BAM!s first GameCube project, Driven, is being worked on intensively. The studio has spent the last few months further improving the handling of the cars and the overall playability of the game.

Every one of the eight tracks from the PlayStation 2 version has been enhanced in both single and multiplayer mode to make them exciting to race, while the handling of the cars has been made even more arcade-like.

The say that the extra months they’ve been able to spend developing Driven for the GameCube have been incredibly useful, and have ensured that for Nintendo’s next-generation console they’re producing the best Driven game yet!

Press release below...

BAM! ENTERTAINMENT ENTERS GAMECUBE MARKET

Bath, England (February 14th 2002). BAM! Entertainment (Nasdaq: BFUN) today announced that the highly experienced development team, BAM! Studios Europe is taking its explosive PlayStation� 2 racing game Driven to the Nintendo GameCube. BAM!s first GameCube project, the title is based on the Franchise Pictures movie of the same name - starring award winning actor Sylvester Stallone. The title is due for release in North America in March of this year and is shipping simultaneously with the hardware launch in Europe, making it one of the first racing titles available at the European launch of Nintendo’s next-generation machine.

Incorporating all the thrilling game elements found in the PlayStation 2 and Game BoyTM Advance versions, and using the feedback from the PlayStation 2 version, the studio has spent the last few months further improving the handling of the cars and the overall playability of the game.

Every one of the eight tracks from the PlayStation 2 version has been enhanced in both single and multiplayer mode to make them exciting to race, while the handling of the cars has been made even more arcade-like. Players will be able to enjoy growling engines, screaming brakes, six new music tracks and 240mph car crashes in glorious Dolby Surround Sound - all adding to the Driven experience.

The GameCube version will retain many of the PlayStation 2’s main features following the story of hotshot racing driver Jimmy Bly and Indy Car veteran Joe Tanto (Sylvester Stallone). As the two battle it out on the track against their arch rivals Beau Brandenburg and Max Manley, players will be able to experience the exhilaration and excitement of racing at over 200mph! Arcade, Story, Championship and Multiplayer modes will also give gamers plenty of scope to experience life both on and off the track, racing as being any one of 12 drivers. They will experience the sunny speedways of Angel’s Bay in California and dodge and weave their way through the heavy traffic of downtown New York, gaining access to more and more tracks and cars as they progress.

As gamers push the abilities of both themselves and their cars, they will enter ‘the zone’ – an innovative racing concept taken from the film. In this state of hyper-concentration, gamers will find their car glued to the road, and capable of far faster speeds than before.

Commenting on the project, Matt Wilkinson, Managing Director at BAM! Studios Europe said, “We are thrilled to be able to offer gamers an exhilarating driving experience to go with their new consoles. The extra months we’ve been able to spend developing Driven for the GameCube have been incredibly useful, and have ensured that for Nintendo’s next-generation console we’re producing the best Driven game yet.”