With the recent boom of video games and kids wanting to spend money on extra peripherals, like the Wii Fit, the Madcatz SE (read: POS) fightstick and enough Rock Band instruments to fill the GWAR roster, I thought I'd school some kids with a hilarious picture.
Sony's little engine that could is possibly set to be the must-have handheld this year. After constant complaints about the lack of good games for the system, Sony announced a truckload of major titles at their Destination PlayStation event today. Hot on the heels of Rock Band Unplugged, the official announcement of LittleBigPlanet for the PSP was confirmed to be in development. No real details have been revealed, though the game is set to include similar gameplay and features with its PS3 counterpart. Interactivity between the two games has not been confirmed.
A new game in the Assassin's Creed franchise is also set to debut on the handheld alongside a new PSP bundle. The original game released on the Xbox 360 and PS3, with a sequel confirmed to be in development. A prequel was released on the DS and ported to Symbian Mobile platforms, with a sequel to this series also in development. No details were released about the new PSP game, but it should be similar to previous titles.
Another PSP bundle set to release this year is the Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack. Obviously aimed at young girls, it includes a lilac-colored PSP, the Hannah Montana music/rhythm game, episodes of the TV series on UMD, and stickers. In support of this new demographic, Ubisoft is also releasing games from their Petz line.
MotorStorm is also finally set to debut on both the PS2 and PSP this year with MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. Developed by BigBig Studios, the ones behind the Pursuit Force games, it will take the series in the new icy terrains of Alaska. Add all that up together, and you get a very impressive list of games for the PSP. Add to that anticipated titles like Dissidia Final Fantasy, Resistance: Retribution, and a remake of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, and there's now a reason to play games on the PSP again. This may be what the PSP needed in order to get past this slump and achieve its untapped potential.
You can check out the trailer for MotorStorm: Arctic Edge past the break.
Sony is on their way in revitalizing the slumping handheld, and one of the brand new games announced for the PSP is a portable version of the successful Harmonix/EA franchise, entitled Rock Band Unplugged. The game is set to utilize the PSP's Wi-Fi capabilities via a full in-game store for downloadable content in both North America and Europe, though other markets were not mentioned. Primotech has an exclusive on the title with a bevy of new details. Gameplay will be similar to the portable's DJ Max series as well as Harmonix's Frequency/Amplitude games on the PS2, using the Left, Up, Triangle, and Circle buttons for input rather than a peripheral like the Guitar Hero DS games. Like in Amplitude, gameplay will be broken up into phrases, and you will be able to switch between all four instruments via the L and R buttons. However, vocals will utilize button presses rather than physical singing. Perfect phrases will build up a multiplier and Overdrive will be included as well.
The visual style of Rock Band will be maintained, although there will be no multiplayer mode. Artists set to be in the game include Blink 182, Boston, AFI, Kansas, Lit, and The Police. With Backbone Entertainment (Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix) developing the title in conjunction with EA and Harmonix, I have complete faith that the Rock Band experience will be maintained without the plastic instruments. Frequency and Amplitude laid down the original groundwork for the Guitar Hero franchise, and it showed how successful and fun a music/rhythm game can be using a standard controller. I was not very impressed with the DS versions of Guitar Hero, but this looks to have amazing potential.
This game can possibly tap into the huge possibilities of the genre, and I'm glad to see Harmonix return to their roots here. No release date has been confirmed, but it's speculated to hit stores before the end of the year.
Here's some vids and more of some cool things brewing on the homefront for games and such. A lot of these are old, but if you haven't seen them, well, you're in for a treat.
Johnny Lee giving a presentation on his 3D Wii tracking:
Mod your PSP to use a SNES controller:
Mostly, these are here to give you ideas. I'm not making an attempt to blow your mind, I'm only trying to show you some cool stuff. Old or new, I like to call it timeless, unless you're just tired of it, already...
You can check out more past the break.
Enjoy,
Der Ninja.
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Toribash on Mac, Windows, Linux and the Wii (soon to come):
Unfortunately, there was no author or website labeled on this webcomic. But this shows that, just perhaps, all gaming platforms will one day live in harmony without petty fanboy squabbling.
One day.
You can check out more past the break along with the link to the rest of the comics.
