SO much good going on here, it’s hard to know where to begin, although this presser’s a bit long and has some snoozy moments. Then again, unlike Microsoft forgetting ALL about it’s “last-gen” consumers, Sony gets in nods to the ps3 while expanding the base with that lovely $99 Vita TV, coming sooner than many thought. I’ll shut up now and let you watch it all, but expect some commentary later on individual titles as I find time to talk about them… enjoy!
Tag Archives: PSP
Gallery: Game Library Odds & Ends (Mostly Odds)…

Hokay, I have some ‘splainin’ to do here:
I’ve played both Kane & Lynch Dead Men and Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, but I’ve never actually owned the first game until a few weeks back when I saw this in a stack of games some guy was selling at a sidewalk sale. Two bucks? No problem. As for the much maligned Aliens: Colonial Marines? I never played the demo and didn’t see that footage everyone says was mocked up and not representative of the final product, so the whole controversy went over my scalp. That said, I nabbed this sealed with ALMOST all the collector’s edition goodies (no Power Loader) for ten bucks, which may seem like too much based on the acid spewed upon the game worldwide. I’ve only played about an hour and while it’s far from great, as a FPS, it’s got some fun bits here and there. My money is on Alien Isolation being a more compelling experience and provided the dopes lurking and jerking on message boards REALIZE that the new game is from a C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E-L-Y different development team known for all of their games being solid experiences through and through.
Remember Me? Yes, Nilin… I do, my dear. I played the PC version (thanks, Capcom!) and loved it for the most part. Capcom also kindly sent me the Xbox 360 version, but I couldn’t play it when I got it thanks to my two busted 360’s collecting dust here. So, I gifted it to a friend so he’d crack it open (and let me review it at his place, of course) and ended up picking up the PS3 version recently for about five times less than what it retailed for last year. As for Silent Hill: Book of Memories? I love Wayforward’s games and the demo of this Vita exclusive was interesting in a “Hey, it’s like Diablo, but NOT!” manner. A few levels in, and I read that the game is pretty much the same thing from beginning to end, but has a level cap and some other stuff that makes it a bit tedious. I haven’t reached that point yet, but thanks for the forewarning, Internet… Continue reading
Natsume Keeps The PSP Flame Alive With End of Serenity!
The PSP has become the handheld that just won’t die even though I’d gather that the bulk of owners have moved onto the Vita. On the other hand, I have three PSP’s here and one Vita and some months, one of those older handhelds gets more usage than the newer, pricier one. Anyway, like last year’s sleeper hit, Mystic Chronicles, Natsume’s upcoming RPG End of Serenity started life as a mobile phone game in Japan and is making it overseas this summer as a digital release via PSN. Although the game will make an appearance at this year’s E3, I won’t be there, so I’ll be like the rest of you intrigued about this old-school JRPG and snapping it up when it drops as a download. If the latter game was any indication, gamers can expect a very long and highly challenging JRPG that looks and plays like it belongs on a 16-bit console (which is always a great thing in my book).
More news to come once Natsume rattles my inbox some more – stay tuned…
Valhalla Knights, Free Ahead of Vallhalla Knights 3? THANKS, Xseed Games!
Well, now… this is really cool news on an otherwise crappy shutdown filled day. TO celebrate the October 15 launch of Valhalla Knights 3, Xseed Games is giving fans a REAL treat in the form of a 100% FREE download of the first game in the series. Valhalla Knights is now available on PSN for nothing at all until October 21, 2013. In other words, if you’ve a PSP or Vita handy (it’ll work on either handheld) and a PlayStation Network account you can get downloading NOW and check out where it all began.And nope, you DON’T need a PlayStation Plus account to take advantage of this awesome freebie!
I’ve already played this one a few years ago, but it was the UK version and those saves aren’t compatible with the North American version. That comes into play here as I recently scored a bunch of used Memory Stick Duo cards and one card had a VK save file I couldn’t access. Now I can hop into those old saves and see if the former owner had a decent party setup (before overwriting them with my own saves, of course)…
Mystic Chronicles on PSN Today: It’s Your Blast of Retro JRPG Goodness for July
Well, it SHOULD be up and ready to buy shortly, as I’m getting error messages when I try to download my review code, bleh. This seems to always happen with PSN, as it seems that SCEA updates it during the day with content as opposed to at a fixed time, so one has to keep trying until that code is accepted. Oh well, I guess I can try again in the next few hours while I have access to a decent connection. Otherwise, it’ll be a case of “Tomorrow is another day!” Which reminds me: memo to Scarlett O’Hara, you’re pretty and all… but man are you a dope sometimes! “Fiddle dee dee!” indeed…
Class of Heroes II Out Now – There Goes Your Summer (Part 1)…
I was going to start this post with a supremely pompous sounding “From the ashes of Working Designs…” or something like that (I had music picked out, wine, cheese and everything all set, too!), but there’s a darn good chance the the people who want this (and have already paid for it) know that company’s history to the letter (or don’t care because they’re getting a new PSP game) and the ones who don’t know that history (or care at all for JRPGs) aren’t going to give a hoot in hell about the whos and whats of WD. Anyway, thanks to Gaijinworks, MonkeyPaw Games, Acquire and of course, developer Zerodiv for baking this one up. Anyway, that old PSP you’ve got under your socks and underwear in the drawer (and I hope to Hephaestus that those holy garments are clean, eww) is still getting games, so yeah – buy this and watch the hours melt away (but not the pounds if you totally veg out and never see sunlight, silly)…
Play Responsibly – that’s my new sign off for these time crushing epics… at least for the rest of the evening…
Class of Heroes 2 Pre-Sales Now Live (Via Amazon ONLY, Unfortunately!)…
While it’s absolutely great to see Gaijinworks finally get this game out in a GREAT physical/digital pack for a measly $36.99 (with shipping!), the SOLE payment option (Amazon, via credit card ONLY, no Amazon credits, sorry!) means folks like me who don’t use credit cards are going to be holding out longer for the digital-only (boo!) PSN version to ship before we can actually buy this one.
Sure, I get that it’s much easier for the company to set up and deal with than multiple payment types (and those assorted fees they’d need to pay, plus PayPal’s stupid in general manner of doing business), but it also means they’re not going to see those pre-sales sell as fast as they should at the end of the day. So yeah… so much for that convenient Paypal option for those of us stuck with money burning a hole in our accounts or anyone with Amazon credit looking to polish that off.
Griping aside, a poke around the forums reveals that the game seems to be pre-selling well enough that Vic Ireland isn’t sweating the loss of a few cranky jerks like me who want to throw him our money but can’t – yet. Still, I hope to hell that we see some way we can get the game without paying a shit-mint on eBay for. And of course, there are people already “selling” the game there when it hasn’t even been produced yet. Well, a fool and his money are sooner parted than later, right? Anyway, looks as if I’ll have to “settle” for a digital version when the game is released.
Mystic Chronicles: Meet The Heroes (1): Four On The Floor, Ready For Action…
With Kemco’s “old-school” JRPG Mystic Chronicles coming to the PSP this summer from Natsume, the company is dropping a few names and giving players a chance to meet the cast and learn a little bit about them. Say hello to them below and check out the screenshot gallery I posted back in February for some images of the gameplay. All we need now are some videos of this in action and that particular triangle is completed…
Anyway, here they are:

