Video Games Explode onto MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV.COM, MTV NEWS, mtvU UBER and MTV Overdrive During First Ever 'GameORZ' Week

Video Games Explode onto MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV.COM, MTV NEWS, mtvU UBER and MTV Overdrive During First Ever 'GameORZ' Week

Gamers Takeover MTV On-Air, Online and On-Campus in an Unprecedented Multiplatform Assault of Video Game Related Programming During Week of November 20th

NEW YORK, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV: Music Television today announced that video games would takeover MTV's various on-air and online platforms during the week of November 20th for the network's first ever "GameORZ Week." This unprecedented week of special programming dedicated to the world of video games will highlight the hottest in video game culture via gaming themed programming across MTV, MTV2, mtvU, mtvU Uber, MTV.com, and MTV Overdrive. Programming will focus on the latest hardware, hottest new games, behind the scenes access into gaming development, the stars behind the games, the lifestyle, the fiercest competitions, and much more.

"Video games are at the forefront of our audience's daily lives just like music, fashion and movies," said Christina Norman, President, MTV. "'GameORZ Week' will be a multiplatform entertainment experience for gamers that will showcase the touch points where music, stars, and video games intersect with youth culture."

MTV's GAMING WEEK LINEUP:

TRL - Monday - Wednesday, 11/21 - 11/23, 5PM - 6PM

Throughout the week of November 20th, TRL will bring the latest and greatest in the video game world directly to the audience by showcasing the hottest games and gamers. TRL kicks off "GameORZ Week" by teaming up with Microsoft for the launch of the XBOX 360 which will be available in stores, November 22nd and put gamers right in the middle of all the action by going live to Microsoft's "Gamers Paradise". In addition, TRL will be giving away a fully customized 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI courtesy of MTV's L.A. RUSH(TM) Watch 'n' Win sweepstakes, give the viewers a look at the latest, must-have mobile devices, as well as put the spotlight on some the hottest new games on Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP, and PC including: Mario Kart DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Kameo: Elements of Power(TM), NBA Live 06, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, Aeon Flux, From Russia With Love, Call of Duty(R) 2, X-Men(TM) Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, Ultimate Spider-Man, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, The Movies(TM), Star Wars: Battlefront II, King Kong (TM), Guitar Hero and much, much more.

GAME TO FAME: THE CPL WORLD TOUR FINALS: Saturday, 11/26 at 8PM

MTV has partnered with the Cyberathlete Professional League(R) (CPL), pioneers of professional gaming, to cover the fast growing, international sport of computer game competitions. Beginning Sunday, November 20th, MTV Overdrive, the new broadband video channel from MTV.com, will be featuring CPL player introductions and profiles, the world standings, and providing live coverage of the CPL World Tour semi-finals from the web2zone cyber center in New York City. The MTV Overdrive webcast will be powered by TsN, Team Sportscast Network. The CPL Final Match will take place on November 22nd from the NOKIA Theatre in Times Square and will be aired live on MTV Overdrive and MTV 44 1/2. In addition, MTV will feature highlights of the tournament and create a half-hour special of the World Tour Finals to air on MTV on Saturday, November 26th during "GameORZ Week". Featuring "Painkiller" as the primary game for the competitors, the CPL World Tour finals television special will give viewers an inside look at the journey to the finals, a recap of the World Tour, the game play, and culminate with the winner going home with a grand prize of $150,000.

"TRUE LIFE: I'M A PROFESSIONAL GAMER" - Sunday, 11/20 at 11PM

True life: I'm a Professional Gamer features three young professional gamers who are challenging themselves and their teams to play and win major pro tournaments around the world. MTV follows them as they balance their lives with their desired careers as professional video gamers. ** Airs on MTV & MTV2

"THIS SIMS LIFE" Monday, 11/21 at 6PM

"This Sims Life" is an investigation into the real stories of people who live part of their lives in this world and part in another world, a virtual reality fantasy world, called the Sims. These people all have unique stories of how playing the SIMS affects their life in and out of the game. This tale about hope and dreams and empowerment will give the audience a behind the scenes look at this world, its denizens and their creators. In addition to the on-air special that will run on both MTV and MTV2, shorts from the show and bonus content will also be featured on Overdrive. ** Special will air on MTV & MTV2

DFX - Monday - Wednesday, 11/21 - 11/23, 7PM

Check out Direct Effect on MTV for GameORZ Week November 21st-23rd for a "Freak Peak" look into the video game world. We're raising the roof off this underground crowd to bring you the hottest video games blazin' GameORZ brains! All week long Direct Effect will give viewers at home a unique look into some of the hottest video games around like; NBA Live '06, L.A. Rush, Ultimate Spiderman, Mario Kart DS, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Def Jam Fight for NY and many more. Plus celebrity guest appearances, top gamer tips, exclusive game trailers & soundtracks, gaming news and tons of giveaways. This will be a GameORZ dream and it's all poppin' off at MTV's Times Square studios.

