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SingStar Rooms, Dizzee Rascal Event, Far Cry 2 Updates and Katamari Forever in Home

Locust_Star — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:00:42 +0000

Aspiring rock stars can breathe a sigh of relief – SingStar is finally coming to PlayStation Home this Thursday, September 24. And to top it off, we’re kicking off the launch with an extra special event.

Those of you who visit the new SingStar space this Thursday will find that the critically-acclaimed UK rapper Dizzee Rascal has taken over the VIP lounge. To celebrate the release of his new album Tongue n’ Cheek (and his new SongPack available now at the SingStore), we’re decorating this super elite space with all things Dizzee Rascal, airing some exclusive Dizzee videos, and dropping a bunch of Dizzee-themed virtual items on you (including a few limited edition rewards for all attendees). See the below video if you want to learn more about the content and features in the new SingStar space.

Far Cry 2 fans will be excited to learn that the FC2 game space is being updated with a new mini-game entitled “Reuben’s Report”. This whodunit game will appeal to all of you sleuthy and snoopy types that love to hunt down arms dealers, thwart assassination attempts, and prevent all types of sabotage via explosive devices. Y’know, stuff you do on quiet Sunday afternoons to help pass the time…

Last but certainly not least, we’ll be releasing a handful of new items for your avatar, including Scuba Guy and Space Girl costumes, some Katamari Forever-themed virtual goods, and more.

See you in Home!

Qore Episode 15 – Featuring MAG, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Tekken 6 and Katamari Forever

Kevin Furuichi — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:14:50 +0000

One of the most highly anticipated PS3 titles shown at this year’s E3 was Zipper Interactive’s MAG. Since you’ve been asking us so much about it, we decided to send Veronica Belmont to Seattle to get the 411 on this ambitious shooter. After seeing the game in action, we’re certain you’ll be just as impressed with its scope as we are. But the US isn’t the only place to find great games, of course—Veronica and Audrey Cleo visited Japan this month to see what other games are coming our way.

Unprecedented Action
If anyone can pull off a 256-player online shooter, it’s got to be the developer behind the PlayStation’s SOCOM franchise. Learn more about this upcoming PS3 exclusive and see how good Veronica is at taking orders…

Ninja Hijinx
Tecmo’s Team Ninja has added three new playable female characters, new bosses and an online co-op mode to make the latest game a new experience for PS3 owners. Veronica talks to the game’s director about what it took to make the definitive Ninja Gaiden title.

Tekken it to the Next Level
Namco’s storied fighting franchise returns to the current generation of consoles with a new online co-op “scenario campaign” mode. Audrey Cleo visits Namco Bandai’s headquarters to see the greatest roster of characters in the series to date.

Having a Ball
The Katamari franchise keeps rolling along—this time featuring HD visuals, a remixed soundtrack and a few gameplay twists to keep things fresh. Veronica finds out how the unique sounds were created and re-discovers the joy of collecting things.

All subscribers and purchasers will receive an exclusive Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 PS3 theme this month, and we’ve also got a new Rune Raider level pack in the Qore Arcade.

Our thanks to all of our original subscribers from June 2008 who renewed their subscriptions last month. If your subscription ran out with the July 2009 episode, please check your e-mail or visit the PlayStation Store upon the release of Episode 15 for a special renewal offer. When you see what we’ve got for you in the near future, you may be sorry if you let your subscription lapse!

New Katamari Forever Trailer!

Kazuhito Udetsu — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:01:11 +0000

Hi Everyone! It’s me again, Kazuhito Udetsu! It’s very hot and humid in Japan, but apart from that, I’m doing well. This time around I’d like to introduce the latest trailer for Katamari Forever. Please enjoy the antics of the monkey and rooster!

Oh! If you’re planning on going to San Diego Comic-Con this week, stop by the Namco Bandai Games booth and play Katamari Forever!

Katamari Forever – The Music

Kazuhito Udetsu — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:01:41 +0000

Hello everyone, I’m Kazuhito Udetsu, the producer of Katamari Forever for PS3 at Namco Bandai Games. For those asking, “who?” let me introduce myself a bit further. I joined Namco in 1996 as a game designer. I worked in various departments including marketing and promotions where I worked on the original Katamari Damacy. I’m here today to give you a peek into the music of Katamari Forever. As always, Yuu Miyake was in charge of sound direction and he did a wonderful job. What’s so great about his work is that it’s always beyond my expectations. However, because he was also simultaneously working on Noby Noby Boy, I was a bit worried he would tire himself out with his crazy schedule! Anyway, he managed to survive and both games turned out to be in the so-called “what hath God wrought” caliber.

Since his job has finished, and he has so much free time now, I thought I would let him take over for the rest of this post. Enjoy reading his profound comments.

Hi everyone! Having a good time? I’m Yuu Miyake, the sound director for Katamari Forever.

Katamari Forever’s soundtrack consists of remixes of past Katamari songs. Let me briefly talk about why this is. Since the first game, Katamari Damacy, was originally only released in Japan, we wanted Japanese singers who were well-known in Japan but nobody had heard from in awhile for whatever reason. For the second game we wanted to do the same thing but with foreign artists. However, this didn’t happen because of our lack of foreign friends and ability to negotiate. For this game we thought it would be a good idea to have those tunes remixed or arranged by Japanese and non-Japanese artists as sort of a musical trilogy (Oh, did you notice that Katamari Forever is the third title for a PlayStation console? Not that it really means anything though.).

The most important thing about the remixed music is that it’s clearly meant to be for a Katamari game. That includes Katamari-themed lyrics and an overall Katamari feeling. We selected fan favorite tunes and ones that we have special feelings for, and started to narrow down the most attractive singers for each remix. All the artists I asked to remix the songs for in Katamari Forever were ones I listen to, know and respect. I wish we could have artists from all over the world take part in the game but I only have Japanese friends, so most artists are Japanese. Professional musicians and sound experts in the US, please be my friends!

What I think is important in this consuming society is not to stick to one genre. I maintain this philosophy throughout the entire Katamari series. Since Japan has a long history of games I included chiptunes like YMCK. I also added “organic” tunes like SOFT’s remix of “You Are Smart.”

As a result of the tune selection, Katamari Forever has two streams of music, “electric” and “organic.” I guess if I had one more thing to say it would be…maybe…Check out Noby Noby Boy, too!