Game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi comes into view again for the day, along with some interesting thoughts he's got for Lumines, Rez, and Space Channel 5. During a recent interview with GameInformer's Billy Berghammer, he (Tetsuya) was quizzed about the possibility of making Lumines III.

Tetsuya explained that for the game, they (Q Entertainment) would have to come up with a fresh game design, and that the its sounds and visuals would have to be "gorgeous."

Tetsuya didn't give any specifics regarding what platform Lumines III would most probably land on, although he hinted that if it were to hit the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, they would have to upgrade the game's effects and sound. He did point out that handhelds like the PSP and DS provided for portability.

Moving on, Tetsuya was also quizzed about the possibility of remakes for Rez, and Space Channel 5. While Tetsuya states that he's only started thinking about a Rez sequel, he did say he was interested in making a new Space Channel 5 game, for the motion-sensitive Wii console to boot. Here reads his answer when asked about Ulala making a comeback by 2008:

Maybe I should send her [Ulala] an e-mail—"Please answer sometime!" It would be really good timing to make a Space Channel 5 sequel, in general. I think the Wii would be a really good fit, with the special controls. The audience is wider, too. I think casual players would like it, too.

Space Channel 5's dance rhythm action with the Wiimote? Heck, why not? And while this interview doesn't appear to confirm if any of these possibilities are in the works, it appears that Tetsuya is very open to recreating his older classics. We'll get back to you guys if we can get some confirmations.

There's an international gaming expo currently being held in Perth, Australia: the GO3 Electronic Entertainment Expo. It's basically a gathering of video gaming enthusiasts to share their views on the industry and to partake on the latest buzz about the gaming community. Conference topics include problems facing the gaming industry, the future direction of the industry, latest technologies, licensing, publishing, game development and mobile gaming.

So far we've been able to hear word from the talk of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, creator of funky puzzle video game Lumines. Entitled "Inspiration led Creativity", Mizuguchi's speech centered on how certain moments of his life inspired creativity in him.

Mizuguchi talks of playing Pong as a kid, and listening to Beatles music on the background. According to him, "Pong was good - but with the music, it was awesome." We agree: certain sorts of music do get our groove on playing and winning games, right?

Apart from playing Pong and listening to certain Liverpool bands, Tetsuya talks of his childhood playing Sega, Hang-on, Stomp, Space Channel 5. All in all, he expresses his feelings of being inspired to creativity by music, and the creativity of others - of course, he worded his sentiments better than we could.

Now of this talk of "sponge" - well, Tetsuya says that "sponge" is his final inspiration; it's where the future lies. If he meant being sensitive to the innate creativity and poetry of ordinary everyday things around us, just like how a sponge is so absorbing, then we cheer him on.

Q Entertainment's Lumines II was finally released in Japan last Thursday. Not a big deal if you don't dig music, but a big deal for fans of the very popular Lumines franchise.

The Japanese version is missing some of the licensed titles included in the U.S. version. The songs that didn't make it include New Order's "Lose Control" and Beck's "Black Tambourine." Music from Mondo Grosso and BoA are also missing.

Is this a case of classic licensing issues? We don't know for certain, but that is likely the case. Some have also pointed out that the song "Everything is Love" that was present during the E3 build is nowhere to be found.

In other words, Japanese consumers waited an additional four more months just to have a version of Lumines II that is missing some tracks. We assume Namco Bandai, the game's publisher in Japan, has something else up its sleeves to make up for the loss - we'll update you when we know more.

When Lumines came out for the PSP, it was one of the best games out there. It was created by Q Entertainment, which Mr. Tetsuya Mizuguchi founded. Fast-forward to the present, Lumines II was released last Thursday in Japan. For Q Studios, it was a big step since the original Lumines was published by Bandai (in Japan) and Ubisoft (North America and Europe). Lumines II, however, is Q Entertainment's first self-published title.

Mizuguchi, known for his wild launch parties, did not disappoint. The launch event was held in Air. (It's a popular club just south of the Shibuya Station.) Mizuguchi was joined by different DJs, an MTV crew, people from Famitsu, and even a few guest artists. As expected, there were drinks all around.

The people from Famitsu started a simple tournament in which the loser would buy the winner a drink. Since Mizuguchi won the tournament, one can imagine the amount he drank that night.

As you can see in this image, Mizuguchi (in black) claims another drink:

 

Lumines II has already been released in the US under Buena Vista. We suggest you consider adding Lumines II to your collection if you even dabble in puzzle games.

We'll be quick about this: If you're looking for a copy of Lumines II for your PSP, you might want to check out Best Buy's online shop, as they are now selling this PSP hit for US$ 19.99.

