Sony's got a few tricks up its sleeve with its new PSP shooter. It's good for fun on the road -- and syncs up with your PS3 for bonus features when you play at home.
A side-story to the Playstation 3 series, Resistance, has come to the PSP. Now, I'm a little scared when I hear that someone's attempting to bring an action-shooting game to a handheld. Here's why: After playing these shooters on PCs and Consoles for years, few games figure out how to make precise controls work while you're on-the-go. Sony actually pulled it off.
The assisted aiming in Resistance: Retribution hits that happy middle ground between helping you hit a target without babying you. You still have to point your gun the right direction (doy). However, you need to get within an aiming viewcone. Need to zoom in for a more precise shot? You can toggle in a little closer for an over-the-shoulder view.
It's a parallel story that runs alongside the other games to give you a deeper look at the world. Instead of playing in the first-person perspective, the camera sits over your shoulder as you blast your way through a war-torn, monster-filled Europe. Oh, and if you spot any other mobile players rocking a PSP and this game, you can try out some of the cool multiplayer matches built into the game as well. (You can play others locally or over a Wi-Fi connection).
Now, while I do give props for Resistance: Retribution being a fun experience on the bus, this deserves a nod for what it's attempting on the home front as well. If you have a PS3 at home -- and a copy of Resistance 2 -- you can sync up with your PSP and give your character extra powers and unlock different parts of the game. The only downside there being once you end the PSP game, you lose your superpowers until you sync up again.
If you own a PSP, you really have no excuse. Check this out.
Source article: Just In: Resistance: Retribution Review
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - PSP Game Review
Today we'll review a popular video game developed by Konami. This video game series is about a war between the vampire hunting family of the Belmonts and Dracula. Let's start.
Genra: Action
About This Game: The legendary action game Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (the “lost” chapter never seen before outside of Japan) is reborn on the PSP system with incredible 3D graphics and timeless side scrolling gameplay in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. Gamers take up the Vampire Killer whip as Richter Belmont as they seek to destroy the maniacal Dracula once and for all in this pivotal piece of the ongoing Castlevania saga. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles also includes unlockable versions of the original Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night games, delivering incredible gameplay and value while updating two of the most beloved video games of all time for a new generation of gamers.
Gameplay: 6/10 - This game has some major clipping issues can you say walk right thought a set of stairs or run thought a wall and this is by no means done on purpose.
Learning Curve : Insane difficulty - There are major control issues in pretty much every aspect of this game….all of which are very very frustrating at the best of times…
Graphics/Sound: 6/10 - Looks great…but sound is very bland and boring.
Lasting Appeal: 6.5/10 - If you can get past the first few bosses and levels and get to unlock the kewl extras…by all means..it is very kewl game then…if not…you are gonna drop this game like a sack of bricks or toss your PSP out the nearest window
The Whole Package: 6.5/10 - Great game in theory…that is it I love Castlevania…but control issues and the major difficulty to the point of being unbalanced and broken in almost every aspect….takes away from a clear cut Castlevania standereds
Over all rating 6.5/10 - This game looks great and has some really awesome extras..that is provided you don’t mind the insane number of tries to get past even the first part…..
Genra: Action
About This Game: The legendary action game Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (the “lost” chapter never seen before outside of Japan) is reborn on the PSP system with incredible 3D graphics and timeless side scrolling gameplay in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. Gamers take up the Vampire Killer whip as Richter Belmont as they seek to destroy the maniacal Dracula once and for all in this pivotal piece of the ongoing Castlevania saga. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles also includes unlockable versions of the original Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night games, delivering incredible gameplay and value while updating two of the most beloved video games of all time for a new generation of gamers.
Gameplay: 6/10 - This game has some major clipping issues can you say walk right thought a set of stairs or run thought a wall and this is by no means done on purpose.
Learning Curve : Insane difficulty - There are major control issues in pretty much every aspect of this game….all of which are very very frustrating at the best of times…
Graphics/Sound: 6/10 - Looks great…but sound is very bland and boring.
Lasting Appeal: 6.5/10 - If you can get past the first few bosses and levels and get to unlock the kewl extras…by all means..it is very kewl game then…if not…you are gonna drop this game like a sack of bricks or toss your PSP out the nearest window
The Whole Package: 6.5/10 - Great game in theory…that is it I love Castlevania…but control issues and the major difficulty to the point of being unbalanced and broken in almost every aspect….takes away from a clear cut Castlevania standereds
Over all rating 6.5/10 - This game looks great and has some really awesome extras..that is provided you don’t mind the insane number of tries to get past even the first part…..
