wanted an experience, and it had to reflect the excitement that Xbox has brought to Europe.

“Xbox is about making ‘play’ a more important part of our lives,” said Duncan. “We wanted X02 to be a living, breathing embodiment of that idea, so we decided to take over an amusement park. What better place to bring home the importance of playing and having fun?”

Isla Magica is located on an island in the middle of the Guadalquivir River, which runs through the heart of Seville. The park offers seven themed areas reflecting Seville’s heritage as a starting point for adventure and discovery.

Nearly one thousand journalists and representatives from the video game industry, from all over Europe as well as North America and Asia, were in attendance, as well as 100 competition winners from all over Europe. Guests were welcomed with drinks and entertainment, and were let loose on the many exciting rides at Isla Magica.

As the sun set, guests assembled in the park’s amphitheatre for a spectacular presentation from Xbox which kicked off with a water effects display and green lights. Fountains of water were propelled upwards to create a screen of water, on which were projected videos of games and other images during the presentation. The presentation included Xbox Live details as well as some fantastic new games.

After the announcements, guests had their choice of how to play – rollercoasters and other rides, socialising, trying out Xbox Live, or getting their hands on the latest Xbox games courtesy of the many Xbox demo “pods” scattered around the park. Many of the Xbox 3^rd-party publisher partners hosted themed areas of the park, which showcased their contributions to the rich Xbox portfolio. Guests were free to wander around and take in the experience at their leisure.

The evening concluded with a live set by electronic funksters Groove Armada, who used their internationally renowned mix of soulful vibes and beats to get the X02 guests out on the dance floor until the early hours.