START YOUR ENGINES ON 30^th MAY WITH THE

‘MARIO KART 8 PREMIUM PACK – SPECIAL EDITION’ Wii U HARDWARE BUNDLE

Mario Kart veterans Princess Peach and Yoshi provide the inspiration for two new Wii Remote Plus controllers – both releasing on same day as Mario Kart 8 

With just over a month to go until gravity-defying racing comes to Wii U in the shape of Mario Kart 8, Nintendo has today announced that a Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack – Special Edition Wii U hardware bundle will accompany the launch of the game on 30^th May.

The release of the Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack – Special Edition represents an ideal offering for first-time Wii U owners, with a black Wii U Premium console with 32GB* of storage packaged alongside a black Wii U GamePad controller, Sensor Bar, and the all-important Mario Kart 8 game disc. With Mario Kart 8 set to feature 16 remixed classic courses, as well as 16 courses that are brand new to the series, both newcomers and veteran drivers alike will face fresh karting challenges with the added twist of a new antigravity feature allowing Mario and company to race upside down or up vertical surfaces.

While the likes of Bowser’s minions – all seven of the pesky bunch – will be playable for the first time in Mario Kart history from 30^th May, experienced drivers such as Princess Peach and Yoshi have featured in all games in the series to date. Fans wishing to pay tribute to these two legendary racers can get their hands on new Wii Remote Plus Peach and Wii Remote Plus Yoshi controllers, both of which will release on 30^th May, the same day as Mario Kart 8 launches in stores and on Nintendo eShop. Decked out in all pink with signature flashes of blue and yellow, the Wii Remote Plus Peach features a regal touch on the front of the controller in the form of a white crown. Meanwhile, the Wii Remote Plus Yoshi controller comes complete in a green and white shell, with an iconic Yoshi egg adorning its front.

As a reminder, fans looking to pick up Mario Kart 8 alongside a special collectible can also get their hands on a Mario Kart 8 Limited Edition software bundle, which comes complete with a Spiny Shell Collector’s Item alongside a physical copy of the game. The Mario Kart 8 Limited Edition software bundle is available to pre-order while stocks last including from the Official Nintendo Online Store.

Just over one month remains until Mario and other legendary racers from the Mushroom Kingdom line up at the starting grid in Mario Kart 8, complete with 32 new and remixed classic courses influenced by antigravity, new items to unleash during the heat of a race, and a host of ways to enjoy the action including 12-player online competitive play**, and four-player local multiplayer. An overview trailer showing all the purchase options available to fans when Mario Kart 8 comes to Wii U on 30^th May can be viewed here.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Mario Kart 8

Format:  WiiU Out:  30/5/2014 Publisher:  Nintendo

For further details:

Mario Kart 8 website http://nintendo.co.uk/mariokart8

Wii U website http://wiiu.co.uk

Wii U (UK) on Facebook http://facebook.com/WiiU.co.uk

Nintendo UK on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/NintendoUK

Nintendo of Europe on Twitter https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope

Nintendo UK on Twitter https://twitter.com/nintendouk

Official Nintendo Online Store  http://store.nintendo.co.uk
 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Skylanders® is redefining the toys-to-life phenomenon with yet another ground-breaking innovation, Skylanders Trap TeamTM. In previous Skylanders games, we brought physical toys to life inside the game. With Skylanders Trap Team, we are reversing the magic by bringing characters out of the game, into physical “Traps” that kids can take with them, effectively bringing Life to Toys. 

In Skylanders Trap Team, Kaos continues his ongoing quest to rule over Skylands.  He has discovered the location of the legendary Cloudcracker Prison -- a fortress built entirely out of the magical substance TraptaniumTM and home to Skylands’ most nefarious baddies.  In an attempt to build his own army of foes, Kaos blows up the prison, releasing the most wanted villains and blasting shards of Traptanium to Earth in the form of Traps.  Now it’s up to Portal Masters to recapture all of the escaped villains using powerful Traptanium Traps and defeat Kaos before it’s too late!

Skylanders Trap Team introduces a ground-breaking innovation that lets Portal Masters “trap” the most wanted villains in Skylands and then play as them in the game in the battle for good. The game offers an unprecedented new addition to the game’s play pattern in the form of Traptanium Traps. When this new type of toy is placed directly into the Traptanium PortalTM, Portal Masters can “capture” a variety of special villains from the game and magically transport them from Skylands into the real world.  

KEY FEATURES:
Toys to Life, Life to Toys – Players will experience an exciting new level of Skylanders innovation through the Traptanium Portal, a new ring of magical energy which reverses the magic of the toys to life category by letting players bring digital characters into the physical world. A built-in audio speaker allows players to magically hear the unique voices of the villains travel from the game into the real world Trap, and vice versa.  The Trap also lights up in sync with the villain speaking, adding even more magic to the experience.  If you look closely, you can almost see the villain trying to escape from inside the Trap. 

