POKeMON COLOSSEUM ENTERS THE RING — LET
THE BATTLES BEGIN!
Snag, Purify and Battle in the First 3-D
Pokemon Game With Role-Playing Elements
REDMOND, Wash., March 22, 2004 – In this
corner, in blue and yellow, standing 1 foot tall and weighing 2 pounds, with the
ability to grant wishes – Jirachi! And in this corner, in blue and gray,
standing 47 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 878 pounds, with the ability to
store water and bounce – Wailmer! But never judge a
Pokemon(R) by its size. Today Nintendo
releases Pokemon Colosseum(TM), the first-ever 3-D Pokemon game with
role-playing elements, made exclusively for Nintendo GameCube(TM).
In Pokemon Colosseum, the highly anticipated
new video game, Pokemon of all shapes, sizes and abilities will be trained for
and tested in battle. Yet regardless of who wins the conflict, the Pokemon
franchise continues its reign as the undefeated champion in the hearts and minds
of its fans.
"From the teens who grew up with Pokemon to
the youngsters who are discovering it today, the appeal of these characters
endures," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of
marketing and corporate communications. "With both battle and role-playing
elements, Pokemon Colosseum is sure to enjoy broad popularity among fans of all
ages."
The game contains both an exciting Story Mode
and a ferocious Battle Mode. In the single-player Story Mode, players take on
the role of the Hero, whose Partner has the ability to identify Shadow Pokemon.
The Hero then snags and purifies these Pokemon. The storylines in this deep
role-playing mode provide more than 30 hours of play.
In Battle Mode, players can transfer all 201
Pokemon from their Game Boy(R) Advance Pokemon(R) Ruby and Pokemon(R) Sapphire
games and have them clash in the Colosseum. Up to four players can compete in
Single, Double or Multi modes of battle.
The rich environments in this first 3-D
Pokemon title for Nintendo GameCube pulsate with explosive power and nearly
blast off the screen. The older characters lend themselves to a grittier
cinematic feel, thanks to the development team of Genius Sonority.
Indeed, Pokemon holds the title belt in
multiple weight classes. More than 4 million fans in the United States alone
purchased copies of Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire. Worldwide, the franchise
has earned more than $15 billion in sales.
Pokemon Colosseum, Rated E for Everyone, is
available now at an MSRP of $49.99.
The worldwide leader and innovator in the
creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,
manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable
video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling
Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems extend Nintendo’s vast
game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of
quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home
video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.8 billion video games
globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R)
and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Pokemon(R),
Zelda(TM) and Metroid(TM). A wholly owned
subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as
headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Pokemon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The
Pokemon Company in Japan, manages and oversees the property outside of Asia,
which includes licensing activities; brand promotions; publication of the
trading card game; TV animation; home video entertainment; the official Pokemon
Web site; the Pokemon Center NY in Rockefeller Center; and pokemoncenter.com, an
e-commerce site. Pokemon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo’s
Game Boy(R) and has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokemon was
introduced in North America in September of 1998 and has since generated more
than $15 billion in worldwide retail sales. More than 38 million Pokemon video
games have been sold in the United States, including Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon
Sapphire, which were the No. 2 and No. 3 best-selling video games of 2003*. The
trading card game, fueled by organized play programs around the world, has
spurred global sales of more than 13 billion cards to date, while the Pokemon
animated series on Kids’ WB!, now in its sixth season, consistently ranks within
the top three shows for boys ages 6 to 11. For more information, visit
www.pokemon.com.
* According to the NPD Group
