Athens 2004™, the Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, Available on Playstation®2

PlayStation announced today the launch of Athens 2004™, The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, from 989 Sports®. Now available in stores for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Athens 2004™ is designed to capture the spirit and emotion of the Olympic Games while providing the most detailed and comprehensive licensed video game ever made in connection with the Olympic Games. Featuring a variety of Game Modes, along with venues that have been recreated down to the smallest detail, players will be able to choose one of 64 countries and 800 different athletes while attempting to break an Olympic or World Record in 25 events.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000510/SFW104-a )

By featuring four Arcade and eight Competition Game Modes ranging from Practice to the Official Decathlon and Heptathlon combined events, Athens 2004™ provides gamers with an unparalleled gaming experience while celebrating the diversity of the Olympic Games by delivering a wide variety of Olympic sports including Athletics (Track & Field), Aquatics (Swimming), Gymnastics, Shooting, Archery, Weightlifting and Equestrian.

For those gamers seeking an enhanced interactive experience, Athens 2004™ is Dance Mat compatible. By utilizing the Dance Mat for (PlayStation 2), sold separately, Athens 2004™ becomes a truly interactive experience as gamers attempt to run faster, swim stronger and jump higher, all while competing on the Dance Mat.

"Athens 2004™ truly captures the passion and atmosphere of the Olympic Games," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, PlayStation. "This game provides the opportunity to compete in the events and venues of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games within a virtual setting."

Developed by Eurocom, in close cooperation with International Sports Multimedia (ISM) and the Organizing Committee of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games to ensure the authenticity of the game, Athens 2004™ is the only official licensed video game product of the IOC on console and features some of the Olympic Games' most challenging sports. Athletics (Track & Field) events include the High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Discus Throw, Javelin Throw, Pole Vault, Shot Put, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 100m Hurdles and 110m Hurdles events, as well as the Decathlon and Heptathlon. The Aquatics events include Swimming disciplines featuring 100m Backstroke, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle events. Gymnastics events feature the Artistic discipline including Floor Exercises, Rings and Vault events. Additional sports include Archery (Individual 70m event); Equestrian (Individual Mixed event for Jumping); Shooting (Skeet event); and Weightlifting (Clean & Jerk event).

Additionally, Athens 2004™ features seven venues which have been recreated using architectural plans and photography to ensure an exact replication of the real-life environments, including the Olympic Stadium for Athletics, the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre, the Olympic Aquatic Centre, the Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall, the Olympic Indoor Hall for Gymnastics, the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre and the historic Panathinaiko Stadium for Archery.

By utilizing advanced motion-capture techniques, Athens 2004™ delivers unprecedented control and flexibility allowing for more complex and realistic movement, guaranteeing an accurate and immersive experience for players. To provide a true-to-life experience, some of the World's Top Athletes from Athletics (Track & Field), Gymnastics, Archery, Weightlifting and even horses for Equestrian were motion captured in an effort to deliver animations and realism like never before. Additionally, both World and Olympic Records are stored within Athens 2004™, allowing gamers to attempt to go for the Gold and break actual existing records.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates Athens 2004™,The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games "E" for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.

About 989 Sports

989 Sports® is the sports software brand of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Known for its top-selling sports franchise titles such as NFL GameDay™, MLB™, NBA ShootOut, NHL FaceOff™, NCAA® Final Four® and NCAA® GameBreaker™, 989 Sports is committed to developing authentic and innovative sports games to appeal to both the professional athlete and hard-core sports video game fan.

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SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

CONTACT: Ron Eagle, +1-858-824-5585, or Ron_Eagle@playstation.sony.com;
or Paul Murphy, +1-858-824-5963, or paul_murphy@playstation.sony.com, both of
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Web site: http://www.playstation.com/