ACTOR SEAN ASTIN TRADES IN HIS HOBBIT FEET AND THE COMFORTS OF THE SHIRE FOR COMBAT BOOTS AND THE TRENCHES OF VIETNAM

Known for his role as the loyal hobbit Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, actor lends his voice to upcoming epic Vietnam videogame saga Men of Valor

LOS ANGELES, CA (August 23, 2004)—Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) announced today that Sean Astin, one of Hollywood’s most respected young actors, has joined the voice-over cast of its intense and gritty first-person action videogame Men of Valor™. Developed by 2015 Inc., the acclaimed creators of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Men of Valor will be available on the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft and PC on October 26th.

In Men of Valor, Astin voices the role of the novice, yet confident radioman Pat Hodges, better know to the squad as “Mouth.” In this action-packed realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War, “Mouth,” who is never seen without his backpack radio, speaks directly to the player, calling in fire and artillery support. In order to succeed, gamers must pay close attention to “Mouth’s” directions during their quest to defeat the Vietcong and complete the game’s daunting missions while in the humid and chaotic jungles of Southeast Asia.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this game,” said Astin. “It is obvious that the developers spent just as much time researching and developing the script as they did with the awesome graphics.”

Michael Pole, EVP, Worldwide Studios, VU Games, echoed Astin’s sentiments: “It is only fitting that we have an actor of Astin’s caliber involved with a game like Men of Valor,” he said. “The graphics and storyline in Men of Valor mirror many action and war-based films; we have a top-notch game and a top-notch actor.”

Astin’s repertoire of films includes the critical and box-office success of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, 50 First Dates (Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore), Rudy and The Goonies. He received the Creative Coalition’s prestigious Spotlight Award for his efforts toward bridging the gap between Washington and Hollywood by meeting with White House staffers to raise money and awareness for nationwide art programs in schools.

About Xbox

Xbox http://www.xbox.com  is the video game system from Microsoft that brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment experiences. Xbox delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games, powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live online service. The new tagline, "it's good to play together," captures the spirit of Xbox as the social hub of the new digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox is now available in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.

About Vivendi Universal Games

Headquartered in Los Angeles, VU Games is a leading global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. Its development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Fox Interactive and Massive Entertainment. VU Games’ library of over 700 titles features multi-million unit selling properties such as Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo from Blizzard; Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Ground Control, Tribes and Leisure Suit Larry. Vivendi Universal Games- http://www.vugames.com  : The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material of Vivendi Universal Games which is for the exclusive use of the individual designated above as the recipient. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact immediately the sender by returning e-mail and delete the material from any computer. If you are not the specified recipient, you are hereby notified that all disclosure, reproduction, distribution or action taken on the basis of this message is prohibited.

del.icio.us | Digg This | Glink It

---