Liberation? Retribution? There's definitely something up with the jump to handheld third person ... Dive deeper into the mystery in the gallery below, and then check out Super Stardust (um, not in HD), and a pair of colorful sequels posted after the break.

The latest issue of Famitsu (via PSPHype) reveals a sequel to Patapon is in the works and coming to Japanese PSPs this Winter (no US or Europe release mentioned). The game is being developed by Pyramid Studios, who made the previous game and LocoRoco. The magazine also has a two-page spread of LocoRoco 2, although gives no release date for any region. No matter how many times you shout pata-pata-pata-pon, the game won't get here any faster.

[Via PSP Fanboy; Image via Penny Arcade]

In an interview with MCV, Sony Europe UK's product manager, Claire Backhouse, said the company is planning to release LocoRoco 2 for PSP "this year." A LocoRoco follow-up has been rolling under the radar since late last July when series' director Tsutomu Kouno confirmed plans for a true sequel. We're currently trying to clarify with Sony if "this year" means this calendar year or Sony's fiscal year (ending March 2009).

Update: Sony informs us it has not distributed any news regarding LocoRoco 2 so it can't "confirm," or in this case clarify, anything. "Stay tuned for more details."

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Though we haven't had a look at the final packaging just yet, Sony has given us an excellent idea as to what Patapon's back-of-the-box bullet points might say:

• Intriguing and utterly unique blend of strategy and rhythm gameplay!
• From the creators of the critically acclaimed LocoRoco!
• Bizarre, yet entirely endearing art style!
• Costs a mere $19.99!
• "Excellent" -- Joystiq, 21 Jan. 2008

Sony hopes that the lower price point will push Patapon to a broader audience, one perhaps unswayed by the unusual gameplay and our glowing, out-of-context recommendation. It's a wise move that also favors those of us already keen on rhythmically conquering the lands of Patapon.

With all eyes turned to Tokyo this week, Sony has thrown North American PlayStation 3 gamers a bone in the form of the charming, but perhaps overly complicated "screensaver" game LocoRoco Cocoreccho, as well as a handful of new game demos including Sega Rally Revo, the first title in development from Sega Driving Studio.

Those wanting to pick up the successor to Sony Japan's delightful PSP original LocoRoco can do so for $6.99, a bit of a leap from the game's previously confirmed £1.99 price in the UK. In addition to the already mentioned rally racer, PSN users can also snag demos for EA's Tony Hawk competitor Skate, as well as THQ's Stuntman: Ignition and Sony's own forthcoming NBA 08.

And as if that isn't enough, it also looks like Sony has tossed up some wallpapers, videos, and trailers from such eagerly anticipated eye candy as GT5 Prologue, Devil May Cry 4, and Ratchet and Clank Future, making this a meaty update indeed.

Little LocoRocos, you're so happy, you make us happy, too. We love watching you bounce and squish. Oh, to tickle a LocoRoco would make us burst with joy. We'd explode with rainbows, of course. (That's a mildly NSFW link, all you weekend laborers.)

Sony's PS3 LocoRoco Cocoreccho! "interactive screensaver" um, thing will launch next week in many parts of the world. But the Sixaxis might not let us pet the little creatures. Cocoreccho! isn't quite a game, and we're still not quite sure what it is. But this newest trailer at least annotates some of things players can do, while the earlier video left us guessing.

Watch the cuteness after the break, or imagine it on a crisp HDTV with the direct HD feed.

PlayStation 3's pseudo-screensaver casual title Loco Roco Cocoreccho will plop down onto Europe's PS Store next Thursday, September 21 -- which, not coincidentally, is the first day of the Tokyo Game Show. It will cost £1.99 (EUR 2.92, US $4.00).

Cocoreccho is also slated for release September 21 in Japan. No word on the North American release, but our understanding of the squeeze theorem coupled with traditional territorial game release schedules (Japan 1st, North America 2nd, Europe 3rd) tell us that the game will likely hit stateside next Thursday, as well. We'll let you know when we confirm that.

In the title, the player will utilize the Sixaxis' motion controls for interactive with the game world. Can we get a reviewer's guide for this title, too?

Rumor has it LocoRoco Cocoreccho is not a game, but a downloadable PS3 screensaver. Now Sony says it true, according to IGN. But the pseudo-sequel isn't characterized by passive voyeurism, rather it's a fully-interactive, uh, 'game' -- complete with objectives and an online leaderboard. Contrary to previous observation, SixAxis tilts will be used to manipulate the gameworld and guide up to 200 on-screen blobs, and Cocoreccho, the butterfly, is actually an automated guide (not the player's character). The real mystery now is what makes LocoRoco a screensaver. Will it launch automatically when the PS3 is idle; when a game or movie is paused? Could this be the start of a new initiative to knit PSN games into a seamless PS3 experience in which taking a "casual" break doesn't mean quitting to the XMB? We certainly hope so.

LocoRoco will be available on Japan's PSN September 21st. North American and European release dates have yet to be assigned.

Update: MTV's Stephen Totilo has gotten his hands on LocoRoco, and, while he's equally puzzled about the screensaver functionality (and even unsure it's true -- his demo launched from the XMB), he is able to clarify the core gameplay controls: Players do control the fluttering Cocoreccho and use the left analog stick to guide the butterfly -- titling the gameworld with SixAxis motions was not possible during Totilo's playtest. However, shaking the SixAxis when hovering above a key object does trigger certain gameworld alterations.

