From the Vault — originally published January 8, 2008. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
Video no longer available (originally hosted on GameTrailers).
REZ HD will be available for 800 Microsoft Points this month. The game seems to have a cult following.
The game is notable for replacing the typical sound effects found in most rail shooter games with trance music, with sounds and melodies created by the player as they target and destroy foes in the game, leading to a form of synesthesia, enhanced by an optional Trance Vibrator peripheral. Although Rez was critically acclaimed, it did not get much commercial attention in the United States, partly due to its esoteric gameplay experience.
It has been just announced that for the upcoming Xbox live version you can use up to 3 Xbox 360 controllers as “Trance Vibrators”.
A “Special Package” version of the PlayStation 2 release of the game was sold in Japan only, including a USB device called a Trance Vibrator, which pulses in time with the music. The intended use of the device would be to hold it, put it in a pocket, or sit on it while playing (a pouch was provided to protect the device); similar to the DualShock, it would vibrate in time with the music, but much more powerfully than the DualShock’s own feedback, helping to extend the synthasia to the player’s feeling of touch. While not explicitly marketed as a sex toy or masturbatory aid, it has reportedly been used as such.[5] [6] The devices are available from various aftermarket retailers for (as of 2006) approximately $35 USD. The trance vibrator is also compatible with Space Channel 5: Part 2 and the Japanese version of Disaster Report.
Reverse-engineering efforts to allow the Trance Vibrator to attach to and be controlled by a PC have been successfully executed in Japan, resulting in a device driver for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000. Unstable drivers are also available for Unix -based operating systems.
