Japanese PlayStation 3 owners can experience the thrill of depositing credits to continue with today’s release of 100 Yen Gomibako, a special release of the PlayStation Network game known as Trash Panic in the West.

This version of Trash Panic will cost only 100 yen—about one U.S. dollar—to download. But those who purchase it will only have three credits available to play the game. Play it three times, deposit another 100 yen to play again. It’s a crazy scheme, as that pricing scheme sounds a hell of a lot like a pay-to-play demo.

But 100 Yen Gomibako isn’t just a handicapped version of the game formerly known as Gomibako. It features the option to play modes that would need to be unlocked in the regular version and contains a handful of PlayStation Home goodies that players can unlock.

Still, that sort of pricing scenario may feel like a waste of money with each successive credit. Unless you really need some new Home prizes, better to just grab the addictive full priced version.

We already previewed Gomibako back in October at TGS, so when we were given the chance to take another look — this time under the North American title Trash Panic — we nearly passed it up. It’s trash after all, right? Well, yes. “Gomibako” literally translates to “trash box,” and plenty of attendees at Sony’s Gamers’ Day event walked right by, assuming, “Oh. Tetris with trash. I get it.”

It’s easy to dismiss Trash Panic as a Tetris knockoff, but this puzzle game has a robust physics engine, whimsical graphics, and Katamari-like inspiration that’ll find your trash bin growing with each level — until it actually sits on top of Earth. As you play, the trash also grows in scale, and you’ll graduate from tossing away routine office trash to comets, meteors, space stations, and even aliens.

If this sort of gameplay counted as community service, then the world would be a much cleaner place.

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Trash Panic (aka Gomibako)

Joystiq hands-on: Trash Panic (aka Gomibako) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gomibako, the puzzle-game-in-a-trash-can that delighted the people who were actually able to find it at Tokyo Game Show, is coming to the U.S. under the title Trash Panic.

Sony will release the downloadable puzzle game later this spring on PlayStation 3. As we saw at TGS, it’s Tetris with trash — big, oddly-shaped pieces of garbage lower into a can, and you have to organize them properly without letting it overfill. Sometimes you get a piece of flaming garbage that you can use to burn anything that’s combustible. Sometimes there’s a piece of trash that’s not trash, and you have to place it in carefully so it can be recovered. The realistic physics make it a very different sort of falling-stuff puzzle experience.

Image courtesy Sony

Atari has unveiled the first in-game footage from the Wii version of its upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game, perfectly demonstrating the title’s decidedly cartoony aesthetics in action.

I was a bit concerned when the game’s less-than-realistic style was revealed, but having watched this footage I’m actually a bit impressed. It may not capture the style of the beloved Ghostbusters cartoon or the realism of a live-action film, but blending these stylized characters with the voices of Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and the rest of the cast works out pretty nicely.

Plus, that Ghostbusters theme music makes everything instantly better.

See Also:

• 5 New Screens From Ghostbusters Wii
• Video: Ghostbusters Rule 2 Trailer
• Sony Says Ghostbusters Games in June
• Retired Rick Moranis Won’t Do Ghostbusters Game

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and what better way to show your appreciation for our planet’s environment than staying in and buying a bunch of movies from the PlayStation Store?

The first 10,000 movie and television show purchases made from the PlayStation Store tomorrow will generate $1 a pop for Conservation International, a non-profit organization dedicated to keep the outside world as pretty as it looks from the safety of our couches. I suppose you could open a window and let a breeze roll through your living space to help you appreciate the donation you’ll be making towards the cause.

The PlayStation Store will also be featuring a special Save Our Earth collection, containing movies that feature our efforts to protect the Earth from those who would destroy it. Titles such as Cloverfield, Hancock, The Abyss and The Day After Tomorrow are included in the collection, reminding us that we need to do all we can to keep our superheroes sober in case of giant monster attacks on New York.

In honor of the holiday, Sony has also announced that Japanese trash stacking game Gomibako will be coming this spring to the PlayStation Network as Trash Panic, a game where you put rubbish in a bin.

So enjoy Earth Day the PlayStation way. I’ll be out in the woods smearing cake on trees if anyone needs me.

Team up with PSN on Earth Day [PlayStation.blog]