According to Totilo, LocoRoco is almost "an old-school point-and-click adventure game. We used the butterfly as a mouse pointer and utilized shakes of the Sixaxis controller in place of probing mouse clicks."

LocoRoco on the PS3 might not be what fans are expecting, but at least now there's a confirmed date for the Japanese PSN. Oiedeyo LocoRoco!! Boo Boo Cocoreccho! will be available in Japan on Sept. 21, there is no announced price yet. The game will apparently be very different from the beloved PSP version as players take control of a butterfly and lead LocoRocos to the goal.

Yeah, the video above gives a little better idea of what's going on. We're absolutely befuddled why the motion control Sixaxis wouldn't be used for a classic LocoRoco experience of tilting the screen, but we'll reserve our rage until after we actually get to try it. The part where we get stuck on is that using the Sixaxis to tilt the world would have made absolute sense, instead they change the gameplay to using a pointer style mechanism that would be perfectly suited for the Wiimote? It's horrrible that this game sounds like it was designed for the wrong system -- but we'll take LocoRoco on any system because it is gamer Prozac.

As big fans of Loco Roco we couldn't leave the Develop Conference in Brighton last week without having a natter with Tsutomu Kouno. Thankfully, we got the opportunity to sit down and, via his translator, Masaaki Doi, ask him about what he plans to do after Loco Roco PS3 is released. The full interview can be found after the break.

How do you feel about the reception that Loco Roco received in Europe and America, considering it's such a Japanese style game?

Originally my target was not only the Japanese market, but the entire world. So I really appreciate that people in other territories have accepted and enjoy my design.

Last December, Sony's Phil Harrison said they'd "bring LocoRoco back in a couple of new ways with some new friends in the future." Then, at the PlayStation Premier event in Tokyo this month, they showed off Buu Buu Cocoreccho! by LocoRoco, a sequel that is "LocoRoco, but it's not ... a peculiar extra chapter." So that takes care of PS3, and we have our suspicions about a mobile version, but what about the most obvious platform of all, the PSP? We had a chance to speak with Loco Roco's director Tsutomu Kouno at the Develop conference and, when asked if there will be a Loco Roco 2 for the PSP, he responded, "Yes, there will. I'm thinking about a sequel for the PSP right now. I got a lot of feedback from players that they bought a PSP just to play Loco Roco so I feel like I have to make a sequel for them.

Though we don't have any fancy video footage of the PSP-bound sequel, there is some footage of the PS3 release from Develop, tucked away after the break. And check back later in the week for our full interview with Kouno-san.

PSP cult favorite LocoRoco is coming to the PS3, but it might not be in the form you expect. At Sony's Japanese PlayStation Premiere event, the company announced the tentatively titled Buu Buu Cocoreccho! by LocoRoco, a sequel that is "LocoRoco, but it's not ... a peculiar extra chapter."

The announcement, as translated by IGN, goes on to cryptically state that "even if you don't play it [as in control the game], the world and the LocoRoco will play [as in both playing amongst themselves and as in playing back like a video] on their own." So is it a game? A glorified screen saver? A virtual LocoRoco ant farm? Who can say?

Whatever form it takes, the "game" will use Sixaxis motion controls and should be available as a PlayStation Network download soon.

PSP developers need to get more creative, said SCEE game director Tony Buckley. Speaking to CVG, Buckley said that it's up to the developers "to create something that attracts people to PSP."

"I think that rather than focusing on the gameplay side of it, we should be focusing on how to fully utilize what I think is quite a sophisticated piece of kit," he said. According to CVG, Buckley later cited MP3 playback, wireless and online functionality as ways developers could capitalize on the PSP's potential

Maybe it's a problem of perception. Games like Crush and Loco Roco show great creativity from a design perspective. The once-exclusive Lumines (now also a PS2 and Xbox Live Arcade title) was designed byTetsuya Mizuguchi with the portable specifically in mind. But we think Buckley is implying that the PSP lacks that killer app that could only be made on the PSP.

So maybe it's the developer's perception -- take Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki, for example. He said that the design philosophy behind the PSP is the same as that of a home console, so how could he make a game unique to the portable? Then again, maybe the perception problems lie within Sony itself, who needs to either create a first-party game to show exactly what the executives have in mind when they say "killer piece of software," or to promote the creative games they have now.

The price of a PSP in Europe is set to be violently assaulted with a sharp object next month, when Sony plans to slash at it wildly in the hopes of trimming a few pounds. And Euros, obviously, but as with the US price drop earlier this month, that particular currency simply doesn't suit the rapid weight loss imagery we're going for.

A report on GamesIndustry.Biz indicates that the retail price of the PlayStation puny will drop by £20 in the UK to £129.99 on 4 May. The rest of the continent will pay €169.99 following a drop of €30. The change in price will be accompanied by a cheaper £14.99 tag for Platinum titles, with Ridge Racer 2, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Killzone: Liberation, LocoRoco and Moto GP all being included in the range and fighting against the argument that the system doesn't have any games.

A GDC seminar given by Tsutomu Kouno, director or LocoRoco, explored his process and goals in creating that PSP game. Like Miyamoto said earlier that day, Kouno wanted to make people smile. Speaking in Japanese, with us listening to a group of translators over a set of headphones, Kouno began with a personal history.

He described growing up making toys, saying he would show them to people to make them laugh. He felt that LocoRoco came from that history. He said, "I wanted to make a game that was easy to play, so that women and children, and people who have never played games before would be interested in playing it. ... I wanted to use AI to make people laugh. That's why I included actions like the LocoRoco stacking up."

See our gallery of LocoRoco design slides from the seminar.