UGA demos Rez

At the United Game Artist stage show at the TGS, UGA's president, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, demonstrated Rez, the upcoming PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast title. Although due in November, the game was not playable on the show floor. It's a shooter featuring slick, surreal graphics and an innovative use of sound, and its style makes it more than just a typical shooter. Our 2810179last look at Rez was back at ECTS, where we managed to get some hands-on time with the game. Here at TGS, Mizuguchi provided commentary as one of his staff played the game for the assembled crowd.

While the game demo didn't show off much of anything new, the assembled crowd was given a better idea of what to expect from the upcoming title, thanks to a quick view of its main menu. There were six selectable options: Kiraku Ni Rez is a god mode that lets you sit back and watch the gameplay itself; "play" mode takes you into the actual game; score attack challenges you to get the highest score on a level in the game; the options menu helps you configure the game to your liking; and "how to play" is a tutorial of sorts. There was no word on what the "beyond" mode was for.

Following the demonstration, Mizuguchi unveiled the two deluxe kits that will be available along with the game's standard package. The first contained the game and a "trance vibrator" pack that connects to the PS2 via the USB port and rumbles according to what happens on the screen. However, die-hard fans will want to be on the lookout for the Absolute Set. In addition to the game, the limited edition set will include a T-shirt, headphones, wristband, Band-Aids, eyedrops, and the trance vibrator accessory. Rez is currently slated to ship this November in Japan.