days till launch...
Touch My Katamari
Namco Bandai Games Europe
- Release date: launch (Feb 22 2012)
- Official site (EU): http://www.uk.namcobandaigames.eu/product/touch-my
-katamari/ps-vita - Videos: Features trailer / Billiard trailer
- Features: Touch screen and rear touch pad controls
If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Katamari games, the basic principle is to start with a small ‘katamari’ (literally ‘clump’) and roll it round. As it rolls, any objects smaller than it will adhere to it, making it bigger. The aim is to pick up objects scattered around the level, from the smallest to largest, growing your katamari snowball-style to level’s the target size within the time limit. It sounds simple enough, but that description hardly does the game justice – the outrageous surreal style transforms this simple task into a bizarre experience.
Start with tiny objects like ants and match sticks, chess pieces and sushi, you’ll build up and up through the levels until you’re picking up vehicles, buildings and mountains. Traditionally (the game started on PS2) the katamari is controlled, tank-like, with the two joysticks (push them both forward to go forward; one forward and another one back to turn on the spot...) the Vita version of the game offers touch screen controls and introduces a new stretching and squeezing mechanic via the rear touch pad, that allows you to squeeze through narrow gaps or pick up objects over a wider area.
The whole thing is held together by a weird and colourful story in which... well... it doesn’t make a great deal of sense. And that is part of its charm and sets it apart from so many other games. It’s something that will endear it to some and put other people off it, but you can’t deny that it has a style of its own. See the videos on the game’s official site to see what I mean...
I loved "We Love Katamari" on the PS2 although I'm not sure if I would still love it or not. It's pretty much the same thing but not sure If I want to roll the world up all over again.
If you never played a Katamari game however, then it's certainly worth trying out at least. It's rather bizarre but fun nonetheless.
days till launch...
Pure Chess
Rebel Play
- Release date: Spring 2012? (listed in the same blog post as the launch line-up, but who knows?)
- Official site: http://www.voofoostudios.com/?cat=26
- Videos: teaser trailer
- Features: asynchronous online play with up to 7 PSN opponents simultaneously; online leaderboards (and presumably touch controls)
Chances are that you already made your mind up about this game when you got to the second word of the title. There’s no escaping the fact that this is chess, and no amount of graphical frill is going to change the gameplay. But if you know your en passant from your zugzwang or your Staunton from your Lewis then you might have actually made it this far into this post.
From VooFoo Studios, the team behind Hustle Kings, Pure Chess benefits from the same outstanding level of graphical sheen as the aforementioned pool game. Beautifully rendered pieces on polished boards in gorgeous, detailed environments give the game a very modern look, despite the centuries-old underlying concept. VooFoo promise a chess engine that wipes the floor with everyone in their team and have taken to focus-testing with local chess groups. The game features online play with up to 7 opponents simultaneously, and turn-based play-by-mail-like games that suit a portable format. Add in online leaderboards with player rankings and comprehensive tutorials, and it pretty much does everything you’d need. Available on both Vita and PS3, chances are good you’ll also be able to enjoy cross-platform play.
days till launch...
Little Deviants
Sony (Bigbig Studios)
- Release date: Launch (22 Feb 2012)
- Official site: http://www.bigbigstudios.com/index.php/channel/C3
- Videos: Trailer / Features trailer / E3 trailer
- Features: motion controls, touch controls (front and back), microphone control, camera / augmented reality, online leaderboards
One of the flagship titles for the Vita, Little Deviants is a mini-game collection that aims to show off as many of the device’s inputs and in as many ways as it can. Thirty mini games are populated with the good guys (Deviants and Whomans) and bad guys (Botz and their undead minions) and it’s your task to help the Deviants, save Whomans and thwart the plans of the Botz in a wide variety of imaginative ways...
So you might be rolling a Deviant by pushing up the landscape from beneath, using the rear touch pad, or singing into the microphone to break the glass projectiles being thrown at an operatic Deviant on stage. Tilt the Vita to navigate tunnels and collect stars or tickle the flaming Pyruss Deviant to fuel a hot air balloon – this level even requires you to turn the Vita on its side for a vertical view of the action.
Augmented reality plays a part in this game, with at least one shooting minigame shown taking place against a backdrop taken live from the system’s rear camera.
For poor old Bigbig Studios, this will be their last game as a first party studio – a little over a week ago, Sony announced plans to close the studio with the completion of this game.
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