PSP Launch Titles: First Party Round Up Company: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Games like Ape Escape, Twisted Metal, ATV Offroad Fury and Wipeout will find their way to the Sony PSP at launch time. These Sony titles have always been big name brands for SCEA, and it looks like these latest versions won't be an exception. These first party launch titles are called: Twisted Metal: Head On, Ape Escape, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails and Wipeout: Pure. Each game will support the PSP's wireless multiplayer capabilities, allowing you to race against, or blow up, or challenge your friends in minigames, or vehicular battles. Family-friendly, Ape Escape for PSP will feature multiplayer functionality and a wide variety of mini-games for players of all ages. This imaginative game provides players the challenge of capturing more than 200 monkeys in eight vibrant worlds spanning across more than 20 levels in order to prevent them from changing history. When a trouble-making monkey named Specter gets hold of the Professor?s Peak Point Helmet, chaos ensues. The powerful device, which can increase a human's intelligence, has a disastrous effect on Specter, transforming him from a sweet, mischievous monkey to a power-hungry monster who has his heart set on ruling the world. The power of the helmet enabled Specter to break free from his cage while also allowing him to free hundreds of other monkeys at the zoo. Specter and the monkeys escape to a nearby laboratory where the Professor, who created the Peak Point Helmet, is working on his latest invention, a time machine. Taking control of the laboratory, Specter and the other monkeys use the time machine to escape into the past. The adventure begins when the player takes on the role of a brave young boy named Spike, a friend of the Professor. Spike's mission is to pursue Specter and the monkeys who have fled to the past in order to prevent them from changing history and taking over the world. Incog Inc. Entertainment, the pioneers of the car-combat genre, will introduce Twisted Metal: Head-On for the PSP handheld entertainment system. Complete with all the fast-paced vehicular combat and destruction that gamers have come to know and love, Twisted Metal: Head-On allows gamers to take destruction anywhere, anytime as they strap themselves into one of 14 lethal machines on wheels, equipped with machine guns, turbo boost and a special attack, unique to each vehicle. Once a vehicle is selected, gamers can take their road rage out on opponents in 12 unworldly arenas filled with numerous items of chaos including rockets, missiles and more. In addition, multiplayer gameplay is available for to eight players through Wireless multiplayer connectivity. Wipeout Pure, is the latest edition to the popular anti-gravity racing series for the PSP handheld entertainment system and provides intense, hovercraft racing action as players choose from five different speed classes and race relentlessly around 16 futuristic, anti-gravity racing tracks. During both single and multi-player gameplay, racing fans will be able to enjoy challenging, action-packed gameplay modes that include Single Race, Tournament, Time Trial, Free Play and Zone Mode (single-player only). Supporting up to eight players via a Wi-Fi link for multiplayer gameplay, gamers will be able to take on their friends and attempt to blast enemy ships to pieces in a fierce competition for top racing honors. Players who win a gold, silver or bronze trophy will earn fresh racing colors, new ships and four classic tracks from past installments in the Wipeout series. Fresh downloadable content that can be saved to a Memory Stick Duo, such as new tracks, ships, skins and music, will expand the racing experience and allow for personalization of the game. Intense, free-roaming, off-road racing takes on a whole new meaning as gamers will be able to blaze their own trail, anytime, anywhere with ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin? Trails for the PSP handheld entertainment system. Supporting multiple players via wireless multiplayer connectivity, riders will be able to choose from more than 24 highly detailed ATVs as they tear it up on more than 30 unique environments with six distinct terrain types including snow, dirt, mud, ice, water and grass. During both single and multi-player gameplay, gamers will be able to see from both first and third-person perspectives as they cruise through visually stunning backgrounds featuring water and mud effects along with fully interactive objects and instances such as ramps, tires, cones and trees. ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin? Trails for the PSP provides gamers several gameplay options including a training course, and competitions in several race modes such as race, freestyle, career or any of the various mini-games. Ape Escape is rated "E" for everyone, while Twisted Metal: Head On, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails and Wipeout: Pure are still marked as "RP" (Rating Pending). -J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer Related Links: Sony Computer Entertainment America