Kotaku: Crush

Week in Games: Mario Party 8 Edition

fdemarco — Sun, 27 May 2007 16:00:00 MDT

As I depart the Big Apple (where I've been reporting from all weekend) I leave you with this list of games coming out this week. Mario Party looks like it might be some fun with the addition of the Wii remote mechanic and I'd like to see how the 2d to 3d Crush is for the PSP. Other than that, I can satisfy myself with finishing up Silent Hill 2 which for some reason I decided to haul out of the mothballs. Anyone going to round out a holiday weekend by picking one or two of these up? Flynn De Marco

Mario Party 8 (WII) It's the video game that's a board game with mini-games.
Halo 2 (PC)
Now with less ass.
Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
The Xbox 360 gets it's dose of Forza racing.
Shadowrun (X360, PC)
Magic and guns, 360s and PCs join together for a new multiplayer experience
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (WII)
Nintendo brings Mortal Kombat to their console marking the beginning of the Wii bloodletting game parade.
Crush (PSP)
It's like Super Paper Mario on the PSP just without the paper or the Mario. The super remains to be seen.
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)
A little 2D old school PRG action. I really, really hope this has that silver ball that puts spikes in your brain.
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia (X360, PC)
Fight for control of the suburbs against monster hordes. No, not soccer moms, actual monsters.

Gallery: Crush at the Fair

Mike Fahey — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:20:55 MDT

Remember awhile back when I wouldn't shut up about SEGA's innovative PSP platformer Crush? The game is actually hitting stores next week, and when I saw this latest batch of screenshots I found myself pondering what had caused me to stop thinking about it. The answer? Super Paper Mario. I guess suddenly switching between 2D and 3D worlds didn't seem quite so groundbreaking once I witnessed Mario doing it. Way to kill a buzz Nintendo.

I'm still excited that the game is coming out mind you, especially after these shots of the fairground levels put to rest any fears I had about lack of level variety. It's just the little new game dance I do at the store might be just a tad less enthusiastic for it. Michael Fahey

Gallery: New Crush Screenies

Mike Fahey — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:20:46 MDT

Sometimes I wish they wouldn't show you movies or screens from a game until a good week or so before the release date. That way you'd only have a few days to be excited, and didn't find yourself slowly starting to grow bored with each bit of new media released. So far I've seen a ton of screenshots, a handful of videos, and read at least three press releases regarding Zoe Mode's innovative new 2D/3D platforming hybrid for the PSP, as well as hearing the developer talk about the game during GDC. Stop teasing me already!, you little minx! Michael Fahey

Kuju Brighton Becomes Zo Mode

Mike Fahey — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 13:24:43 MST

In a move as quirky and odd as their upcoming PSP title Crush, Kuju's Brighton Studio has been renamed Zo Mode and given a mascot in the form of a blonde girl with her tongue sticking out. Seriously. I have no clue here.

We've created Zo Mode; she is the personality that reflects our in-house philosophy of accessible, fun gaming for everyone."

So she's accessible to everyone and fun. I think I knew her back in high school. Big hit at parties, much like Kuju Brighton's previous games for the PS2, like the Eyetoy Play and SingStar titles. So I suppose it makes sense in a gonzo marketing sort of way. Hit the press release after the jump for more of an explanation of why the game studio is now a playful blonde chick. Michael Fahey

Zo Mode

From today Kuju's Brighton studio is reborn as Zo Mode.

Zo Mode's Studio Head Ed Daly elaborates, "This studio has had great success over the last three years focusing on fresh gaming experiences for new audiences. We've shipped several very successful, high quality titles and grown to 100 staff and now the time is right to rename the studio. We've created Zo Mode; she is the personality that reflects our in-house philosophy of accessible, fun gaming for everyone."

Since setting up in 2003 the teams from Zo Mode have worked on EyeToy : Play 3, EyeToy : Play Sports, SingStar : Rocks, SingStar :Anthems & SingStar : Legends, all in collaboration with Sony London Studio.

Ed Daly continues, "Zo allows us to have some fun with the image of the studio but of course what matters most is the games we make. We have built up a great team, a really diverse crowd for a game developer, and an internal culture that reflects the fun and creative values that come through in our games. By taking control of the public face of the studio we will be able to reinforce this unique identity and specialist expertise further."

Zo Mode remains a part of Kuju Studios which continues to provide corporate support, and opportunities to share technology and collaborate with the other Kuju studios.

Although very different to the party games developed with Sony, the first title to be released under the new name will be CRUSH , recently announced by SEGA Europe Ltd, another fresh and original title from the studio now known as Zo Mode. www.zoemode.com

Clip: New Crush Trailer

Mike Fahey — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 08:20:05 MST

Sega has released a new trailer for their unique upcoming PSP game, Crush, showing that not only does the world crushing mechanism work from side to side, but also up and down.

