Nintendon näköjään panostaa Primen euroopanjulkaisuun. Lainausta IGN:n puolelta:
"February 24, 2003 - Nintendo of Europe today announced that it is gearing up for the anticipated March 21 UK launch of the first-person adventure Metroid Prime. The company said it will support the game with a ?5 million marketing campaign that spans both television and print magazines. Additionally, European buyers will be given the chance to pick up a limited edition Metroid Prime/GameCube bundle complete with a tantalizing Samus Aran disc lid top.
Metroid Prime, developed by US software house Retro Studios, released in America last November to massive critical praise and has since become one of the best-selling GameCube titles in the region. The game follows Nintendo mascot heroine Samus Aran, a space bounty hunter, as she explores the mysterious planet Tallon IV in search of Space Pirates and the elusive Metroid entities. Beautiful 3D locales and atmospheric audio drive a dark and moody storyline that has helped appeal Nintendo's next-generation console to an older demographic of gamers in the US.
Probably the biggest news is that NOE will launch a limited edition "Metroid Pak" GameCube bundle at 199 Euros which includes a black GameCube, black controller, Metroid Prime, and an exclusive Metroid Prime name-plate (see picture). The plate replaces the current lid of the GameCube with a mighty picture of the game's lead character Samus Aran. This is the first time Nintendo has offered such a replacement.
"This high impact marketing campaign will bring all the Metroid Prime action and the female bounty hunter, Samus, to life across Europe," said David Gosen, managing director at Nintendo of Europe. "Metroid Prime sold a staggering 250,000 copies within one week of its release in the US and as the positive reviews keep coming in, European gamers are gearing up for the arrival of the classic gaming franchise on to the Nintendo GameCube for the first time. "
Nintendo of Europe said it would parent with MTV Europe in promotion of Metroid Prime. The company will in fact sponsor the popular MTV Winterjam 2003, which is held in Davos Switzerland, and as such the event will take on a sci-fi theme and feature videogame competitions in support of Metroid Prime.
Television advertising will additionally include spots on Channel 4, MTV, Sky One and E4, all over a two-month period. The print campaign, meanwhile, will be the biggest for a GameCube ever, according to Nintendo of Europe, with tease and reveal placement and more.
On top of everything else, the subsidiary will host a competition on its online channel in which gamers can design their own Metroid Prime website to win prizes that "money can't buy.""
Hehe, Tuo bundle maksaa juuri saman verran, kuin itse maksoin Gamecubesta viime kesänä.
