Village Gamer

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that EA Sports™ NBA Jam from EA Canada is now available in stores worldwide. Available for the Wii™, EA Sports NBA Jam is a revival of one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made. EA Sports NBA Jam delivers vintage NBA Jam gameplay, combined with all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the classic game.

“We are really excited about the launch of NBA Jam,” says Peter Moore, president, EA Sports. “This is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and judging by the overwhelmingly positive reactions of the people who have played it, as well as the great critical acclaim it has already earned, NBA JAM is on fire.”

With two distinct game modes: Classic Campaign and Remix Tour, EA Sports NBA Jam offers something for everyone. In Classic Campaign, players can take a trip down memory lane, individually or cooperatively with a friend, as they play through all the teams in the NBA in a worst to first ladder tournament. In Remix Tour, players will be faced with a new twist on the traditional NBA Jam experience. From boss battles against some of the NBA’s greatest legends, to half-court game modes with distinct challenges and winning conditions, players will be taken through an NBA Jam experience that, while completely unique to the basketball videogame genre, is classic arcade hoops at its best.

EA Sports NBA Jam has been rated E for Everyone. In addition to the Wii version, EA SPORTS NBA JAM will be available as a standalone product for the Xbox 360® and the PlayStation®3 in time for the holidays.

Electronic Arts Inc. is also very pleased to announce that EA Sports™ FIFA 11 has once again experienced a record-breaking launch. Based on internal estimates, FIFA 11 has shattered sales records for the title with 2.6 million copies sold through at retail in Europe and North America through Saturday, October 2. FIFA 11 is the fastest selling sports game ever and the title is off to its best start ever in markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and North America.

EA Sports also announced that FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, one of the most played, dynamic and connected modes within the FIFA franchise, will now be available for free (Restrictions and conditions apply. Please see back of pack for details) on the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® this November.

“We’re thrilled at how fans embraced FIFA 11 last weekend, and we are excited to be able to offer one of our most popular game modes – FIFA 11 Ultimate Team – for free this November,” said Peter Moore, President of EA SPORTS. “This is a landmark achievement for EA SPORTS – we’ve shattered sales records at retail, critics are praising FIFA 11 as being one of the most authentic and innovative titles ever, and fans are connecting and competing with other gamers around the world and have logged a record number of online connected game sessions.”

Among the notable accomplishments for FIFA 11 since its launch on Sept. 28 in North America and Oct. 1 in Europe:

* FIFA 11 sell-through is estimated to be up 29 percent over last year’s record-breaking launch. FIFA 11 is estimated to have grossed more than $150M at retail.
* October 1-2 – the first two days after FIFA 11 launched in Europe – was the busiest two-day period for online gaming in EA SPORTS history. Fans registered more than 18.6 million online connected EA SPORTS game sessions overall, including more than 11.3 million of FIFA 11, in that two-day period.
* FIFA 11 has earned 58 review scores of 90 or better around the world, including perfect marks from Gameblog.fr, Eurogamer Italy, PlayStation Life Style and Match magazine and Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK. GamesMaster Magazine (UK) proclaimed that FIFA 11 is “the best football game ever,” while OPM UK raves FIFA 11 is “as close to footballing perfection as we’ve ever seen in a videogame.”

FIFA 11 reinvents player authenticity–on and off the ball–-with all-new Personality+. Individual abilities are now reflected in-game, allowing clear differentiation for every player on the pitch. Players will experience true freedom in man-to-man interactions with 360° Fight for Possession that transforms physical play from lateral jostling to full 360° collisions and new Pro Passing, where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer’s ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. Plus, gamers will be able to play as the goalkeeper and experience the thrill of the one on one battle, diving to make a save from a free kick, the pressure of the corner and keeping a clean sheet.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team challenges gamers to build a squad of the world’s best football stars by earning, buying, selling and even trading players with other Ultimate Team gamers around the world. They can strategically craft squads to get the best chemistry and team rating, and then take them onto the pitch to compete in online and single-player tournaments which are updated weekly.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team delivers a number of major changes as requested by gamers. Gamers can now pit their ultimate team directly against their friends’ best squads in Play A Friend online matches—the No. 1 requested new feature. Plus, when away from their consoles gamers can engage in the full auction and trading system on the web through an enhanced Ultimate Team web app which links directly to the FIFA 11 Ultimate Team console experience.

Localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries, FIFA 11 is available for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, Nintendo Wii™, PC, Nintendo DS™, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), iPhone® and iPod® touch.