Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce trailer, now in English

Filed under: Video

Does Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce seem like a DW game to you? After having watched this English trailer (posted after the break), it certainly feels far from anything we've come to know of the series. It looks like the title graduated from the Monster Hunter academy of game design because, frankly, the large mythical creatures and emphasis on 4-player co-op are elements more familiar to another popular series. We'll see how things stand when the title releases in North America next year.

Continue reading Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce trailer, now in English

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce trailer, now in English originally appeared on PSP Fanboy on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PSP-3000 sold over 140K in first four days

Filed under: News

PSP Brite is now out worldwide, so how's it doing everywhere else? In Japan (where the PSP is the sacred deity of 4-player co-op), it seems that not too many are catching on to the new hardware; only 141,270 units were sold in the first four days of sale (Oct. 16-19).

As PSPHyper points out, these numbers are not that impressive when compared to the PSP Slim's initial sales numbers which were 250,702 for the first week with 130K of that from the first day alone. With relatively slow sales figures and seemingly disastrous performance issues, it looks like the PSP Brite is getting off to a very rough start.

[Via PSPHyper]

PSP-3000 sold over 140K in first four days originally appeared on PSP Fanboy on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PSP Fanboy review: Star Ocean: First Departure

Filed under: Reviews, Star Ocean

RPG fanatics have probably heard this tale before, but there's a bit of history behind the very first Star Ocean game. Back in 1995, a majority of the team that created Tales of Phantasia (which was released stateside on the Game Boy Advance back in 2006) left Namco due to creative differences. The team moved onto Tri-Ace, whose debut title was Star Ocean. One of the last games for the aging Super Famicom, the RPG pushed the console to its limits in terms of the cartridge size and graphics. The game even had limited voice-acting, which was unheard of (no pun intended) in those days. The question is, does this remake of the first game in the classic franchise have what it takes to stand out in the portable gaming market?

Gallery: Star Ocean: The First Departure

Continue reading PSP Fanboy review: Star Ocean: First Departure

PSP Fanboy review: Star Ocean: First Departure originally appeared on PSP Fanboy on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tom Clancy's EndWar coming to PSP this November

Filed under: News

Ubisoft is bringing yet another Tom Clancy game to the handhelds. This time, EndWar is getting the PSP treatment. The upcoming game takes place during World War III. Players take control of the U.S. Joint Strike Force, European Enforcers Corps or Russian Spetsnaz Guards Brigade in three separate (but intertwined) campaigns. Each campaign includes over 30 battle scenarios taking place on real-world battlefields including Paris and London.

EndWar also features two-player versus multiplayer mode, including additional missions specifically designed for multiplayer battles. There's also a mission editor, which allows players to share and create custom battlefields and scenarios. Expect EndWar on November 4th.

Gallery: Tom Clancy's EndWar

Tom Clancy's EndWar coming to PSP this November originally appeared on PSP Fanboy on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Worldwide PSP releases for the week of October 19

Filed under: Software

We could definitely get used this. Four games release this week for North America. The big winner is definitely Star Ocean: First Departure. Here's the full list:

NA Games:

• Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant
• Midnight Club: LA Remix
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
• Star Ocean: First Departure

EU Games:

• Midnight Club: LA Remix
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
• Star Ocean: First Departure

Asian Games

• Bleach: Soul Carnival
• Crimsongem Saga
• DJ Max Portable Emotional Sense - Clazziquai Edition [Special Package]
• Garnet Chronicle
• Gundam Battle Chronicle (PSP the Best)
• Minna de Dokusho: Keatai Shousetsu Desu
• Moeru Mahjong: Moejong! [Premium Box]
• SD Gundam G Generation Portable (PSP the Best)
• SSX on Tour (EA Best Hits)

Yet again, we'll have to congratulate Asia on its dominating quantity of new titles.

Neverland Card Battles hits retail Oct. 28

Filed under: News

Neverland Card Battles looks like another game that S-RPG fans would want to sink their teeth into. We've played it previously (check out our hands-on), and we think it's a fun title. Yuke's finally announced a release date for the game; that's October 28 for North America. That's only 10 days away. To keep yourself busy until then, have a look at trailers here and here.

