Underworld: Unrated
Black Book
Memoirs of a Geisha
Tekkonkinkreet
The Wild Bunch
Gods and Generals
Wyatt Earp
Gothika

The upcoming Sony Pictures release of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ will have a new indexing feature that will be used for the first time on a Blu-ray movie. In order to easily navigate the extras, a “Disc Navigation Index” is provided so that clips on a particular subject are shown from across multiple supplements. No word as to if a similar feature is being prepared for any future releases.

The indexing feature sounds nice, hopefully they start adding more unique features like this in more blu-ray movies. So anything for you this week?

Blu-ray.com

Is this worth buying or not? I’m definitely not short on games to play, but if this is an interesting novelty that can entertain me for at least two solid hours, then personally, I’d be happy to buy for $7. If it’s boring or wears thin faster than that, then I’d rather skip. Two strong opinions so far. Any others?

From Dartmerc:

Think LocoRoco, but now imagine you control a butterfly, which when close (about 1/2 a screen away or closer) to LocoRoco, it influences them to follow it.
The world is populated with sleeping Roco, and these Roco wake up when another Roco touches them.
The stage is one big level, but broken into smaller parts, utilizing gates that require a number of Roco to be collected before opening, allowing the Roco to continue further.
The awesome thing is, each section of the level, is actually a loop. If the Roco’s don’t enter the gate, they simply loop back to the start, to repeat their steps again (the Roco are capable of advancing without micromanagement), giving you another chance to explore and grab any Roco you left.
Basically, think LocoRoco with different controls, which take a little to get used to, but really do work, and the addition of levels that loop back onto themselves, and also more challanging, well hidden Roco to find, alot requiring plenty of LocoRoco teamwork.

Just like the psp title, the levels can be completed rather easily if the player doesnt try to collect the Roco and other items, infact with only 40 of 200 Loco, the entire stage can be finished.

The beauty of the original LocoRoco was that it allowed a player to have a good time and run through the levels, then go back and explore looking for the aditional RocoLoco. Roco Cocoreccho follows this formula to a tee. Without any aditional controls other then the circle button and left stick (and a motion sensitive gate opening action), the player can complete the stage, and then go back and start exploring, or taking alternate paths.

From Emrah:

I just bought and played locoroco, and I personally do not recommend it. It is overly complicated for its own good, the gameplay is not rewarding. Just give us some superbly simple levels that’ll last a minute with all the bells and whistles in the beginning so we can have some sympathy for the meaningless blobs and have some taste of being able to finish a level without brain-work, *THEN* put us in mayhem.

While the official release of PlayStation Home is still spring, we still get to try it out this year. Phil Harrison said they’ll be a Home Open Beta in late November/early December. Well at least that’s good news. Maybe we’ll find out what “Dress: Everybody’s Fashion Entertainment” is, and I wonder how many features will be available then in Home. But regardless I’ll have fun testing out

GameSpot

Free Playable Demos

• Skate
• NBA ‘08
• Sega Rally Revo
• Stuntman: Ignition

Purchaseable Downloadable “Games”

• LocoRoco Cocoreccho (supposedly not so much a “game” as an interactive screensaver)

Trailers + Videos

• GT5 Prologue
• R&C Future
• Devil May Cry
• Others

Wow! Another heavy update with lots of content! However, this time, there’s more content to appeal to hardcore gamers.

Sony hasn’t said anything about the kind of rumble to be supported in the new DUALSHOCK 3. So it’s up us to finagle details out of articles like this one. 1UP does a write-up on MGS4, and they mention the controller’s vibration function in passing:

We did enjoy the various rumble effects employed by the new Dual Shock 3 controller, though: As explosions rattled around Snake, we could actually feel the direction from which they were coming based on what part of the controller virbated.

It’s been so long since I felt rumble that I forget. Could the PS2 rumble like this? Or does this indicate new rumble functionality we haven’t had before?

Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Preview, Metal Gear Solid 4 Playstation 3 Preview

Controller.

So yeah, I’m a little miffed that the DUALSHOCK 3 controller for the PLAYSTATION 3 won’t make it’s way to our shores until the snow has come and gone. And I’m a bit ticked that CoD4 isn’t on the list of supported rumble games. Plus, no mention is made of any special Immersion technology. I hope they haven’t just used the same old boring rumble stuff we’ve known in the past. So now I go into damage-control mode.