For the guys who have yet to own a copy of this title (or probably waited out for deals like this, you sly dog), this is your opportunity to break into Q Entertainment's tune-savvy puzzle game that's also available for Xbox Live Arcade (Lumines Live).

Now, for the guys who already own a copy, consider this your girlfriend's next birthday/anniversary gift, though we advise discretion in challenging them - it could get ugly. Make sure to check out Every Extend Extra, the other Q Entertainment title trippin' your PSP this February.

After that Weekly Famitsu article that specifically listed some of the artists on the American version of Lumines 2, I thought that the songs in the American version would also be in the Japanese version. As it turns out, the songs in the Japanese version seem to be an even more eclectic collection.

According to Q Entertainment (a million thanks to Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft for translating the Famitsu article), Japanese reggae band Def Tech will be one of the featured artists in Lumines 2. The band's hit song "KONOMAMA" (check out the vid below) will be in the game along with a skin featuring a video clip of the band. Check out the pic up top for a mid-development look at the Def Tech skin.

We know that there's a lot of you who are big fans of Lumines, be it Lumines 2 on the PSP or Lumines Live on X360 via the Xbox Live Arcade. Actually, so many things have been said already about these two versions. Being on different platforms, not to mention from opposing companies, things such as those can't be avoided.

At any rate, we have something today that will make both sides happy. If you are a Lumines fan, it is highly probable that you are familiar with the in-game hit song Heavenly Star. Developer Q Entertainment excitedly announced today that the song is available for download both in U.S. and Japan via iTunes. According to the company's Chief Creative Officer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi:

We are delighted to introduce our first self-produced song Heavenly Star on iTunes. It is an important element in Q Entertainment's global entertainment and distribution strategy. As the world's most popular digital download store, iTunes is a key platform for serving our existing audience as well as introducing our work to others around the world.

Heavenly Star is currently being employed as the background music for the PSP version. On the other hand, it will be introduced to Live early this coming January as the Heavenly Star Pack. The said track was performed by the band Genki Rockets and was produced by Mizuguchi himself.

We know the lot of you just can't get enough of puzzle games. Especially with handheld, puzzle games hardly ever get old after years of taking it to every single road trip, plane ride, or camping adventure you have. And when you say "puzzle game", the first thing that will pop up into your head would most likely be Lumines II.

With the PSP game's release, this puzzler just got more (as QJ blogger Victor would put it) "psychedelicious". Q Entertainment got Buena Vista Games to sponsor a contest for all you Lumines fans. It's going to be an online video mixer contest where all of you can put your skills to the test and create a new music track. Submissions will only be accepted until December 31, and the winner will head to Miami this spring for a Winter Music Conference and get to meet Junkie XL.

Their website will help you create these video mixes and will have you selecting various musical and graphical elements and tools: loops, beats, and riffs; gameplay footage, dancers, and floating shapes. Although the contest is only open to U.S. residents, anyone can still create their own music track and show it off to their friends.

Psychedelicious, huh? Oh yeah. Like, psychedefinitely!

For more info on the contest and for a crack at the video mixer, click the "Read" link below!

This week's issue of Japanese gaming magazine "Weekly Famitsu" has finally given out some official info regarding the Japanese version of Q Entertainment's PSP puzzler Lumines II. According to the mag, Lumines II will will be released in Japan on February 15, 2007, for ¥ 4980 (US$ 43), and this time, Q Entertainment themselves will be handling publishing duties, making Lumines II their first ever self-published title.

One piece of pertinent info included in the "Weekly Famitsu" article was that the Japanese version of Lumines II will feature more than 100 skins. The article also specifically pointed out the artists featured in the game's U.S. version, making it a possibility that most - if not all - of the songs from the U.S. version will also make it to the Japanese release.

The final tracklist for the Japanese version of the game has yet to be revealed, but producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has confirmed that it will include a number of new tracks by "musicians that are popular in Japan." The only artist mentioned so far has been popular techno DJ Ken Ishii.

We'll be keeping you guys updated as soon as more details emerge.

It's time to shout "Merry Christmas!" to your UMDs as we have another Q Entertainment video blowout for you fellows. Instead of plain old gameplay things, we've got some video ads of both games for you to enjoy!

As you can plainly see above, this article is about love. Specifically psychedelic, trippy, puzzle love. When you think of PSP puzzles though, you definitely think Lumines II and his cousin Every Extend Extra (E3). Lumines takes its roots from the Tetris genre, adding a decidedly musical spin to it as blocks only get destroyed when the music bar passes over them. In E3, your job is to create chain reactions of lights and sound by blowing your little avatar up to make even more fireworks!

Instead of calling these games psychedelic, we're tempted to say that their gameplay psychedelicious. You can grab the games on store shelves for 30 bucks, so don't hesitate to grab them. Enjoy the vids!

Download: [Lumines II and E3 video ads]