[Via press release]

Ask PSP Fanboy: Volume 43

Filed under: Ask PSP Fanboy

It's the end of the week, which calls for a new volume of Ask PSP Fanboy! Each week we'll collect your questions, and each weekend a new volume of Ask PSP Fanboy will appear on the front page. If you've got a question, send an email to justin.eaton @ weblogsinc .com with the subject "Ask PSP Fanboy."

Q. The PSP-3000 comes out in October - When do you think Sony will release some information about the PSP 2?
A. We've got a while before we start hearing official information about a revamped PSP. Sony should remain focused on the PSP-3000 through much of 2009.

Q. Will the PlayStation Portable ever rumble?
A. Adding rumble to the Playstation Portable would require another hardware refresh, unless third party manufacturers were able to develop an add-on device. With the amount of time it took Sony to bring rumble to the SIXAXIS controllers, I'd say we've got a while before rumble makes it's way to the PSP.

Q. Can you explain why MP4 videos play on the PSP, and why MKVs, DivX, Xvid or AVI are not supported besides not having the codec? Is there a hardware dependency that the PSP would require so the video does not play slow, lag or have a stuttering effect?
A. The hardware isn't limited, Sony simply hasn't added support for the various codecs. It may be the system's limited memory (can it fit all the codecs on the 32MB relegated to firmware use?). Or, it may be licensing issues: Sony had to pay for DivX on PS3 -- will they want to do the same on PSP? The PSP is a powerful handheld. If these codecs are used, there's no reason you'd see lag or stuttering.

Continue reading Ask PSP Fanboy: Volume 43

American PSN Store update for October 16th

Filed under: Store

Check out that headline. Finally PSP owners have graduated from the "better than nothing" PC Store to the ultra-sexy direct PSP Store. Content updates don't seem to have substantially improved for either region (Europe saw no new PSP content yet again, this week), but Rome wasn't built in a day. American PSP owners will be able to grab two new UMD Legacy titles, a PS1 game and a demo. If you're interested in funny games that didn't sell well enough, Dead Head Fred is your best bet for this week. Here's the full list:

• Dead Head Fred full PSP game ($14.99)
• PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient full PSP game ($14.99)
• Sno-Cross Championship Racing PS1 game ($5.99)
• Lego Batman demo (free)

PSP2 concept is far cooler than the reality will ever be

Filed under: Fan Stuff

Look at that floppy screen. We want it. This PSP2 concept is certainly very pretty, but don't get too excited. We'd be very surprised if this ever exists. We're not sure where the concept images come from, but we found them over at the technology site DVICE. Check out the fold-away screen and the (dual analogue, naturally) controls on the cylindrical body. We're not sure how practical it would be, but it certainly looks great.

There are more images to see over at DVICE. PSP2 may or may not be in development but we'd put money on this not being the final design. The price alone would be incredibly prohibitive (though judging from the PS3, that wouldn't worry Sony). Still, we'd be willing to pay a considerable amount if it really could play Resident Evil 5, as the images suggest.

Shonen Jump reveals Final Fantasy Agito XIII battle screen

Filed under: News, Final Fantasy

We've known for some time that Final Fantasy Agito XIII will be using a modified version of the ATB system used in Crisis Core, but now we finally have the first screenshot of how that battle system will look like, thanks to the latest issue of Shonen Jump. The headline of this short article confirms that multiplayer will be a big focus for the game -- earlier reports indicate both Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc multiplayer will be included -- this will sit well with Japanese PSP owners who seem to love the Ad-Hoc mode in games like Phantasy Star Portable. Check out the full scans over at PSPHyper.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, The 3rd Birthday TGS trailers leaked

Filed under: Kingdom Hearts

That gorgeous girl above is Aya Brea, the star of the Parasite Eve series of games, in a concept drawing for the latest game in the franchise, The 3rd Birthday . According to Siliconera, the upcoming PSP exclusive (mobile phone version has been scrapped) will be developed by Hexadrive, who was responsible for Rez HD.

What's more, we've got the leaked TGS trailers for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and The 3rd Birthday. The Birth by Sleep one is quite the long one, and it begins at about the 2:00 mark -- it includes both cut scenes and gameplay -- most of us haven't seen the game in action, so this is quite a treat. The trailer for The 3rd Birthday, is considerably less exciting, with no gameplay, but keep in mind this is the first trailer. Check them out after the jump.

