Cyberathlete Professional League Gets Its MTV
The Dallas-based Cyberathlete Professional League will receive major television coverage of its 2005 World Tour on MTV in November. The music television network will host the $1,000,000 World Tour’s final championships in New York City to spotlight the fast growing sport of computer game competitions.
This year’s tour kicked off in Istanbul, Turkey and has since made nine stops across the globe. The final showdown will take place Nov. 22 at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square.
The head-to-head competition will have the top two finalists face off for a $250,000. In addition, the tour points leader will be awarded the “Intel Player of the Year” title and take home an additional $20,000 and the Intel Gaming Cup.
“The New York event is shaping up to be unprecedented in its reach to both the gamer enthusiasts and the general public alike,” said Angel Munoz, president and founder of the CPL. “This event is the realization of eight years of expectations, dreams and hard work for us.”
Further information is available at http://www.cplworldtour.com.
Dance Video Game Takes Real-Life Stage
Will “Dance Dance Revolution make you sweat sweat?” Konami Digital Entertainment — America hopes so. The game publisher kicked of a new promotion with 24 Hour Fitness to help kids and adults get in shape while having fun. What makes this fitness challenge unique is Konami’s popular “Dance Dance Revolution” video game will be added to clubs nationwide.
“Bringing the health and fitness benefits of DDR to 24 Hour Fitness is an unbeatable combination in helping kids and adults stay in shape while having fun,” said Clara Gilbert, director of business partnerships at Konami Digital Entertainment – America.
“By placing DDR in 24 Hour Fitness locations we strive to help kids and adults achieve their fitness goals in an unintimidating and fun way,” she said.
Released in 2001, “Dance Dance Revolution” has sold over three million units across all platforms. Each version of the game has a “Workout Mode” that allows users to track calories burned and monitor their own fitness regiment. You interact with the game by jumping on a floor pad connected to a console player. The object is to keep in step with a variety of popular musical hits within a set amount of time.
“Soulcalibur III” Gone Gold
Publisher and developer Namco sent word the latest installment of its prized “Soulcaliber” franchise has gone gold and will be in stores on Oct. 25. The game will be available for the PlayStation 2. Beefing up this classic meant adding an in-depth character creation system, three new characters and original gameplay modes.
“Soulcalibur III does justice to the legendary franchise with incredibly detailed graphics, a vast selection of playable characters and challenging new gameplay modes including real time strategy,” said Yoshi Niki, business unit director with Namco.
The game’s story is that of two legendary swords – Soul Calibur and Soul Edge – and the fighters engaged in the epic battle between these powerful blades. More than 25 playable characters can be used. As always, players battle to the death against incredible stages, such as a shrine in Greece or a castle in Germany.
For more information visit http://soulcalibur3.namco.com.
Video Game Charity Auction Ends Friday
You’d better hurry! That Star Wars Skywalker Lightsaber signed by George Lucas will go to the highest bidder on Friday, marking the end of the sixth annual computer and video game industry online children’s charity auction on eBay.
In addition, this year’s “Nite to Unite for Kids” dinner will honor director George Lucas, founder of LucasArts and chairman of Lucasfilm, Ltd. The black tie optional charity dinner will be held October 18 in San Francisco.
Items in this year’s charity auction are available on eBay at http://tinyurl.com/dp4oc. Aside from the light saber, other popular items include a PlayStation 2 signed by the cast of the hit show Alias; 2 passes to the E3Expo and either the Sony or Nintendo of America parties; and a life-size statue of Halo 2’s Master Chief.
The Guildhall at SMU is an intense 21-month graduate program in digital game development. The Guildhall offers a Masters of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development degree or a professional certificate. The curriculum was designed by expert teachers working with leaders in the gaming industry to provide students with a solid foundation in game development. Visit http://guildhall.smu.edu.
