GDC 2005: US UMD Demo

Good thing that Hitch trailer is gone, we're ready for some new stuff.

by Nix

March 9, 2005 - Sony surprised a few with the Japanese launch by including a video demo disc of some of the Game, Movie and Music content capabilities. Although it wasn't a playable game disc, it did show off the system's dazzling UMD video capabilities and also gave hints of the gameplay for a few up-and-coming titles. Sony is including a similar UMD video demo disc, and what looked to be the final version of it (although a few typos on the main menu may mean this isn't the fully finished thing) was on display at the Games Developer Conference.

The content of the video demo has changed entirely for the US edition -- naturally, since many of the movie trailers on it are now old, some games are only for Japan, and the J-Pop selection was just bizarre (although a little J-Pop would have been fun.) Much like the Japanese demo, the different video samples played in the appropriate menu on the PSP -- games booted up like games even though they weren't playable, movies and music were hosted in their respective areas, and the song collections included the videos to go along with the songs.

The Americanized version includes demos of the following titles:

Game

Wipeout Pure

Ape Escape: On The Loose

World Tour Soccer

NBA

Twisted Metal: Head-On

Gretzky NHL

Hot Shots Golf Fore (*Yes, Fore ... it is unsure whether this was a typo or a changed name)

ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails

Lumines

Untold Legends: Brotherhood Of The Blade

Ridge Racers (*Again, their spelling -- Namco has changed the US edition to just Ridge Racer)

Video

Stealth

XXX: State Of The Union

The Longest Yard

Lords of Dogtown

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalo

Kung Fu Hustle

Are We There Yet?

Music

Coheed & Cambria :: "Blood Red Summer"

Cross Fade :: "Old"

Kasabian :: "Club Foot" (* And you will love it...)

Omarion :: "O"

Petey Pablo :: "Vibrate"

Silvertide :: "Ain't Comin' Home"

Three Days Grace :: "Home"

The Zutons :: "Pressure Point"

 

The UMD sampler video (professionally-shot and specially encoded to show off the absolute maximum quality of the PSP screen) was also available, and ran the same clips as the Japanese edition. Look for this UMD sampler inside the box of your PSP when the system ships on March 24th.