THQ (UK) announces Anthony Head as lead voice over for Destroy All Humans! 2

Woking, Surrey – 6th September 2006 – THQ (UK) Ltd, a subsidiary of THQ Inc., today announces Anthony Head as lead voice over in the upcoming Destroy All Humans! ® 2 expected to be released in Fall 2006 for Xbox® video and game entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.

Anthony Head voices Ponsonby, a well coiffed human and head of MI5, who is introduced to help the lead aliens, Crypto and POX, fight against the KGB. However, as the game progresses, Ponsonby is not necessarily who he appears to be. With the unexpected twists and turns, it appears that no human can be trusted. To succeed, players should remember to live by the motto, “Make War Not Love.”

“When we were presented with the character Ponsonby, we needed a voice that created an extra dimension and enhanced his upper-class Englishness but hinted at a touch of deceit. Anthony Head has a wealth of acting experience and was the obvious choice. He brought Ponsonby alive in a very unique way,” commented Richard Williams, director of marketing, THQ (UK).

Destroy All Humans! 2 marks the return of the hugely popular alien-centric game whose predecessor secured a top-three all formats chart position in the summer of 2005. Set in 1960s, and boasting five new locations, our favourite destruction-loving alien returns to wreak even more havoc on planet earth in Destroy All Humans! 2.

Anthony Head is an established English actor with a long line of film, television and stage credits to his name. Anthony was once famed for the popular ‘Nescafe Gold Blend’ advertisements which ran in the 1980s. Since then, he has gone on to play lead roles in TV dramas in the UK and US. Recent characters include Rupert Giles in the successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and in the UK he has played Chester Grant in Monarch of the Glen and the straight-laced Prime Minister in Little Britain.

For further information please contact:

Laura Wilkinson / Hannah Shepherd
Trilogy Communications
24 Ives Street
London
SW3 2ND
Email: firstname@trilogycomms.co.uk
Tel: 020 7581 9255
Fax: 020 7584 6960

Helen Jones
THQ
Dukes Court
Woking
GU21 5BH
Email: Helen.jones@thq.com
Tel: 01483 754136

About THQ Inc.
THQ Inc. is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and www.thqwireless.com. THQ, THQ Wireless, Destroy All Humans! and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “THQ”), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the Destroy All Humans! 2 video game and are based upon management’s current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry, operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ’s financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2006, and particularly the discussion of risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Galactic Civilisations II: Dread Lords and Dark Age of Camelot – Darkness Rising

This month our postbag has included a multi-player online role playing game and a space conquest strategy game. In my last column I praised the simulation game “The Sims 2”, and that now has a new expansion pack “Open for Business”. This primarily adds the (challenging) resource management required to run a successful small business, but it does have one SFnal element – robots. Instead of hiring Sims to work for you, you can buy a Robot Crafting Station and make several different types of robots to carry out tasks in your business and home. They don’t need to be paid, but the downside is that they can break down with very negative consequences – for example a robot that runs amok can kill Sims. The new expansion pack has been very well received, although some players were hoping that much-loved packs available for the original “The Sims” game, such as holidays (“Vacation”) and pet-keeping (“Unleashed”), would have “Sims 2” versions released first. (The “Pets” expansion pack will in fact be released in Oct 2006).

Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords – Paradox Interactive/Koch Media [Strategy]: £29.99.

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/

In this game (GC2), released on 24 Feb 2006, and a follow-up to the successful “Galactic Civilizations”, you play the leader of one of ten races scattered through the galaxy in 2225, facing a threat from the “Dread Lords” of the Drengin Empire. This game does not require you to own or have played the first game, of which this seems to be a revamp rather than a sequel (as “The Sims 2” is a revamp of “The Sims”). The hyperdrive has just been discovered, and every game starts with a mad dash to visit new star systems and found as many colonies as possible. At the same time the other civilisations in the galaxy are doing the same, and it’s your job to lead your race to victory or defeat through warfare, diplomacy, technology or culture. Each race has its own characteristics, but you can also design a custom race if you don’t like any of them. The galaxy size can be set between 9 and 256 sectors. There are 12 Difficulty settings from “Cakewalk” to “Suicidal” and 8 Intelligence settings for opposing races ranging from “Fool” to “Incredible”.

