Beginning today, you are finally be able to get your hands on the shiny new HD and 3D versions of two the most beloved video games of all time. If you’ve already played these games on PS2, now you can experience them all over again like you’ve never seen or heard them before. And if you haven’t had a chance to play these classics just yet, now’s the perfect time to experience the beautiful stories and art design of Ueda-san and his extremely talented team.

The game has been brought to new life with these enhancements and exclusive content:

• Full 1080p HD resolution
• Stereoscopic 3D support
• 7.1 surround sound
• Full Trophy support, with unique trophies for each game
• 12-minute behind-the-scenes video about the making of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian
• 20+ minute round table discussion between Ueda-san (Lead Designer, Director), Kaido-san (Line Producer) and Hosono-san (Designer).
• ICO concept video
• Shadow of the Colossus concept video
• NICO concept video
• Dynamic XMB themes (one for ICO, one for Shadow of the Colossus)

The disc comes with all of this for just $39.99. As if you needed any more reasons to pick up this collection, it currently has an average review score of 91, out of 35 reviews. Game Informer gave it a 9.75, saying “Playing through them again in this unbeatable package only serves as a reminder that no other developer can imitate Team Ico’s singular style.”

In celebration of the launch of ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Ueda-san has kindly sent us his comments:

We’ve finally made it to the release date of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. I would really like to especially thank the gamers, fans, and the media within North America, as the title has received such an incredible amount of support and praise from this region. I sincerely hope you will all enjoy the re-mastered collection.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the staff at Bluepoint Games and SCEA in the development and production of these titles. We were extremely lucky to be working with such talented staff. Their efforts helped the Collection exceed our highest quality expectations, as well as get though its development cycle without any major issues. I sincerely appreciate the great work done by everyone involved.

Get ready to take the re-mastered game home and be immersed in these highly artistic and picturesque game worlds today!

Let me tell you a little bit about PlayStation Move Ape Escape. There are a total of 15 levels and you will cross between the past and present in pursuit of Specter, the leader of a monkey invasion. At the end of each mission, a review of your performance will display regarding how many monkeys you caught, your score and the details of any bonuses you have earned. You have a chance to compare your scores with players around the world, so try uploading your score every time you complete a mission and check the online leaderboards! Don’t forget to earn trophies as well.

As you progress through the game, you will unlock mini-games. Each of these use the PlayStation Move motion controller in a unique way and provide a fun change of pace from the story mode. So take a well-earned break from your pursuit of Specter and enjoy those mini-games.

We are very eager for Ape Escape fans old and new to try out the PlayStation Move version of the franchise. Pick up the full ape-chasing adventure today for $19.99, grab your PlayStation Move motion controller and start capturing those mischievous monkeys!

You may have seen that PlayStation Move Ape Escape launches today in Europe. We’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing all of the monkey-capturing mayhem to the US soon! On June 28th, you will be able to download a demo of the game on the PlayStation Store.

In PlayStation Move Ape Escape, you’ll be tasked with fending off a monkey invasion after a UFO crash-lands into your house. This latest installment takes the fan-favorite franchise to the next level by allowing you to use the PlayStation Move motion controller to wield a variety of gadgets while capturing the mischievous monkey invaders.

If you cannot wait till June 28th to experience the mayhem, get the PlayStation Move Ape Escape Dynamic Theme today! We’ve just released the Dynamic Theme of the title for $2.99. As you can see from the embedded video, those mischief-making monkeys are set to take over your PS3 with this exclusive dynamic theme!

Check out the demo next Tuesday and be sure to download the full game via PlayStation Network, when it launches in the U.S. on July 5th.

For a little background on echochrome ii, check out my past blog posts. It is a puzzle game that uses light and shadow to create a unique, innovative world for gamers to unravel. Players hold the PlayStation Move motion controller like a flashlight to control the light source in each puzzle stage, searching for hidden “shadow art” and using the shadows to create a path to the goal for their character to traverse.

“With the previous echochrome, we employed a string quartet for the soundtrack, a rare genre for video games,” said echochrome producer Tatsuya Suzuki from Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ). “The music did not change depending on the in-game situation, instead taking its own random path as it played along. We wanted to make echochrome’s music as unique and innovative as the game itself in hopes of making the play experience even more memorable for gamers. The quest to outdo ourselves for the sequel was what led us to create the world’s longest piece of game music. It’s 75 minutes long because we wanted it to take up an entire CD by itself. We were lucky to have a title with gameplay like echochrome’s to serve as the proving ground for this effort. If this was an RPG or some other genre, I imagine it would’ve been a lot tougher. It just goes to show how tight the relationship is between gameplay and game music.”

