Search On To Find NZ’s #1 Halo 2 Player

Media release: 14 March 2004

HEY CHIEF, WHO’S THE MASTER?

Search On To Find NZ’s #1 Halo 2 Player

Prepare for the ultimate cyber battle!

Players from throughout the North and South Islands are soon to clash in the mighty epic to find New Zealand’s virtual Master Chief in the Halo 2 competition.

There are three regional competitions – Christchurch on April 2; Auckland on April 3; Wellington on 9 April. The winner of each region squares off in the national final on 9 April in Wellington.

The overall winner receives a personalised, ‘Halo 2’, number plate and an Xbox pack including a limited edition Xbox console and games. The ultimate winner also goes on to represent New Zealand in the online Global Halo 2 Tournament.

So, what are you waiting for? Register now at www.halo2battle.co.nz – spaces are limited so get in quick. Registration is open to everyone aged 16 and older.

Plus there is a bonus! The winners of the New Zealand Halo 2 competition and the Dead or Alive competition represents New Zealand – as the e-Blacks – at the Australasia heats of the World Cyber Games in Sydney from the 7 to 9 May.

The overall winners of the Australasian finals are flown to the week-long grand final festival in Singapore this November to compete with more than 800 players from 70 countries and their share of an estimated US$500,000 in cash and prizes.

For more information on the World Cyber Games please go to – www.xlan.co.nz.

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 tag line, “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, Australia and New Zealand.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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Microsoft, Xbox, Halo and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Halo 2 Qualifying Tournament terms and conditions of entry

1. Contest Description

The Halo2Battle is a round of qualifying tournaments to the Halo 2 Global Tournament on Xbox LiveTM. This is a skill-based contest in which Xbox Live subscribers can play the game over an on-site LAN in three New Zealand city centres during the regional (Regional Qualifying Tournament) and national qualifying tournament, and on Xbox Live for the Global Tournament. The organiser of the Halo2Battle is Microsoft NZ Ltd, 7-9 Fanshawe Street, Auckland, New Zealand (the Organiser).

The Halo2Battle will be carried out in two stages, made up of three regional qualifying tournaments in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington and then a national qualifying tournament in Wellington. The national winner will get automatic entry to the Halo 2 Global Tournament but will need to compete in, and adhere to the criteria, terms and conditions for, that tournament in order to participate and to qualify to win the overall grand prize of being crowned the Halo 2 Global Champion of the Year.

2. Eligibility

The New Zealand rounds of The Halo 2 Global Tournament are only open to residents of New Zealand.

To compete in Halo2Battle, players need to (i) be 18 years or older as at April 01, 2005 or 16 or 17 years old and provide a parental consent form in the form required by the Organiser, (ii) have access to a Microsoft® Xbox video game system, (iii) have a licensed copy of the Xbox game title Halo2™ (iv) have a valid Xbox Live™ subscription, (v) have a valid Xbox.com account, and (vi) be in good standing on Xbox.com and the Xbox Live service (Players).

Employees of Microsoft Corporation, and members of their immediate families (defined for purposes of these rules as husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter), their subsidiaries and affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, or any person or third party company working on the product, project, or promotion or others providing services to the Organiser in connection with this Qualifying Tournament are not eligible to participate.

3. Registration / Qualification

New Zealand Players will be required to register before they enter the Halo2Battle at www.halo2battle.co.nz before March 26, 2005. Each Player may only register for and participate in one of the regional qualifying tournaments.

All players that register agree to be contacted for the sole purpose of the Halo2Battle or the Halo 2 Global Tournament. The number of players the Organiser will accept for each Regional Qualifying Tournament is limited and players will be selected at the Organiser’s discretion. Registering for the tournament and expressing your interest in no way guarantees that you will be qualified to participate in the Halo2Battle or Halo 2 Global Tournament. The Organiser reserves the right to verify the Players compliance with all eligibility criteria (as stated in section 2) even after registration has been closed.

Each person may only compete using a single Gamertag. If you are found to have competed fraudulently under multiple identities or Gamertags, you will be disqualified from participating in the Qualifying Tournament and could be disqualified from participating in future Xbox competitions.

If you are an eligible Player, please be sure that your Xbox Live account information including email addresses and address/phone is correct and current.

Updating Account Information

Players are solely responsible for keeping their account information up to date for all information pertaining to Registration/Qualifying for any tournament. All changes for e-mail addresses, phone number, etc. need to be completed one day in advance of the registration end date on March 26, 2005. Change requests made the same day may not be reflected immediately.

If you fail to update your account information for Xbox Live, then you may not be contacted to play and may be disqualified from competing.

Updating Account Information (Example for E-mail):

To verify/update your Xbox Live E-mail Address:

1) From the Xbox Dashboard, select Xbox Live.

2) Select Account Management.

