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PSN Thursday: Rocketmen blast off, Echochrome marches onto Japanese PSN
Just like XBLA, Rocketmen: Axis of Evil is the only new game offering on PSN this week. Sure, there's the Rock Band and GHIII DLC, but its a pretty tame week overall. Now, for those with access to the Japanese PSN it's a different story. Those people should go grab echochrome immediately and twist their brains, Escher-style. Check out the complete list of this week's content after the break. Wondering what the Europeans got? Take a little trip down the yellow brick road to PS3 Fanboy. %Gallery-2571%
Get the echochrome demo on your PSP
You're heard the critics lavish praise on the monochromatic, perspective-twisting goodness of echochrome, and now you PSP owners can finally take the game for a spin. How, you ask? Why, with a free, downloadable demo of course. Our friends at PSP Fanboy have all the instructions. We hope you dig the demo, because without a release date for the game currently, there's not telling how long you'll need to make this sliver of echochrome last. Enjoy.
10 reasons the PlayStation 3 is relevant again
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/10_reasons_PlayStation_3_is_still_relevant'; Sony is expecting a big year for PlayStation 3 -- it might even turn a profit in the next fiscal year, according to SCEI President and CEO Kaz Hirai. The folks at PS3 Fanboy think it's got a fighting chance, and here are ten reasons we expect a better year for the console.
Today's most perspective-bending trailer: echochrome in real life
Ever wonder what echochrome would look like in real life? Of course, given the entire game is based on perspective, we'd never be able to enjoy the new reality because we'd always be watching from afar. But then that person would see the real perspective and not benefit from the ... oh, we've gone ahead and confused ourselves. Thankfully you don't have to wrap such conundrums around your head. Just enjoy this Japanese commercial for the game after the break. (Take note of the pretty Mint Green PSP seen at the end.) [Via PSP Fanboy]
PS3 Echochrome coming stateside Spring 2008, PSP version 'up in the air' [update]
North American gamers who wish to live out their long held fantasies of frolicking through Escher's world of Relativity will get their chance this summer, when Echochrome, Sony's perspective swapping puzzle platformer, will be made available for download on the PlayStation Network. In the usual fashion for Sony developed games, Japanese gamers will be able to pick up the game long before the rest of us -- some time in March. No news has been heard about a stateside release date for the pricier PSP version of the game, though Siliconera is claiming that a Sony rep told them the handheld edition is "up in the air". This isn't a death knell for the portable port -- we don't know why they'd cancel the U.S. version, considering that Japan's March release date is for the PSP as well. We'll let you know when we know a more definite release date for the two versions, until then, we suggest enrolling into some sort of MENSA organization in order to garner the massive, genius brain you'll need to navigate these impossible constructions. Update: The PS3 version is on track for a Spring release.
Echochrome cheaper on PS3 or more on PSP; a matter of perspective
Like an MC Escher drawing, this news could be seen a handful of different ways: either Sony is doubling the price of Echochrome for the PSP UMD release or is halving the PS3's downloadable price. Either way, Siliconera reports that when the game is released in Japan on March 19, the PSP version will cost ¥3980 (about $37) while the PS3 release will cost ¥1800 (about $17). Update: The price discrepancy is due to the former version containing twice as many puzzles -- the value of which is debatable considering you can make your own. Sure, the price could change for the North American market (as Siliconera sagely points out, several games from Jeanne D'Arc to Patapon have been cheaper here) but what about our Japanese gamer brethren? With Patapon going for a ridiculously low $20 on UMD, could they really charge much more for the simple, yet similarly bewitching, Echochrome? %Gallery-11823% [Via PSP Fanboy]
Joystiq hands-on: echochrome (PSN)
What a difference two buttons can make. We tested a new build of echochrome, and we found the new demo to be even more enjoyable than our last session at TGS. Why, you ask? (Amuse us, if you will.) There are two reasons: the Triangle and X buttons. Granted, they may have been in the Tokyo demonstration, lost to us in our inability to firmly grasp the Japanese language. Regardless, these two new buttons change the overall flow and feel of the game. A press of Triangle allows you to pause the game action, giving the player time to think, adjust the perspective and find the best route through the level. However, each puzzle is a race against the clock. Time is still ticking, and levels will end if players can't figure out a way to reach the echoes quickly enough. Players will be able to regain some lost time by pressing X, which forces your echo to run faster. Each puzzle can be approached in a number of different ways. For example, in the level we played, we moved the camera to move our character from one adjacent platform to another. It took us quite some time, as we traversed through the stage in seemingly the longest way possible. The SCEA representative played the same level and cleverly manipulated the middle block, allowing it to connect to any other point in the stage. He was able to cross the echoes in a time that simply shamed our pathetic attempt. We only saw five levels, but we're hopeful that later levels in the game will all feature multiple solutions. %Gallery-11823%
TGS hands-on: echochrome
