Bandai Updates Classic, Casual Games For The Mobile Platform
Board Game Othello, Classic Favorite Magical Drop II and Award-Winning GUNPEY EX Provide Causal Mobile Phone Users with Addictive Gameplay
CYPRESS, Calif. - Sept. 5, 2006 - For anyone who owns a mobile phone and has ever found themselves waiting for a friend, standing in a line or needing to kill time between meetings, Bandai America, Inc. brings two classic casual games and one new game to the mobile platform.
Known in game-enthusiast circles worldwide as a tribute to game industry pioneer, Yokoi Gunpei, the person responsible for designing many of the game pads for classic portable gaming devices. Already named an Editor's Choice Award Winner from IGN.com in early reviews, the GUNPEY EX game challenges players with a unique twist on the "connect and clear" puzzle game strategy. The player must connect falling colored lines to create and ignite a circuit. During the explosion, players can connect additional circuits for a bigger score.
GUNPEY was originally released for the Bandai Wonderswan, a top-selling handheld game system available only in Japan. Nearly half of all Wonderswans owners had GUNPEY as part of their game collection. Nintendo DS and PSP game platform versions of the game will be launched under the name GUNPEY later this year.
"Our idea was to provide people with mobile phones the opportunity to have access to classic, familiar, uncomplicated game titles that they could play most anywhere for a few minutes of fun down time," said Masao Ohata, vice president of Network Entertainment for Bandai America.
From the bedrooms and basement playrooms across America to the mobile phone comes Othello, one of the most recognizable staples in classic board-gaming. It is estimated that the Othello board game can be found in one out of every three American homes. Through years of constant refinement, Othello arrives on the mobile platform as familiar and addictive as players remember it.
Magical Drop II provides mobile game players with an updated version of the classic gem-popping puzzler, which was a worldwide hit in its original arcade form and spawned multiple sequels on numerous gaming platforms. In Magical Drop II, players are challenged to strategically launch like-colored gems in vertical columns, and utilize the special gems to burst full rows and even full screens of gems. Colorful cartoon graphics are easy to play with, but mastering the use of numerous special item gems and creating technical combo gem-bursts will entertain any level of player.
Complete information on how to download Othello, Magical Drop II and GUNPEY EX can be found at www.BandaiWireless.com along with details on the entire mobile game catalog from Bandai America.
About Bandai America, Inc.
A leading provider of quality entertainment for mobile devices, Bandai America Inc. is a subsidiary of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc., a newly formed joint entity that resulted from the integration of Namco Ltd. and Bandai Co. Ltd. of Japan. The wireless team at Bandai America Inc. is committed to providing mobile gamers with addictive and familiar titles catering to all consumers in the causal, classic/nostalgic and cutting-edge 3D genres. Global interests now encompass five strategic business units: toys and hobby (toys, models, apparel and sundries), amusement facilities, game content (wireless/mobile, home and arcade console gaming) and visual and music content (including home entertainment). Bandai America is the manufacturer and master toy licensee of some of the most popular brands in children's toys and entertainment today, including Power Rangers, Ben 10 and Tamagotchi. The company is headquartered in Cypress, California and information is available at www.Band!
ai.com.