DUBAI, 23 March 2004 — Global and regional gaming industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment, has marked a significant milestone by launching its first Arabic gaming title — “This is Football (TIF) 2004” — for the Sony PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. The new game will be available at retail outlets across the Middle East from tomorrow.

Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) at its studios in Soho, London, the new game incorporates cutting-edge game play, graphics and features and is designed to appeal to the large number of football aficionados in the Middle East. Depending on the user’s linguistic preferences, English or Arabic commentary can be selected during any match played.

“Sony has yet again broken new ground within the Middle East gaming industry with the launch of its first-ever Arabic PlayStation gaming title,” said Masaru Tamagawa, managing director, Sony Gulf FZE. “The launch of the Arabic version of TIF 2004 will serve to galvanize the Middle East entertainment market by offering the most compelling interactive content adapted to suit the linguistic needs of the regional market.”

TIF 2004 is definitely geared to the football fanatic. The user controls all aspects of the team, playing against the CPU or up to seven other users. Dream Teams can be created using the unique “transfer market” feature of the game. Alternatively, one can begin with a novice team and by playing through the leagues and carefully buying and selling players, eventually progress to the Euro League, taking on the best club sides in the world.

“As a global company operating within the heart of the local community Sony is committed to expanding the community of gaming enthusiasts in the Middle East,” Tamagawa stated. “With other Arabic games in the pipeline we are further committed to the growth and development of the gaming industry in the Middle East. Going by the continuing growth in the regional computer gaming market, which has been fueled by the introduction of superior gaming concepts, we are extremely upbeat about the Arabic version of TIF 2004, and are sure that it will be extremely well received within the region.”

TIF 2004 has totally revamped game play for a more immersive and compelling experience. With technically brilliant graphics coupled with new animation and dynamics providing the most realistic gaming experience, the Arabic title includes over 300 photo-realistic players from around the world, 22 leagues with 30 divisions, over 800 teams and over 17,000 players for an unmatched gaming experience.

Tim Stokes, the Dubai-based sales and marketing manager, SCEE, predicted that with the launch of TIF 2004 a new wave of gaming trends would emerge across the Middle East.

“We saw a tremendous response for the 2003 English version of the game,” Stokes said. “This unprecedented demand coupled with the huge popularity that football enjoys within the Middle East region has inspired the launch of the Arabic title TIF 2004.

“Developing our first game in Arabic has been a challenging experience. A dedicated development team has been working round-the-clock to create this new title. To make the game as realistic as possible we have used the services of Hamada Imam, one of the leading football commentators in the region, to lend his voice to the game.”

Stokes also wanted to acknowledge the contribution of Dhahran’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals student Alaa Hassan Shagroun who served an internship at SCEE from March-September 2003. Shagroun did much of the research on the Arab world’s players, clubs, tournaments and fans so that Sony’s developers could bring authentic touches into the game.

To add zest to the launch of TIF 2004, Sony is teaming up with Emirates in a regional consumer promotion. Customers buying a copy of TIF 2004 before April 23 could be one of eight winners who will be flown to Dusseldorf, Germany to watch the UEFA Champion’s League Final on May 26.

The trip includes return Emirates flights for the winner and a companion between their home country and Dusseldorf, first-class match tickets and two nights in a Dusseldorf hotel. The promotion will cover the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon. To spread the benefits of the promotion throughout the region, each country will be allocated a specific number of winner(s) — two each for the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and one each for the rest.

“The only thing that buyers of TIF 2004 need to do to have the chance to be part of this exciting draw is to fill in the coupon which comes with the game and leave it at one of a number of selected outlets. The winners’ draw takes place on April 24, 2004,” Tamagawa said.

So how is the game? First we took it to Alrashid Mall for a short preview on a public display machine at a video game shop there. Interest was immediate and intense. All passersby stopped to have a look at the match action and we could have sold dozens of the DVDs in minutes. Even women who knew nothing about gaming tried to buy copies assuming their children would be interested. The game will retail for about SR180.

One immediate agony that was pointed out is that the TIF 2004 Arabic release is in PAL. Fanatic gamers in the Kingdom use NTSC PlayStation 2 machines supplied on the gray market. This is because first releases of most video games are in the US or Japan. Illegal chips, available on the market for about SR200 and installed in the PlayStation 2, solve the NTSC/PAL incompatibility problem, although eventual damage to the machine is a real possibility and of course any machine warranty is void.

After the game’s outing at the mall, it was time to get down to business. Three football fans who are also totally crazed gamers took TIF 2004 through its paces for nearly two hours. They were able to start playing within minutes without any consultation of the game’s instructions. This is in line with Sony developer’s comments that TIF 2004 is “accessible like Electronic Arts’ FIFA but deep like Konami’s ProEvolution Soccer.” Basically this means that the game is easy to learn but difficult to master.

All the players got a kick out of the game’s Arabization. Everyone instantly noted the stadium advertising in Arabic instead of English. For Saudi Arabia, Al-Ahli, Al-Nasr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsia clubs are represented. Yousef, 20, appreciated Hamada Imam’s commentary.

“The commentary is not dry as in some games,” Yousef said. “Hamada’s comments are in the appropriate places too. For example, he shouts, ‘Take him man!’ at one player who’s moving a bit slow. Then in another place he was a bit angry at the referee who did not notice an aggressive tackle. It gives the match some real flavor.”

The older players were not as involved in some of the customization features as younger players might be. Everyone agreed that it was amusing to have Real Madrid play Al-Nasr or to put some of the famous European players on local teams, but 17-year-old Hisham found the customizations for the uniforms to be almost like playing with dolls. Fareed, 28, pointed out that the customization could be excellent in an online environment where there was the possibility of playing tournaments.

Sony stated that TIF 2004 has real ball physics, a new shooting system, new aerial passing and enhanced dribbling. The gamers found the response time a tiny bit delayed though during some aggressive matches. There was constant comparison between Konami’s Winning Eleven 7 and Sony’s TIF 2004. In the end, Arabization was the key. All of the gamers were willing to buy TIF 2004 in order to have the experience of playing with Arab teams in Arabic. Based on that fact alone, TIF should be a huge hit in Saudi Arabia. It’s important to note too that these gamers were only interested in purchasing original DVDs. They all said that with a title involving complex tournaments and team building it was essential to buy an original product to ensure an ideal experience.

“TIF 2004 is very much an experiment for us,” said Stokes. “We hope it will be a success and will encourage other publishers to look at localization for their PlayStation titles.”

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(Comments to baisa@maktoob.com.)