Monday, March 30, 2009
Featured site: PSPWarez.org
PSPWarez.org forum has a lot to offer when it comes free downloads of psp games, music, movies and themes. Registration is simple and absolutely free! You only need a working email address to sign-up and to verify that we're humans. Hehe.
http://www.pspwarez.org/
Don't forget to help the site to maintain their site.
Cheers!
-wendi
http://www.pspwarez.org/
Don't forget to help the site to maintain their site.
Cheers!
-wendi
Q&A: Sony's John Koller Talks PSP's Downloadable Future
Sony's PSP is, as ever, a puzzling contradiction.
Industry pundits thought the powerful portable game player would outsell the DS, but Nintendo's touchscreen handheld has now moved more than 100 million units worldwide, as compared to Sony's 50 million. Sales of PSP in February were down 18 percent versus last year. When the two systems launched in 2004, Sony said Nintendo's kid-friendly image would doom the DS to a younger audience, but it's the PSP that sells mainly to teenagers while Nintendo brings in adults with software like Brain Age.
PSP's ability to download content onto a Memory Stick should have given it a huge advantage in the age of digital distribution, but the online PlayStation Store has been slow to get going. Very much like Nintendo, it is in danger of having some of its market swallowed by Apple and the iPhone unless it figures out how to compete in the age of games on demand.
John Koller, Sony's head of PlayStation marketing, wants that to change. He's committed to ramping up the amount of content in the PSP store, overhauling the user experience and launching upcoming games like LittleBigPlanet in direct-download form.
Wired.com spoke with Koller for Monday's feature on the portable gaming market. The full transcript of the Q&A is below.
Wired.com: The big story these days is iPhone, DSiWare, downloadable content on portable gaming systems. So let's start off with an overview of where Sony is right now with downloadable games on PSP.
John Koller: Holistically, the idea of digital distribution fits into the world as we go forward. Not to say that retail isn't of extreme importance, because it is. But the idea of offering content to consumers, to make it easy, you can wake up in the morning, download something and go, it's very appealing. So one of our big pushes this year is to be sure that the right kind of content and the right kind of games in particular are placed on the PlayStation Network for download on the PSP.
We've been engaged in a wide range of conversations with publishers over the last year, year and a half about software and games overall on the PSP. One significant topic that hasn't necessarily been covered a lot is inclusion of digital copies of the games that they're launching on [Universal Media Discs, or] UMDs. In the back half of this year, we should see a good rise in the amount of content that comes to PSN for the PSP. We're aware that most of the content thus far has been for PlayStation 3, and that's based on the usage model and who has been demanding that content. But as we continue, and there's more of a desire from the consumer for PSP content, we're going to really increase the size and amount of content that's available.
Wired.com: Why the back half of this year? What changes between now and then that makes it a better time to put things on the PlayStation Network for PSP?
Koller: Much of it has to do with the development cycle. A lot of the big games that we announced at Destination PlayStation a few weeks ago had UMD (versions) that will be launching in the second half of the year. And marrying those launches with the digital versions of those launches obviously makes development sense. We're looking at a wide range of content throughout the year, but the back half will be heavier than the first.
Read full article here: Sony's John Koller Talks PSP's Downloadable Future
Industry pundits thought the powerful portable game player would outsell the DS, but Nintendo's touchscreen handheld has now moved more than 100 million units worldwide, as compared to Sony's 50 million. Sales of PSP in February were down 18 percent versus last year. When the two systems launched in 2004, Sony said Nintendo's kid-friendly image would doom the DS to a younger audience, but it's the PSP that sells mainly to teenagers while Nintendo brings in adults with software like Brain Age.
PSP's ability to download content onto a Memory Stick should have given it a huge advantage in the age of digital distribution, but the online PlayStation Store has been slow to get going. Very much like Nintendo, it is in danger of having some of its market swallowed by Apple and the iPhone unless it figures out how to compete in the age of games on demand.
John Koller, Sony's head of PlayStation marketing, wants that to change. He's committed to ramping up the amount of content in the PSP store, overhauling the user experience and launching upcoming games like LittleBigPlanet in direct-download form.
Wired.com spoke with Koller for Monday's feature on the portable gaming market. The full transcript of the Q&A is below.
Wired.com: The big story these days is iPhone, DSiWare, downloadable content on portable gaming systems. So let's start off with an overview of where Sony is right now with downloadable games on PSP.
