Get Ready For Kick Off!

3rd April, 2007- Now's your chance to bend it like Beckham, score like Shevchenko and hit it like Henry or, failing that, floor the opposition with a well aimed Blue Shell! What's more, with Mario Strikers: Charged Football you really can compete in a world cup, thanks to the multi-player mode via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Service. Make sure you're wearing your team colours as 'Mario Strikers: Charged Football' kicks off across Europe on Wii on 25th May 2007.

Nintendo has taken one of the world's most popular sports and made it even better by throwing in some of Nintendo's most popular characters, 5-a-side teams and well and truly throwing out the rulebook! What's more now it is available on Wii! The innovative Wii Remote, will allow players to immerse themselves deep into the action translating real movement into on-screen action.

Mario Strikers: Charged Football is different from the average football game and is even more exciting and engaging than ever before, with a strong emphasis on each team's captain. These star players each have unique abilities and enhanced skills, which allow them to really influence the outcome of a game. The team captains all feature a Super Ability which can be used to devastate their opponents, ranging from Mario growing to giant proportions and trampling other players, to Peach taking a photo and freezing the entire opposing team on the spot. Tactical use of these super abilities can break down even the most stubborn defence. To top this off, in Mario Strikers: Charged Football players can choose 3 side-kicks (from a total of 8) who each have their own unique features which allows for tactical team customisation.

The Wii Remote brings a dynamic new element to Mario Strikers: Charged Football, encouraging the player to make instinctive physical movements to achieve the desired effect within the game. Basic movement and strikes are executed using the analogue stick and buttons on the Wii Remote and nunchuk, but when the pressure is on, players can use their instinctive movements to affect the gameplay. Flicking the Wii remote will cause the character to check their opponent, hopefully stealing the ball in the process. Players can also use the Wii remote to perform cat-like saves, defending their goal from Megastrikes by grabbing the balls out of the air.

In Mario Strikers: Charged Football the sense of fair play is thrown out the window along with the rulebook. Fouled players get special treats with which to avenge themselves, ranging from Red Spiky Shells, which knock everything out of their path, to the Chain Chomp that chases players from the opposing team around the pitch.

One of the many modes this game features is the multiplayer mode which can see up to four players in any one game (players must split between two teams). Players can also utilise Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Service to take on players from across the globe! Multiplayer modes include Ranked mode where players can compete to climb up leaderboards and Unranked mode where they can quickly select and play friends.

The game's main mode, Road to the Striker Cup, pits players against increasingly difficult opposition as they compete to win three different cups. For quicker pick-up and play action the game's Domination Mode allows players to set-up a game to suit them, defining the rules as well as selecting stadium and cheats. With an in-depth main mode and a plethora of extra features you won't take your eye off the ball in Mario Strikers: Charged Football. There is a wide and varied choice of 17 stadiums in which to defend your crown. Many of them have varying features and characteristics to put you off your game and challenge you to even greater heights.

With its fun and tactile controls, online multiplayer gaming and addictive gameplay, Mario Strikers looks certain to score when it launches across Europe on Wii on the 25th May 2007 for the estimated retail price of around 50 Euros (£35 in the UK).

Wii console is available at the estimated retail price of around 249 (approximately £179 in the UK) and comes bundled with Wii Sports.

For further information please contact the Nintendo Press Office on 020 7307 3103.

Click onto www.Wii.com for all of the most up to date official information on Wii.

About Wii

Nintendo's new system, Wii, will feature a controller designed to be used with either one hand or two -- a first in the video game industry. When picked up and pointed at the screen, the controller gives a lightning-quick element of interaction, sensing motion, depth, positioning and targeting dictated by movement of the controller itself.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection - FREE, SIMPLE & SAFE

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service launched globally in November 2005 and to date has a staggering 3.5 million unique users and over 100 million online gameplay connections. . The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service allows you to play games over the Internet, wirelessly, at home or at a public Wi-Fi (wireless internet) hotspot provided by BT OpenZone and The Cloud, using a Nintendo DS and a Nintendo Wi-Fi compatible Nintendo DS software.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service is free* - there are no fees or subscriptions to pay (usual broadband line rental costs apply when accessing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection at home). It's simple to use - you simply turn it on and select Wi-Fi. There are no complicated menu screens or confusing instructions to follow. It's safe for everyone - you currently do not have direct communication with other players when playing anonymously and therefore personal details or inappropriate comments can't be exchanged. For further information on Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service visit www.nintendowifi.com

About Nintendo

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda and Pokémon®. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Grossostheim, Germany, was established in 1990 and serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in Europe.