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About Judy

As WP's managing editor, I edit review and preview articles, attempt to keep up with the frantic pace of Rainier's news posts, and keep our reviewers on deadline, which is akin to herding cats. When I have a moment to myself and don't have my nose in a book, I like to play action/RPG, adventure and platforming games.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Shipping Announcements

by Judy on Aug. 26, 2008 @ 9:32 a.m. PDT

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli (NDS/Wii/PS2/PS3)

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is a re-creation of Ferrari's own racing series, where drivers unleash the world's most powerful, elegant cars on premiere international race tracks. The title was given a uniquely magical touch from GP2 driver Bruno Senna, nephew of F1 legend Ayrton, who acted as technical consultant on the game's handling.

"Creating Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli has been a labor of love. Our obsession with capturing the Ferrari mystique is something racing game fans and auto aficionados will savor," said Mark Cale, CEO at System 3. "Activision is the best partner imaginable to distribute the game in North America, so we are in a fantastic position."

"It's been refreshing to be a part of a racing title that takes itself seriously," said Dave Oxford, Activision Publishing. "Ferraris are elite performance machines and Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli simulates the exhilaration of driving them flawlessly."

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is a graphical beast – especially when running at 1080p on PlayStation 3. The game has 15 international racing circuits along with multiple gameplay modes such as Ferrari Challenge Seasons, Time Trial, Quick Race, and Endurance. The 16 competitor online multiplayer action is unmatched in terms of framerate and fun, even allowing Ferrari fanatics to race against European players who own the game. Downloadable content will be continually released for the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli community beginning in September.

Freddie Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery (Wii)

Help underwater detective Freddi Fish and her finny friend Luther solve the case of Grandma Grouper's missing kelp seeds before all of the sea creatures go hungry! Explore marine caves, deep canyons, and fascinating places like King Crab's Castle in an effort to rescue the colorful reef! Freddi Fish's easy point-and-click interface lets young players earn a reaction from just about every object, plant and character in the game. In addition, a variety of mini-games helps players solve the mystery, develop hand-eye coordination and increase learning.

Freddie Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery is rated E for Everyone and available for a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (NDS)

Players find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island. Starting off with nothing but an abandoned farm, a handful of seeds, and the determination to start a new life, it's up to them to tame the land and develop this mysterious island into a bustling tropical paradise!

By harvesting crops, raising animals, and mining for precious gems, players will help the island grow into a vibrant town filled with people, businesses, and eligible bachelors and bachelorettes! Players can take on the role of a male or female in their quest to find love and start a farming family.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness is a great game for players of all ages; it provides wholesome, non-violent entertainment that anyone in the family can enjoy. Players can also test their farming skills against each other and compete for prizes via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness will retail for $29.99.

Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark (Wii)

Join Sam as he embarks on his journey to capture Darkness in a land of talking trees, hilarious carrots and non-stop adventure! Kids will love testing their wits in this midnight quest to shed some light on Sam's mysterious closet. Explore a world of secrets and slumber in this motion-based adventure that creates a fun learning environment to encourage critical thinking while fostering listening and memory skills.

Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark is rated E for Everyone and available for a suggested retail price of $19.99.

The Sims 2 Apartment Life (PC)

The Sims steps out of the suburbs and into a brand new busy apartment building with a whole new kind of experience that delivers the drama of close quarters living! In The Sims 2 Apartment Life, players can control multiple households and create their own living dynamic from happy harmony to comical conflict. New social networks and character types, including artsy bohemians, sports jocks, gadget-loving techies and edgy gearheads spice up the Sims' life. Additionally, a new reputation meter, allows Sims to build up the respect they deserve from other Sims to be the most admired - or least-desired - Sims in the neighborhood. The better the reputation, the easier it is for Sims to find the right friends to help them achieve their goals.

Players can make their Sims' space look great in The Sims 2 Apartment Life! Five new building types -- ranging from converted lofts to roomy and posh studios or luxury apartments with their own butler -- add to the creative and customized adventure. The options for decorating the apartment are numerous as players can choose from a myriad of new decor selections, including spiral staircases and ceilings.