3) Select Billing.

4) Select your account and enter the last four digits of the credit card number used for that account.

5) Select Credit Card.

6) From the first screen, select Continue

7) E-Mail Address and phone number is located here.

The Organiser will attempt to contact the winner by telephone to notify him or her that they have won on or around April 11, 2005.

4. How to Play

There will be three Regional Qualifying Tournaments run in a LAN format, one in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. The Wellington Regional Qualifying Tournament will be the last one to be held. The national final will be held in Wellington later on the same day as the Wellington Regional Qualifying Tournament. The winner of the Christchurch and Auckland event will be flown to Wellington for the final.

The Global Tournament to be played over Xbox Live will begin for the overall Winner of the Halo2Battle on April 25, 2005 and end at approximately 11:59 PM on May 11, 2005 (all times are in Eastern Standard Time).

The winner from each of the Regional Qualifying Tournaments in Auckland and Christchurch will receive return Flights from Auckland and Christchurch to the final in Wellington (details in the Prize section below). All game settings for the Tournament finals will be announced on-site, immediately before the Tournament begins.

5. Behaviour

Any Player competing, in the organiser’s reasonable opinion, in an unsportsmanlike manner or in a manner that is not in compliance with these rules/terms or the xbox.com or Xbox Live applicable terms may be immediately disqualified from the Halo2Battle or the Halo 2 Global Tournament and may be disqualified from competing in any future xbox.com or Xbox Live tournaments.

Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following offences to be determined by the Organiser or its affiliates in their absolute discretion:

Unsportsmanlike conduct (communication)

Swearing or threats

Spamming or screaming

Harassment

Lewdness

Using any device to create loud sounds

Any other type of conduct deemed inappropriate

Unsportsmanlike conduct (gameplay)

Cheating of any sort through various means

Continuous pauses during the gameplay

Delaying or slowing gameplay using various tactics

Intentionally disconnecting the network cable

Intentionally interrupting network connectivity

Using any type of modified teams

Using any ‘game codes’ or other means of enhancing a players score

Any other known or unknown way of tampering with gameplay

6. Prizes

The winner of each Regional Qualifying Tournament will be given the opportunity to compete in the Halo2Battle national final to be held in Wellington, New Zealand on April 9, 2005.

The winner for each Regional Qualifying Tournament in Auckland and Christchurch will be announced on the day of that tournament and they will advance to compete in the national finals in Wellington. These winners will need to respond within 2 days of the organiser’s contact (or attempts to contact) to confirm that they will be able and willing to travel to and participate in the national final. If they do not respond they will forfeit their place and the next highest placed Player from the relevant Regional Qualifying Tournament who confirms their availability will be selected as the recipient of the entry into the national final in Wellington.

The Auckland and Christchurch Regional Qualifying Tournament winners will each receive the following:

• A same day return airfare to attend the final of the Halo2Battle to be held in Wellington (if Player lives outside Wellington area and needs to travel to Wellington)

The Organiser will make travel arrangements for those two winners. If a winner cannot travel on the appropriate day they will forfeit their place at the national final. For people 16 or 17 years of age, parental approval (in the form required by the Organiser) must be given to the Organizer before arrangements are made.

Winners are responsible for obtaining any travel insurance.

All Xbox video game consoles, software, and peripheral equipment required as well as the game settings and rules/terms for the Halo2Battle will be provided on-site. Winners will not be allowed to use any software or hardware not provided by the Organiser to compete in the Halo2Battle.

The payment of any applicable tax on a prize, including taxes associated with travel, is the sole responsibility of each winner. No substitution or transfer of a prize is permitted except at the sole discretion of the Organiser. If a winner cannot or will not accept a prize, the prize will be forfeited. The Organiser reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if entire prize or a portion of the prize is unavailable. If the Halo2Battle or the Halo 2 Global Tournament (or any component of these) is cancelled for any reason, the Organiser shall have no further obligation to the Players.

7. Conduct

By entering the Halo2Battle, Players agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and by any other xbox.com and Xbox Live applicable terms. Players further agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. The Organiser reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual that it has reason to believe has tampered with the type, process, or operation of the game, to be acting in breach of the terms and conditions or any other xbox.com rules or Xbox Live terms and conditions, has provided any inaccurate or untrue information or has acted in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PLAYER OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GAME MAY CAUSE THE ORGANISER OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES TO SUFFER LOSS OR DAMAGE AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE ORGANISER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PLAYER TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

8. Limitations of Liability

TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY PLAYER IS REQUIRED TO DOWNLOAD ANY SOFTWARE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TOURNAMENT THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL APPLY. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THE SOFTWARE TO ANY OTHER SERVER OR LOCATION FOR FURTHER REPRODUCTION OR REDISTRIBUTION IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMISSABLE BY LAW THE SOFTWARE IS WARRANTED, IF AT ALL, ONLY ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE APPLICABLE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS WARRANTED IN THE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, THE ORGANISER HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WHICH REGARD TO THE SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

The Organiser is not liable in any way if a Player is not able to participate in the Halo2Battle or a Player's participation is adversely affected for any reason beyond the organisers reasonable control, including, without limitation:

(i) any incorrect or inaccurate information whether caused by Players or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilised in the Halo2Battle or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of game plays;

(ii) any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorised access which may result in alteration of game plays or game results;

(iii) any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or registration to be received by the organiser or Player on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Player's or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in the Halo2Battle; and

(iv) the inability of any Player to access or complete a game due to any technical malfunction or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof.