First, is it possible to import the controller? The controller uses USB for charging, which is no different here than in Japan (AFAIK). So maybe I could import a DUALSHOCK 3 controller from Japan. I’ve never done anything like that before, so I wonder if (a) it’ll be cost prohibitive, and (b) if I should even bother, considering that software patches for adding rumble support might not be released here until the controller is available.

Second, I have to wonder about Call of Duty 4. There are two other Activision titles on the list of games that’ll support rumble (Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Soldier of Fortune). So it’s not like Activision is against rumble. Maybe in the rush to get CoD4 out the door, they can’t add rumble support now. But when they do get a chance, they’ll do so. Am I stretching it? I hope not.

Third. Is Sony saving the good news about rumble until later? Does the new DUALSHOCK 3 have some new Immersion tech in it or not? Why would Sony wait to announce that, if indeed they are using it? I’m skeptical that we’re getting anything special here…

Home

While Home’s delay to spring ‘08 wasn’t a surprise, it was still a disappointment. I knew I wouldn’t be getting it in September, but I was hoping that Christmas was attainable. I guess not. Oh well. Here’s hoping that I’ll get in the beta. And what’s “Dress: Everybody’s Fashion Entertainment” that Sony announced but didn’t talk about?

Games

I haven’t seen anything yet of interest when it comes to games at TGS ‘07. While I was expecting Sony to release some news, I was also expecting it to be about games I’m not interested in, like RPG’s. So for me, it’s no big deal. But isn’t it supposed to be all about the games?

The UK and Japanese PLAYSTATION Stores have got a decent amount of new content up for you to download if it takes your fancy.

JAPANESE PS STORE:

The below are all trailers:

Devil May Cry 4
Dynasty Warriors 6
Imabikisou
Yakuza 3
Gallian Chronicles
Soul Calibur IV
LocoRoco
Record of Agarest War
Sega Rally

GAME:

PixelJunk Racers 900 Yen

WALLPAPERS:
Devil May Cry 4 (7 of them )
Resident Evil 5

UK PS Store

PSONE GAMES:

Medievil £3.49
Syphon Filter £3.49

LocoRoco Cocoreccho £1.99

Clive Barker’s Jericho trailer.

I hope the US Store has a new playable demo when it’s updated. Skate would be nice.

The two big announcements:

• Sony acquired Evolution Studios, the developers of Motorstorm.
• DualShock 3 is unveiled: A Sixaxis controller with rumble functionality. Tons of games support including very soon to be released titles such as R&C. Does this use more advanced haptics technology? No mention.

Smaller news bits include:

• Remote Play Wake on LAN: Now you don’t need to have your PS3 to access your movies, music and games from anywhere on your PSP.
• MGS Online to be included with MGS4
• “Dress” service to be part of PlayStation Home.
• PSN Available from PCs
• PlayStation Home is delayed until 2008.
• GT5:P will be out in Japan on Dec 13. When will the Western release hit?
• New Afrika Trailer

So far, pretty dull announcements.

Sony said they were going to unveil four new titles. Dress? The Horse Racing title? I bet they are counting the Afrika unveiling as a new title (barely been shown before). Aqua and flOwer? I haven’t heard much about those two yet…

Let’s hear your impressions. Anyone still anticipating more from the show itself?

UPDATE: Thanks to Sporty who pointed out several omissions that are now included.

DUALSHOCK®3 WIRELESS CONTROLLER WITH RUMBLE FEATURE TO BE INTRODUCED FOR PLAYSTATION®3

Tokyo, September 20, 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it would release DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller, a new controller for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) incorporating a rumble feature, in Japan in November as a separately sold accessory. It inherits the basic design and functionality of the popular PlayStation® controller, while keeping the high-precision, high response motion sensitive six-axis sensing system. Introduction to North American and European markets is expected in spring 2008.

The added rumble feature, combined with the highly realistic motion sensitive six-axis sensing system, takes gamers deeper into the world of interactivity, delivering a more intuitive, realistic and immersive game play experience. The new controller will also benefit PS3 content creators, by giving them the ability to further expand their creative imagination. PS3 titles that are already in the market may become compatible with the rumble feature through software update.

With DUALSHOCK 3 and the attractive lineup of PS3 titles incorporating the rumble feature, SCEI will introduce more new ways of enjoyment that can only be found on PS3, and will further redefine the world of entertainment.

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