John Koller: Holistically, the idea of digital distribution fits into the world as we go forward. Not to say that retail isn't of extreme importance, because it is. But the idea of offering content to consumers, to make it easy, you can wake up in the morning, download something and go, it's very appealing. So one of our big pushes this year is to be sure that the right kind of content and the right kind of games in particular are placed on the PlayStation Network for download on the PSP.
We've been engaged in a wide range of conversations with publishers over the last year, year and a half about software and games overall on the PSP. One significant topic that hasn't necessarily been covered a lot is inclusion of digital copies of the games that they're launching on [Universal Media Discs, or] UMDs. In the back half of this year, we should see a good rise in the amount of content that comes to PSN for the PSP. We're aware that most of the content thus far has been for PlayStation 3, and that's based on the usage model and who has been demanding that content. But as we continue, and there's more of a desire from the consumer for PSP content, we're going to really increase the size and amount of content that's available.
Wired.com: Why the back half of this year? What changes between now and then that makes it a better time to put things on the PlayStation Network for PSP?
Koller: Much of it has to do with the development cycle. A lot of the big games that we announced at Destination PlayStation a few weeks ago had UMD (versions) that will be launching in the second half of the year. And marrying those launches with the digital versions of those launches obviously makes development sense. We're looking at a wide range of content throughout the year, but the back half will be heavier than the first.
Read full article here: Sony's John Koller Talks PSP's Downloadable Future
GDC09: Duke Nukem Games Are Coming… But on DS/PSP
Duke Nukem fans have been waiting for Duke’s return for some time. It’s been ages since we’ve last heard, or seen, anything about the currently-in-development, Duke Nukem Forever. We were eye-fucked last year with a quick trailer showing off Duke’s new looks, and ass kicking techniques that he’s brining to the table. Screenshots were posted in December 2008 displaying a crisp, nice-textured models of the game which, off the bat, gave me a boner. So, there is a Duke Nukem game coming out. However, it’s not the one you’re thinking about. No, no. It’s coming out for Sony’s PSP and Nintendo’s DS. Duke Nukem Forever is going to have to wait a couple of more years.
Apogee’s Duke Nukem Trilogy has already stuck it to Duke Nukem Forever with its super awesome trailer. Hell, it has surpassed Duke Nukem Forever because the damn game actually exists, for crying out loud. And, to make Forever feel more like a piece of shit, it’s sort of like… six games!
OhGizmo explains that Duke Nukem Trilogy features three games, which have the same stories, but are presented in a different style on DS than on PSP. The PSP versions are M-rated, with content that will be “tasteful, but it’ll still be Duke.” Don’t fucking change the Duke, people. He’s fine the way he is – looking like a racist hillbilly that works for the MIB. He’s cool as is. Porn star name and all. So, for you DS owners thinking about sporting this new Duke Nukem title, know that the DS versions will be T-rated. Meaning you won’t be hearing curse words as much, if not at all, and seeing any tits being exposed by those sexay strippers.
So, what the great news about all this? Well, for one, this is the first playable Duke Nukem game in ages. Duke Nukem: Critical Mass was actually there being played by everyone and their mother on both the PSP and the DS. Slowly, it seems as if Duke Nukem Forever might yet again slip into the abyss of delay and silence. 3DRealms, I think it’s about fucking time you give us something to look at besides wallpapers (although they do look nice). I have little patience… very little patience.
Source article: GDC09: Duke Nukem Games Are Coming… But on DS/PSP
Apogee’s Duke Nukem Trilogy has already stuck it to Duke Nukem Forever with its super awesome trailer. Hell, it has surpassed Duke Nukem Forever because the damn game actually exists, for crying out loud. And, to make Forever feel more like a piece of shit, it’s sort of like… six games!
OhGizmo explains that Duke Nukem Trilogy features three games, which have the same stories, but are presented in a different style on DS than on PSP. The PSP versions are M-rated, with content that will be “tasteful, but it’ll still be Duke.” Don’t fucking change the Duke, people. He’s fine the way he is – looking like a racist hillbilly that works for the MIB. He’s cool as is. Porn star name and all. So, for you DS owners thinking about sporting this new Duke Nukem title, know that the DS versions will be T-rated. Meaning you won’t be hearing curse words as much, if not at all, and seeing any tits being exposed by those sexay strippers.
