Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play first impression

Yesterday evening I had a hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play (the "PlayStation" phone) at the London #XperiaMWC event.

The Xperia Play is the only new Xperia not to share the same DNA as the Pro, Arc and Neo. It doesn't have a Bravia reality engine, nor does it have the cracking 8MP Exmor R backlit sensor that graces the back of the other Xperia phones.

As a gaming device, the Xperia Play houses a slider that contains the gamepad, not too dissimilar to Sony's PSP Go. Here you will find the four directional pad, dual touchpad (to simulate dual-analog on PS1 games), four action buttons (with classic none-coloured PlayStation shapes), start/select buttons and a another button that I assume emulates the analog button of the original PlayStation Dual Analog controller.

I found the buttons to be small. In fact smaller even than those you find on the original DS Lite. Tactile feedback isn't particularly good, particularly the shoulder trigger buttons. It isn't the most comfortable portable console out there, though I do have to stress that it is the only modern (and small) smartphone with a built-in gamepad.

The body was mainly made of plastic (in fact all the Xperias were mainly made of plastic). This was likely a design decision to not only keep costs down, but also to keep the weight down. Fortunately while it felt cheap, the built quality was great. The slider was solid and did not wobble or creak. How long will it last is another matter.

The Xperia Play contains an ageing Adreno 205 GPU and 1Ghz Scorpion processor. While no slouch by itself, the effect of using such an outdated architecture was immediately felt when gaming. Games like Asphalt 6 was slow to boot and suffered from frame drop outs. Not only that but I took issue with how Gameloft did not optimise the interface to be used with the gamepad. At times I am required to use the d-pad to navigate and sometimes I am forced to use the touchscreen.

On the upside it was obvious how much the gamepad (however bad it is) improves upon mobile gaming. Touchscreen gaming gaining traction lately, but the lack of controls has always hindered gameplay. Even a simple Gameloft game (and people know how much I hate Gameloft games), was much more enjoyable because I do not have to resort to on-screen buttons to do tasks, or use the dreadful accelerometer to move. I see more of the screen as well as it isn't blocked by the large thumbs.

No doubt by the time the Xperia Play launches, games optimised for the Xperia Play's architecture and unique gamepad will appear. Only time will tell if gamers will be tempted to ditch their PSP and DS, or away from the 3DS and pending PSP2/NGP for the Xperia Play, but for everyone else - the lure of the PlayStation brand could sell them this device, or at least that is what Sony Ericsson are hoping.

Sony PSP2 NGP unveiled

Sony today announced the PSP2 codenamed, Next Generation Portable (NPG). So far the following specs has been confirmed:

Quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor (clock speed not revealed)
SGX543MP4+ GPU
5" OLED display with 960x544 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio)
Dual analogue sticks
Front multi-touch touchscreen
Rear multi-touch touchpad
3G and WiFi 802.11b/g/n
Six-axis gyroscope and accelerometer
Three-axis electronic compass for geolocation games and services
Front and back camera for Augmented/Alternative Reality Games (ARG)

The PSP2 NGP will not accept PSP UMDs. Instead Sony has unveiled a new form of flash memory card designed for the PSP2 NGP. Save files will be stored onto these cards, not unlike the methods employed by Nintendo for their portable consoles. The PSP2 NGP is said to be capable of crunching visuals almost on par to that of the PS3.

So far games from the Uncharted, Killzone, Hot Shots Golf, LittleBigPlanet, WipEout, Resistance, Call of Duty franchise has been announced for the PSP2 NGP.

No price has been given, but I think it won't be cheap. It is due out Q4 2011.

20% off consoles offer at Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's is having a 20% off consoles offer that is brilliant for people who prefer to get their consoles and games the a la carte way.

Amazon UK is selling the Nintendo DSi for £139.99, but Sainsbury's selling it for £119.97 - a saving of £20!

The PSP-3000, which normally costs £129.99, is being sold for £119.99 - a decent saving of about £10 even if it comes with some Hannah something game. Still you are better off getting the Dissidia: Final Fantasy bundle for £10 more if you are planning on getting that anyway (I do suggest so as it is a brilliant game).

The Wii console bundle with Wii Motion Plus, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort is priced at £135.99, a saving of about £30 compared to Amazon's price of £164.99.

And finally, the new 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim has a RRP of £249.99, but is a snip at only £199.99 at Sainsbury's, making this the best none-bundled PS3 deal you can find in the UK at this time. Also, don't forget that ever important cheap HDMI cable (sorry What Hi-Fi, your expensive HDMI cable is better is a load of bollocks).

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (PSP) review

The original PlayStation Revelations: Persona was a great game but sadly very rare. The localisation was actually pretty awful as well, so it was great to see Atlus finally making do for their western fans (well America anyway, no idea yet as to when this will be released in Europe - so as usual hit the usual import stores). The PSP version of Persona is basically an enchanced port of the original game with some new features added on that makes an already compelling game even sweeter.

There is a new soundtrack for one. Personally I prefer the original soundtrack more, but Shoji Meguro's new 'modern' score isn't too bad. I guess they wanted to invite the new fans, those who are more familiar with Persona 3 and 4. The models used for characters does not seem to have received significant upgrade, if at all. On the other hand, the remake does feature new FMV cutscenes, a far improvement over the original clunky CG video. Also, unlike the PS1 localisation, Persona for PSP features the Snow Queen Quest, an alternative storyline to the main plot - something I have always wanted to play but could not bother with the Japanese version.