Two Ways to Play – In Skylanders Trap Team, you can play as a Skylander or capture Skylands’ most wanted foes and unleash them for good. It’s up to Portal Masters to find these villains and capture them inside the new Traps that transport the villains into the real world via the Traptanium Portal.  Once trapped, players can return the villain to Skylands as a playable character. This exciting new play pattern gives fans the option to switch between playing as a Skylander hero or a villain at any time, creating fun and unique “tag team” gameplay.

Elementally Designed Traps – Themed Trap designs add variety to the collectible Skylanders Trap Team experience.  Each Trap is elementally aligned, letting players capture villains who fall under that element. For instance, when Portal Masters explore the world of Skylands and encounter a water villain, they can insert a water Trap into the Traptanium Portal to capture that villain, as well as bring that villain back into Skylands as a playable character who helps in the fight for good. With each new trap added to their collection, Portal Masters unlock an exciting world of possibilities!   

New Cast of Characters –A brand new group of Skylanders, known as Trap Masters, lead the charge armed with their oversized crystal weapons in the fight against the most wanted villains and returning nemesis Kaos. The game introduces more than 50 new playable Skylanders heroes, including:

New Trap Master Skylanders
New Core Skylanders
Reposed, fan-favorite Skylanders

Exciting New Adventure – Skylanders Trap Team features an all new adventure-filled story with fun and interesting new characters as well as returning franchise favorites.  The game delivers a diverse and dynamic, story-driven gameplay experience, filled with adventure, combat, puzzles, mini games, activities, platforming, and drop-in/drop-out co-op play -- all set within a variety of new compelling environments.  With each new addition to their Trap Team collection, Portal Masters unlock exciting new gameplay possibilities within each level. Seasoned fans can play Skylanders Trap Team with their entire collection of 175 forward compatible characters from Skylanders SWAP ForceTM, Skylanders GiantsTM and Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure®. 

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Skylanders Trap Team

Formats:  3DS, PS3, PS4, Wii, WiiU, X360, XO Out:  10/10/2014 Publisher:  Activision

NEWEST SKYLANDERS^® GAME – SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM^TM – TAKES

TOYS-TO-LIFE PHENOMENON TO NEW LEVELS BY BRINGING DIGITAL CHARACTERS INTO THE PHYSICAL WORLD

Skylanders Originator Toys for Bob Returns with

Ground-Breaking Innovation

Portal Masters Can Now Capture and Play as Villains -

Capture and Play as Kaos for the First Time Ever

Skylanders^® is redefining the toys-to-life phenomenon with yet another ground-breaking innovation, Skylanders Trap Team^™. On 10^th October in Europe, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), will introduce the newest instalment to theSkylanders franchise, which will reverse the magic of bringing toys to life – incredibly letting children pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world.

With Skylanders Trap Team, Portal Masters seek out and defeat the most wanted villains in all of Skylands, pulling them out of the game and into living rooms by capturing them in magical Traps. Players can then send villains back into the game where they play as them to fight for good. The game will include the Traptanium Portal^TM, a new ring of magical energy that enables kids to not only bring their Skylanders to life, but also magically capture villains using the new Traps. Once they’ve defeated the villains, kids will be able to place a Trap into the new portal to capture them. They will also be able to hear the villains inside the Traps, an innovation that truly brings life to toys.

This exciting new play pattern also gives players the option to switch between playing as a Skylander hero or a villain at any time, creating fun and unique “tag team” gameplay. In addition, fans can even take their Traps and their Skylanders characters to their friends’ houses for fun, co-operative adventures across all console game systems.

“When we created Skylanders, we invented a new category of play and, in the process, disrupted two industries - videogames and toys.  With each new Skylanders game, our commitment to continuous, disruptive innovation has led to surprising and delightful new ways for kids to play with toys and games,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “With Skylanders Trap Team, we’re no longer just letting kids bring their toys to life inside the game anymore. This time, we’re letting them pull their toys out of the game as well. We are confident this instalment of Skylanders will once again redefine what’s possible at the intersection of the physical and virtual worlds.”

“When Activision first introduced the Skylanders franchise in 2011, it promised to redefine play by merging the physical and digital worlds. The company delivered on that pledge with three blockbuster titles – and is now poised to do it again with the introduction of Skylanders Trap Team,” said Richard Barry, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer Toys“R”Us, Inc. “With Skylanders Trap Team, Activision is reversing the magic of ‘toys-to-life,’ allowing kids to bring characters out of the digital world and into the physical world for the first time. We’re thrilled to continue as a marquee destination for Skylanders products, providing a comprehensive, global marketing and merchandising program, including our fully exclusive Legendary series of figures that will introduceSkylanders Trap Team to our enthusiastic customers this October.”

