Sony's Sneak Peek

(CBS)  GameCore is CBSNews.com's video game column.

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Some reps from Sony Computer Entertainment America swung by GameCore's war room in the CBS Broadcast Center, also known as CBSNews.com. We ushered SCEA reps Alex and Ron through security and hunkered down in one dark and cavernous area of the CBSNews.com newsroom, where they showed us some really cool upcoming titles.

After William tried to talk to them about some kind of bizarre Neopets-Scientology connection, since there is a Neopets game headed to the PSP (William cited this Business Week article about NeoPets CEO Doug Dohring and the recent Viacom marketing agreement), they let us at the games.

Tourist Trophy

We recently had a chance to give this work-in-progress title a spin. Created by Polyphony Digital Inc., developers of Gran Turismo, Tourist Trophy brings world-class motorcycle racing to the PS2. With this title, gamers will be able to see realistic rider movement on your bike as you can change the riding-form your player uses. Tourist Trophy features a full line of licensed motorcycle manufacturers that include big names like BMW, and Honda. Just like Gran Turismo, gamers can take snapshots of your favorite bike in any location of an actual race by freeze-framing during replay mode. You can read about more information on the official Tourist Trophy website. The game's expected release date is April 4, 2006.

MLB '06: The Show

MLB '06: The Show has tons of new features including a King of the Diamond mini-game which is an awesome pitcher/batter duel in a timed, point-based challenge. The franchise mode is impressively detailed and is made to feel like you're running a real baseball organization. From what we saw, the level of detail is astounding. David Ortiz, "Big Papi" is announced as Cover Athlete for this title, which should be out for a Spring 2006 release exclusively for the PS2 and PSP. The game is expected to hit March 1, 2006.

Pursuit Force

Coming out for the PSP, you play as a member of a police unit called the Pursuit Force which fights its way to clear out criminal elements of the city. The controls are tight and the game has a good sense of speed. One really cool feature allows you to jump into any vehicle and use it against your enemies. Tons of weapons and autos are made available to assist you in keeping the criminals at bay. It looks nice, and the level we played was certainly fun, but we're not sure how the mission variation will affect the game in the long run. The game is expected to hit March 7, 2006.

Keep checking GameCore for news and updates.

By William Vitka