Apex Ships for the Xbox

ATARI SHIPS INNOVATIVE RACING GAME APEX
FOR XBOX

“Best Looking Racing Game We’ve Ever Seen.
8.9 out of 10” – Official Xbox Magazine

LOS ANGELES – Feb. 21, 2003 – Design it.
Build it. Race it. Atari shipped APEX, the ultimate racing game for racing
enthusiasts, to retail stores nationwide this week exclusively for the Xbox™
video game system from Microsoft. Developed by Milestone, the creators of the
popular Superbike™ series, APEX takes racing on Xbox to an entirely new level
with more than 80 cars to choose from, including models from Toyota, Lotus and
Dodge; more than 50 race tracks; numerous environments including mountain
courses, city street races and traditional circuits; and, the engaging Dream
Mode, which allows players to design, build and race their own dream cars as
they attempt to build a racing dynasty.

“APEX is without question the most
graphically stunning and technically sophisticated racing game available on Xbox
and quite possibly on any home video game system available today,” said
Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of Infogrames, Inc.’s Los
Angeles studio. “Once players dig into the amazing amount of content APEX has to
offer from the various single player and multiplayer variations to the depth of
the racing experience itself, I’m sure they will agree that APEX is a game no
racing enthusiast should be without.”

APEX transports players into the role of a
young race car manufacturing mogul. After inheriting a small auto garage,
choosing a name and a stylish logo, the player launches their own sports car
company by selecting from among 45 prototype car designs each built to the
player’s specifications, including roadsters, super cars and dream cars. As the
player wins races, tournaments and special challenges, vehicle sales from the
fledgling car company begin to grow; the garage facilities and staff increase in
size, the test “parking lot” becomes a world class test track; and, new race car
development kicks into full swing.

APEX features several styles of play that
lead to hours of varied game play in both single and two-player multiplayer
modes. Game play modes include Quick Race, for instant racing action against
computer controlled opponents; Time Attack, a challenge to see how fast a single
vehicle can complete a course; Dream Mode, where the player builds their own
prototype vehicle and strives to join the elite of performance automobile
manufacturers; and Head-to-Head two-player multiplayer mode for racing against
friends in Xbox split screen.

Featuring more than 80 cars, APEX allows
players to pit their own creations against a number of the most powerful cars
from the most recognizable car manufacturers in the world, including Aston
Martin, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Lotus, Jaguar, MG, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Renault
and Toyota. The Dodge Viper SRT-10, Jaguar XJ220, Mercedes CLK GTR AMG and the
Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Coupe are just a few of the top-end machines players
can expect to race against. Additionally, each vehicle is equipped with numerous
performance enhancements and adjustments that allow the player to tailor the
vehicle for each competition’s track design and conditions. A complex damage
model lends reality to each crash.

Races will take place across more than 50
varied tracks and environments based on real-world locations across three
continents — North America, Europe and Asia. Course designs range from winding
mountain roads to narrow city streets to standard racetracks. Each track
features unique characteristics that will keep players tuning and perfecting
their creations for optimum performance before each encounter.

Technically, APEX will far surpass the
competition in the genre. Leveraging the power of Xbox, the developer is
producing amazingly high polygon counts, long draw distances and highly detailed
environments. Cars will feature up to 11,000 polygons each and real-time
reflections while tracks will boast more than 500,000 polygons creating
absolutely stunning panoramic detail and beauty. Additionally, the vehicle
engine sounds have been captured from real world high performance cars to
further enhance authenticity.

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