In Skylanders Trap Team, Kaos continues his ongoing quest to rule over Skylands.  He has discovered the location of the legendary Cloudcracker Prison -- a fortress built entirely out of the magical substance Traptanium^TM and home to Skylands’ most nefarious baddies.  In an attempt to build his own army of foes, Kaos blows up the prison, releasing the most wanted villains and blasting shards of Traptanium to Earth in the form of Traps.  Now it’s up to Portal Masters to recapture all of the escaped villains using powerful Traptanium Traps and defeat Kaos before it’s too late! The new adventure delivers a diverse and dynamic story-driven gameplay experience, filled with adventure, combat, puzzles, mini-games, activities, platforming and drop-in/drop-out co-op play -- all set within new compelling environments.

Skylanders Trap Team introduces Skylanders heroes known as Trap Masters, brand new Core Skylanders characters and reposed fan-favourite Skylanders characters. The game also features a variety of elementally aligned Traps with unique and interesting designs. With every addition to their Trap Team collection, Portal Masters unlock exciting gameplay possibilities within each level.

Fans can pre-order Skylanders Trap Team starting on 23^rd April, with special offers available at select retail destinations worldwide. Skylanders Trap Team will be available on Xbox 360^™ and  Xbox One^™ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation^® 3 and PlayStation^® 4 computer entertainment systems, Nintendo’s Wii^™ system, Nintendo’s Wii U^™ system, and a completely unique adventure available on the Nintendo 3DS^™ hand-held system. The game will be available on 10^th October in Europe.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Skylanders Trap Team

Formats:  3DS, PS3, PS4, Wii, WiiU, X360, XO Out:  10/10/2014 Publisher:  Activision

Please find below the trailer for Watch Dogs, ‘Online / Multiplayer Walkthrough’  the highly anticipated open world action adventure from Ubisoft..

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Watch_Dogs

Formats:  PC, PS3, PS4, WiiU, X360 Out:  Spring 2014 Publisher:  Ubisoft

STEVEN GERRARD LIFTS WORLD CUP ON ST. GEORGE'S DAY

...IN EA SPORTS 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL

To mark St. George's Day, as well as 50 days to the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, EA SPORTS™ has released a screenshot of a moment all England fans will be hoping becomes a reality in Rio De Janeiro on Sunday, 13th July.

“A generation of England fans have grown up with the image of Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup in 1966 so it's surreal to see myself in the same pose. It's a great gesture by the guys at EA SPORTS and certainly acts as an inspiration coming on St. George's Day. We'll all be doing our best to give the fans the performances they deserve and, with a bit of luck, we might surprise a few people.” – Steven Gerrard, England Captain

“I want to see Steven Gerrard lifting the trophy on July 13th as much as anybody. I work with a team of over 35 nationalities here at EA Canada so there are plenty of differing opinions and lots of healthy debate but I’m a passionate England fan, so the chance to create that moment in EA SPORTS 2014 FIFA World Cup game was something I cherished and couldn't pass up.” – Mat Prior, Lead Producer EA SPORTS 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil

EA SPORTS 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is OUT NOW on Xbox 360 and PS3.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil

Formats:  PS3, X360 Out:  17/04/2014 Publisher:  EA

 MARIO GOLF: WORLD TOUR LETS PLAYERS

EXPAND THEIR PLAY OPTIONS WITH NEW DOWNLOADABLE COURSES AND CHARACTERS

Nintendo is offering players the opportunity to nearly double the amount of content they can play in Mario Golf: World Tour, which launches on 2^nd May for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

With 10 courses and 126 holes, an amount equivalent to previous titles in the franchise, extensive multiplayer modes as well as regional and worldwide tournaments, the main game offers plenty of content for golf fans already. But players who can’t get enough golf and want to expand their experience can purchase up to a total of 108 new downloadable holes and additional Mushroom Kingdom golfers to open up further challenging courses for players to test their skills and enjoy*.
 

The downloadable content for the game will be released in three separate packs: the Mushroom Pack launching on 2^nd May, the Flower Pack launching later in May and the Star Pack launching in June. Each pack includes two new 18-hole courses and a new playable character. Players will receive Toadette with the Mushroom Pack, Nabbit with the Flower Pack and Rosalina with the Star Pack.

Each pack will be available for £5.39 from Toad’s Booth, which can be found in the main menu of the game. Mario Golf: World Tour owners who know they want to buy all three add-on packs can buy a Three-Pack Set at a discounted rate of £10.79 starting 2^nd May**. Three-Pack Set holders will get access to each new pack as it becomes available, and will receive a special bonus of Gold Mario as a playable character at the time of purchase. Gold Mario has a special Golden Flower shot that gains coins for every yard it travels. For those who purchase the packs individually, Gold Mario will also be available once all packs have been released. Nintendo will also offer Trial Tournaments for consumers interested in trying out a sample of the downloadable courses before deciding to purchase. Players who own the game and download the Trial Pack will be able to participate in these online tournaments.

The full version of Mario Golf: World Tour is also available to pre-order via the Nintendo UK store.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Mario Golf: World Tour

Format:  3DS Out:  2/5/2014 Publisher:  Nintendo