Lux is the main character of Mystic Chronicles, and the player will control him for the majority of the game. This young man may seem like a simple village boy, but he’s surrounded by a mysterious past that may come back to haunt him. He’s very close to his sister, Fina…
Fina is a nun who players will meet early in the story. Strangely, this woman of the cloth looks a lot like Lux’s sister, Fina. Is there some sort of connection between the two ladies? Lux is determined to find out…

Ray is a mysterious member of the ancientDarkClan – and whether that connection will be blessed or cursed remains to be seen…

Alberto has known Lux since he was a child. A mentor to the youth and a captain in the Holos Guild, Alberto’s guidance will become pivotal in some of the difficult decisions Lux’s journey will lead him to make.
Hmmm… My nostalgia sense is REALLY tingling now… all we need is a release date. Natsume won’t disappoint on that end, but you’ll need to wait a bit because that’s how they roll. Back with more on Mystic Chronicles as news arrives – stay tuned…
Review: Carnage Heart EXA
Platform: PlayStation Portable/PlayStation Vita
Developer: Artdink
Publisher: Natsume
# of Players: 1 – 2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Score: A-
Not for those with short attention spans, casual gamers, or anyone looking for a quick weekend fix, Carnage Heart EXA is one of those games that will find its audience among the select few gamers that crave something with depth and a level of challenge that’s going to be daunting to the more action-crazy crowd. The game isn’t “easy” at all, but rewards patience and persistence as it teaches you how to program a growing army of mechs and let them loose against the crafty AI the story mode throws at you. Outside of the 3D battles, the game is also a visual novel that tells a fairly straightforward tale that has drama, humor and even a bit of love story going on, all rendered in some very pretty still images. The mix will seem odd to those new to this style of game, but this blend of simulation and story has been a common thing in Japan for quite some time. Continue reading
Black Rock Shooter: The Game Trailers: Girl Power, PSP-Bound…
FINALLY, after a long delay, this 2011 PSP anime action game from developer Image Epoch is coming stateside courtesy of Nippon Ichi Software America. It’s one of those imports I’ve been waiting to play in English just so I can find out what’s up with the story and characters without having to dig out a few dictionaries and translation aids. Anyway, April 23, 2013 seems to be the date to watch out for on PSN in North America (and April 24 overseas), so I’ll do just that. Update! NISA just posted a new trailer right after the one above, so you get another look at more of the game (and some gameplay!):
Now, I just need to decide WHICH of my three PSP’s to download the game onto. I’ll probably end up using the newer model and/or my Vita if the game is compatible.

