Faster and more Furious

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 4/14/2007 3:11:00 PM

More On: The Fast and the Furious Game

The PSP build of The Fast and the Furious has a load of new features, according to Namco-Bandai. Trading custom parts and cars wirelessly, a workshop for tuneups and oil changes, and four-person Road Sweeper multiplayer are all additions that enhance the PSP build. The game is available now, so PSP owners should keep an eye out.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS^™

FOR THE PSP^®SYSTEM DRIVES HOME NEW FEATURES

NAMCO BANDAI Games Brings

Edge Of Your Seat Portable, Drift Racing On The PSP^® System

SANTA CLARA, CALIF., (April 11, 2007) – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that its newest racing title, The Fast & the Furious^™ has new features for the

PSP^® (PlayStation^®Portable) system. The video game is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products. The Fast & the Furious on the PSP^®System will allow players to feel an unparalleled sense of power as they drift race their way through beautiful visuals and new modes exclusive to the PSP^® System. Wirelessly trade your customized rides in the Swap Meet, tune your car and give it an oil change in the Tuner Shop for a temporary performance boost, challenge up to 3 friends in multiplayer drift battles in the Road Sweeper mode or visit the Extras menu to view tricked out rides from the movie and real world.

The Fast & the Furious for the PSP system follows on the red hot heels of last year’s hit PlayStation^®2 computer entertainment system game. The game introduces ground breaking racing gameplay, making drift racing accessible to both beginning and veteran game drivers alike. Here’s what car enthusiast and gaming magazines had to say:

“Realistic grip and nitrous-fueled sprints add impact as you screech through neon-lit city streets and down darkened mountainsides.” Super Street, October 2006.

“…a metric ton of ways to pimp out your ride, and a few nods to the three films upon which it’s based.” Electronic Gaming Monthly, November 2006.

Inspired by last year’s hit film, The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the game places the underground world of drift racing into the players’ hands. Gameplay features a unique drifting mechanic that allows beginning players to enjoy the game, while giving veteran racers a chance to try out more complex techniques. Players will be able to race in over 100 JDM Tuner, Classic Muscle, and Concept cars with over 300 body kits from real JDM companies. See the action from cinematic camera angles straight from the movie as players encounter boss battles across gorgeously rendered city streets.

Exclusive PSP system Features:

· Swap Meet - Gamers have the chance to show off their creative side by using the PSP system wireless connectivity option to trick out a ride and send it to other players via “Swap Meet” to use in non-career game mode.

· Road Sweeper - Putting drift racing skills to the test, up to four players can be challenged in this feature where the aim is to tag as many highlighted corners as possible using drifting maneuvers. The more complex and varied the techniques are, the more points added to the overall score. The player with the most tags (or drift points if there is a tie) wins at the end of the race.

· Oil Change - No car runs well without oil, so to increase performance, The Tuner Shops will offer a multi-grade oil change as a purchasable item. By purchasing the oil, the player’s speed and performance will be temporarily enhanced upon returning to the HUB.

· Extras - Fast & Furious fanatics will get a special treat in the “Extras” section that will feature an unlocked selection containing images of both the movie and real world cars.

Rated T for teen, The Fast & the Furious has a suggested retail price of $29.99.

For more information on The Fast & the Furious, visit www.namcobandaigames.com

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About the film

From the producer of the worldwide blockbuster hits The Fast & The Furious and its sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, comes the latest installment of the adrenaline-inducing series built on speed—The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift . Set in the sexy and colorful underground world of Japanese drift racing, the newest and fastest customized rides go head-to-head on some of the most perilous courses in the world.

Sean Boswell (Black) is an outsider who attempts to define himself as a hot-headed, underdog street racer. Although racing provides a temporary escape from an unhappy home and the superficial world around him, it has also made Sean unpopular with the local authorities. To avoid jail time, Sean is sent to live with his gruff, estranged father, a career military-man stationed in Tokyo.

Now officially a gaijin (outsider), Sean feels even more shut out in a land of foreign customs and codes of honor. But it doesn’t take long for him to find some action when a fellow American buddy, Twinkie (Bow Wow), introduces him to the underground world of drift racing. Sean’s simple drag racing gets replaced by a rubber-burning, automotive art form—with an exhilarating balance of speeding and gliding through a heart-stopping course of hairpin turns and switchbacks.

On his first time out drifting, Sean unknowingly takes on D.K., the “Drift King,” a local champ with ties to the Japanese crime machine Yakuza. Sean’s loss comes at a high price tag when he’s forced to work off the debt under the thumb of ex-pat, Han (Kang). Han soon welcomes Sean into this family of misfits and introduces him to the real principles of drifting. But when Sean falls for D.K.’s girlfriend, Neela (newcomer Kelley), an explosive series of events is set into motion, climaxing with an ultimate high stakes face off.

The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift is directed by Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis) and written by Chris Morgan (Cellular), Kario Salem (The Score) and Alfredo Botello. The film is produced by Neal H. Moritz (xXx, S.W.A.T.) and executive produced by Clayton Townsend (The Skeleton Key, The 40 Year-Old Virgin).

This film is rated PG-13.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry's top video game franchises including the PAC-MAN®, SOULCALIBUR®, Naruto™ and Tekken® brands. For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., and our products log onto www.namcobandaigames.com.

The Fast and The Furious is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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