This is Advertising: Top 10 worst PlayStation ads

Filed under: Fan Stuff

Over the past few years, Sony's controversial attempts at viral marketing for the PlayStation brand were not well-received by the general public. The company had been criticized on numerous occasions for various failed ad campaigns. Campaigns which didn't just fail to hit their target markets, but more importantly had an adverse effect leaving many people angry, rebellious, or just plain dumbfounded. A good example of one of these wrongfully done ads is the recent image of a naked man and his literal eleventh finger promoting the PlayStation 3. Just take a look at the universal heat this drew in.

This recent controversy rekindled the memory of all the horrible ads that have appeared in promotion for both the PS3 and the PlayStation Portable. But, it hasn't always been this bad. The general consensus on PlayStation One and PlayStation 2 ads were favorable; however, as 2006 rolled in with the PSP already under fire and the PS3 on the way, a new direction was emerging for the corporate giant. Was there such a need to be edgy Sony? You were doing so well.

We had thought the era of Sony's marketing fumbles had ended, but apparently it hasn't. So in honor of the embarrassing and often painful ad campaigns over the past few years, we present this look into the top ten worst PlayStation brand ads ever. We're sure Sony won't be too happy about us digging up old skeletons, but this is history and an interesting one at that. It's also one that's hard to forget. And besides, early next month we'll have a top ten best PlayStation ads list up just so we're not being lopsided here. So get clicking, and see what NSFW atrocities we've compiled.

See the list! >

Patapon and echochrome devs to speak at Develop

Filed under: News

The teams behind the creative PSP games, Patapon and echochrome, will make an appearance at this year's Develop conference in July. Atsushi Li, director of Pyramid and Junichi Yoshizama, associate producer of SCE Worldwide Studios will discuss the tribal music game Patapon. Jun Fujiki and Tatsuya Suzuki will speak about the mind-bending echochrome.

"We are privileged to welcome Ii-san, Yoshizawa-san, Fujiki-san and Suzuki-san to the Develop Conference and are thrilled that we can offer our delegates the opportunity to be inspired by what can only be described as some of the most creative video games designers on the planet," said managing director of Tandem Events, Andy Lane.

PSP used in unsavory upskirt shots

Filed under: News

Now we know why the PSP is selling so well in Japan. It's all because the PSP can double as a gaming device and a cleverly disguised covert camera for train perverts. Just like what happened in this shameful story of a 59-year old Nagoya technical college deputy head, who allegedly took some upskirt shots of a 19-year old female.

The incident happened on the Nagoya Kintetsu train line. The local TV news constructed the images seen above which retell how the crime went down. As for the fate of the old dirty man, he's been arrested under Japan's anti-stalking laws. The PSP has probably been confiscated.

[Via Destructoid]

Deal of the Day: Crisis Core for $26

Filed under: Final Fantasy

Online retailer amazon.com is offering the PSP-exclusive prequel to Final Fantasy VII for only $26 -- that's $14 off its standard price. This limited time deal won't last long, so those that missed out on this adventure may want to jump on this deal.

[Thanks, Peter D.!]

This Open Tee 2 vid is all about online play

Filed under: Hot Shots Golf, Video

Here's a pretty video clip showcasing some of that online gameplay from Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2. There is a robust 16-player online mode for gamers to take part in, and there's also an 8-player ad hoc mode. Of course, if you're planning on not doing any of those things, then there's still the single player game -- it's not going to just get up and run out on you. Open Tee 2 comes out this June 3, so it won't be long before you start hitting the course again on your PSP ... or have the urge to buy yourself some plaid pants.