MTV NEWS - Monday - Wednesday, 11/21 - 11/23

MTV News will be featuring game related news programming all throughout GameORZ Week including:

"RACISM & ONLINE GAMING"

While the anonymity of online gaming can be liberating, it can also create a forum that allows for the sharing of extremely racist views. MTV News talks to gamers who have turned away from online gaming because of the abuse that they have suffered, and meet a group of non-white gamers who have gathered together to fight back.

"GAMING AS HOMEWORK"

This program profiles high-school students who are being taught in a thoroughly modern way. MTV News goes to one high school class where text books have been replaced with video games. Civilization is fair game but what about Halo?

"GAMING COST ME MY GIRLFRIEND"

MTV News heads to Kansas State, where the school has recognized the student club: "Girlfriends Against Video Games" and students say that excessive gaming is often the number one issue in relationships.

MTV2's GAMING WEEK LINEUP:

"NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED" - Friday, 11/25 at 12 PM Need For Speed: Most Wanted is a half-hour show that celebrates the thrill and excitement surrounding car culture and the gaming culture surrounding one of the hottest, street racing games this Fall. This show is where the rubber meets the road capturing the renegade feel of the game as gamers step outside their virtual world where they are masters of the road and test their mettle first hand on the track in a battle for the grand prize: a 2005 Ford Mustang Coup. Buckle up, this show is going to blow your ass away! ** Special will premiere on MTV2 with repeats on MTV

XBOX 360: A GAMER'S PARADISE Sunday, 11/20 at 5PM

XBOX 360: A Gamer's Paradise will follow the lives of several contestants as they craft bizarre submissions for the XBOX 360 Hex168 contest. Along the way, we'll learn more about this radical, underground promotion while experiencing the contestants' passion for Xbox and its next-gen Xbox 360 console. In the end, we'll discover which (if any) of the contestants will be among the 360 winners chosen to enter this ultimate Xbox 360 oasis, where they will be among the first people in the world to experience the new console before its worldwide launch on November 22nd.

"MAKING THE VIDEO GAME: TRUE CRIME(R): NEW YORK CITY" Monday, 11/21 at 11:30PM

Making the Video Game: True Crime(R): New York City follows Redman as he introduces viewers to the hot, new action game from Activision. We'll meet the various actors featured as voice talent in the game Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Walken, and Laurence Fishburne (among many others), learn about the epic storyline True Crime's main character, gangster turned cop Marcus Reed, needs to endure in order to avenge the murder of his mentor, marvel at the authenticity of the massive, free-roaming NYC featured in the game, as well explore the intense police action on display in the game. Redman will then take the audience into the studio, where he'll perform the title track from the game, "True Crime" before settling down to play the game himself. The audience will also learn how to unlock a special bonus level in which they can actually play a portion of the game as Redman himself. The show concludes with the world premiere of a brand new trailer for True Crime(R): New York City. ** Special will premiere on MTV2 with repeats on MTV

"ARE YOU GAME?" Friday, 11/25 at 12:30PM

MTV2 gives hard core gamers the chance to put down their controllers and stop playing the game to actually live it. Competitors will select their video game of choice and then face off against each other in a real life version of the video games: NBA 2K6 and Need For Speed: Most Wanted.

VIDEO MODS - Monday, 11/21 at 8PM

By mixing some of today's most popular video games and characters with the latest music videos and artists, each episode of Video Mods represents a breakthrough in entertainment by providing an entirely new experience for music and video game fans alike. MTV2 will be airing episodes of Video Mods throughout the week of November 20th in support of "GameORZ Week as well as a brand new episode premiering on 11/21 that includes Weezer's Beverly Hills remade with The Sims 2: Nightlife," Sum 41's Fat Lip featured with Guitar Hero, T.I.'s Do Your Thang combined with Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Avenged Sevenfold's Bat Country is united with EverQuest II, and Fat Joe and Nelly's Get It Poppin' reconstructed with True Crime(R): New York City.

MTV2 HIP-HOP Hosted by 50 Cent - Monday - Wednesday, 11/21 - 11/23 50 Cent is set to host MTV2 Hip-Hop during "GameORZ Week." Throughout the week, 50 Cent discusses video games and gives viewers an inside look into the ultimate 50 Cent experience - his upcoming video game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof.

"SPANKIN NEW GAMES" VIGNETTES:

The best new Fall games will be featured in short new vignettes on MTV as well as MTV2.

