Recommended Extra February 2009

N F PIKMNI IS O S E I P FIVE COO POWER TEN & MARI

COMPLETE CONTROL An in-depth look at the Wii range breathing new life into classic games

GAME INFO PIKMIN Format: Wii Exclusive Release Date: Out Now NINTENDO’S NEW BRAND BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO TIMELESS CLASSICS... ...acknowledges the Wii’s unique control system, Nintendo’s unrivalled heritage – and brings the two together.

Dipping into its starstudded back catalogue, Nintendo will be plucking out the biggest games of the last few years and creating new versions designed to work specifically with the Wii Remote.

Each New Play Control! game will enhance the original experience. For those that remember the original, it will be a chance to play wellloved favourites in a new way on a new system, and for those gamers that started out gaming on Wii, it’s an opportunity to discover some real gems for the first time.

The range’s first release is Pikmin (Out Now), closely followed by Mario Power Tennis (Out March 6th). After that there will be a regular flow of great games reappearing with a new twist for a new audience.

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he arrival of Pikmin as one of the first New Play Control! games perfectly illustrates the philosophy and potential of the new range.

Pikmin is already a well-loved and successful franchise, but New Play Control! Pikmin is a whole other ball game, a title that makes the most of the Wii’s point and click functionality and adds new dimensions and fun elements to the whole experience – none of which would be possible on anything but the Wii. First released in 2002, Pikmin casts players as a spaceman called Captain Olimar who has crash-landed on a very unusual planet inhabited by some very unusual creatures, Pikmin. They are half-animal, half-plant and completely loveable.

Unfortunately, they share the

planet with some rather more hostile creatures who will try and stop Olimar in his mission to continue his galactic quest.

In order to do this, the Captain needs to collect 30 sections of his crashed spaceship, which are now scattered across the planet.

Thankfully, the Pikmin are there to help him.

Each of them has its own strengths: Red Pikmin can survive fire, Blue Pikmin can survive in water, while Yellow Pikmin can destroy obstacles with rock bombs. Players control them individually or in groups of up to 100.

On the Wii, as part of the New Play Control! range, Pikmin is a more accessible and a tighter game, with players in full command and the action non-stop.

GAME INFO MARIO POWER TENNIS Format: Wii Exclusive Release Date: March 6th

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he second game in the New Play Control! series is a perfect candidate for the full Wii treatment.

Mario Power Tennis was already a fun game packed with classic characters and supercharged action.

The big difference, of course, is that now players use the Wii remote like a racket, transforming the title into an intuitive, physical experience, whilst retaining all the quirks and features that make it much more than just a sports sim.

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Mario Power Tennis is a perfect candidate for the New Play Control! range.

Players can chose to play as one of a host of characters from the Mario franchise, including the man himself, of course. They can then decide either to play ‘regular’ tennis or tennis-themed mini games.

They can serve and smash their way through tournaments in singles and doubles matches, unlocking a variety of new characters and extra mini-games and different courts along the way, eventually progressing to an extremely challenging star tournament.

Because the game is now on the Wii, players can perform different strokes by flicking the remote and utilising the motion sensitive controls.

There are four levels of control difficulty: Easy, Medium, Technical and Difficult.

GAME INFO PIKMIN 2 Format: Wii Exclusive Release Date: 2009

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he credit crunch has hit Captain Olimar hard! And in Pikmin 2 he returns to the world where he had his first adventure – this time to save his company.

He is on a mission to collect treasure strewn all over the planet in order to pay off a debt of 10,000 pokos. Luckily, he has an assistant, Louie, with him. And, of course, he has the help of the Pikmin.

Players play as either Olimer or Louie to defeat their enemies, create more Pikmin and solve puzzles. There are new Pikmin to discover, including purple and white variants.

But, there are also 60 different species of enemy characters, as well as randomly generated dungeons everywhere.

The New Play Controls will enable you to select group and give orders to the Pikmin, as you experience the 2nd instalment in Pikmin.

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ne of Nintendo’s most loveable characters swings onto the Wii via an update of another GameCube classic.

In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, from the makers of Super Mario Galaxy, the great ape jumps, battles, swings on vines and collects bananas and baby apes throughout rich jungle environments. He can also hitch rides on parrots and bounce off pinball-like obstacles. Along the way, players battle enormous beasts and even get in boxing matches with rivals.

In this New Play Control adventure you will need to use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to pummel enemies, and swing through the trees.

GAME INFO DONKEY KONG JUNGLEBEAT Format: Wii Exclusive Release Date: 2009

Junior product manager Zoe Cooper introduces the New Play Control! range… an you tell us about the New Play Control! range? What’s the philosophy behind it?

