Cologne, Germany: Kids and Media, along with the rest of the gaming industry, were given an opportunity to see the latest news in the gaming world.

by Marius Oseth

Gamescom is a European trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. It is the European equivalent of E3 in Los Angeles, and is one of the world’s largest games events. The trade fair was held in Cologne, Germany for the second year running, and more than 210, 000 visitors came to see the latest news in the gaming world!

This year’s fair didn’t provide many groundbreaking announcements, which was expected. However, during Sony’s press briefing “Ratchet & Clank: All 4 one”, the forthcoming installment in the widely popular gaming series, was on display for the first time. In this action filled platform game, up to four players can play together. The game has not been given an official release date, but it is not likely to hit the shelves until late 2011.

Sony shines at Gamescom
Sony announced the release date of the long awaited “Gran Turismo 5”, which, according to the developers, will set a new standard for realistic racing games. This game has been delayed several times, but has now been given a solid release date; November the 2nd.

One of the games visitors got to try their hands at during the Sony press briefing was “SingStar Dance”. This game, made for PlayStation 3, is a further development of the extremely popular karaoke game. In addition to singing, players of this version also have the opportunity to dance. “SingStar Dance” will use PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye to record how the players dance, and give scores according to how well they manage to follow the instructions on the screen. Up to four players can dance simultaneously, and the game is expected to become a great hit.

- With Singstar Dance, Sony takes the Singstar series a natural step further. The dancing is a welcome addition to the traditional karaoke game. It is a lot of fun to test your dancing skills against friends and family, even if you don’t have the best dance moves, says Kids and Media’s representative in Cologne.

PlayStation in motion
PlayStation Move, Sony’s new motion-sensing game controller platform for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) video game console, launches in the U.S. on the 19th of September. The new system uses the familiar EyeToy camera in interaction with a handheld motion controller wand, in order to detect how the user moves. These motions are in turn interpreted into actions in the game.

The new handheld motion controller was given a lot of attention during the press briefing, and a number of games using the new technology were displayed. PlayStation Move will support some already released titles, such as; “EyePet”. As well as this, several new games will be launched for PlayStation Move this autumn, such as “Start the Party”, “Echocrome II” and “Sorcery”.

Portable fun
Prior to the fair, there was some speculation as to whether Sony would demonstrate a new version of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) console. Many had predicted that Sony would enter the mobile market, with a sort of PSP phone. Sadly, there was no such announcement, so the gaming world will have to wait and see.

However, a few new games were displayed. “Patapon 3” is the third instalment in the critically acclaimed Patapon series. The release date is not yet set, but be on the look out for this child friendly rhythmic game.

Photo:
A visitor trying the new PlayStation Move handheld motion controller. Photo: Kölnmesse