October 19^th, 2005 (3:13pm) - The Oct. 24 launch of Metroid Prime Pinball will bring all the bumping, flipping and tilting of a real pinball table to a portable video game system. Metroid Prime Pinball includes the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, the first accessory that makes use of the secondary slot normally reserved for Game Boy Advance games. The Rumble Pak is the same size as a Game Boy Advance game, and delivers vibrations of various intensity and duration to immerse the player in a realistic pinball experience.

Because the pinball is actually Metroid heroine Samus Aran in Morph Ball form, Metroid Prime Pinball delivers an earth-shaking experience beyond the usual pinball game. The Rumble Pak activates if the ball hits a bumper, or when Samus gets attacked by a host of nefarious Metroid enemies, such as Space Pirates, Metroids, the Omega Pirate, Meta Ridley and Metroid Prime.

"This first accessory to make use of the expansion slot of Nintendo DS demonstrates the system’s versatility and potential," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The Rumble Pak technology easily can be applied to future games, while the expansion slot could be used for a host of different peripherals. This is just the beginning, as Nintendo continues to explore creative ways for people to ’feel’ their game experience."

The dual screens of Nintendo DS show off an expansive pinball playing area, and players can even tap the touch screen of the DS to "nudge" the table to keep the pinball in play. DS Download Play allows for the world’s first simultaneous eight-player game using just a single game card. Players drop enemies onto one another’s pinball boards as they race to hit a high score.

The Nintendo DS Rumble Pak also will be compatible with Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, which launches on Nov. 28. More information about Metroid Prime Pinball, Rated E for Everyone, can be found at www.metroidprimepinball.com.