PREPARE FOR THE EVOLUTION: NEW XBOX EXPERIENCE TO INVITE EVERYONE IN ON 19th NOVEMBER



Dublin — Oct. 9, 2008 —Get ready. The evolution is coming. Microsoft Corp. today announced at the Tokyo Game Show 2008 that the New Xbox Experience, a transformation in home entertainment, will launch on Wednesday, 19th November. On that day, millions of Xbox 360 owners worldwide will experience a completely new Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft that is fun, social and simple to use – and puts more entertainment at their fingertips than any other device connected to the TV.

“Our industry is defining the future of entertainment,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment LIVE, Software and Studios, while at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. “When the New Xbox Experience launches in just six weeks, we will be inviting the whole world to play. We will also have the games that everyone will want, including all-new social experiences like ‘Lips,’ ‘Scene It? Box Office Smash,’ and ‘You’re In the Movies,’ all launching this Christmas all exclusively on Xbox 360.”

With the launch of the New Xbox Experience[1] on 19th November, Xbox 360 owners will enjoy the following:

· Entertainment without limits. Xbox 360 invites you into a limitless world where the best games and movies live side by side with your personal pictures and music library, and ready to share your fun anytime with friends across the globe through the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network.

· Xbox LIVE Party: Xbox 360 allows you to create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. With LIVE Party, voice chat while you play games, share photos in real-time[2] and entertain friends all over the world.

· Personality plus. Create a customisable, animated avatar and literally jump into the world of Xbox LIVE. Your avatar is your game-face throughout the New Xbox Experience and represents your personality – whether you are a LIVE Party host or chatting with a friend. With custom avatars created by the more than 14 million members worldwide, Xbox LIVE will have as many avatars as Tokyo has residents[3].

· On-demand entertainment. Xbox 360 is home to the best movie and music entertainment, including a large online library of on-demand high-definition movies from partners like Warner Bros. Entertainment, Constantin and MGM.

· Games for the community, by the community. For the first time in the history of console gaming, thousands of games developed by the creative community will be available to the public. The Community Games channel on Xbox LIVE will include games made by students, hobbyists, and everyday people all around the world and will be exclusive to Xbox LIVE.

When the New Xbox Experience launches this autumn, it will join the best and broadest Xbox 360 entertainment line-up of games ever. Whatever your passion, Xbox 360 has games for you. Only on Xbox 360 can you unleash your inner diva with “Lips;” live your favourite movie moments with “You’re in the Movies” and “Scene It? Box Office Smash;” and find Xbox LIVE Arcade favourites like “Castle Crashers” alongside indie favourites like the smash hit “Braid.”

· Music. Xbox 360 is the preferred stage for the best music games, including “Lips,” “Rock Band 2,” and “Guitar Hero® World Tour” and “DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3.”

· Family. Xbox 360 gets the whole family playing with titles such as “Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts,” “Dig Dug Stylish Edition,” “PacLand” and “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.”

· Sports. Xbox 360 remains the best place to play sports titles, including leading franchises like “PES 2009,” “Tiger Woods PGA TOUR,” “NBA LIVE,” “NHL 2K” and more.

· Blockbusters. “FINAL FANTASY® XIII” will be available on Xbox 360 at launch in North America and Europe. And Xbox 360 is the only place gamers can play the year’s biggest games, such as “Gears of War 2” and “Fable II.”

HALO 3: RECON,” “RESIDENT EVIL 5,” “STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE” AND “THE LAST REMNANT” HEADLINE BLOCKBUSTER XBOX 360 LINE-UP AT TOKYO GAME SHOW

Xbox 360 partners with leading Japanese publishers to bring their greatest games to fans around the world



Dublin — October 9, 2008 — Against the backdrop of one of the world’s largest video games event, Tokyo Game Show 2008, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled a blockbuster portfolio of games for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from many of the world’s most renowned developers. The line-up, which features a variety of high profile titles coming this holiday season, as well as in 2009 and beyond, was headlined by “Halo 3: Recon,” an exciting new chapter in the legendary “Halo” franchise from acclaimed developer Bungie.

During his keynote address, John Schappert, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Studios showcased the best blockbusters Japan has to offer from the most popular genres. Cementing the reputation of Xbox 360 as the premier home for great storytelling and the industry’s best role playing games (RPGs), Schappert provided an exclusive look at the widely anticipated “Star Ocean®: The Last Hope” and “THE LAST REMNANT™” from developer Square Enix. Action-adventure fans were also given a new look at the latest trailer for “RESIDENT EVIL 5,” slated to launch on Xbox 360 in March 2009.

“Xbox 360 continues to be the destination of choice for the best and broadest games from the world’s biggest and best developers,” said Schappert. “With the latest incarnations of the ‘Halo’ universe, as well as global hits like “Star Ocean: THE LAST HOPE” we continue to deliver on our commitment to provide the calibre of entertainment and games that capture the imagination of people across the globe.”



A New Look at the “Halo” Universe

To the delight of devoted fans across the world, Microsoft debuted “Halo 3: Recon,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer Bungie. “Halo 3: Recon” is a new chapter in the “Halo” saga that lets gamers experience events leading up to the epic story told in “Halo 3” through the eyes of a new hero in the “Halo” universe. The standalone expansion, set to release in autumn of 2009, extends the award-winning “Halo 3” experience with hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay. In addition, attendees were given an all-new glimpse of the Xbox 360 exclusive strategy game “Halo Wars” from Ensemble Studios. By showing campaign mode for the first time, the live demo provided viewers with a thrilling taste of the revolutionary gameplay and new perspective of the “Halo” universe. Players will be able to enjoy the full experience when “Halo Wars” hits retailers in early 2009.