“echochrome ii features a piano in addition to the string quartet,” added Hideki Sakamoto, composer on both echochrome titles. “The sequel features ‘color’ as a new gameplay element, which doesn’t seem like anything special, but the first one was an entirely monochrome world, so it’s a major shift. Adding color to the game makes everything seem a lot brighter to your eyes and adding piano to the music helps make the game sound brighter, too. The theme of the 75 minute long track is human life – it traces the entire life of a person through 75 minutes. The lilting melodies of the intro reflect the joy of birth, and along the way you have your first love and your days of schooling. Around the age of 30, you settle down to work and your life takes on more of a basic routine. Things get a bit more contemplative by your 40s, so the song grows more serious in style. For the 50s, the track goes into a medley, reflecting on all the past experiences in your life; I think it’s the decade of life where you’re shining the most brightly. Time continues to pass, though, and as you go into your 60s and 70s, you gradually close the curtain on your life. It’s often said that people return to a child-like outlook on life in their senior years, so the end part goes back to the age of birth – in other words, back to the intro part.”

“Recording this track took just as much energy as composing it,” said echochrome ii producer Ken Suzuta from SCEJ. “It took five straight days, working from morning until night. The instrumentalists, mixers, and other staff all had to rely on each other for support as they went through this marathon recording session. For this project, Suzuki and Sakamoto both suggested broadcasting the sessions live on Ustream, giving users the opportunity to check out the studio and recording process, making it another part of the game’s entertainment. We responded to viewer comments in real-time, and when things got frustrating in the studio, viewers would send out support messages and so forth. In a way we all worked together to get the track completed. It was really great to have all those viewers, including many in America.”

“That support was key in helping us obtain the Guinness world record,” added Suzuki. “It’s a tremendous honor for us. It’s a rare thing for not just games, but any form of entertainment to get a world record, and I hope our fans are as excited about this as we are. When we have the chance to develop the next game in the echochrome series, I definitely want to try something even newer with it. Thanks again for your continued support!”

In celebration of this honor, we have a special offer available on the PlayStation Store featuring both the game and musical score for a limited time at $14.99. If you already have the game, the soundtrack can be purchased separately for $4.99. The special offer will end on June 28th. Don’t miss this great opportunity, and celebrate the honor with us all!

I’m excited to announce that the next chapter of the Ape Escape franchise will be heading to PlayStation Move this summer in PlayStation Move Ape Escape. As a new title designed exclusively for PlayStation Move, this is the first time that this fun-filled series will join the PS3 family in North America.

Fun and accessible for gamers of all ages, get ready to dive into 15 new levels and watch your PlayStation Move controller transform into an assortment of gadgets while you scoop, swat, and target monkeys in pursuit of Specter, the leader of the monkey invasion.

You’ll also be able to capture over 500 Monkeys and keep track of them all with your very own “MonkeyPedia”.

And, challenge your friends with wacky mini-games including Tag Rally, Slingsnipe! and Sprayzer Defense Force.

PlayStation Move Ape Escape will be available in the US via PlayStation Network. We’ll be back with more on the game soon, so stay tuned!

Also, some of you were wondering about the Trophies. I am happy to announce that echochrome ii supports Trophies and there are 12 Trophies in total. Just like the original echochrome, our quiet hero character patiently keeps walking on the path you create. So why don’t we award him as “Avid Walker”. He definitely deserves to get a Trophy for taking so many steps for us! During the adventure, he may sometimes fall, end up twisting his ankle or hit his head on the ceilings… He cannot avoid these accidents at times to achieve his goal, but who knows…these may lead into obtaining some Trophies? Happy Trophy hunting!

echochrome ii is a very unique, original puzzle game utilizing the PlayStation Move motion controller. The team is very creative and their ideas always blow my mind. We have a video from Japan featuring the original producers Tatsuya Suzuki and Ken Suzuta, as well as the creator/director of the game, Jun Fujiki that you can see above.

The other most asked question was about the soundtrack. As a fan of the music in this franchise myself, I’m pleased to let you know that echochrome ii soundtrack will be coming soon. The music score was composed by Hideki Sakamoto, the same composer as the original echochrome soundtrack. This piece of music is called “Prime #4507″ and is the longest piece of soundtrack composition ever scored for a video game! Featuring over 2628 measures of music written this piece is over 75 minutes long and was recorded over a 5-day period. Indeed, the team has applied for the Guiness World Records as “The longest videogame soundtrack composition”.

Remember, the release date is coming up next week! We can start the count down from today. Stay tuned on PlayStation.Blog, for more information about the capabilities for creating user-generated content in echochrome ii!

If you didn’t see my last post and are curious as to what echochrome ii is all about, it’s a unique puzzle game using the PlayStation Move motion controller to shine a light on a series of blocks and objects to create realistic shadows on the wall. The blocks and objects you see in each level will cast different shadows depending on your movement so as you alter the perspective and angles by adjusting this light source, you will manipulate the shadows they cast to ultimately reveal a solution to the puzzle and guide your character to the exit. You can check out some actual gameplay in the video above.

