PS Move Japanese launch line-up
Sports Champions! Time Crisis! Resi 5! Etc!
Sony has announced the Japanese PlayStation Move launch line-up.
Move is released in Japan on 21st October (15th September in Europe) and will be escorted to market by six games and a patch for Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition.
According to the announcement on Sony's Japanese site (translated by Andriasang), the launch games are EyePet, Sports Champions, Beat Sketch (formerly Sing and Draw), High Velocity Bowling, Kung Fu Rider and Big 3 Gun Shooting (a compilation of Time Crisis: Razing Storm, Time Crisis 4 and Dead Storm Pirates).
A free patch for Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition will be released to existing owners in mid-September, presumably to coincide with US and European Move releases, so Japanese gamers will also be able to play that.
In November Sony Japan plans to release a Move version of echochrome, plus The Fight (called Nikudan in Japan) and Move Party, while TV Super Star follows in December and Ape Escape is due out at some point before the end of the year.
2011 Move titles already confirmed for Japan include Harry Po-- I mean Sorcery, Tower, The Shoot and Heroes on the Move, which features characters from the likes of Jak & Daxter and other Sony mainstays.
Killzone 3 will also launch with Move support, while Hustle Kings and Heavy Rain will receive support through patches, which so far lack release dates.
As in Europe, Sony Japan is flogging PlayStation Move in a variety of bundles and configurations, allowing consumers to pick up the wand itself, the Navigation Controller (don't call it a nunchuk!) and PlayStation Eye separately or together.
Launch bundles will include a Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition one that comes with Move and PS Eye, and a Big 3 Gun Shooting pack that includes the game, Move and the bit of plastic that makes it look like a gun (don't call it a Zapper!).
Sony is also doing a disc featuring demos of some of the launch titles, which will be provided free with Move itself, the Move Starter Pack, and both of the above bundles.
We've reached out to Sony to find out about European launch plans.
Want to know more about the games? Check out our extensive PlayStation Move hands-on, Digital Foundry's tech interview with Move guru Dr Richard Marks, and the Eurogamer TV Show on the subject below.