After its shocking E3 debut, we desperately wanted to play echochrome, the mind-bending Escher-inspired puzzle game that has players changing their perspective. Available on the PS3 as a downloadable title and as a PSP game, echochrome excited audiences with its truly innovative concept. But, how did the publicly playable PS3 demo play? Well, it works exactly as you expect it to. The demonstration features an English-speaking monotone voice that seems a perfect match with the game's ultra-minimalist presentation. She'll explain the five rules of the game that control the way your perspective, the world, and your character, all interact with each other. Each sequence has players testing out a single new device, such as being able to block obstacles by hiding them from the player's vision. Through this brief tutorial, players will be gifted with the ability to start playing through the game's mind-destroying puzzles. The single level available in the demonstration had us attempting to collect echoes, shadows situated in various points in the stage. As simple as that may sound, imagining the total destruction of object permanence is not something we're readily accustomed to. The on-screen avatar acts like a lemming, constantly going forward, even if it means certain doom for the character. This means players will have to act fast, and position the level correctly as the avatar makes its way forward. This is where we found that the camera rotates a bit too slowly for our tastes. We ended one of our lives trying to cover a hole, but couldn't rotate the level quickly enough to save our character. Thankfully, each echo that one walks into acts as a checkpoint, so that the level we played didn't become frustrating. However, we hope that Sony will make moving the camera a bit speedier. echochrome is a simple, innovative, and more importantly, fun title that continues to deliver on the PlayStation Store's promise of offering gamers unique gameplay experiences. Although we didn't get to play much, it's clear that Sony has something truly special in their hands.
Behind Sony's Echochrome is the OLE Coordinate System
Echochrome was one of Sony's E3 surprises, captivating audiences with its simple elegance and twisted, conceptual gameplay. Appearing like an M.C. Escher take on Lemmings, just the sight of this PS3 and PSP title was puzzling in its own right. While it deserves praise for originality, Sony shouldn't get all the credit. Meet the Object Locative Environment Coordinate System: the heart of Echochrome. Developed by Japanese designer Jun Fujiki, his OLE Coordinate System is directly inspired by the famous paintings of M.C. Escher, going on to say that his program allows users to "create and experience their own Escher-esque worlds." The concept of eye tricks is the fundamental core of the OLE Coordinate System, making it so objects drawn at one angle have one meaning, while looking at it from another view can give it an entirely different one. We still have no idea how Echochrome will play out, but now we can at least understand what we saw.
Echochrome: It's like being stuck in M.C. Escher's mind
We're not sure exactly what the title Echochrome means, but after the game is released, it may mean inventive puzzle gameplay. Combining M.C. Escheresque art with Crush-like gameplay, Echochrome should appeal to gamers looking for puzzle games that don't just involve falling blocks. The music in the above trailer really fits well with the game (let's hope that is actual in-game music) and gives it a moody tone. While the graphics are simple, they're unique and actually seem to add to the game. The only thing more twisted than the puzzles in Echochrome, will be your brain after playing it. Echochrome is coming to multiple Sony systems. PS3 owners will get it in downloadable form, but PSP owners will snatch this puzzler on UMD.
Sony announces Echochrome
At Sony's Keynote press conference, Phil Harrison introduced, Echochrome, saying it has "possibly the least graphics and most gameplay of any title you are going to see this week." The puzzle game, in development by Sony's internal Japanese studio, seemingly has players direct an outline of a drawing-model doll walking through black-and-white, three-dimensional mazes. The levels resemble MC Escher doodles and optical illusions, with a distant leg of a puzzle becoming the top layer after a quick rotation. While little was explained other than a simple preview video, players seem to control Echochrome by these rotations, changing and warping perspective. Harrison didn't announce a shipping date, but he noted that several games, including Echochrome would be available by March, 2008. The game will be available for PSP on UMD and for PS3 download on the Playstation Network. See photos of this mind-bender after the break.
Sony offers a helping hand to smaller developers
Welcome to Game Yarouze! Digital Meister project. Much honor in seeing you. Oh, sorry. July 21 marked the date of the start of the aforementioned project, instigated by Sony to draw out independant game developers. The project, hereafter referred to as GYDM, is basically Japan's version of the soon-to-be-worldwide E-distribution system the Playstation 3 is attempting to set up.So, what's Sony looking for? Game Yarouze has been around for a while to help smaller game developers, but the GYDM project is aiming specifically for PS3 content -- namely, smaller games for download that have strong network play. Sony's accepting both proposals and projects in a running state. If your game is given the nod by Sony, not only will all of your development costs be covered by Sony Computer Entertainment (Worldwide Studios division), but your finished product will brandish a sword engraved with the SCEI logo and the SCE WWS Japan Studio label. Much honor in seeing you, right?
