PS3 Fanboy

We love bizarre Japanese promotions, like this one between Sony Computer Entertainment and Tokyu Hotels. During the month of September, they'll have a special campaign which starts at 19,000 yen. Special Afrika-themed rooms will include a special projector screen displaying high-resolution images from the upcoming PS3 safari game. A special exotic meal will be prepared and delivered to your room as you enjoy the digitally rendered African environment from the PS3. At the very least, this beats having to stay in a boring non-Afrika themed room, right?

Okay, so it's not from Leipzig, but considering the other two trailers that were released tonight, we thought it wise to highlight this trailer for the PS3-exclusive Afrika. Unlike the Japanese commercial for the game, this trailer looks rather exciting -- the opposite of sleep-inducing if you ask us. The National Geographic branding certainly adds a bit more weight to the authenticity of this unique nature observation game. Hopefully, we'll see a localized release announced in the coming weeks.

Unless we're missing something because of the cultural gap, we don't think this is the best way to advertise the upcoming PS3-exclusive Afrika ...

The PS3 photography game, Afrika, will be unleashed upon the Japanese public soon. However, will it have a name change when it arrives in other territories? Perhaps. The PlayStation Asia site shows a rather different name for the game: Hakuna Matata, the phrase made popular by the Disney musical, The Lion King. (It really means "no worries.")

To be honest, Hakuna Matata is a pretty awesome title. Should this title make its way over to the States, which would you rather prefer?


[Via Siliconera; Thanks, gambit07!]

So while this new trailer for Afrika really does little to tell us anything about the game -- and is nothing more than a collage of static scenery -- it's still captivating to watch. You could almost completely bypass the lack of something (anything) happening in the video as Afrika's music proves yet again its marvelous quality. Watch the video not for the scenery alone, but listen to the great soundtrack that accompanies it.

The game is scheduled for an August 28 release in Japan.

Afrika is a safari sim hitting Japan in late August. While we haven't heard much about the game recently, we have heard sounds from the game -- the main theme to be exact. Coming from ScoringSessions, this video shows composer Wataru Hokoyama leading an orchestra on Afrika's title music. It sounds rather Indiana Jones-ish in lieu of what we'd expect to hear; like, uh, say something out of The Lion King.

Still, it's a good track, and, no, the video has no sights of Africa ... just sights of Hollywood where the music was recorded. If you want to check out more on Afrika, you can hit up the official Japanese site. A North American release has yet to be announced.

[Via MultiplayerBlog]

No, you're not dreaming. This is gameplay footage of Afrika -- and when we say "gameplay" we don't mean "in-engine animal animations." This trailer actually shows the protagonist and actual gameplay mechanics and everything. Sadly, our dreams of a secret mutation laboratory where animal DNA is combined to form hideous Saharan monsters were all for naught. This is Pokemon Snap for adults.

The Japanese release date has also been revealed as August 28th. There's no word on an American release yet, but SCEE has said that a European release won't be happening. Chances are this game might not make it out of Japan, which would be a shame. Check out the official website for more info.

Consider that not too long ago rumors of an August 28 release for Japan surfaced from the watering hole when Play-Asia listed the date on their retail calendar. If that date is anywhere accurate, then perhaps we're just waiting for an official word from Sony -- the official word that will soon replace that teaser page perhaps.

[Via TheSixthAxis]

No, we still don't really know a whole lot about Afrika. We know it looks gorgeous, and we'll be taking photos of wild animals rumbling across the African plain. But today, we know one more thing about the mysterious title – Wataru Hokoyama has been tasked with composing the game's music.

No, never heard of him? Neither have we, but that's probably because he's never created video game music before. However, the composer has already put together a 104-piece orchestra to begin the long road in creating beautiful music that we all hope can match the game's already stellar graphics.

The incredible power of PS3 can be used to bring some of Earth's most beautiful environments and creatures to your home. For example, the mysterious upcoming title Afrika looks to be quite the visual feast (HD trailer, after the cut). We don't know much about the game, or how it plays. However, we know the game will help us learn more about this unique environment. With it, we may be able to understand even more why so many people are working to try and save this ecosystem, and the animals in it.

