Want even more Kratos? Well, here you go! Ready at Dawn and Sony Santa Monica Studios are doing wonders with the PSP hardware as you can see in these massive (and massively gorgeous) screens. Best-looking PSP game to date, I say (and it plays pretty damn well to boot!). Between this, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Persona 3 Portable and a bunch of other excellent exclusives, it’s definitely looking like the best year for Sony’s handheld wonder.
One of the things that irks me as a collector of games is this trend of releasing certain console and portable titles as download-only product (grrrr!). While it’s indeed great for those folks who feel no need to have a physical product, the simple fact is some of us out there would like the choice to have one or the other (or even both in some cases). Heck, what if you’re in an area without decent (or any) broadband access or just want the simple pleasure of actually reading a manual you can hold in your hot little hands?
Don’t get me wrong, folks – the ability to pay for and download new games and game content works amazingly well for those gamers who don’t give a hoot about the above issues, but SOME games would actually enjoy a much LARGER user base IF they were made available in as many (legal) forms as possible (grrr!). Yeah, that means you too, Konami (the otherwise superb Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment SHOULD also get a darn disc release on the Xbox 360 AND PS3 for those of use who want it! grrrr!!!)
Platform: PSP/PSP go
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
# of Players: 1
Rating: T (Teen)
Score: A
Revised back into its original version with the bonus Snow Queen quest and reworked to include new over world maps, anime cut scenes and music, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is one of the deepest, most cerebral RPGs currently available on the PSP. Atlus went all out with this updated version of the 1996 classic that introduced US audiences to the SMT series, making it accessible to players who came late to the party with Persona 3 and 4 while retaining its distinct visual style and gameplay. New players to the series should absolutely grab this version for its memorable characters and the offbeat mix of dramatic and humorous elements while those gamers who have played the original should also snap up the game, as familiarity absolutely won’t breed discontent.
Xseed Games is at it again, folks. They’ve got a lot of nerve, ONLY letting us in on the cool official Half-Minute Hero web site on such short notice before its October 13 release date! Hmph… it’s as if they think their newest game is supposed to be some sort of riff on classic RPGs with rapid-fire 30-second battles and oodles of ridiculously addictive fun in single and multiplayer modes or something AND with a killer metal soundtrack to boot. Geez… darn publishers and their half-baked ideas!
Of course, I’m kidding about hating on Xseed, kids – go get a copy of HMH the half-minute it comes out, or you’ll be sorry! Oh… and get a copy of Ju-on: The Grudge as well – it’ll scare your Wii right off of its stand and right under the couch (along with you and the family pet)!
Sometimes all you need is a little push. But if you’re already there, you can always learn some more handy tips, right? Well, courtesy of Atlus and its upcoming PSP/PSPgo beat ’em up Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble, here you go:
I bet you’re all excited as you click away over to to the PSN Store about the mind-blowing prospect of having a REALLY big box delivered by the Fed Ex guy, huh? Well, guess what: that’s not a REAL Nissan 2009 GT-R Spec V in Metallic Blue you’ll be getting, Speed Racer. Nope, it’s a great in-game ride you can stick in your burgeoning garage and use to rake in even more rides, though. With over 800 cars and 35 tracks, this warn up for GT5 is something I’ll be hooked into for a while, that’s for sure…
Oh, the free car deal expires on October 15, 2009 – so get your cash and get this NON-clunker for your PSP or PSP go today!
Platform: PSP/PSPgo
Developer: Hydrovision
Publisher: Playlogic
# of Players 1 (Wi-Fi: 1-2)
Rating: M (Mature)
Official Site
Score: B
Even if you’ve never played the original Obscure on the PC, PS2 or Xbox, Obscure: The Aftermath makes for a great slice of survival horror now available in portable form on the PSP. This scary single or co-op experience puts you in the shoes of a handful of college-age jock, loner and babe types who set to put an end to a deadly plague of sorts brought on by ingestion of some rather nasty black flowers. There’s a lot more to the plot than that, but this is one of those games where telling too much kills a few key plot twists. Despite a few visual bumps in the code, the game both looks and plays great on the handheld and overall, it’s a hellish ride well worth taking… provided you don’t mind the “B” movie silliness some of the dialog provides.
Two horror-themed titles have shipped for next week’s big release hoedown doozy of a game avalanche. There are also a ton of cool games in other different genres coming as well next Tuesday (and onward), so here’s a quick heads-up for you on some of what I’m looking forward to:
Dead Space Extraction (Wii) and Obscure: the Aftermath (PSP)are headed to retail on September 29th (as are Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga (Wii) and a bunch of other stuff I’ll post once I find time to compile the listing). Anyway, here’s a bit more on both titles (and a nice trailer for the Obscure sequel)…
Oh Noes! Well, in case you didn’t pre-order the retail version of SMT: Persona and were hoping to look all cool sliding open your PSP GO! on the subway to play the game you downloaded early the morning of September 22… you’re in for a bit of a shock. The digital download version of the game has been slightly delayed to an October 1, 2009 launch over the PlayStation Network.
Which sort of means if you DON’T have a PSP GO!, it might make a whole lot of sense to drop by your local game emporium and snag the cool pre-order bonuses that come with the boxed version (as the press release below kind of hints at…)
Once again, Atlus is giving RPG fans the love with a super-cool premium item AND a nice way to kick off the launch of Sony’s upcoming PSP GO! handheld. The remake of the classic PSOne RPG, Shin Megami Tensei Persona will get a simultaneous release in UMD format on the PSP as well as a download version for the PSP GO! on September 22, 2009.
Atlus isn’t letting PSP GO! owners get the really cool stuff, however (although Persona IS a truly deep and mind-bending RPG any discerning genre fan should play). Gamers who pre-order the retail release of SMT:P through retailers such as Amazon or GameStop will get a nice bonus: a 2-disc soundtrack composed by Shoji Meguro. They’ll also get the cool Collector’s Edition box it all comes in, as Atlus doesn’t want gamers walking home holding those CD’s over your head if it happens to rain on launch day… Continue reading
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 