LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

March 6, 2001--Square Electronic Arts(SM) L.L.C. (Square Electronic Arts), the exclusive publisher of all SQUARESOFT® products, today announced the release of The Bouncer(TM) for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. 

The Bouncer combines fast-paced fighting action with SQUARESOFT's trademark story-telling skills.

``The Bouncer is a unique game in that it incorporates a significant amount of action, fighting and some role playing elements,'' said Jun Iwasaki, president of Square Electronic Arts. ``We believe that consumers are eager for a fresh, innovative gaming experience and that The Bouncer will deliver the level of excitement that they are seeking. Fully voiceovered characters combined with the heart-pounding fighting action and branching storylines will make The Bouncer a `must have' for PlayStation 2 owners.''

Helping to bring the dramatic story to life are the high-resolution graphics and fully-utilized voiceovers. Both features are made possible by the PlayStation 2 system's powerful graphic capabilities and new DVD format, enhancing a dramatic plot by bringing characters to life using details such as subtle facial expressions and almost touchable tattoos. For the voiceovers and dialogue, players can choose from either English or Japanese, both of which can be switched during the course of the game. Further adding to the drama, cut scenes are rendered in real-time allowing for seamless transition in and out of gameplay. The Bouncer is the first PlayStation 2 game to be released with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. ``Our commitment to giving gamers the best and most realistic gaming experience led us to use Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for The Bouncer,'' said Takashi Tokita, Director, The Bouncer, Square Co., Ltd. ``Dolby Digital draws the player right into the action with the sounds of the colossal aircraft engine, gigantic explosions and ambient street life.''

The story begins at a bar called Fate as a bouncer named Sion, is beginning his days shift. An otherwise routine morning is suddenly interrupted by a violent assault by masked assailants. Unable to stop the intruders, Sion watches as they capture his friend Dominique and flee the scene with her in their clutches. The action then moves to new heights as Sion and two of his fellow Fate bouncers set out to save their friend. Throughout the game, players can earn ``Bouncer Points'' which allow them to purchase new techniques or increase life, attack and defense power. The three playable bouncers have their own fighting style and can learn up to seven or eight unique extra skills.

Featuring spectacular water, fire and lighting effects, the 3D environments in the game allow the bouncers to fight enemies every step of the way. Their travels take them through a variety of scenes from dark underground subways to outer space. As they get closer to finding Dominique, the bouncers begin to uncover the diabolical master plan of their shadowy adversaries. Their quest suddenly becomes a race against time, as they try to save their friend and stop a madman from destroying the world.

The Bouncer features three different game modes, Story Mode (story-driven single player mode); Versus Mode (last man standing wins - up to four players can participate by utilizing the PlayStation 2 multitap); and Survival Mode (single player mode in which you continually battle waves of enemies - points at the end of battle are saved as rankings). In addition to more than a dozen characters offered in the game, players can customize and develop characters in the Story Mode and save them to a memory card for future battles against friends' characters in Versus Mode.

What the media is saying about The Bouncer:

``The Bouncer brings more than just fierce punches and kicks - it features an engaging story and plenty of gameplay modes that offer a high replay value. Hands down, this is one of the best PS2 games.'' --- GamePro, April 2001 issue

``...This game looks stunning, with vibrant colors and heavy use of the system's soft-focus effects. The characters -created by Tetsuya Nomura, the artist behind Final Fantasy VII and VIII- really pop to life with facial expressions and little details like flowing hair.'' --- EGM, March 2001 issue

``This is the first PS2 fighting game to incorporate pressure-sensitive attacks... (tap the button for a weak jab, squeeze it for a hard punch), and the first to reward players with experience points... you really couldn't ask for a better looking game...'' --- Game Informer, February 2001 issue

``(The Bouncer)...is certainly one of the best-looking PlayStation 2 games to date, and its branching plot structure should give you a reason to play through it more than a few times.'' --- PS2.IGN.com

Marketing campaigns for The Bouncer have been in effect since January. Starting this week, television ads for the game will appear on selected networks that include MTV, Comedy Central, ESPN/ESPN2 and WWF. The campaign will run for two weeks.

In addition, wall scrolls and posters featuring characters will be available by Great Eastern Entertainment by April. The Bouncer Official Strategy Guide, published by BradyGAMES, is available now at your local electronics, book, and software retailer for $12.99 US, $18.95 CDN.

The Bouncer is compatible with the DUALSHOCK(TM)2 analog controller and carries a suggested retail price of U.S. $50. The game carries an ESRB rating of ``T'' (Teen).

Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. and Square Co., Ltd.

Square Co., Ltd. is the leading third-party developer and publisher of home video game console software in Japan with annual sales of more than US $687 million consolidated base (based on average annual exchange rate of 106 Japanese Yen per US Dollar during fiscal year 2000) and 1,200 employees worldwide. Square Co., Ltd. became famous for its role-playing games, including its world-renowned FINAL FANTASY®series, which has sold more than 30 million units to date, and now publishes other titles under the SQUARESOFT brand spanning all genres. Square Co., Ltd. is based in Tokyo, Japan, and maintains a branch office in Osaka. More information about Square Co., Ltd., can be found on the Internet at http://www.playonline.com.

Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. is the exclusive publisher of all SQUARESOFT®products in North America. Square Co., Ltd. publishes its SQUARESOFT titles in North America through Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., located in Los Angeles, CA. Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. is a Limited Liability Company established on May 1, 1998 by Square Soft, Inc. and Electronic Arts to manage the marketing and distribution of SQUARESOFT products in North America. More information about SQUARESOFT products can be found on the Internet at http://www.squaresoft.com.

(c)2000, 2001 Square Co., Ltd. / DreamFactory Co., Ltd. The Bouncer is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE SOFT and the SQUARESOFT logo are registered trademarks of Square Co., Ltd. Square Electronic Arts is a service mark of Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. Electronic Arts is a trademark or registered trademark of Electronic Arts in the U.S. and/or other countries. ``PlayStation'' and the ``PS'' family logo are registered trademarks and DUALSHOCK is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

For More Product Information