The New Play Control! series brings some all-time Nintendo classics to the expanded audience of the Wii, giving everyone a chance to enjoy some great new titles that they may not have had the chance to play in the past. The range will give Nintendo fans a new way of playing GameCube favourites like Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis, and will offer the expanded non-gamer audience some brand new additions to their Wii collection.

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What type of games will be included in the range?

The New Play Control! series will include several classic Nintendo titles, originally released on GameCube. The series will kick off with the release of the critically acclaimed Pikmin on 6th February and will soon be followed by Mario Power Tennis.

But the New Play Control! series won’t stop there as 2009 will also see the release of Pikmin 2 and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

What differences will players notice?

Each title has been given the Wii treatment, and at its simplest will now offer 16:0 480p widescreen graphics and immersive Wii control systems.

But each title will offer its own exclusive new features.

Pikmin features an all new point and click control system that makes selecting, grouping and giving orders to your Pikmin more fluid and intuitive. In addition to the new controls there is an all new updated save method, which will now allow players to restart play from any day. This is perfect for retrying a particularly puzzling challenge.

Mario Power Tennis will instantly feel like a whole new game, as it makes full use of the Wii Motion Sensor controls, and has you swinging the remote like a tennis racket, but playing as your favourite Mario characters.

Mario Power Tennis will offer four different control options, from novice to expert and will allow you to use the remote to make a variety of shots, from overhand strikes to backhands and, of course Power Shots, which are different for each character. As well as a variety of control options, Mario Power Tennis will offer an all new split screen for two player mode, brand new action replays, as well as a full range of courts and mini-games.

It really is the next step on from Wii Sports Tennis, energised with that old Mario magic.

Will you market New Play Control as a range or will all marketing focus on individual titles?

Each title will have its own marketing campaign, which will start with Pikmin on 2nd Feb. However the range as a whole will be represented in all marketing activity, either through an end frame on the TVC, or the packshots as part of the POS catalogue.

New Play Control! has its own branding, which can be represented in both our above and below the line marketing.

Do you think these games will appeal to long-standing gamers who have been wondering why they can’t play their favourites on Wii, or to gamers who entered the market with Wii and have these great characters and franchises to discover?

Hopefully both. The New Play Control! series are neither straight re-releases nor complete remakes. For those gamers out there who knew and loved these titles on GameCube they will now get a second chance to get stuck in, and rediscover these great adventures but this time it will be widescreen with a higher resolution, and offer the Wii Remote control system as well as all new Wii exclusive in game features.

And for those who have been brought into gaming through the Wii, these releases will offer even more family fun for their Wii software collection.

MEDIA

WATCH

ONM 86% “Pikmin is a fantastic game, particularly for those who haven’t played it before and will be experiencing it for the first time. The Remote greatly enhances the experience and makes commanding Pikmin much easier.”

“Pikmin is still a great game and is essential to those who haven’t played it."”

EUROGAMER “Pikmin is such a one-off that it's as fresh as a walking, squeaking daisy now; fresh enough to make this reissue an exciting prospect for anyone who's never played it, or remembers it fondly but only vaguely.”

NGAMER 80% “There’s still nothing else quite like Pikmin. An otherworldly gaming experience.”

“As old as the GameCube it may be, but the ethereal garden landscapes are still gorgeous.”

MARKETING TELEVISION • POINT OF SALE

Individual titles and entire range to benefit from high profile marketing on TV and in store...

G TELEVISION The New Play Control! range launched with the release of Pikmin, which was supported by a strong above the line campaign, using TV to show off the unique gameplay to kids and gamers alike.

Mario Power Tennis will also be supported by a TV campaign that concentrates on the family fun provided by this title. It is the first Nintendo tennis title on the Wii since Wii Sports and is expected to follow up on that game’s wide appeal, as a great family fun release.

TV will play a large role in the release of all New Play Control! titles, including Mario Power Tennis, Pikmin 2 and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and a unique endframe will ensure that forthcoming releases will be highlighted in every campaign.

G POINT OF SALE To complement the TV campaign, there will be a wealth of in-store materials including FSDU, wobblers and window posters. The aim is to highlight the entire range on all point of purchase.

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F & IV M E A CO RI P O IE PO S W OF ER P TE IKM N IN N IS

To celebrate the launch of the New Play Control! brand, Nintendo is offering you the chance to win five copies of Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis.

To get your name in the hat, simply tell us:

When was Pikmin first released?

A) 1902 B) 2002 C) 3002 Please send your best guess to

playcontrol@intentmedia.co.uk