TGS 2007; Twin Peaks, sorry, Rainy Woods trailer

Whilst many people are comparing Rainy Woods to Resident Evil, Saw and other similar 'gore-fest' movies/games, I'm here to tell you where Rainy Woods really comes from.

It's clearly a complete rip-off of, sorry, I mean homage to Twin Peaks. There's a coffee loving FBI agent. There's some 'little people'. There's a room surrounded by red curtains. Have I said enough yet?

Despite the obvious David Lynch references, Rainy Woods looks like a reasonable survival horror game. The graphics don't seem as crisp, clear and visceral as Resident Evil 5 but if you like this sort of thing it should be a blast.

Of much more interest to me is the trailer for Imabikisou that I found on the Japanese PS Store. Billed as a 'sound novel', it reminds me of the Japanese classic 'small children with long hair over their faces' horrors like Ringu and Ju-On (Ring and Grudge to those not in the know). You can check out the video yourself at the Japanese PS Store or read this great preview at Eurogamer.

Check out the Rainy Woods trailer below...

US update puts UK in the shade again

Just take a look at the list of items that appeared on the US Store yesterday:

• Loco Roco Cocoreccho full game ($6.99)
• Skate demo (free)
• Stuntman: Ignition demo (free)
• Sega Rally Revolution demo (free)
• NBA 08 demo (free)
• Devil May Cry 4 summer 2007 trailer (free)
• GT5 Prologue Leipzig video (free)
• Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction video (free)
• Folklore trailer (free)
• Lair promo video (free)
• Lair "Going for the kill" video (free)
• Heavenly Sword demo (free)
• NBA 08 Free 6 tutorial (free)
• Loco Roco Cocoreccho trailer (free)
• Wallpapers (loads of them; DMC, Lair, LocoRoco etc.)

Now, I know SCEE are 'working on the problem'. They've said that they have acknowledged there's an issue and they are dealing with it.

But really.

Four demos. Trailers galore. More wallpapers than you can shake a stick at.

Are there really so many complex 'rights' issues over a picture that can be downloaded over the internet minutes after the Store is updated that they couldn't put all wallpapers on all stores at the same time?

The demos all work on every PS3 anyway, so why not release them in all English speaking countries at the same time? I understand there might be translation issues elsewhere, but I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that our Italian and German friends would be as happy playing with an English demo as they would a localised one. Yes, I understand in France there's the 'M. Toubon' law that makes it more difficult, but SCEE could still launch demos everywhere else.

Occasionally, someone might need to swap the MM/DD/YY date around when you get to the bit of the demo that says 'Coming 10/09/2007'. Or Sony could just tell all the developers to announce dates in their demos using long dates, and then everyone would understand.

And yes - Sony - we do care what is happening in Tokyo. You gave us great updates on the US store when E3 was around and then trickled them out elsewhere. You gave the Euro store great updates when Leipzig was in full swing and then made them available elsewhere. Why not just take E3, GC and TGS and release all the announcements, and the keynote speeches, on all Stores the day after the event? We all want to know what you're doing for the PS3, and the buzz that is created will help your word-of-mouth sales across the globe.

Is it really that difficult? What am I missing here (apart from all the content everyone else gets)...

European PS Store updates for 20th September

The Euro PS Store has been updated again and includes the following:

• MediEvil - PS1 game for the PSP and PS3 - £3.49
• Syphon Filter - PS1 game for the PSP and PS3 - £3.49
• LocoRoco Cocoreccho! - PS3 'interactive screensaver' and game - £1.99
• Jericho Trailer - Free

I'll be downloading LocoRoco in the next few minutes and will put up my views later. I was a huge fan of the original PSP title, so I'm keen to see what is hype and what is true about this particular title.

TGS 2007; White Knight Story reminds me of South Park

Seriously!

Watch the new gameplay footage of White Knight Story below, and then tell me if the first four minutes don't remind you of the famous World of Warcraft episode of South Park where Cartman and the gang decide to kill boars for two months to gain experience points!

You'll see what I mean.

TGS 2007; GT5 Prologue trailer looks as good as ever

A new trailer for GT5 Prologue has been released at the Tokyo Games Show, and frankly it looks just like all the other trailers for GT5 Prologue have been remixed into this one.

Not that this is a bad thing - GT5 Prologue is looking mighty good.

Good to see at the end of the trailer an official release date and price. GT5 Prologue hits Japan on the 13th December via Bluray and PS Store download, and will cost around 4,500 Yen (about £19.50).

Check out the trailer below, or visit the PS3 Attitude YouTube Channel for this and many other PS3 videos.