Japanese Developers Gain Worldwide Momentum

By partnering with the best and brightest Japanese developers and publishers, Microsoft is committed not only to providing an unparalleled gaming experience on Xbox 360 not only to Japan, but also to helping Japanese games reach new audiences worldwide. During his keynote address, Schappert announced that Xbox 360 has the most top-selling, third-party Japanese titles among all other current games platforms. He also noted that Japanese publishers have sold more than $800 million worth of games thus far on Xbox 360 and are on track to see lifetime revenue of more than $1 billion by the end of this holiday.

To underscore that point, Schappert unveiled dramatic new titles from Japan, including “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS 2[1]” produced by Q Entertainment and developed by Feelplus. The title will join the “Ninja Gaiden” franchise and the just-announced “Ninja Blade” in making Xbox 360 the best place for Japanese action games. Schappert also declared that the release of “Star Ocean: THE LAST HOPE” and “THE LAST REMNANT” are further proof that Xbox 360 is the best console for RPGs, citing a rich portfolio of global blockbusters including “Infinite Undiscovery, “Fable II,” and “Fallout 3.”Additional Japanese-developed blockbusters debuting this holiday and 2009 include the following:

· “THE LAST REMNANT™” (Square Enix). “THE LAST REMNANT” is a new role-playing game crafted using the finest artistry and technology Square Enix has to offer. Set in a fantasy world, war-torn and scarred by years of conflict, gameplay revolves around mysterious artifacts — Remnants — that possess magic powers. Groundbreaking graphics possible only on Xbox 360 bring the intensity to a whole new level. “THE LAST REMNANT” is launching worldwide on 20th November and will be available only on Xbox 360.

· “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II” (Q Entertainment). Set amid a dramatic, epic backdrop of a warring world, “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II” blends strategy and action, allowing players to take control of massive armies to defeat thousands of enemies in massive-scaled battles never before seen on the Xbox 360.

· “RESIDENT EVIL 5” (Capcom Entertainment Inc.). Destined to bring new fans to the series, “RESIDENT EVIL 5” is the sequel to one of the highest-rated video games in history (according to Metacritic.com and GameRankings.com). Promising to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism and control, “RESIDENT EVIL 5” unleashes an unprecedented level of fear for the next generation. New technology developed specifically for the game, as well as incredible changes to both the gameplay and the “RESIDENT EVIL” world, will make this a must-have game for gamers across the globe.

· “Star Ocean®: THE LAST HOPE™” (Square Enix). “Star Ocean: THELAST HOPE” is the long-awaited continuation of the celebrated science fiction and fantasy role-playing game series. Slated for release on Xbox 360 in spring 2009 and published by Square Enix, this prequel set during the aftermath of World War III combines science fiction and fantasy elements spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the Star Ocean universe. Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise’s famous real-time battle system, introducing the amazing graphics and visual effects possible only on Xbox 360.



Xbox LIVE Arcade Debuts New Lineup

Xbox LIVE Arcade continued momentum built during the summer of arcade as Microsoft announced seven new titles to the already robust lineup of classics and original titles. With the power of Xbox LIVE Arcade, a new generation of gamers can now experience some of the most beloved games of all-time from Japan’s most legendary developers. Classic titles showcased at Tokyo Game Show include the following:

· “ARKANOIDTM Live!” (TAITO). First appearing in the 1980s as a block-breaking game, the next evolution will now be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Gamers can enjoy “Arkanoid” in high -definition with beautifully choreographed background movies and background music. “Arkanoid” is loaded with 120 stages and colorful cooperative and versus modes.

· “The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match” (SNK PLAYMORE). The original “dream match” comes to Xbox LIVE Arcade with new features, characters and game modes. Gamers can face their favorite “The King of Fighters” characters to determine the ultimate champion.

· “Metal Slug 7” (SNK PLAYMORE). Gamers can join Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fiolina, Clark and Ralph as they prepare to take on Modern’s Forces across seven new missions. “Metal Slug 7” will also feature new weapons, colossal new bosses, new gameplay modes, and new Slugs to pilot.

· “Meteos Wars” (Q ENTERTAINMENT). Take a ride through this intergalactic journey where you slide, stack and ignite your blocks to blast away the world‐ending meteors! Only you can stop them from falling and crushing your planet. Master the combo links and power-ups to challenge your friends in intense multiplayer sessions

· “R-Type Dimensions™” (Microsoft). “R-Type Dimensions” combines the genre-defining coin-op classics “R-Type” and “R-Type II,” with a twist. For the first time ever, “R-Type Dimensions” allows multiplayer co-op play locally or over Xbox LIVE for up to two players. Gamers fight through all 14 Bydo-infested stages in the original 2-D or all-new 3-D graphics, and can swap between the two seamlessly.

· “SPACE INVADERS EXTREME™” (TAITO). Gamers can experience “Space Invaders” in fully immersive sound and vivid high definition on the next-generation system, with visuals that will excite their senses.

· “Tenchu: Shadow Assault” (FROMSOFTWARE). Tenchu, the world-famous ninja action game, is now on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Gamers can control their favorite characters as they use a variety of ninja weapons to defeat their enemies and complete their missions. They can use traps in multiplayer mode[2] to kill their friends for massive points.