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Sammy Studios Announces Guilty Gear Isuka

(Press Release)

Sequel Brings 4-Player, New Characters and Customization to Acclaimed Fighter Series, Due on PlayStation®2 in Q4 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARLSBAD, Calif.- March 3, 2004- Sammy Studios Inc., a developer, publisher and global distributor of interactive entertainment content, today announced that the sequel in the critically acclaimed Guilty Gear fighting series is coming to Sony PlayStation 2.  Developed by Arc System Works and due out in the fourth quarter of 2004, Guilty Gear Isuka promises to raise the bar on the 2D fighting game genre, one arguably set by its own predecessor Guilty Gear X2.  The 2003 PS2 game Guilty Gear X2 has become one of the highest rated 2D fighters of all time, based on game review scores aggregated by GameRankings.com.  Guilty Gear Isuka delivers the same trademarks that made the prequel a hit, such as superb character design, high-resolution 2D graphics and lightening-fast gameplay, while introducing new characters, new arenas and a number of franchise firsts.  This game is not yet rated.

"Guilty Gear is currently at the forefront of 2D fighters, propelled in part by hardcore fighter fans who recognize it as an evolution of the genre," said Tim Pivnicny, senior VP of Sammy Studios, Inc.  "In Guilty Gear Isuka we want to satisfy existing fighter fans with new content and never-before-seen innovations.  We also want to reach out to mainstream fans to show them that, right now, the envelope in fighting games is also being pushed in two dimensions."

In addition to new characters and content, Guilty Gear Isuka introduces 4-player, letting players brawl in 2-on-2 fighting or play 4-player co-op against computer A.I.   The new title will also introduce a new mode for character customization, allowing players to earn points to buy new moves and combos for their characters as well as change their appearance.   Guilty Gear Isuka adds 3 new playable fighters for a total of 23 characters, bolstering what is recognized as one of the most unique rosters of any fighting series.   Additional features and improvements to the sequel include a side-scrolling Action Game Mode, all-new arenas and a refined Survival Mode.  Returning are the series' standout trademarks, including its tremendous attention to detail in its combat system, character design, character animation and background graphics. 

Guilty Gear Isuka also delves deeper into the unique Guilty Gear universe.  The series is set in a skewed world where science and technology are deemed the source of conflict and are outlawed.  Soon however a new reason for discord arises with the discovery of a new form of energy, one ultimately applied to create horrible new weapons called "Gears."  These devastatingly powerful soldiers, made by fusing human and animal DNA, declare war on mankind.  What ensues is a hundred year war, and the birth of a fighting tournament designed to find humans skilled enough to thwart the Gear threat.  Guilty Gear's engaging premise and characters are the work of Daisuke Ishiwatari.

(c) Sammy 2004/1998-2004 ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd. Published by Sammy Studios, Inc.
"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

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About Sammy Studios, Inc.
Sammy Studios was founded in 2002 as the global videogame development and publishing subsidiary of Sammy Corporation. Sammy Studios is responsible for internal and external videogame development and publishing business in North America and Europe. The company's headquarters is a state-of-the-art development complex in Carlsbad, California, with an office in Los Angeles handling licensing and business development. Later this year Sammy Studios will release its first internally developed videogame, along with the biggest portfolio of externally developed games ever to be published under its brand.  The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sammy Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, an entertainment and amusement conglomerate with projected earnings in 2003 of $2 billion and one of the top-rated companies traded on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.sammystudios.com.