Amazon has two deals for you that are only valid today -- the first of which is a free copy of God of War: Chains of Olympus with the purchase of a PSP Brite Ratchet and Clank Entertainment Pack (the one that comes with a silver PSP and echochrome). Interested parties should head here for this deal.
Don't need another PSP? Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 is on sale today for $12.98. That's more than half off the retail price of $29.99. We gave in the game a solid 8.0 in our review, so check it out if you are on the fence about the game. Take advantage of this deal here.
How many times have you played CoolBoarders? How 'bout Coolboarders 2? That's pretty much all you'll find on the PlayStation Store if you're looking for a PS1 retro fix. While Japan has an overwhelming of retro titles available for download, the rest of the world has been slow to follow suit. Wouldn't it be nice to download Final Fantasy VII? Or Klonoa? Or Metal Gear Solid? There's so many titles we can think of off the top of our heads.
Well, John Koller is promising the situation will change. Seriously. Really. "Yes, we are working on further PSone additions to the PS Store and should see those launch shortly," he told MTV Multiplayer.
Posted Nov 20th 2008 7:50PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Codemaster's critically acclaimed DiRT racing game is coming to PSP. Specifically, the sequel will be hitting the platform. This is surprising considering the first game never released on the handheld. DiRT 2 will launch on the PSP simultaneously with its big brother cousins on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2009.
Another day, another firmware. We kid, we kid -- but as we announced two days ago, there is another update available for you to download. Firmware v5.02 doesn't appear to do much, other than "improves system software stability during use of some features, including the PlayStation Store."
Posted Nov 20th 2008 9:00AM by Majed Athab Filed under: News
Japan's adhocParty service sounds like a promising new feature. The ability to transform one's local ad hoc multiplayer games into an over-the-net experience via a PS3 is certainly something we have to give credit to Sony for. However, what games are compatible with the service? Quite a lot really -- 33 to be exact, as Sony reveals. That's not bad for a completely free service. See a full list of all 33 titles after the break.
Posted Nov 19th 2008 5:00PM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
In the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, the Communication Mode in Dissdia is explained. Players begin by waiting in an Online Lobby that is capable of accommodating 16 players. Each player can create their own profile called a Friend Card -- one of the functions of this card is it allows the game to keep track of your how you play and creates a "ghost" of you. You can then transfer this "ghost" to a friend's game and they can fight a character controlled by the A.I. that imitates your fighting style. The scan also shows the EX modes of Cloud (who wields the Ultima Weapon) and Sephiroth (as the One-winged angel). Lastly, adhocParty will be supported. The rest of the scans are here.
In related news, V Jump published some new art from Dissidia, the most striking of which is the above poster featuring all the characters in the game. Unlike other artwork from the game, this one is rendered in CG. Check out the scans at VideogamerX.
It didn't take long now, did it? As of last month, hackers and pirates have yet to to find a way to run custom firmware on the latest iteration of the PSP. Well, things have changed. Datel has unveiled to the world a "special mode battery" called the Lite Blue Tool which allows the PSP Brite to enter service mode. Once in service mode, you're home free, baby -- you can downgrade to the firmware version of your choice. The "crypto processor based battery" even has a built in LED power gauge and will sell for $29.99 come November 28th.
Posted Nov 19th 2008 11:25AM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Out with one SKU, in with another. The 4GB PSP Entertainment Pack may be dead, but in its place is the Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack. Wait, what? Yes, looks like Sony is offering two versions of the R&C pack -- the current one offers a silver system and echochrome. The one releasing in December will include a black system and Everyday Shooter. Both will be available for $199.
If that's not your style, you can try the black PSP Brite a la carte for $169. However, no release date has been set for the standalone system.
Here's another minor update to look out for soon -- though unless you find yourself having problems, you probably can go without this one. Firmware v5.02 doesn't do much except the fact that it "improves system software stability during use of some features, including the PlayStation Store." According to the Director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, the new update will be "available shortly."
Posted Nov 18th 2008 3:16PM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
According Capcom's vice president of strategic planning and business development Christian Svensson, Sony's data indicates that approximately 50% of PS3 owners are also PSP owners. Svensson made the comment on the official Capcom forums in a thread that was discussing the possibility of the newly launched adhocParty making it stateside. "An interesting note from Sony's data that they've been sharing with us ... about 50% of PS3 owners, also own a PSP." We are unsure of whether the data was collected from around the world or just in the US.
Does this statistic sound right to you? Do most of you who have a PS3 also own Sony's handheld?
Posted Nov 18th 2008 1:15PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
"Music is the number two use on the PSP, behind gaming. So, the marrying of those two concepts is of huge interest to us," Sony's John Koller told MTV Multiplayer. "And if there's that opportunity to launch a title like that or even a new title that utilizes music in some way, then obviously we're very interested."
The DS is home to a number of music games, from Elite Beat Agents to the peripheral-bundled Guitar Hero (pictured, above). PSP also features its fair share of music games, like beats and DJ Max. While these may be popular amongst hardcore gamers, none have come close to the runaway success of DS' music games. Considering PSP's native ability to store music, it seems like thinking up more ways to get user music in games is a good step for Sony to take.
Posted Nov 18th 2008 10:23AM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Over two years ago, Agere Systems filed a suit against Sony for potential infringement on patents regarding "wireless local area network apparatus." Looks like the courts ruled in Agere Systems' favor. Sony has been fined $18.5 million for use of the technology in their devices, such as the mylo and PSP. The jury ruled that the patent infringement was willful.
Posted Nov 14th 2008 9:40AM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
EGM's Quartermann is at it again. The latest gossip from the infamous rumormonger are as follows (via Kotaku): "The LBP universe will also continue to evolve next year with the release of the PSP version: Q-Mann hears it's fantastically ambitious and will further flesh out the PS3 LBP experience."
No further details were given. However, this is consistent with the word on the street -- we have already heard two similar rumors. An insider told CVG back in April Studio Liverpool will be developing the handheld version while in October we saw a job listing on SCEE's website seeking a "PSP game engine lead" to oversee "LittleBigPlanet projects." Maybe this third time is the charm?
Posted Nov 13th 2008 10:00PM by Majed Athab Filed under: News
Mana-Khemia: Student Alliance is a port of the PS2 game released earlier this year, but there are so many differences between the two. The PSP version substitutes regular multiplayer with adhoc multiplayer, and it also includes a "Jump Start" install feature on your memory stick for quicker load times. Couple that with new bosses and a widescreen presentation, the PSP version sounds worlds better than its PS2 counterpart. It sounds like if you waited for the PSP version, you've gotten the better end of the deal. That deal comes to fruition in two months time, January 2009. In the meantime, check out that box art above.
PSP sales suffered similarly to the PS3's in October, dropping from September's figure of 238k to 193k. This drop was probably a result of the anemic PSP release schedule. With nothing new or interesting coming out between now and the end of the year, this is likely to continue, though there's the possibility of a potential Christmas-based upturn in November. For the full NPD listing, check after the break.