The Sims 2 Apartment Pets (NDS)

In The Sims 2 Apartment Pets on the Nintendo DS, players care for a variety of local pets including loveable cats and dogs, slithery snakes, hamsters, colorful birds and cuddly rabbits to make sure they receive the right treatment so that they stay happy, healthy and well groomed. Simoleans earned can be used to furnish the perfect apartment and buy fun pet accessories like hats, shoes and toys. Additionally, players can use the Nintendo DS touch screen and stylus to play cool mini-games and unlock new objects for their Sim and their pets.

Spy Fox in Dry Cereal (Wii)

The world's dairy cows have been "cow-napped" by a villainous goat, forcing kids to eat their cereal without milk. Team up with super-sleuth Spy Fox, Monkey Penny and Professor Quack as they take on this tough assignment through 100 levels of spy-speeding fun arcade-style games. Use amazing gadgets like X-ray chewing gum to crack the case and save the fate of breakfast as we know it!

Spy Fox in Dry Cereal is rated E for Everyone and available for a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Tales of Vesperia (X360)

In Tales of Vesperia, the world of Terca Lumireis is in transition. Ten years of peace have led to an uneasy truce between the Empire and independent groups of citizens known as guilds, which desire to live by their own rules. Controlling the ancient technology known as "blastia," the Empire has provided safety and prosperity to its citizens, but dissent remains high as the people grow uneasy with the heavy hand of their government. As former Imperial Knight Yuri Lowell, players will explore the complex relationship between blastia, the government and its people, setting foot outside the safe confines of the cities to explore a mysterious and dangerous world.

The first high-definition installment of the Tales role-playing series, Tales of Vesperia brings a decade of gameplay heritage and storytelling pedigree to Xbox 360. Featuring an action-packed real-time battle system, players can chain together powerful attacks to create combos on the fly and give detailed commands to the rest of their party to create cohesive battle strategies. All-new battle features such as Fatal Strikes, Burst Artes and a multi-stage Over Limit provide more tactical depth to each encounter, while series traditions such as cooking and skits return with new twists to delight longtime fans.

"Tales of Vesperia represents the culmination of a decade of Tales role-playing innovation and perfectly punctuates the series' 10 year anniversary in North America," said Todd Thorson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations with Namco Bandai Games America, Inc. "With all-new gameplay additions, nods to previous entries in the series and incredible HD graphics, there has never been a better time for gamers to experience this incredible role-playing series."

Tales of Vesperia for Xbox 360 carries a suggested retail price of $59.99 and is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. A Special Edition of the game is also available, packaged in a SteelBook case with a 10th anniversary soundtrack with music from a decade of Tales history for a suggested retail price of $69.99.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (Wii/PSP/PS2/PS3/X360)

"Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 brings simulation golf to life through its graphically enhanced courses and several all-new features for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game," said Executive Producer Mike Taramykin. "In Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play we were able to create a sociable yet competitive experience with the new Golf Party Mode, while also evening the playing field with an all-new Wii-specific controller system."

An all-new addition to this year's game is Performance Coach featuring Haney. He will assist gamers as they hit the links and try to advance their career to win the FedExCup. Following each round, Haney will deliver customized feedback on a player's performance. This feedback system allows all gamers, rookies or pros, to compete and enjoy the game at any level. In Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, a player's skill level is dynamic, constantly adjusting throughout the round just as it would during a real afternoon of golf.

Also new to the game is Club Tuner, which gives gamers the opportunity to calibrate their clubs to fit their personal tendencies and preferences. Players can test and customize their driver, fairway woods, irons and wedges. The Club Tuner allows gamers the ability to create a bag of clubs that fit specific course conditions or needs, but strategy will come into play as gamers must weigh the risks of club performance versus ease of use.

The online experience for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has been significantly enhanced, from enhancements and all-new features within EA SPORTS GamerNet1 to an all-new game engine powering simultaneous play within the game. New to GamerNet, which is an interactive gaming hub that hosts user-created gameplay online, are Instant Challenges, seamless integration into gameplay and all-new daily leaderboards. The new online engine in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play gives as many as four players the ability to play each hole at the same time, allowing players to swing when they are ready and experience a round of golf even faster and more competitive than ever before.

Developed in Orlando, Fla., by EA Tiburon, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 will be available on August 26 on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and the PSP system. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play is available specifically for Wii.

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