VIDEO GAME WEEK ON mtvU and Broadband Channel mtvU Uber at mtvU.com:

Leading up to the GameORZ Week on MTV, MTV2, MTV.com and MTV OVERDRIVE, Video Game Week on mtvU will be featuring its own lineup of gaming programming. All of mtvU's programming will also be broadcast on mtvU's popular new broadband channel, mtvU Uber, the first MTVNetworks channel to be distributed in its entirety via broadband.

15 MINUTES WITH... FATAL1TY" -- Wednesday, 11/16 at 12PM "15 Minutes with Fatal1ty" features Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, one of the first tournament gamers to go professional. A three-time World Cyberathlete Professional Gaming League (CPL) champion, "Fatal1ty" has been labeled a World Champion Pro Gamer and earns an average of $150,000 a year, not counting perks such as free travel to the top tournaments and increasingly lucrative endorsements. In this episode, mtvU's own national Best Gamer on Campus winner, sophomore C.R. Thomas, shadows the cyber super-star to get a taste of the life he seeks as a professional gamer.

"BACKSTAGE PASS: We Are Scientists" -- Monday, 11/14 at 1PM This episode of "Backstage Pass" features indie band We Are Scientists as they discuss creating music for the upcoming game, True Crime(R): New York City. The game takes place on the streets of a virtual New York. We Are Scientists talk about working on the project and the different NYC locations featured in the game, using gameplay footage.

GAMERS' BALL: mtvU 2005 Fall Road Trip - Saturday, 11/19 at 10 AM & 2PM mtvU's ongoing dedication to gaming is also featured as part of "mtvU Gamers' Ball" tour. This fall tour has been traveling to college campuses across the country to challenge students of all gaming skill levels -- from hard-core to casual gamers -- to battle it out in gaming tournaments or just enjoy the hottest console and PC games available. Viewers can see footage from the "mtvU Gamers' Ball" tour on mtvU and mtvU Uber, mtvU's broadband network available at http://www.mtvu.com/.

"VIDEO GAMEFIX: Eye Toy Kinetic" -- Monday, 11/14 at 11AM

In the series "Video GameFix," college students utilize video games to help solve their problems -- from learning how to drive to helping them get good enough to make the school golf team. In this episode of "Video GameFix," a student who is totally uncoordinated and can't keep up in her dance aerobics class uses "Eye Toy Kinetic," a fitness video game, to help solve her coordination issues. VJ Sarah shows up with the game -- the student plays it using a USB Camera connected to a PlayStation 2 which superimposes her image into the game -- and it helps her practice her moves. Sarah accompanies the student back to class. She overcomes her coordination challenged ways, becomes a pro and rocks it!

VIDEO GAMES ON MTV.COM
AND OVERDRIVE GAMEORZ WEEK LINEUP:

Beginning week of November 14th, Video games on MTV.com and the Overdrive Videogames "channel" will launch new and exclusive gaming content. MTV.com and Overdrive are fast becoming premier destinations for gamers to obtain exclusive gaming news, debuts, features and content. Highlights of the coverage on Video Games on MTV.com and Overdrive for gaming Week include: Extended coverage, footage and interviews from the LA Rush Preview Special, True life: I'm a Professional Gamer, XBOX 360 Special, TRL, MTV2's Video Mods, MTV News, and Exclusive Behind the scenes look at Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Video Games on MTV.com and MTV Overdrive will also be running information and full length trailers of all the games featured on DFX and TRL during GameORZ Week. In addition, MTV Overdrive will be featuring an extensive and exclusive on-camera interview from the Nintendo World store with video game industry icon, Shigeru Miyamoto, and answers questions such as how Mario got his name, to Miyamoto's thoughts on Nintendogs and Revolution, to what he would be doing if he hadn't become a game designer.

In addition, Overdrive will also launch several new and original franchises dedicated to gaming including Heads Up, Obsessed, The Dime, and The G-Hole. Each of theses new franchises will give gamers a unique look at the world of video games and create an Overdrive hub for aggregating gaming news stories and programming.

For more information, please visit: Games.mtv.com.

Sponsors for GameORZ Week include Taco Bell, Burger King, Toyota Scion, Verizon DSL, Game Tap, LG, Atari, X-Box, and Nintendo.

Marvel, Ultimate Spider-Man, X-Men Legends and all related character names and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc., and are used with permission. (C) 2005 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.marvel.com/.

"50 Cent: Bulletproof" interactive game (C)2005 Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Vivendi Universal Games and the Vivendi Universal Games logo are trademarks of Vivendi Universal Games in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, mtvU, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, Comedy Central, and Spike TV, as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks, a package of thirteen digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

Source: MTV

CONTACT: Jeff Castaneda, MTV/MTV2/MTV Games, +1-212-846-6774,
jeff.castaneda@mtvstaff.com

Web site: http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.mtvu.com/
http://www.marvel.com/

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