FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SANTA CLARA, Calif., (July 10, 2006) -
Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games
America Inc. announced today that Gunpey for the PSP ®
(PlayStation ® Portable) system and Nintendo DS TM is heading
to retail holiday 2006. From the mind of game industry legend
Gunpei Yokoi and Q Entertainment, comes Gunpey, an exciting,
innovative and challenging puzzle game with dynamic music that
changes as you play. Gunpey will test your reflexes, stretch
your mind and dazzle your senses. "Addictive and easy-to-learn,
Gunpey was originally conceived by Game Boy ® creator and
legendary game developer Gunpei Yokoi. It has now been
re-imagined by the creative minds at Q Entertainment in a
perfect dream collaboration that should excite any hardcore
gamer," said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.'s
Product Group Director. "This title embraces the signature
touches of a product conceived by Yokoi. It is accessible,
original, and intuitive, yet a challenge to master.
Additionally, it combines the ground breaking music integration
that has become Q Entertainment's signature." With Q
Entertainment's tradition for visual style and original music,
Gunpey offers a one-of-a-kind puzzle experience. As lines of
various angles climb up the screen, the player's objective is
to flip the lines, located in squares, to connect them over
five columns. Connecting lines from left to right remove the
connected row. If an incomplete line reaches the top of the
screen, the game is over. With 40 varied backgrounds and
stylized music, and two-player multiplayer over wireless ad-hoc
connectivity, this puzzle title is the game to pick up for the
holidays. ### About Gunpei Yokoi He was born in Kyoto in 1941,
and after joining Nintendo in 1965 he had one hit after
another, mainly with high-tech toys like the "Ultra-Hand"
(1966), a children's pitching machine called the "Ultra
Machine" (1968), a male-female compatibility diagnosis machine
called the "Love Star" (1968), and the and the "Ray Gun SP,"
which roared like a lion when it hit the bull's eye. After
that, he did "Game & Watch," "Donkey Kong," the "Game Boy,"
and "Virtual Boy." He is famous for inventing the "Direction
Key" that is used in the "Game & Watch,"the "Fami-Con," and
the "Game Boy." In 1996, he left Nintendo and established his
own company and came up with a mobile gaming device called the
"Wonder Swan" and also an original game called "Gunpey."In
October of 1997, he passed away in a car accident. At the Game
Developer's Conference in the United States in March of 2003,
he was [posthumously] awarded a "Lifetime Achievement Award"
honoring his achievements and contributions to the gaming
industry. About Q Entertainment, Inc. Formed in 2003,
Tokyo-based Q ENTERTAINMENT, Inc. creates, produces, and
consults in digital entertainment content across multiple game
consoles, PC broadband and mobile units. It is best known for
their critically acclaimed music and luminary action puzzle
game series "Lumines," which was released worldwide in
2004/2005 for the PSP TM system (PlayStation ® Portable) and
has now developed into mobile ("Lumines Mobile"), Xbox Live
Arcade ("Lumines Live!") and PlayStation 2 ("Lumines Plus")
platforms. Q ENTERTAINMENT's impressive line-up also includes
the action puzzle title "Meteos" for the Nintendo DS TM and
fantasy action title "Ninety-Nine Nights" for the Xbox 360 TM .
Founded by principal game creator and Chief Creative Officer
Tetsuya Mizuguchi ("Sega Rally" franchise, "Space Channel 5,"
and "Rez") and industry veteran and Chief Executive Officer
Shuji Utsumi (Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sega,
Disney), Q ENTERTAINMENT is comprised of experienced designers,
programmers, and producers. Q ENTERTAINMENT collaborates with
other creators, artists and development studios in Japan and
overseas. With a large network and enthusiasm, Q ENTERTAINMENT
is always on the "Quest for the future entertainment,"
anticipating the trends and changes in times to come and brings
new value to the game industry with fresh new content. More
information can be found on the Internet at
http://www.qentertainment.com (Japanese only). About NAMCO
BANDAI Games America Inc. NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. is an
interactive entertainment software publisher and developer
based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a subsidiary of the
newly formed NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc. based in Cypress,
CA. On September 29, 2005, Bandai Co., Ltd. and NAMCO LIMITED
implemented a management integration to form NAMCO BANDAI
Holdings Inc. This step was taken to compete more effectively
on the global stage in the fast-changing entertainment industry
and to deliver further growth. The resulting BANDAI NAMCO Group
is a global entertainment group involved in business fields
ranging from toys, amusement facilities, video game software
and visual software, to apparel, sundries and network content.
As previous separate entities (Namco Hometek Inc. and Bandai
Games Inc.) the companies were each known for creating some of
the industry's top video game franchises including: Tamagotchi
® , Tekken ® , SOULCALIBUR ® , Dead to Rights ® , Pac-Man ®
World TM , Digimon ® , Ridge Racer ® , Time Crisis ® and
ACECOMBAT ® . For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games
America Inc. and its products log onto
www.namcobandaigames.com. Press Release ® 2006 NAMCO BANDAI
Games America Inc. TM , ® and Nintendo DS are trademarks of
Nintendo. ® 2004 Nintendo Contacts Rannie Yoo Kohnke
Communications 415-777-4000 rannie@kohnkecomm.com OR Robert
Cogburn NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. 408-235-2138
rcogburn@namcobandaigames.com
