NEWS

NAMCO BANDAI’S BEAUTIFUL KATAMARI™ IS NOW AVAILABLE AT RETAILERS

The Prince Rolls Out onto Store Shelves

Santa Clara, Calif., October 16, 2007 – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that Beautiful Katamari™, for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, is now available at retail stores throughout North America.  In the next generation debut of the Katamari franchise, the Prince is back with larger levels, new cousins, a whole new soundtrack and an online multiplayer mode.  Beautiful Katamari is rated “E” for everyone by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and carries a suggested retail price of $39.99.

 “The Katamari series has always been known for its unique gameplay and we are excited to bring it into the HD era with the debut of Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360,” said Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and COO at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “With the addition of online gameplay and downloadable content, players will continue to experience all the endless fun and humor the series is known to offer.”
 
One is a lonely number, but thankfully the Prince will have more than 50 cousins to keep the ball rolling. Having discovered new games to play since the Royal Family’s last time out, players can now compete over Xbox LIVE^® with up to three friends in online challenges as the Prince or any of the cousins.  But the fun doesn’t end there. Building upon the amazing Beautiful Katamari world, multiple leaderboards will track worldwide statistics and a variety of downloadable content will become available soon after the game has launched.

 
Beautiful Katamari boasts the following features:

·         Rolling in 720P - Katamari leaps into the next generation with an upgrade into the HD era with increased visual depth and seamless Katamari growth.

·         All new soundtrack - Pick up items at your leisure to a brand new catchy soundtrack that includes remixed and original Katamari-themed songs by 80s J-Pop stars.

·         New Levels - New levels and objects present the player with more craziness to conquer like keeping cool and collecting frosty items in an ice house.

·         Offline multiplayer - Share the experience with another player and see who can collect the most objects. Tired of battling it out? Make peace and work together in CO-OP mode to roll the same Katamari. Make sure your communication skills are working at peak efficiency!

·         Online multiplayer - For the first time ever, the Katamari franchise rolls into the online world. With up to four players, compete to roll up as many specific objects as possible.

·         Downloadable content - The world’s ever changing as Beautiful Katamari will continue to provide joy through downloadable content, giving players a fresh experience every time they fire up their system.

 
For more information about Beautiful Katamari and other NAMCO BANDAI products please visit: http://namcobandaigames.com/games/

 
###

About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA.  The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry's top video game franchises including the PAC-MAN®, SOULCALIBUR®, Naruto™ and Tekken® brands.  For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., and our products log onto www.namcobandaigames.com.

 
Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Beautiful Katamari™ & © 2007 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.

Press Release © 2007 NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

 

CONTACTS

Arne Cual-Pedroso

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

(408) 235-2132

apedroso@namcobandaigames.com