Reef Brings Rogue Trooper® to Wii™

Reef Entertainment has confirmed it has agreed an exclusive deal with the UK Developer Rebellion to launch their 2000 AD character Rogue Trooper® videogame globally on Wii™.

For those who don’t know the character, Rogue Trooper® is a genetically engineered soldier of the future, and is unique in videogames as he has an distinct armoury; a rifle, helmet and backpack, which contain the ‘personalities’ of his fallen comrades, providing him the capabilities of 4 soldiers in one. A ‘biochip’ is installed within each ‘Genetic Infantryman’ or ‘GI’ from birth, which then records their personalities and training upon their death. These biochips are then removed and can then be inserted within energized slots on a fellow GI’s rifle, helmet or backpack to secure them for their return to base and re-cloning.

Rogue Trooper®: The Quartz Zone Massacre is the story of how Rogue Trooper® and his comrades are betrayed by a traitor general on their first mission to an area on Nu Earth known as the Quartz Zone. Only Rogue survives, and joined by his fallen comrades within his equipment, he begins a journey across Nu Earth to find the general and unleash his revenge!

Rogue Trooper® is one of the 2000 AD’s most endearing characters. First appearing in 1981, he was created by Gerry Finlay-Day and Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame and was intended to run only a few years, but fans continually demanded more adventures. Rogue Trooper® has also enjoyed many reincarnations as a videogame throughout the last 20 years, most recently as the critically acclaimed and BAFTA nominated 3rd person shooter on PS2, Xbox and PC.

The Wii version promises to provide even greater immersive gameplay with the unique Wii control interface where kill shots are more accurate and certainly more creative than its console forebears.

In addition, Rebellion has provided additional tweaks and polish to the overall game so ensuring the Wii version of the game is the very best yet.

Peter Rezon, CEO of Reef said; ‘Rogue Trooper®:The Quartz Zone Massacre is one of the best games Reef has been involved with, and to win this contract for the Wii version is fantastic. Were taking a hit game to a unique console where we believe the exciting elements we’ve added will make this 3rd shooter a hugely successful Wii title.’

UK

EDGE: ‘Free Running is an exciting prospect for sure’

GamesMaster: ‘Refreshingly unusual’

Official Playstation 2: ‘Hot or Not – Hot’

Go-Play (PSP): ‘We liked what we saw of Free Running and if you’re bored of waiting for Project 8 to arrive on PSP, then this is a worthy alternative’

EDGE: 70% ‘It may be separated into modest zones, each British in the worst of ways and built for free running more than roaming, but to become its king can be spellbinding’

GamesMaster: 75% ‘It’s fiddly and, occasionally exasperating, but there’s good platforming here’

France

JEUXVIDEO.COM: ‘Daring gameplay!’

Spain

Playmania: “GAME OF THE MONTH” 82/100 '3 reasons to have Free Running: A distinct game… You will never stop… Play with a friend’

Gamers: 75/100 ‘The most urban of the extreme sports comes to your PS2 so that you move for take care with proper style. Run, jump, climb... There is no limit!’

Official Playstation Magazine: 8.2/10 ‘Free running brings the definitive urban sport to the lovers of the impossible jump.’

Italy

Play Generation: ‘An extremely original title’

Hit Mania Magazine: ‘Free Running Parkour is an innovative videogame with a completely new gameplay that reproduces in a realistic way all movements and techniques of this new brand freestyle discipline’

Beat Magazine: ‘Free Running doesn’t only draw on, but explains, introduces and makes this discipline. A well produced videogame.’

For Men magazine: ‘This is a very realistic reconstruction, thanks to Sebastien Foucan’s consulting.’

Donna Moderna: ‘Free Running teaches the coolest extreme sport.’

Benelux

Power unlimited magazine: 75% ‘A bizarre game based around Free Running which works surprisingly well.’

STICK magazine: 70% BRONZE AWARD ‘Fans of Tony Hawk should try this now!’

Free Running is a Top 10. Hit! - 28th May 2007

Upon its launch across the PAL territories in April 2007, Free Running has exceeded all sales expectations and took strong chart positions for both PS2 and PSP.

In the UK especially, both versions made the Top.10 at No. 5 and No.9 respectively.

The strong sales meant that the PS2 version maintained its high chart position throughout May.

Peter Rezon, CEO of Reef Entertainment said, ‘As Free Running was based upon an emerging extreme sport, we had very high hopes for the game. But to go Top.10 is fantastic.’

Reef Entertainment is now focused on releasing the game in North America and the Far East.

Peter continues, ‘The sport of Free Running has grown in immense popularity during the last year and our research indicates that in North America especially, the sport is really taking off!’

Peter concludes, ‘Our plans for Free Running are very exciting. We’re looking at additional formats for the current game and designs are currently being discussed for Free Running 2, so it’s all go!’

For more information on the game, go to www.freerunning.com

To coincide with the European release of Free Running® on PlayStation 2 and PSP, Rebellion and Reef Entertainment together with the Chief Marketing Office (CMO) in Rotterdam, Netherlands, have conducted the world’s biggest videogame projection on the Nedlloyd building in the city.

As part of Rotterdam’s ‘City of Architecture 2007’ event, the ‘Free Running Gameplay’ was the first prize for the lucky winner of regional heats leading up to the premiere on Saturday 14th April.

The Free Running videogame, launched across Europe on Friday 20th April, is based upon the extreme sport of Parkour, which featured in the recent James Bond movie ‘Casino Royale’.

Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion said, ‘Associating Free Running with the Rotterdam ‘City of Architecture 2007’ event made perfect sense. The CMO are communicating Rotterdam as a youth orientated city and playing an urban-sport focused videogame on one of the City’s key buildings actively engages with and encourages the young people of Rotterdam to get involved with new and exciting projects. It was an opportunity not to be missed.’

Peter Rezon, CEO of Reef Entertainment said, ‘When we began to work with the CMO, the idea of the projection – on what turned out to be arguably the world’s biggest TV - worked well because of its unique environment. We’re really pleased with the results.’

The Nedlloyd building is one of the largest in Rotterdam, standing at over 20 floors, overlooking the main waterway and is at the centre of Rotterdam. The Free Running projection could be seen from over 5 miles away.

It is estimated that over 130,000 people saw the event across Rotterdam during the 2 hour event and was hailed by Rotterdam’s CMO as ‘a great success’.

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