Contacts:
Kyoko Yamashita, Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.
714-438-1708 x220, kyoko@sqea.com SQUARE
ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATES FOR TWO PLAYSTATION®2 COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
GAMES; THE BOUNCER AND DRIVING EMOTION TYPE-S DUE OUT EARLY NEXT YEAR COSTA
MESA, Calif., December 18, 2000 – Square Electronic Arts SM L.L.C. (Square
Electronic Arts), the exclusive publisher of all SQUARESOFT® products today
announced the release schedule for two highly anticipated PlayStation®2
titles due out early next year. The Bouncer(TM), an action fighting
game will hit U.S. store shelves March 2001. In addition, Square will
launch Driving Emotion Type-S(TM), a high-speed driving game on January 30,
2001. "We
are very excited to bring to market The Bouncer and Driving Emotion Type-S
for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system," said Jun Iwasaki,
president of Square Electronic Arts. "Our development team has set
extremely high benchmarks for itself resulting in the delivery of games that
will raise the industry’s bar in the areas of graphics and gameplay.
Whether consumers want a high-speed driving or action role playing
experience, they will be blown away with these two titles." About
The Bouncer
The Bouncer combines heart-pounding action with Square’s trademark
storytelling skills and role-playing game (RPG) elements. The story
begins at a bar as a bouncer named Sion is beginning his shift for the day.
A quiet morning is abruptly interrupted when a break-in occurs
and the intruders manage to kidnap Sion’s friend Dominque. This
begins a dangerous rescue mission, as Sion and his fellow bouncers travel
far and wide in search of Dominique’s kidnappers. In addition to the
game’s bilingual (English/Japanese) voiceover dialogue and fluid gameplay-to-full-motion-video
transitions, The Bouncer offers a complete 3D environment that allows battle
to take place anywhere and high resolution graphics that capture fine
details like realistic facial expressions and real life tatoos on the
characters. All features are made possible by the PlayStation 2
system’s enhanced processing power and new DVD format. The Bouncer
features three different game modes including Story, Versus, Survival and
allows for up to four simultaneous players in the multiplayer Versus mode. About
Driving Emotion Type-S
Driving Emotion Type-S is a driving simulation game that immerses players in
the experience of high-performance sports car racing. The game
accurately recreates the feeling of racing at top speeds with
high-resolution graphics and in-game physics that detect handling,
suspension techniques and collisions. The game also allows for
air, weight, gravity and resistance, all of which must be factored in as
players race toward the finish. For Driving Emotion Type-S, Square
garnered the licenses to such exotic car manufacturers as Porsche and
Ferrari, letting players race with the real-life representation of these
high-performance cars. The
Bouncer and Driving Emotion Type-S are compatible with the DUALSHOCK(TM)2
analog controller. Both games carry a suggested retail price of U.S.
$50. The Bouncer is rated "T" (Teen) and Driving Emotion
Type-S is rated "E" (Everyone). 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.square.co.jp. Square
Electronic ArtsSM 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
Costa Mesa, 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.
The Bouncer and Driving Emotion Type-S are trademarks of Square Co., Ltd.
FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE SOFT and the SQUARESOFT logo are registered trademarks
of Square Co., Ltd. Square Electronics 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 PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.
Kyoko
Yamashita
Marketing Communications Manager
Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.
Tel: 714.438.1708 x220
Fax: 714.438.2465
E-mail: kyoko@sqea.com |