It’s best to start small and easy to gain experience on how the game works. It consists of missions with specific victory requirements. There are also cut scenes between missions advancing the story. There is an element of puzzle solving required to complete a mission, and there is flexibility in the game play so that you can achieve success through various strategies, opting for diplomacy and trading instead of warfare, for example. Opting for warfare can bring you quick gains but then lead to difficulties later on when you run out of friends… You don’t meet the title’s “Dread Lords” until you are well into the game.

New to GC2 is the addition of shipbuilding and customisation – in the first GC you had to choose generic ships, but here you can choose from around fifty hull designs and then customise the ship with engines, weapons, defences, cargo/passenger carrying ability, etc. How you customise your ships depends not only on your money but what threats you face – each weapon or defence works best against a specific type of enemy defence or weapon. Ships can be upgraded if needed.

To create a colony planet you have to bring colonists to it, and then provide homes, farms for food, factories for production, etc. The game offers many choices to the player in how you develop your planets. When the population gets high overcrowding can bring dissatisfaction, so you have to provide entertainment facilities. Unhappy planets can defect to other empires, although their unhappy planets can defect to you too. Most players will choose to build specialist planets for farming, industry, technology, research, etc.

As well as planets you can build starbases – these are not just military but can also supply extra resources to their areas, increasing your influences both internally and externally. Economic starbases boost planetary production and trade revenue within their sphere of influence, while military starbases boost your firepower and defences. However, the rival empires will not stand back and watch you colonise quadrant after quadrant unopposed – if you expand too fast they will declare war on you.

The game’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays your opponents in very believable ways, even at the low intelligence settings, and also has some flashes of humour – most unusual in a strategy game. At the higher intelligence levels you will have to work really hard to beat it. This is a game that takes a long time to play, but it doesn’t require lightning fast reactions like the shoot-em-ups. The graphics are nothing special, but each screen supplies all the information you need without being crowded. Recommended if you like a challenge. Competitors are “Master of Orion” and “Civilization”.

Dark Age of Camelot – Darkness Rising – GOA/Image Entertainment [Multi-Player Online RPG]: £14.99.

http://camelot-europe.goa.com/darkness-rising/home.html?language=en

“Dark Age of Camelot” (DAoC) is one of the most popular fantasy-based multi-player online role playing games (usually abbreviated to MMORPG). The original game of DAoC was introduced in 2001, and followed by three expansion packs: “Shrouded Isles”, “Trials of Atlantis” and “Catacombs”. “Darkness Rising” is the fourth expansion pack for DAoC, and requires the base game and the three previous expansion packs before it can be installed. (“Catacombs” gave the game a new engine with vastly improved graphics, and that engine is used for this game.) Purchasers of the expansion pack get a month’s free subscription to the online service, after that it’s £8.00 per month to stay in the game (longer subscriptions are available up to £75.00 per year).

When I logged on over 10,000 people were already playing on the European servers alone, which testifies to the game’s popularity, but I didn’t get to meet any on Day 1. First I had to pick my character and start the first of many tutorial sessions – only players who complete the tutorial and the practice missions can enter the actual game. There are three realms: Albion, the former realm of Arthur, Hibernia, a Celtic mythology-based world, and Midgard, based on Norse mythology. Each has different types of characters you can choose as your “avatar” in the game world, such as warriors, magic users and sages. Experienced players band together, build strongholds, and then defend them against all comers. From what I’ve seen so far most communicate in “text” (phone text message speech) for speed. Players also communicate with one another outside the game on several fan web-sites.

I have tried online gaming before, several years ago, but the delays associated with playing using a phone line and a 56Kb modem made it boring. Here not only are the graphics excellent, but on a 1Mb broadband connection you’re not aware you’re playing an online game. The game screen is busy, but at the lower levels the game is easy to understand and move about – even combat is not difficult once you learn the basic skills. The quests are well-explained and straightforward to accomplish. I’ve been killed several times, but the game does automatic saves and restores you to the last automatic save point.

“Darkness Rising” gives an experienced player the chance to become a King’s Champion, with new weapons and the ability to ride horses from the King’s Stables around the three realms on the new quests. Higher characters can ride more powerful horses, with the best mounts reserved for Champions of the highest level. Characters can now gain new skills from outside their type, so that warriors can learn to cast spells, magic users can learn to use weapons, and healers can kill people. The capital cities of the three realms have been completely revamped for this expansion, so there are new areas to explore.

