Atari Announces DRIV3R For Personal Computer

Atari Announces DRIV3R For Personal Computer Xbox(R) and PlayStation(R)2 Hit Coming to Personal Computer in March With Enhanced Graphics, Exclusive Mission LOS ANGELES, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAR) is bringing DRIV3R, the action-driving game that sold more than 3 million copies worldwide on PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft in 2004, to the personal computer in March. DRIV3R is an action-packed driving-adventure game that recreates the excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster. The PC version will include enhanced graphics, as well as an exclusive mission titled, "The Hit." "DRIV3R was one of the best selling games of 2004 and we're excited to bring the title to PC gamers worldwide," said Wim Stocks, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Atari. "With enhanced graphics, an exclusive new mission and the behind-the-wheel experience that the Driver series is known for, PC gamers are in for a thrilling ride featuring tire-squealing car chases and tooth-rattling vehicular destruction." The next evolution of the hugely popular and successful Driver franchise, DRIV3R is developed by Reflections Interactive (an Atari studio), the masterminds of the franchise, which has sold more than 15 million units worldwide to date. DRIV3R stays true to its roots, incorporating the cinematic gameplay and gritty street crime of its predecessors with g round-breaking graphics and three mammoth, wide-open city environments. Featuring Hollywood-level production values and a gripping, narrative story line, DRIV3R casts players once again as Tanner, a jaw breaking, no-holds-barred undercover cop and master "Wheelman" who does whatever it takes to bring the bad guys down. This time, Tanner, alongside his longtime partner, Tobias Jones, must infiltrate a global car theft ring, surviving high-octane car chases and fierce on-foot firefights while tailing gangsters, chasing witnesses, stealing cars and unloading huge clips of ammo to bring the criminals to justice. Game Features * Major voice acting talent is involved in DRIV3R, including Michael Madsen as Tanner, Mickey Rourke as the sinister Jericho, Michelle Rodriguez as the sexy Calita and Ving Rhames as Tanner's partner, Tobias Jones * Three gigantic and true-to-life cities, including Miami, Nice and Istanbul, with more than 35,000 buildings hand-placed and decorated for intricate detail and ultimate immersion * More than 70 controllable vehicles, including motorcycles, boats, police cars, vans, mopeds, muscle cars and fully articulated 18 wheelers * More than 150 miles of major highways and city streets to explore plus countless uncharted open areas, alleys, dirt roads and smaller byways * A stunning graphics engine capable of creating massive photorealistic environments -- both indoor and outdoor -- filled with hundreds of destructible objects to be smashed and blasted both in vehicles and on foot * Complete destruction model allows vehicles to crumble realistically as they are bashed, smashed and driven to the limits of their design * Unmatched driving and physics engine creates the most exciting and fun vehicle performance in any game * A deep, narrative storyline that plays like an interactive movie, recreating the attitude, action and car chase sequences of modern gangster films; nearly an hour of CGI video fleshes out the plot with dramatic scenes of sinister crime syndicate dealings * Multiple solutions to missions allow players to plan strategically before they move in on the crooks and choose between a full frontal assault or a more surreptitious alternative, depending on gameplay tastes * Driver's signature "Film Director" function, which records every move made in the game, allows gamers to place cameras anywhere and direct and save their own Hollywood car chase to memory cards To complement the launch of DRIV3R, Atari has formed a marketing relationship with NVIDIA, a leader in graphics and digital media processors, to promote the NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series-based graphics cards as the preferred graphics hardware platform for the game. DRIV3R is currently available worldwide on the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system with an ESRB rating of 'M' for Mature. DRIV3R for personal computer is expected to available in March 2005. For more information on DRIV3R, please visit the game's official Web site at http://www.driv3r.com/. About Atari New York-based Atari, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard- core, genre-defining games such as DRIV3R(TM), Enter the Matrix(TM), Neverwinter Nights(TM), Stuntman(TM), Test Drive(R), Unreal(R) Tournament 2004, and Unreal(R) Championship; and mass-market and children's games such as Backyard Sports(TM), Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues(TM) and Dora the Explorer(TM), Dragon Ball Z(R) and RollerCoaster Tycoon(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR- 0000052573), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit http://www.atari.com/. Source: Atari, Inc. CONTACT: Matt Frary of Atari, Inc, +1-310-595-2119, Matt.frary@atari.com, or Tara Bruno of HighWater Group for Atari, +1-212-338-0077, ext., 302, tara@highwatergroup.com Web site: http://www.atari.com/ http://www.driv3r.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment