Posts Tagged ‘PSP’
LittleBigPlanet PSP title hitting on November 17th
The first we heard of a LittleBigPlanet PSP title was all the way back in February when it was announced alongside MotorStorm. At the time it was only said to be hitting store shelves sometime this year.
However, Sony has today announced that the PSP title will be hitting store shelves in North America on November 17th, 2009.
Sony hasn’t said much regarding the contents of the game but they have said that it will feature a massive DLC library, something that made the PS3 LittleBigPlanet title very popular.
via ripten
Saints Row title coming to PSP?
While it hasn’t been talked about much (or at all) it seems that a Swedish metal band by the name of Opeth has given us word that they have been selected to feature a song in an upcoming PSP version of Saints Row.
Below is an excerpt of their post:
We may not like playing video games all that much but we do like it when our music is featured on them! Makes us a bit proud even when it’s a game as big as Saints Row for the PSP and even prouder when the nice developer people show excellent taste by picking “The Lotus Eater” for it. So if you love playing video games: the game is expected to hit the streets around March 2010.
As with any rumor, take this with a grain of salt, but Opeth did seem positive one of their songs would be featured in said game, add that to the fact that THQ hasn’t said anything at all thus far.
We’ll update you with more information as it becomes known.
Read (VG247)
PSP Go won’t have faster CPU, faster USB instead
Last week a leaked FCC document showed that the PSP Go would have a beefed up, yet underclocked, 480MHz processor, or so we thought.
Today, Sony has released a statement detailing the fact that the 480Mhz will actually be used to clock the USB transfer rather than a CPU.
Total bummer, looks like we won’t be seeing any beefed up PSP graphics thanks to an updated processor. Oh well, maybe next time.
Read (Engadget)
PSPgo has a 480MHz processor, will be underclocked to 333MHz
Despite being underclocked like it’s predecessors, the PSPgo will actually feature an upgraded processor capable of maxing out at 480 MHz.
Sony hasn’t said much about this upgraded processor but if the past is anything to go by, we’ll be seeing that full 480Mhz of processing goodness at some point in the future. If you recall, the original PSP had a 333MHz processor but was underclocked to 266MHz. A bit into it’s life span Sony decided to unlock the full 333MHz of power giving developers a bit of room to play around with.
So again, it’s a safe bet that Sony will unlock the full 480MHz of processing power at some point however when remains unknown.
Read (Engadget)
Dynasty Warriors 6 Coming To PSP
Ask someone what the Dynasty Warriors series is about and they’ll tell you it’s about richly stylized feudal Chinese warriors thrashing thousands of opponents over an endless series of battles. It’s one of those rare games where the things that some people love are the exact things that other people hate. If you’re like me and can’t get enough of bashing and slashing your way through hordes of enemies, you’ll soon be able to take that sort of fun on the road (or bus or train).
Koei has announced that they’re bringing a new version of the cult favorite to the PSP. It’s not the first title to be made portably in the series, but it’s certainly one of the most exciting since it’s being based off the PS2 version of Dynasty Warriors 6, the most recent title to be released. There’ll be twenty four battlefields and twenty-three generals with story modes to play through including Moukaku (Meng Huo to western gamers) who was included in the PS3 and Xbox 360-only Empires update. As with other PSP titles there’ll be wireless co-op play included so you can team up with a friend. It’s set for release in Japan on September 3rd, with no word yet of a release date elsewhere.
Apple Says New iPhone Superior To PSP
Despite every cellphone company these days creating their own touch screen smartphone with more bells and whistles than Santa’s reindeer and a RAD class put together, the iPhone remains one of the most popular and easily recognized of the bunch. Ever since the successful launch of the App Store Apple has been hailing their own device as the eventual future of handheld gaming.
With their recent unveiling of the iPhone 3GS smack talk is being spread around with a broad brush. This time it’s not anyone from Apple; the culprit is mobile developer Fishlabs. The company’s boss, Michael Schade has claimed that the OpenGL support for the handheld will push its graphic capabilities far beyond that of Sony’s system, though he does point out that initial costs for developing Apps for the device will be expensive.
Unfortunately the issue most gamers have with the iPhone and iPod Touch has nothing to do with the graphical capabilities. The biggest complaint is the limited number of control schemes imposed by the touch screen. There’s only so much you can do with a tilt screen and cramming loads of buttons onto the touch screen leaves little room for graphics. It would theoretically be possible to create an attachment which would add more buttons, but would that really catch on? The people who want a gaming handheld likely already have one (or two) and the crowd who like the more simple games won’t need it. Will the new iPhone deliver a superior visual experience? Sure. Is it going to deliver a better gaming experience? Not at all.
Kratos In PSP Soul Calibur
Soul Calibur has an ever-growing stable of characters each with their own back story, weapon and fighting style. Whether you prefer the immense and evil Nightmare or the ridiculous Elvis-esque hairstyle of Maxi, there’s someone that’s bound to appeal to you. Yet one of the most enjoyable parts of the series has often been the special guest characters.
Soul Calibur 2 had three different characters depending on your console. Soul Calibur 4 brings in characters from the Star Wars universe, allowing gamers to jump around their opponents as everyone’s favorite jedi muppet. As the first game in the series coming to handhelds, Broken Destiny has a hefty pedigree to live up to and it’s bringing a heavy hitter to the roster, both in terms of sheer power and appeal.
Sony’s handheld will feature a playable character from the company’s own stable of characters and who better to square off against dozens of brutal warriors than Kratos, the antihero of the God of War series. Unfortunately he wasn’t a selectable character for the demo at E3 so we don’t have any shots of him in action yet.
Sony Says “Shockers” Still Coming
Sure, the PSP Go has been one of the worst-kept secrets in the gaming industry for the last few months, but until yesterday there hadn’t been real confirmation of its look, design or features. Pictures of it leaked, along with a list of features and the news that new Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and Metal Gear Solid titles were being developed for the handheld.
Sony PR representative Jake Osuwah is assuring both E3 attendees and the general public that their bag of tricks is far from empty. After the pictures and details of the new device were leaked onto the internet Osuwah twittered: “Pre-E3 announcements or not! There’s still lots of shockers planned for you guys @ E3, stay tuned…”
Of course the real question is how many of these pre-E3 leaks are actually leaks and how many are deliberate releases masquerading as slip-ups in confidentiality.
Sony Busting Exclusive In Europe, PAL Region
Tie-in games and licensed IP games are usually published for as many systems as possible, going for a quick round of sales in as many markets as possible. Ghostbusters: The Video Game is no exception with versions coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS and PC.
Sony has cornered a small part of the market for this highly anticipated game however as non-Sony platform versions of the game will only be launching in North American markets. For Europe and PAL territories it’s going to be a Playstation exclusive title, with the PS3 and PS2 versions launching on June 19th along with the re-release of the film on Blu-ray. The PSP title will be available for those territories in Autumn of this year.
New PSP Rumored To Debut At E3
Sony has been tight lipped on the existence of plans to create a UMD-less PSP so far but dribs and drabs of information made it through the cracks and kept the rumors going. The download-only nature of Patapon 2 threw gasoline on the fire, since if Sony is testing the potential for the PSP to adopt a digital distribution scheme it means they’ve got some time and money invested in it.
1Up is coming forward with information from sources directly working on the project. According to their report the new PSP is set to be revealed to the public this year at E3 in June. Several of the rumors about its redesign features are said to be correct, including a sliding screen that slides up to reveal the face buttons and a lack of a UMD slot, but no second analog nubbin. The sources claim that the new PSP will have a subtitle rather than a numerical designation and the existence of ‘Go!’ branded peripherals suggest it might be called the PSP Go!.
The new PSP will be launching in September in Japan, October or November in the USA. Over a hundred PSP titles are planned to be available for download at launch, with two SKU’s available, one with eight gigabytes of flash memory and the other with sixteen. (Note: the picture above is not an actual image of it, simply a mock-up from 1Up)
Soul Calibur Going Portable
With any franchise it’s only a matter of time before some spin-off is made that deviates wildly from what made the series popular. Mortal Kombat has had several adventure focused titles, Resident Evil is soon to see a second rail shooter and Soul Calibur made an effort recently with Soul Calibur Legends. As is so often the case, the game was a bit of a disappointment, so they’re taking it back to basics for their next game.
Namco Bandai has revealed that for the first time you’ll be able to take the epic battles of Soul Calibur with you wherever you go on your PSP. Fully titled Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny the handheld game will feature many of the existing characters as well as some brand new ones, including one named Dampierre. Namco says that although all of the existing gameplay elements from the console version are being brought to the small screen they’re attempting to create a mode that’ll help to teach new players the ins and outs of the series’ fighting system.
The classic Arcade, Story and Survival modes are all included and thus far multiplayer is confirmed for Ad-Hoc wireless, but not for internet wireless. The game is due out this summer.
Sony continues weekly Playstation Store updates
Just like Nintendo, Sony continues to update their online service weekly. This week we will see content for Saints Row 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Tom Clancy’s HAWX and LittleBigPlanet, just to name a few, being added to the Playstation Store.
On the PSP side of things Rachet & Clank: Size Matters was added, in its entirety, to the service for $15.99.
Everything else, provided by the Official Playstation Blog, after the break.
Casual Gaming CEO Says iPhone “Freaking Out” Sony and Nintendo
A few years ago the trash talking and constant speculation about whose gaming system was superior was limited to consoles. The Nintendo DS and PSP had for the most part kept to their own audiences, releasing games and brightening the commutes/lines of gamers everywhere. Recently a self proclaimed competitor has arrived and has ushered in a whole new wave of inflammatory statements.
If you hadn’t guessed I’m talking about the iPhone (and iPod Touch). Since Apple launched the device and its App store they’ve been saying that the handheld will eventually push both Sony and Nintendo out of the portable gaming market. Now another company is jumping in on Apple’s side. Digital Chocolate’s CEO Trip Hawkins has said that the iPhone is more than capable of challenging the DS and PSP and says that he thinks the unit is “freaking out” Sony and Nintendo since it has “ only penetrated one half of one percent of its total market.” However with some simple calculations given the 30 million iPhones sold he’s including the more than six billion people on the planet as possible iPhone buyers.
Unfortunately as with everyone proclaiming the iPhone as the doom of all other handhelds, he’s neglecting the fact that the lack of buttons limits the number of possible control schemes, thus limiting the possible range of games. The games offered on the Apple App store are just too simple to hold the attention of serious gamers for long. We thirst for strategy, complexity and storylines, not another block breaker game.
PSP to become a Remote Control
We have seen a lot of gadgets being used for crazy ideas such as remote controllers and apparently Sony has something in store for its portable PSP. Sony has filed a patent for a remote-controlled car that would use the PSP as an interface.
It’s equipped with a camera to feed video to the PSP and users would be able to upload the footage to a website if they want. But that’s not all. The patent mentions an augmented reality racing game. The game recognizes real objects as elements in the racing game, so basically, you build your own track from stuff ou have around the house.
(Source) Slipperybrick
Atlus Announces Crimson Gem Saga
Game publisher Atlus is continuing their streak of bringing games to the USA; their newest title is Crimson Gem Saga, which they’ve secured the publishing rights to release on the PSP. The title is a JRPG which promises a thrilling story and turn based combat that is simple enough for newcomers to master and complex enough to keep the attention of more experienced gamers including combo chains, ambush attacks and multi-character attacks.
For once North American gamers are getting something over the Japanese version: in addition to an excellent soundtrack Atlus has added over a thousand extra lines of voice acting to the original. The game revolves around Killian von Rohcoff, a hero who hits a run of bad luck. After being robbed of the top spot in his graduating class he follows a lead on a job which gets his wallet stolen and propels him into the main storyline which revolves around an ancient artifact known as the ‘Wicked Stone’ (which my keen intuition tells me might be some shade of red).