This pack requires you already to be skilled in the DAoC game and start with a powerful character of level 30 (each level requires you to earn about 32,000 points). There are three chapters: the first requires level 30, the second level 40, and the third level 50. Consequently this expansion pack is not where you start with DAoC, nor would it be a reason in itself to buy DAoC. However, if you’re already a keen DaoC player, this expansion pack offers you new features and quests you won’t find elsewhere in the game, and the chance to make your character even stronger.

If you’re a newbie like me and want to try multi-player online gaming, DAoC looks like the one to go for (the original game and all three previous expansion packs can be bought in a pack). Warning - it’s the kind of game that can become very addictive. Fantasy-based competitors in the MMORPG field include “Final Fantasy XI” and “Everquest”.

As I’ve come to realise, if you’re into multi-player online role playing games, you can only choose one – playing more than one and finding time to eat and sleep is not possible!

A Genetic Infantryman (G.I.), Rogue is one of an elite regiment of biologically-engineered clone troops, created to overcome Nu Earth’s hostile atmosphere and fight, unhindered, against the brutal Nort War machine. After witnessing the betrayal and annihilation of his entire regiment at the Quartz Zone Massacre, Rogue has gone AWOL, determined to hunt down the traitor general who sent his brothers-in-arms to their deaths.

I officially announce there should be a Rogue Trooper Movie. Hollywood take notice. UK Movie Studios take notice.

Interview courtesy of Totally360.com / News0r.com and waytoblue.com

1) Hi Tim, it was great meeting with you during the European leg of 3D Realms/Human Head Studios press trip; from what the press has seen of Prey so far, what is the overall impression members of the press have walked away with?

Overall the press response we’ve received has been tremendous. Usually press play things pretty close to the vest when showing a game, but every time we demo Prey fro the press, we get lots of responses during and afterwards. During our recent multiplayer demonstrations, there were many instances where we had to pretty much kill the servers to get them to stop playing for the next group, and even then we’d have to intervene in a few cases to get the journalists moving on. That’s pretty high praise and humbling to us.

2) Can you tell us how the whole concept of Prey came about? And is Prey the longest game ever to be in development?

First off, I’ve seen several articles claiming that we’ve been working on the game for ten years, and that’s not really true. 3D Realms had been working on Prey during the late 1990s but shelved it in 1998. When Human Head began production late in 2001 we were working pretty much from a clean slate, so you can’t really say that the game we’re about to release is the same game as was begun a decade ago. Though they share the same name and some of the original features you can’t really say they are the same game or that it was one continuous production.

That said, I think 3D Realms other game, Duke Nukem Forever, is probably the longest game in continuous development in the history of video games, and Prey is probably not far behind.

3) We played the multiplayer aspect of Prey for as much as we could during the European press presentation and we’re blown away with the amount of fun that can be had with Prey’s multiplayer - how did 3D Realms/Human Head Studios define such a unique aspect of LAN/online play?

Our multiplayer was a gamble of sorts. Despite the amount of time we’ve worked on the game, our resources aren’t limitless, so we made the calculated decision to concentrate on DeathMatch as the primary mode of play from multiplayer, but to really do it right by bringing each of the single player features into multiplayer and focus on designing fun environments in which to play them.

I was honestly quite sceptical that even a killer DeathMatch experience would be enough to make our multiplayer catch the eyes of jaded gamers. I was concerned that with all the innovative elements we were concentrating on for single player that the multiplayer would just seem like a tacked on experience. I’m happy to say I was quite wrong in that. By concentrating on playing to the strengths of our single player features in multiplayer we ended up with an experience that really seems to reinvigorate the DeathMatch game. Several of the testers and press who have played told me that it ‘makes DeathMatch fun again’ and one journalist even told me that it reawakened something he hadn’t felt since he played the original Doom multiplayer. That’s high praise to me.

4) How many weapons are available to players? And are these weapons upgradeable during the single player game?

Technically we have 8 weapons in Prey, though the final weapon, the Leech Gun has four completely different fire modes based on how you choose to power it up, so it’s really 4 completely different weapons in one. None of the weapons ‘power up’ but most feature an alternate fire mode and almost all have some kind of bio-organic component to them. Each of the weapons has its own unique feel to them and you need to learn the best way to use them in each situation.

We’ve worked hard to balance them, so you can win with most weapons, including the wrench (though admittedly you have to get in close with that one, which isn’t so easy).

5) 3D Realms/Human Head Studios, your company is renowned for having a release date for a game of “when it’s done” will we see Prey before the British Summer?