Once you check out the game for yourself I think you’ll enjoy how it uses PlayStation Move in this rather unique and original way. The best way to think of it is to treat the controller like a flashlight that you shine on these objects to manipulate the shadow within the scenery—this is actually one of the ideas that helped the dev team come up with the concept.

echochrome ii has 100 built in levels and there are three different ways to enjoy each one. Navigating the character to the goal by creating a shadow path is called “escort” mode. Additionally, there is “echo” mode and “paint” mode. In “echo” mode, the objective is to collect the ghost-looking characters called “echo.” You will see a few of them in each level, so collect them all to clear the stage.

In “paint” mode, the characters are colored in red, green, or blue. When the characters walk, they will color any blocks that are creating the shadows they’re walking on. A red character makes a red block and a blue character makes a blue one. Each time you color a block, your clear percentage will increase. Your goal is to reach the target percentage to clear the level.

I hope you’re as excited as I am about this upcoming release! Be sure to keep an eye on the PlayStation.Blog as I’ll be back to discuss additional game features and answers some of your questions posted below.

Remember all the fun you used to have playing with shadows as a kid? Now you can bring back those exciting feelings of shadow art by utilizing the PlayStation Move motion controller and the PlayStation Eye camera! With its unique way of using Move controller as a flashlight, you will control light and shadows, rotate levels and change the way objects are viewed and the shadows they cast. The ultimate goal is to lead your character, that can only walk on the shadow, through the path from beginning to end. Beware, as there are hidden goals, jumping pads, holes, transporting elevators, and so on. Rotate the level itself to create a specific shadow – the possibilities are infinite and there is always more than meets the eye as every person can view each puzzle differently.

Also, echochrome ii features an artistic presentation style that fans of the franchise will recognize, however, this time with bold colors and lively music to put any player in the gaming mood. Players can also look forward to the new use of color, which gives hints to help players through the puzzles.

We released LocoRoco Midnight Carnival last year, introducing the craziest most challenging Loco adventure yet. For those who found the game rather difficult to clear, or those who want to find out more about the game, we’ve just released the digital strategy guide for LocoRoco Midnight Carnival! The guide has just been released yesterday on the PlayStation Store for $1.99. It’s a digital interactive strategy guide, not only to guide you through the levels, but also include many more features as shown below.

• Explore full detailed maps of all levels AND replay movies
• Zoom-in on details and information
• All pages include in-game music for your viewing pleasure
• Refresh your memory on basic controls, as well as tips and techniques
• Additional artwork and music lyrics also included

We also have great news for new players! LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is now on sale for $7.49! Perfect timing for those of you who want to get Loco for the up coming summer season!

But wait, there is more! New players to LocoRoco Midnight Carnival can also find the full game and the additional pack bundled together with the digital strategy guide! LocoRoco Midnight Bundle, the ultimate edition which includes LocoRoco MC full game + BuiBui pack + official strategy guide has just been released at the price of just $9.99! If you are new to LocoRoco now is the best time to give this a go!

Enjoy!

echochrome’s music soundtrack is a departure from traditional games, featuring string quartet compositions that combine classical music with modern musical sensibilities. The original score is composed by Hideki Sakamoto of noisycroak Inc.

You can get a sampling of the music from the game’s trailer below:

Actually, we’re releasing two soundtracks on May 18th. Here are the details.

echochrome Original Soundtrack
Contains 12 original tracks from the game, plus one all-new bonus track.

echochrome Remix Soundtrack
Features five tracks from the original soundtrack re-done with special piano arrangements that add a completely new flavor to the mix. The remix soundtrack also features a mysterious bonus track.

Each of these soundtracks will be available on the PSN Store for $2.99. Or, you can pick them both up for $4.99 and save a buck. If you’re a fan of the franchise and are going to pick up the soundtracks anyway, we have a special deal for you. For a limited time only, when you buy the soundtrack bundle the “echochrome Gallery Demo” will be added to your download queue automatically.

What’s this “gallery demo” I speak of? Basically, we have created a special demo using 1,000 hand-selected user-created levels. There is no main menu. Instead, you see all 1000 stages on the screen, playing and rotating around. Use the analog sticks to zoom in and out and pan around. Zoom in far enough on a stage and you can jump right into it and start playing. This demo was actually featured at the Portland Art Museum “M.C. Escher Exhibit,” as well as a well-known art and cultural center in Tokyo, Japan! It’s a unique and fun way to interact with echochrome that I’m sure the fans will really enjoy.

So watch for all of this exciting new content hitting the PSN Store tomorrow. And watch for some cool new echochrome Avatars for your PSN ID that will hit PSN in the coming weeks. And if you still haven’t tried out the game yet, there’s no excuse. There’s a PSN demo, and you can pick up the PS3 and PSP versions for $9.99 each. And if you like echochrome’s unique puzzle elements and have a PSP, be sure to check out echoshift as well.