TGS 2007; Afrika finally rears it's head again

After a long period of 'no news', the beautiful Afrika is finally back with us.

One of the standout 'launch' teasers, Afrika had disappeared off the radar until now.

Now we're finally blessed with an official website for Afrika and a new trailer.

The new trailer doesn't offer much to explain the gameplay but it sure looks pretty...

My bet is going to be on 'running around taking pictures of the animals to tick off a list of photography goals'. Kind of like Fatal Frame but rated E for Everyone.

Anyhow, take a look for yourself if you have Windows Media Player installed.

TGS 2007; PSP Remote Play will turn your PS3 on, baby!

In the future, according to Kaz Hirai in his keynote speech, the PSP Remote Play feature will be able to turn the PS3 on and off.

This is an excellent new addition and really ought to be in the firmware before PlayTV comes out.

Why?

Imagine wanting to watch your favourite TV shows on holiday but you have to leave one member of the family behind to switch the PS3 on and set it in Remote Play for you!

Hirai also mentioned that in the future many PSPs will be able to connect to one PS3 and use it as a hub whilst other PS3s connect to that hub to watch the action.

The future looks good for the PSP and PS3 working together in a much more sensible and connected way.

TGS 2007; Home delayed until 2008

We pondered where the development of Playstation Home had got to the other day and suggested that it might hit in November.

Well, looks like that second round of bug fixes are going to take a little longer to work out of the system since Mr. Hirai has now said that Home will not appear until Spring 2008.

I'm not massively surprised that Home is going to be delayed. In fact I was expecting it. But a six-month delay is quite a lot more than I was expecting.

Especially given the news that the core download is smaller than before and that you can download new areas. I was expecting that to be Sony's way of getting something out before Christmas.

TGS 2007; Dual Shock 3 confirmed

As we reported yesterday after IGN's reporters got a 'bit of a shock' whilst playing Burnout Paradise, Kaz Hirai has confirmed the release of the Dual Shock 3.

Personally, I preferred the name 'SixShock', but there you go.

The new controller comes out in Japan in November but, as usual, we have to wait for it over here in the UK as it won't arrive until Spring 2008.

At least we now know it's coming, right? We should be happy about that... I suppose...

TGS 2007 begins; let's get ready to rumble!

The Tokyo Game Show is in full swing right now, and we're expecting a lot of wonderful PS3 news and announcement over the next few days.

So it was fun to hear that when playing the latest build of Burnout Paradise, IGN felt something vibrating in their hands (ooh err missus).

Whilst the controller they were using looked just like a standard SixAxis (although reportedly somewhat heavier), it had a sticker stating 'rumble' on it and seemed to be a prototype for the much reported SixShock/RumbleAxis/DualShock3/Whatever PS3 controller.

Does this mean we expect to get an official announcement regarding the new controller at TGS 07? You bet we do! We're waiting with baited breath, Mr. Hirai.

The skating wars heat up as Skate gets 5/5

Gamer.tv on the Bravo channel did a spot on the forthcoming EA title, Skate.

Whilst they admitted it takes a while to get used to the control mechanism, it seems that once you do get the hang of it the game feels much more like real skating than any of the Tony Hawk franchise.

They gave Skate 5 out of 5. Other sites have also given Skate great reviews, with scores ranging from 8.5 to 9.5 out of 10. With the Tony Hawk's Proving Ground demo playing well on the PS3, it seems we really have a bone fide competition on our hands.

TGS 07 nearly here; Top 10 most anticipated games

Gametrailers.com have created a montage of the Top 10 most anticipated games at the Tokyo Games Show this year.

Included in the Top 10 for the PS3 are:

Devil May Cry 4
Last Remnant
Soul Calibur IV
White Knight Story (PS3 Exclusive)
Final Fantasy XIII (PS3 Exclusive)
Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3 Exclusive)
Resident Evil 5

So, 70% of the Top 10 according to Gametrailers are on the PS3, and 30% of them are exclusives. Not bad, wouldn't you say?!

RIP Colin; you will be missed

I didn't know Colin McRae personally, but having been a race driver myself in the distant past and a huge motorsport fan for most of my life, I can say that we have lost one of the UK's great sportsmen and a hero to many.

Colin will be known to people of my age because of his many achievements in rally driving. To others he'll be known as the name behind one of the most enduring game franchises ever created.

And that was the great irony about Colin. Despite the massive success of the Colin McRae Rally series and the new generation of his fans it created, Colin himself didn't even know how to switch a computer on!

Not only a true genius behind the wheel, Colin was a real gent who went out of his way to help others constantly. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.