3D Realms are the kings of ‘when it’s done’ and part of working with them is understanding what that really means. Therefore all I can say is that the game is nearly done and we’re working hard on making sure you have something to do on those summer days when it rains, and something to make you really long to do when on those days it doesn’t.

6) Once Prey is released, will Prey have downloadable content via Xbox Live? If so, will this include new maps and new game modes?

Absolutely we’ll have downloadable content. The extent of it really depends on how the game does, but we have plans to support the game with new characters, maps, skins and more. If the game does well, we definitely want to add new multiplayer modes.

7) Is it easy to program on the Xbox 360, compared to the PC or PS3? And which is your preferred platform to work with/on?

This generation of consoles really does make you stop and think about the best way to approach programming. It reminds me in some ways of the evolution from 16-bit to true 32-bit object oriented programming in terms of how you need to change old habits about code. So I guess in summary I’d say it’s not necessarily easier or harder, just different.

8) Would it be fair to say, if you had the Doom 3 engine and mixed it up with a modified Unreal 2 Engine you would get something similar to Prey?

If you did that you’d have a mess. ? We’ve worked in both engines and they are quite different in most approaches. Doom3 really compares more favourably with the Unreal 3 engine in terms of how it goes about things, but even then they are different animals. Both engines have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of tools, content creation and feature additions. However, we feel we took the best experiences we had developing in each engine and came up with something uniquely our own.

9) We noticed from early builds of Prey; that there was an option for ‘mods’ to be created/upload into the PC version of Prey - could this be reflected within the Xbox 360 version? And/or will there be a Map Editor?

Yes, we’re releasing the sdk and editor (Preditor) for Prey PC and will be actively supporting the mod community. However, to really make mod materials, you’d need a full keyboard and mouse set up, so the majority of the mods are developed for PC.

However, we’ve discussed the concept with 2K that we’d like to promote mods for the 360 community by selecting high end mods and sponsoring their conversion for the 360 and they were really receptive to that. There’s a fair number of details to work out before we can commit to that, but if we can make it happen, we really want to. We feel that promoting mods on Live would really expand the console gamer experience.

10) Would you like to take the opportunity to reveal any exclusive details on Prey and your upcoming titles? And finally what are your thoughts on Xbox Live Tournaments?

There will be a demo on PC and 360, though dates have not yet been confirmed. We’ve not announced our next game yet, but the reaction to Prey had led to some very unique opportunities for us. We would love to see Xbox Live Tournaments for Prey and support them in general. I’d like to have a nice spectator lounge, though, with cocktails. ?

Thanks for taking the time out to chat with us today Tim; we wish you every success with Prey!

Thank you. We hope that our efforts will find a home with the gaming community at large. We’ve worked hard to create something unique and entertaining and we hope that gamers judge us successful in those goals.

* Enhanced engine: Built on an enhanced DOOM 3® engine, the most impressive 3-D engine used in a game.

* Portal technology: This feature adds a new dimension to gameplay, allowing enemies to appear out of thin air, and creates new and completely original puzzles and gameplay styles.

* Unique style: Features multiplayer game support that takes advantage of unique gameplay styles and elements, such as Spirit Walking, Wall Walking, and Deathwalk.

* Spiritual help: Tommy has a sidekick, a spiritual hawk that can help him fight enemies and decipher the alien language of the living ship.

To whet your appetite, you can view the Prey Trailer through the links below (you can save them locally if you like); then read here for an interview for more information on the game.

You can win a copy of Prey here.

Windows Media:

Low: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_30k.asx
Mid: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_330k.asx
High: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_850k.asx

Real Media:

Low: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_30k.ram
Mid: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_330k.ram
High: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_850k.ram

Quicktime:

Low: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_30k_meta.mov
Mid: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_330k_meta.mov
High: http://www.waytoblue.com/media/video/prey_trailer_850k_meta.mov

Rogue Trooper is drawn from the character of the British Comic 2000AD. Apparently, outside of the UK this is an almost unknown comic, so therefore the game had to come across as an entity on its own. The backstory, luckily, does include some of the ‘history’ of the character; how he and his kind were ambushed at The Quartz Zone Massacre, betrayed by one of their own Generals.