Source -- Siliconera
Source -- Youtube

[Thanks, dsvw56!]

Continue reading Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, The 3rd Birthday TGS trailers leaked

TGS 08: Patapon 2: bigger, badder and more badass

Filed under: Patapon

How big is Patapon 2? Well, take the original game ... and then multiply it by two. The upcoming PSP-exclusive sequel will feature a staggering amount of content which makes the original seem rather diminutive. While the first featured 37 levels, Patapon 2 Don Chaka will feature over 80. There were 187 weapons and items in the original -- and over 500 in the new game. Not only that, Patapon 2 will also feature a new multiplayer mode.

While critics and fans have embraced Patapon's unique gameplay, the new content expansion should make the sequel much more appealing to newcomers and veterans alike. The core gameplay remains largely untouched -- each of the face buttons represents a certain sound, and pressing button combinations to the beat will command the Patapon to march, retreat and attack. However, they've added a new twist to the formula. Enter: the Hero Patapon.

Players wanted a more personal interaction with their Patapon. With the Hero Patapon, they'll get just that. The Hero has an expanded set of moves and greater HP, making it far deadlier than the standard Patapon. While Patapon were fairly expendable in the original, players will want the Hero to stay alive. As it can be named by the player, many may think of it as their own unique "pet" in the game.

Gallery: Patapon 2

Continue reading TGS 08: Patapon 2: bigger, badder and more badass

TGS 08 hands-on: Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

Filed under: Previews

When we first heard of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce (back then it was known by its Asian version name Multi Raid) we didn't think it would be coming over to Western shores. So, it was a nice surprise to see a little press release letting us know that the PSP exclusive will in fact be making a North American and European debut in 2009. Armed with that knowledge, we decided it might be worthwhile checking out the game on the show floor.

We picked up the playable demo. There were three characters available for play: Xiahou Dun, Zhao Yun and Sun Shang Xiang; they were all dressed up in their Dynasty Warriors 6 outfits. We chose to play as Zhao Yun and then picked out a map. The load time was fairly tolerable not taking more than a few seconds. Once the stage loaded up, we noticed that the graphics were not that much different from previous DW games on PSP; the character models look actually slightly blockier though.

Gallery: Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

Continue reading TGS 08 hands-on: Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

TGS 08: Have a look at Irem's Disaster Report PSP

Filed under: Fan Stuff

Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3 (Disaster Report PSP) is a PSP exclusive for Japan that was shown off at TGS this past week. Despite it being only shown in video format, Irem booth goers who wanted to check it out did end up with quite a treat and a smile on their faces. Irem's booth featured an earthquake simulator (pictured) which shook gamers as a video demonstration showed them how the game works. It looked like a rather interesting experience, though we didn't get time to sit down and ride the monster.

While you can't experience the thrill of that machine to help get you better acquainted with Disaster Report PSP, you can do the alternative. You can check out our gallery for 16 all-new pics from the game and perhaps, if you want to, just shake in your seat.

Gallery: Zettai Zetumei Toshi 3

Deal: PSP Limited Edition Madden NFL 09 bundle for $170

Filed under: Madden

With the PSP Brite coming out today, it seems like retailers are ready to slash the prices of their old inventory. The Madden NFL 09 Entertainment Pack, which includes a cool blue limited edition PSP, is today's Amazon Goldbox deal. Originally retailing for $199.99, you can now purchase exactly one bundle (offer is limited to one per customer) at the discounted price of $169.98 with free shipping. Like all Goldbox deals, the discount disappears when the allotted number of the product has been sold. Take advantage of the deal here.

What? You want to see an unboxing before you buy it? We've got the unboxing gallery for you below.

[Thanks, David B.!]

Gallery: Blue PSP Unboxing

TGS trailer for Final Fantasy Agito XIII leaked

Filed under: Final Fantasy

A brand new poster has been revealed for Final Fantasy Agito XIII. The cropped version is above but you can view the full version here. It appears to be a cloaked CG version of the students from this older illustration.

Fresh out of TGS, a trailer has also been leaked. According to the poster, this is a truncated version of a trailer shown last year, so this was created before the PSP version was announced. It still looks pretty cool, so we've got it for you right after the break.

[Via FFXIII.net]

Continue reading TGS trailer for Final Fantasy Agito XIII leaked