E3: Vib Ribbon Europe impressions

[05.16.00] » At least one branch of Sony still gets it.

   The GIA met briefly with SCEE and got to take a look at the European Vib Ribbon. The game itself is almost completely unchanged from its Japanese counterpart. The biggest addition, of course, is English-language text. Not to mention Spanish-, French-, Italian-, and German-language text; Vibri has truly gone international. The player selects a language on startup. Menus are translated into the language of choice, and the infamous "tutorial" is subtitled. Vibri's voice remains the same Japanese synthesized warble throughout.

   The European release will be simultaneous across all territories, and SCEE is very excited about the title. The character of Vibri (like Nana On-Sha's Parappa and Lammy before him) is very personable--people love him! SCEE was unable to discuss specific marketing plans, but did let us know that we could expect the character of Vibri to be "popping up all over" the continent.

   SCEE was clearly thrilled to be publishing Vib Ribbon. We were worried that the title would be hidden away in some corner, but it was instead displayed on a six-foot projection screen and the highlight of SCEE's booth. The company is clearly dedicated to giving this title a massive push. The producer of the European version said that Vib Ribbon's unique vector-based art style and highly original gameplay was proof that "the future of gaming doesn't necessarily lie with graphics." Hopefully, U.S. gamers will get a chance to make that decision for themselves.