Rogue is a genetically engineered fighting machine (from test tubes), specially designed for the toxic atmosphere of Nu Earth, one of the galaxy’s most deadly war-zones. He is the only survivor of the massacre, goes A.W.O.L and sets out to hunt down the traitor general and bring him to justice. During the massacre, three of his G.I. buddies are killed, and Rogue removes their bio chips and places them in his gear. Bagman is put in his backbag, Gunnar is placed in his Gun and Helm is put in his Helmet. Their consciousness carries on, and as well as cracking bad jokes, they all play a part in helping Rogue on his vendetta.

The game follows the above ‘backstory’ and then progresses to various locations on Nu Earth. A common enemy on the planet’s surface are the Norts, humans who cannot survive on the planet’s surface without oxygen tanks.

Rogue Trooper, when presented in 2000AD was a visual comic book story. This translates very well to the digital screen and as with all aspects of the game, prior knowledge of either 2000AD or Rogue Trooper is not essential to enjoy the game.

The game is a clever third person shooter, and with your three friends still around, they become an integral part of your survival. They do crack jokes and chit chat amongst themselves, which adds to the game, but they also have skills of their own. Gunnar can be placed so as to cover an area which is remote from where you are, Bagman can be given scrap, which is picked up around the gaming area, and convert it into useful ammo or upgrades. Helm can hack terminals, to name just one skill for each friend. There are many more to discover as you make your way through Nu Earth.

One of my favourite parts of the game is with Gunnar: he aids in targetting and allows you to precision shoot the oxygen tanks of the Norts, where by smoke billows out, they run around hearing the hiss, arms in the air, before the tank ruptures and explodes.

The controls are like second nature, easily accessible; the commentary of the bio chips aids in your initial setup and ‘training’ of the various actions within the game. The game could be seen as quite easy to finish, but I found it a pleasure non the less. With the addition of online gaming, the longevity of this game is increased.

Eidos Interactive, one of the world’s leading developers and publishers of entertainment software, today confirms that ROGUE TROOPER™, a futuristic tactical action game based on the 2000 AD comic strip, will be released on April 21st on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC in all European territories.

A Genetic Infantryman (G.I.), Rogue is one of an elite regiment of biologically-engineered clone troops, created to overcome Nu Earth’s hostile atmosphere and fight, unhindered, against the brutal Nort War machine. After witnessing the betrayal and annihilation of his entire regiment at the Quartz Zone Massacre, Rogue has gone AWOL, determined to hunt down the traitor general who sent his brothers-in-arms to their deaths.

ROGUE TROOPER™ blends intense third person action and next generation stealth, as
Rogue wreaks revenge armed with the very latest experimental weaponry. Rogue’s arsenal offers him a unique advantage over his opponents; encoded bio-chips containing the digitised personalities of his fallen comrades are implanted in his gun (Gunnar), helmet (Helm) and backpack (Bagman), each offering their full military experience at the player’s fingertips.

Rogue Trooper features intense online gameplay modes, where gamers can experience up to four-player co-operative gameplay in all new maps or two player split screen action.

For more information visit www.roguetrooper.com

About Rebellion

UK-based computer games super-developer Rebellion was established in 1991 by brothers Jason and Chris Kingsley. The most recent launch was Sniper EliteTM in September 2005 on PlayStation®2, Xbox® and PC DVD. Lauded as ‘The Gran Turismo of War games’ by the gaming press, it has built upon the collection of Rebellion owned IP’s which includes World War ZeroTM on PlayStation®2.

In June 2000 Rebellion purchased the UK sci-fi comic 2000 AD and its entire character portfolio. Rebellion’s first 2000 AD title, Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death was launched in 2003 and in 2006, Rogue Trooper™ will be launched on PlayStation®2, Xbox® and PC.

2000 AD and Judge Dredd are registered trademarks. Rogue Trooper, Sniper Elite and World War Zero are ™ & © 2005 Rebellion. All Rights Reserved.
Website: www.rebellion.co.uk

About Eidos Interactive Ltd

Eidos Interactive Ltd is part of SCi Entertainment Group Plc (SEG) one of the world’s leading publishers and
developers of entertainment software. Following the acquisition of Eidos plc in May 2005, the Group has a valuable combined portfolio of intellectual property including: Tomb Raider: Legend, Hitman: Blood Money, Commandos Strike Force, Just Cause, Championship Manager, Battlestations: Midway, Urban Chaos: Riot Response and Reservoir Dogs.

For further information please contact:
Chris Glover | Head of Communications | Eidos
T: + 44 (0) 208 6363 3000 E: chrisg@eidos.co.uk