We know almost nothing about the upcoming Aquavita as well -- but we do know this much: it's going to be an Eye-enabled title. With the camera, the PS3 can become a virtual aquarium. Once again, it looks stunning, almost real. But it's not meant to be a replacement for the real thing. Once again, this environment faces real threats on a daily basis, and it's up to activist organizations to help protect the various aquatic ecosystems.

As beautiful as both Afrika and Aquavita are shaping up to be, let's hope it serves as a reminder as to how precious our Earth is. A simple screening of Planet Earth on Blu-ray will turn anyone into an environmentalist. Yeah, the Earth looks great in 1080p -- but imagine how good it looks in real life. PS3 owners have tons of ways of appreciating the environment -- but will they take action to help protect it?

It's been awhile since we last heard anything about Sony's spelling-challenged safari romp, Afrika. When it was first unveiled, the consensus was, graphically, the title looked great, but no one really knew what the point of the game was.

This video will do nothing to better explain the game's gameplay, unless it involves taking voyeuristic photos of meercats and giraffes mating in their natural habitat or trying to run over endangered animals.

Who knows, though, we're sure there's a huge market for that kinda thing somewhere.

Welcome to the inaugural addition of Ask PS3 Fanboy, the feature where we do our very best to answer your pressing questions. Don't be shy! You can e-mail me anytime at colin.torretta@weblogsinc.com and we'll put your question in the running for our next Ask PS3 Fanboy segment. Sorry for the initial delay, but this will be a weekly special ever Sunday -- so ask away!

Q: Is there an effect solution for playing Guitar Hero on the PS3?
A: There is currently no device that offers a 100% support for Guitar Hero 1 and 2, though Pelican has recently released an adapter that provides maybe 70-80% compatability. According to reviews, the adapter works flawless on Guitar Hero but has some issues on its sequel. Unfortunately, you cannot do hammer-ons or pull-offs in Guitar Hero 2 while using the adapter -- making it more or less impossible to play the harder difficult levels of the game. You don't really need to do hammer-ons or pull-offs for the earlier levels so it's not a complete deal killer but definitely annoying. Also, while the Pelican adapter supports Dualshock controllers, it doesn't support rumble at all which is a bit of a bummer.

Q: Have you heard anything about Afrika recently?
A: Very little has been heard about Afrika since it was announced, though three months ago Phil Harrison did mention it briefly in an interview with British gaming site Pro-G. He didn't get into specifics, but did say that he's seen the game and that it's coming along nicely. Unfortunately, he was being very coy about the whole thing so there wasn't a lot to get out of the interview. As for release date, the last time Sony talked about the release date of Afrika, they were saying it will still be coming out in 2007. I think it would be a safe bet that we'll get another taste of Afrika come the mini-E3 next month -- but don't expect an avalanche of info. According to my completely unscientific guesstimates, I'd say TGS '07 will be the big unveiling with a 2008 launch.

More questions after the jump!

Motorstorm... Monster Kingdom (Unknown Realms)... Afrika? Check out these screen captures from Famitsu.com that got posted on PS3forums and nod your head in approval. Motorstorm is starting to shape up really nicely. Really nicely, even though some of the pictures seem kind of blurry (perhaps these eyes are growing old, but it's probably just a game effect). Monster Kingdom looks interesting, too. A very cool sense of fashion to be found on the characters, and what appears to be a colorful world. Very colorful! And Afrika... well, those screens aren't exactly new, but they're still good for a desktop background. Very scenic. There are also a few screens of Lair, but they don't appear to be new. Or they're starting to blend together... either way. Feel free to leave your reactions here and which of these interest you most, assuming you were given a lineup of just these three to take on a nice date with your couch.

Much like a dog when you say "radiooooooooo," many gamers tilted their head ever-so-slightly to the side, puzzled, during the unveiling of Afrika for the PS3. What exactly is the point? What experience is this game even offering?

Well, since then, we've heard just about no information on the game, until now. While not exactly a bombshell, we have found out that Daisaku Ikejiri, the producer behind the most recent Hot Shots titles, will have a large role in the development of the title.

So...yeah, does this change anything?