If you're staying at a hotel right now, and love pay-per-hour entertainment, this is for you.
Pikmin(TM) 2 Premieres Today in Hotel Rooms and Retail Outlets Across North America
SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- How do you follow-up
a cult classic? With a sequel, of course! And now, fans of the original Pikmin
can buy its successor for their homes and also play it in their hotel rooms.
Today -- as Nintendo of America Inc. releases Pikmin 2 to retail outlets --
LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation (Nasdaq: LNET) is premiering the game in
all hotels it has installed with the latest-generation Nintendo GameCube
platform. The deployment marks the first time in history that a Nintendo
GameCube title has been introduced to the consumer and lodging markets
simultaneously.
"Having set a precedent of concurrent lodging and consumer releases with
Nintendo(R) 64 titles, we are proud to continue that tradition with Nintendo
GameCube as we premiere Pikmin 2 in hotels the same day Nintendo releases it
to stores," said Steven D. Truckenmiller, Senior Vice President, Programming
and Content Management for LodgeNet.
Pikmin 2 is set in the world of the Pikmin, a race of plant/animal hybrids
whose varying colors identify their respective special powers. Players control
Captain Olimar and Louie, his associate, as they work with native Pikmin in
finding treasures to repay their employer for a load of carrots that was
hijacked on Louie's watch. Of course, no treasure comes without a challenge --
and Pikmin 2 offers plenty, in the form of creatures that must be vanquished
through skillful combat and strategic coordination between the captain, Louie
and the Pikmin. The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has
assigned Pikmin 2 a rating of "E" for "Everyone".
"With Pikmin 2 in hotels as well as stores today, we are substantially
expanding our promotional base on the critical first day of release, as well
as offering future travelers the opportunity to play the game on the road,"
said Peter Eck, Director, Nintendo Gateway Products.
As one of the lodging industry's most enduring and successful
entertainment partnerships, the LodgeNet/Nintendo relationship has resulted in
more than a billion minutes of game time being played in guest rooms over the
past 11 years. LodgeNet currently provides more than 900,000 guest rooms with
video games through Nintendo GameCube or preceding Nintendo platforms.
