| Product:
Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 Publisher:
Westwood Studios Developer:
Westwood Studios Release
Date: October 2000 FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hollywood
stars heat up Cold War during Red Alert 2 movie shoot Filming
wraps, post-production continues on Westwood’s latest strategy game LAS
VEGAS, JULY 28, 2000 – Hollywood stars worked in Las Vegas’ summer sun for
two weeks while filming one the year’s most highly anticipated sequels.
However, don’t look for this action-packed
thriller in theaters; look for Westwood
Studios’ ™ Command & Conquer Red Alert ™ 2 in software stores.
Electronics Arts® (NASDAQ:ERTS), Westwood’s parent company, will ship
the game to stores around the world in mid-October. The
CD-ROM game is the sequel to Command & Conquer Red Alert, one of the
best selling PC games in history with more than 3
million sold. The
talented cast includes Kari Wurher (Sliders, Beverly Hills 90210), Ray Wise
(Twin Peaks), Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure, WarGames), and Udo Kier (Blade,
Armageddon). "I
kicked in doors, played with guns, punched guys in the face and had more
fun than really should be legal," says Kari
Wuhrer, who plays Tanya, a beautiful-yet-deadly
commando. "I don’t get many roles where I get to, literally,
kick ass." The
film production was more elaborate than many movies with a cast of more
than 20, a crew of more than 30, extensive special
effects make up, and 17 full sets
(including the Oval Office, Einstein’s laboratory, and the Pentagon).
Filming took place earlier this summer, with editing and post-production
happening over the next two months. Emmy
winner Ron Wild, a special effects make-up genius who worked on Godzilla,
Battlefield Earth and Babylon 5, performed his magic on everything from
Einstein’s bushy hair and wizened face to Yuri the Psychic’s elongated skull,
tastefully accented with flashing red diodes. "I
love working on games because you get to create a huge variety of unusual
characters," Wilde says. "After five
different Westwood games, I’ve done everything
from demonic witches to cyborgs to full-body space suits. On every
project, I’m always impressed with how high the production values are." The
real-time strategy game has a plot ready for the silver screen. The Russians,
still smarting after a Cold War defeat, invade America using old favorites
(Nuclear bombs, throngs of tanks) and a few new friends like Yuri the
Psychic Warrior and giant mind-controlled squids. The Americans fight back,
with a little help from Einstein, time travel devices and trained dolphins. The
war rages across American cities, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, New
York City, Key West, and Pearl Harbor. The war then spreads to Mexico, Germany,
France and Siberia. The
Red Alert 2 film sequences serve as motivation for Red Alert 2 players who
will command vast armies over large battlefields. With each successful mission,
the player sees the results of his good work, a film clip that tells
another chapter in the story. "The
story is definitely fun, but at the same time, we’re taking creative liberties
with some sensitive areas: patriotism, communist aggression, and the
invasion of your home," says Donny Miele, executive director of dramatic
assets for Westwood Studios. "The idea that
America can be invaded, and would have to
plea with the rest of the world for help, makes the blood boil just
a little, which is why it makes for a great story." The
gameplay of Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 gives players an onslaught of
new units, tactics and strategies. As in the
original, gamers can choose to lead Soviet
or Allied forces. Soviet commanders will invade North America and
try to claim it for mother Russia. Allied commanders will fight to push
back the invaders and save liberty. Both
sides are well-armed with conventional weapons and experimental technology.
The Soviets can engage in psychic warfare, wield nuclear weapons and
fry all they survey with Tesla technology. Allied forces can teleport with
chrono technology, conduct covert operations with the help of gap generators,
and rain down lightening bolts through weather control. Supporting
these high-powered, advanced weapons are massive conventional forces,
including armies, air power and navies. Red
Alert 2 will feature enhanced Local Area Network and Internet play. Players
can engage in fierce combat over a LAN and battle via the Internet and
Westwood Online. A built-in worldwide ranking system allows players to track
their victories and defeats against other Internet gamers. The Worldwide
Domination mode let’s players compete in an ongoing war for global control. More
information about Red Alert 2 can be found at www.westwood.com. Westwood
Studios is a prominent publisher of best-selling PC, and next-generation
console games. Formed in 1985, Westwood Studios has released several
popular titles including: Dune(tm) 2000, the Lands of Lore(tm) series,
the Kyrandia(tm) adventure trilogy, Monopoly(R) for the Internet, Blade
Runner(tm) and the Command & Conquer product line. Westwood is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Electronic Arts Inc. Electronic
Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading
interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic
Arts posted revenues of more than $1.4 billion for fiscal 2000. The
company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal
computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products
under eight brand names: Electronic Arts(tm), EA SPORTS(tm), Maxis(tm),
ORIGIN(tm), Bullfrog(tm) Productions, Westwood Studios(tm), Jane’s®
Combat Simulations, and Gonzo Games(tm). More information about EA’s products
and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at <http://www.ea.com/>. All
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. #
# # Electronic
Arts, EA SPORTS, Maxis, ORIGIN, Bullfrog, Westwood Studios, Westwood
Online, Lands of Lore, Kyrandia, Command & Conquer and Red Alert are
trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of Electronic Arts, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries. Jane’s is a registered trademark
of Jane’s Information Group, Ltd. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective owners. For
more information call: Aaron
Cohen or Chris
Rubyor Westwood
Studios Tel:
702/228-4040 x.362 and x. 339 aaron@westwood.com chris@westwood.com |