So, what the great news about all this? Well, for one, this is the first playable Duke Nukem game in ages. Duke Nukem: Critical Mass was actually there being played by everyone and their mother on both the PSP and the DS. Slowly, it seems as if Duke Nukem Forever might yet again slip into the abyss of delay and silence. 3DRealms, I think it’s about fucking time you give us something to look at besides wallpapers (although they do look nice). I have little patience… very little patience.
Source article: GDC09: Duke Nukem Games Are Coming… But on DS/PSP
PSP Review - 'Phantasy Star Portable'
Sega's Phantasy Star series has had a pretty interesting history. Premiering on the Sega Master System, the first game was an RPG set in a sci-fi world where the universe's fate depended on the actions of a party consisting of beings, each of a different species. With a story that was deeply engaging and emotional, Master System owners proudly flaunted it over their NES brethren, since it was something that no game on the competing system ever had. When the Sega Genesis debuted, so did the sequel, which carried the same type of combat and story depth into the 16-bit era. The next two games after the 16-bit debut, Phantasy Star III and Phantasy Star IV, were equally as good and brought about multiple endings to the series as well as a sense of finality to the game.
While the series lay dormant during the Sega Saturn era, it came back for the Sega Dreamcast but in a completely different form. Phantasy Star Online was the first RPG from a Japanese company to take the game online. It also ditched the traditional turn-based system in favor of a real-time system, and it completely did away with most of the story from the franchise, choosing to only keep intact the sci-fi setting and the worlds from the series. The change was a polarizing one. Some fans loved the direction that the game was heading toward, while others hated it and wished that the game would go back to its roots. After a brief stint on the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox as well as a sequel appearing on the Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 2, Phantasy Star Portable comes to the Sony PSP. The question for PSP owners is whether Sega's flagship RPG series fits in well with the other games on the system or feels out of place instead.
Phantasy Star Portable is a direct sequel of both Phantasy Star Universe and Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus. You play a recent graduate of the Guardians, a group of peacekeepers for the Gurhal System. On your initial mission, you get partnered up with the latest CAST (android) model named Vivienne and must investigate a disturbance in a fully automated plant, where the machines have gone out of control. By the end of the mission, you discover that this may have been the work of terrorists that are using biological weaponry, much like the SEED threat of the previous games. Your overall mission is to stop the terrorists and wipe out the threat once and for all.
For those who have played the recent Phantasy Star titles, this will instantly feel familiar to you. If not, this will feel a bit different from the other Japanese RPGs on the system. Instead of being a turn-based affair, the game takes a real-time action stance. Enemies are automatically seen and combat happens just like any other third-person action game. The action takes place in various outdoor environments and futuristic dungeons separated by doors or gates. For comparison purposes, the game is a lot like the Monster Hunter games, where you go and complete various quests to help the story progress.
Read full article here: PSP Review - 'Phantasy Star Portable'
While the series lay dormant during the Sega Saturn era, it came back for the Sega Dreamcast but in a completely different form. Phantasy Star Online was the first RPG from a Japanese company to take the game online. It also ditched the traditional turn-based system in favor of a real-time system, and it completely did away with most of the story from the franchise, choosing to only keep intact the sci-fi setting and the worlds from the series. The change was a polarizing one. Some fans loved the direction that the game was heading toward, while others hated it and wished that the game would go back to its roots. After a brief stint on the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox as well as a sequel appearing on the Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 2, Phantasy Star Portable comes to the Sony PSP. The question for PSP owners is whether Sega's flagship RPG series fits in well with the other games on the system or feels out of place instead.
Phantasy Star Portable is a direct sequel of both Phantasy Star Universe and Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus. You play a recent graduate of the Guardians, a group of peacekeepers for the Gurhal System. On your initial mission, you get partnered up with the latest CAST (android) model named Vivienne and must investigate a disturbance in a fully automated plant, where the machines have gone out of control. By the end of the mission, you discover that this may have been the work of terrorists that are using biological weaponry, much like the SEED threat of the previous games. Your overall mission is to stop the terrorists and wipe out the threat once and for all.
For those who have played the recent Phantasy Star titles, this will instantly feel familiar to you. If not, this will feel a bit different from the other Japanese RPGs on the system. Instead of being a turn-based affair, the game takes a real-time action stance. Enemies are automatically seen and combat happens just like any other third-person action game. The action takes place in various outdoor environments and futuristic dungeons separated by doors or gates. For comparison purposes, the game is a lot like the Monster Hunter games, where you go and complete various quests to help the story progress.
Read full article here: PSP Review - 'Phantasy Star Portable'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