Players participating in the Halo2Battle do so as their own risk with regard to the effects of flickering or intermittent images or regular visual patterns.

Players agree to release and hold harmless the Organiser, respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, including but not limited to loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the Halo2Battleor any prize won.

If for any reason the Halo2Battle is not capable of being run as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failure, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of the Organiser, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Halo2Battle, the organiser reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Halo2Battle

The limits and exclusions of liability above will not restrict any applicable rights under the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.

9. General Conditions

The conduct of this Qualifying Tournament and the interpretation and enforcement of these Official Rules is governed by the laws of New Zealand. In the event that any dispute arises regarding the Halo2Battle, Players agree that the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with the laws of New Zealand. Halo2Battle regional winners and national winner may be required to execute statements of eligibility and liability/publicity releases in accordance with these terms and conditions within 2 days of receiving notification from the organiser that they have won a prize/place. Non-compliance within this time period may result in disqualification and an alternate winner being selected.

Acceptance of a prize/place constitutes permission for the Organiser and its affiliates and their advertising and promotional agencies to use the winners' Gamertag, name, city of residence, and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes in association with this Halo2Battle and the Halo 2 Global Tournament without additional compensation unless prohibited by law. The Organiser also reserves the right to publish photos and/or videos of the winners and their participation in the Halo2Battle and the Halo 2 Global Tournament including, without limitation, interviews with the winners, also without compensation. However, the Organiser agrees not to transfer any other personally identifying information about any Players, including, without limitation Tournament winners, to any third party, unless a Player has consented to the same.

If any provision or part of these terms and conditions is deemed void or otherwise unenforceable in law then that provision or part shall be deemed excluded, and the remainder of these terms and conditions shall remain in force.

10. Winner Listed

The name of the Halo2Battle national winner will be posted on the Internet at http://www.xbox.co.nz/ within 5 days of the Halo2Battle national final date.

11. Organiser

The Organiser of this Halo2Battle is:

Microsoft New Zealand, 7-9 Fanshawe Street, Auckland, New Zealand.

(1) Updating Account Information

(2) Players are solely responsible for keeping their account information up to date for all information pertaining to Registration/Qualifying for any tournament. All changes for e-mail addresses, phone number, and so on need to be completed in advance of the registration end date of November 1, 2004. Change requests made the same day may not be reflected immediately.

If you fail to update your account information for Xbox Live, and the Organiser cannot contact you, you may be disqualified from competing.

Updating Account Information (example for email):

To verify/update your Xbox Live E-mail Address:

1) From the Xbox Dashboard, select Xbox Live.

2) Select Account Management.

3) Select Billing.

4) Select your account and enter the last four digits of the credit card number used for that account.

5) Select Credit Card.

6) From the first screen, select Continue.

7) E-Mail Address is located here.

WCG T:

All participants in the [Halo 2 LAN] and [Dead or Alive 2 Fight for Glory] competitions will be awarded national World Cyber Games ranking points according to the order in which they place and the total number of participants in each competition.

The winner of each competition will be eligible for selection to the New Zealand or Australian World Cyber Games ANZAC Test to be held in Australia from 7-9 May.

The winner will also qualify for automatic access to each country's national preliminary final for the 2005 World Cyber Games.

Additional national WCG ranking points will be awared to any eligible person for participation in other events of the 2005 WCG programme in each country.

No player may participate in the ANZAC Test or any other World Cyber Games international event in more than one game competition except at Network Events and Media's sole discretion, and participation in more than game competition at the same event at national or regional level may also be restricted or forbidden by each tournament's organisers.

Competitors must meet and abide by all legal requirements and WCG programme terms and conditions in force in each the countries in which any WCG sanctioned competition is to take place.

Competition organisers reserve the right to terminate, postpone or cancel any event at their sole discretion.

The WCG programme administration shall have the right to depend on information provided by participants and applicants as being true and correct at all times. In the event that a participant or applicant does not respond to communication attempts by tournament organisers or the WCG programme administration, such parties shall not be held responsible for any consequences including the removal of players from the WCG programme or the dealing of any other matter in that player’s absence or without his involvement.