Nintendo Offers Proof of Aliens: Adventure-Filled Pikmin 2 Lands

Today; Shigeru Miyamoto's Latest Creation Isn't Your Garden-Variety Video Game

REDMOND, Wash.--Aug. 30, 2004--With their heads sporting leaves,

buds and flowers, the alien Pikmin might be mistaken for garden

plants. But this is one hyperactive garden club. A single whistle

mobilizes a multitude of Pikmin to gather treasure, fight enemies and

solve puzzles.

The only place these tiny, hard-working creatures can be found is

in Pikmin(TM) 2, a unique video game made only for Nintendo

GameCube(TM) that launches today. In this mass-strategy sequel,

Captain Olimar and his assistant, Louie, must find valuable objects to

save their company from bankruptcy. They enlist hordes of Pikmin to

help.

"With a new character to control and new kinds of Pikmin, players

will experience twice the action in this one-of-a-kind adventure,"

says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of

marketing and corporate communications. "The inclusion of brand-name

products, a first for Nintendo, means players will find unique value

in the familiar items they uncover through the game."

Pikmin 2 improves on the original in every way. Players can switch

control between Olimar and Louie to expand the action and find new

ways to solve puzzles. They also will encounter two new types of

Pikmin: powerful purple and poisonous white.

Unlike the first version, the game has no time limits, so players

can fully explore the world of the Pikmin at their own pace. Time even

stops when players enter the new cave environments, but the

underground areas offer their own tactical challenges: Players can't

grow new Pikmin there, so they must marshal their forces strategically

to fight the various enemies. Pikmin 2 has a new split-screen battle

mode that lets two players compete to see which of the Pikmin armies

has the most skillful commander.

Best known for iconic video game characters like Mario(TM) and

Donkey Kong(R), legendary Nintendo game developer Shigeru Miyamoto

created the engrossing world of the Pikmin. The first installment,

which launched in December 2001, won the 2002 award from the Academy

of Interactive Arts & Sciences for Innovation in Console Gaming.

Pikmin 2, Rated E for Everyone, sells at an MSRP of $49.99. Consumers

can visit www.pikmin.com to learn more about the fascinating alien

world of Pikmin 2.

The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive

entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and

markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video

game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the

best-selling Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems

extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of

delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of

all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in

1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video games and more

than 170 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry

icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching popular

culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and

Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based

in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in

the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the

company's Web site at http://www.nintendo.com.