They've also released a bit more of the back story of the game, which features a troubled insomniac named Danny, who goes to a rather extreme length to try get himself cured. Turns out there is a mad scientist involved, which as we all know is never good. Read about the good Dr. Ruebens, after the jump. Michael Fahey

Crush

Title: Crush
Developer: Kuju Brighton
Format: PSP
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Summer 2007

Unique to its genre, Crush flips traditional gameplay on its head and creates a valuable new gaming experience that is wholly suited to the PSP. Set within a complex, hypnotic 3D world, players can Crush it to form simple 2D platforms, unlock secrets and then back again, to solve otherwise impossible challenges.

Crush story and characters
Danny, the main character and hero of Crush, has been hospitalised for insomnia. A troubled hero and a nervous wreck, Danny's subconscious swims in unresolved issues. Sleeping is all he can think about, but thinking does nothing to actually help him drift away. It is his restless troubles that lead him to seek out help and ultimately to Dr. Reubens.

Dr Reubens, considered by some as a maverick psychologist, but by others as simply a raving mad scientist. Pioneering a new field in medicine, he is convinced his miracle machine will get to the bottom of Danny's troubles and in turn win him the academic acclaim he's due. The problem is Dr. Reubens solutions aren't strictly above board, but his patients don't need to know that do they...?

C.R.U.S.H. Dr Reubens' pride and joy, C.R.U.S.H. is the very latest in psychotherapy. The name stands for Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics and according to Dr Reubens, the processing power is matched only by its beauty. What makes C.R.U.S.H. unique is the ability to re-frame a patient's problems. While under hypnosis, C.R.U.S.H. will allow Danny to move between 3D and 2D as he navigates his neuroses and comes to terms with the secrets of his past.

Crush is set for release on PSP and is currently scheduled for release in Summer 2007.

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SEGA Reveals PSP Crush

Mike Fahey — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:40:40 MST

It takes a lot for a new game to grab me these days, having been swimming around the gaming community since I was a wee babe. A game has to be truly unique and innovative to keep me from automatically filing it away under a genre heading for future reference. Portal. Katamari Damacy. Parappa the Rapper. All excellent examples. Well you can add SEGA's newly announced PSP title Crush to the list. Crush is a hybrid 2D/3D puzzler with a truly innovative gameplay mechanic. "Set within a complex, hypnotic 3D world, players will use the game's unique crush mechanic to "crush" the environment and transform it into a more simplified 2D platformer."

The story revolves around Dan, a nervous insomniac who turns to hypnosis to help sort through the wreckage of his past and save his sanity. Some of us only wish therapy were this exciting. Due out this Summer, Crush looks to be a game worth keeping an eye on. More details after the jump. Michael Fahey

SEGA Announces 'Crush', A Mind-Bending New Puzzle Game Exclusively For The PSP System

Think Swiftly, Think Unconventionally, Think Crush.

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (January 23, 2007) - SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe, Ltd. today announced that Crush , an inventive new puzzle game for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, is currently in development and scheduled for release in Summer 2007. Developed by U.K. based Kuju Brighton, Crush is an exciting new concept which challenges how players traditionally approach games with its intriguing new style of thought-provoking gameplay.

Unique to its genre, Crush introduces a valuable new gaming experience that is wholly suited to the PSP system. Set within a complex, hypnotic 3D world, players will use the game's unique crush mechanic to "crush" the environment and transform it into a more simplified 2D platformer. Once flattened, players will utilize the 2D space to move to new areas to solve otherwise impossible challenges, and unlock secret items that were previously unobtainable in the 3D environment. Players will then "uncrush" the 2D environment and return to the 3D world.

"Crush introduces a fascinating new gameplay perspective on the PSP that encourages players to stretch their imagination in a whole new way," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "The spatial concept of the crushing mechanic is something truly unique that encourages users to think back and forth between 3D and 2D objects and environments to engage different parts of their brain, and see beyond what is literally in front them."

Designed for a wide and varied audience, Crush tells the story of Dan, a man with a lifetime of unresolved issues and bottled up emotions that has turned him into a nervous insomniac who is too tired to turn his life around. Desperate for a cure, he turns to hypnosis. It is during this state that he is given one last chance to sort through the wreckage of his past, before he loses the last thing he has - his sanity.

Crush is scheduled for release in Summer 2007. For assets, screenshots, and a video of the crush mechanic, please visit http://segapr.segaamerica.com. For more information, please visit www.sega.com/crush.

About SEGA of America, Inc.
SEGA of America, Inc. is the American Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The SEGA of America Web Site is located at www.SEGA.com.

About SEGA Europe Ltd.
SEGA Europe Ltd. is the European Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The SEGA Europe Ltd. Web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.