Unlike the slow build up seen in the later games, Persona storyline begins almost immediatelty, which was kinda disappointing. I was hoping Atlus would have modernised the storyline and dialogue a little bit (still cheesy as ever), but at least the localisation is more faithful (no longer is the game set in America for one). The game begins with the silent main characterand his friends in a classroom playing a game called 'Persona' when they find themselves knocked unconsious. Whilst still unconsious, they were visited by a masked man called Philemon, who bestowes them the ability to summon Personas.

In the meantime strange things has started to occur throughout town. This is caused by a machine, invented by a stereotypical evil corporation SEBEC, that allows for creation and passage into other alternate dimensions. Demons soon start to appear and it is up to you and your party to stop these evil geniuses from causing further mayhems and reverting the town to its original self before the dimensional rifts. It may not seem at all original, but trust me the game is worth playing for its storyline.

Persona for PSP has three difficulty levels, a new feature not seen in the original game. Seasoned RPG gamers should probably start with the high difficulty setting, as normal setting is pretty darn easy. There are more save points than before as well. Each characters can hold multiple Personas (summons) as well, unlike the recent games. As before the characters and their Personas earn EXP independently, so levelling up depends on how much the gamer uses each characters. Combat and general chit chatting takes place on an isometric 3D field, where as exploration is via a first person 3D field map. Unlike the original, where the city is rendered in untextured polygons, the remake features a lovely looking easier to navigate 2D rendered map.

The visuals has been upgraded, but only slightly and pretty much resembling the original PS1 visuals. The 3D rendered dungeons looks significantly smoother, with slightly better textures. The interface during combat (a pull down menu now) has been updated, and does not look as clunky as it was. Atlus has unfortunately left the sprites alone. Even the character cutouts are seriously outdated. It isn't a pretty sight to be honest, but it will do. Getting a definitive Persona game is better than the botched PS1 version, so I guess we all should be thankful that Atlus bothered to bring this over in the first place.

The game also features a demon negotiating system where you can earn demon spell cards. These spell cards can then be traded with Igor in the Velvet Room(s), who will then fuse a new Persona (two cards are needed). This works by conversing with the demons (contact). Each demons have their own unique personality and depending on the demon's reaction, it will offer you rewards such as EXP, loots or spell cards. Piss it off, or scare it and it may attack back or just bugger off.

The random encounter rate can get annoying. At times taking just two steps would trigger an encounter. It gets annoying, and this is from someone who played plenty of Japanese RPG in his lifetime. As I said earlier that Persona is pretty easy, but getting ambushed isn't something you would like. There are moments where it would be better to restart the game than continue attempting to save your party. Thankfully save spots are plentiful. Regardless K.O.'ed party members are automatically revived after each successful encounter.

New fans of Persona series will find the lack of social links a disappointment. Instead this is a pure dungeon crawler like those older Shin Megami Tensei games. Exploring mazes through first person mode is a huge chore and the mini map helps a little. Thankfully Persona 2 ditched the first person mode. Combats are random though the encounter rate will depend highly on the moon phase. The moon's phase may also have an effect on the creation of a Persona demon.

The game's replayability is high due to its multiple endings. As previously mentioned, there is also the alternative Snow Queen Quest. Also like before you will have the option to pick from a list of four, the fifth member of your party. Getting Reiji (Chris in the PlayStation localisation) is still a lengthy process, but probably worth it for first timers who do not want to miss out when doing the main SEBEC quest.

All in all, Persona for PSP is a brilliant game, one worth the attention of veterans of the old classics as well as those introduced via Persona 3 and 4. It is a definitive upgrade over the old classic, and best of all, you get to play it whenever and wherever you want. Now if enough of you buys this, Atlus will see that there is a market out there and will hopefully remake both Persona 2 titles as well.

Gran Turismo (PSP) review

Announced in 2004 as Gran Turismo 4 Mobile, Gran Turismo was initially pegged as launch title for the new PSP. A couple of years and three PSP revisions later, Polyphony Digital has finally shipped the game early this month. Is it worth the wait? Well read on.

To be honest with you I have never been a huge fan of Gran Turismo series. I am more of an arcade racer, preferring something like OutRun or MotorStorm, than a full driving simulator. Gran Turismo for PSP is still a driving simulator, but has elements that makes it such an arcade-fan pleaser. For one the career mode has been scrapped. Many has moaned about the lack of career mode, but as a portable pick-me-up title it makes so much sense to allow gamers to pick up the game and do a quick lap or two, rather than spend an entire bus journey fiddling around with the suspension, tyre pressure and what-nots.

The gameplay has been simplified. There are no upgrades, no career/campaign mode - just quick race, challenges and drifting. Cars are bought using credits, that are earned in quick races. To purchase a new car, the player has to wait for the appropriate manufacturer dealer to appear on the day. It isn't random, though it appears so at first. A small number of dealer appears every other day with a small selection of car models for sale. Miss it and you will have to wait for the cycle to repeat itself - which can be a frustrating experience. Fortunately credits are easy to obtain and you can always spend a half an hour or so on the test course farming a million credits. Tuning is available in a simplified form, which includes aerodynamics and customising the tyres. Controls are dead simple, d-pad and analog pad for steering and the rest can be customised to suit each player's need.

Car handling varies greatly among all the vehicles, as they should. A.I. opponents are a hit and miss, most will tend to stick to the racing line though some will attempt to use your vehicle's slip stream to gain advantage. The leaning curve of the game obviously depends, and with practice, is easy to get with grips with though mastering each and every vehicle would be quite a chore. A.I. opponents are selected based on your vehicle or choice as well as tyre selections. Bizarrely the game is truly inconsistent in this area - at times selecting vehicles that are dog easy and at other times truly competitive. Slip streaming opponents is crucial to winning most races, but this isn't something unique to Gran Turismo. As usual driving aids can be turn on or off.

Visually, Gran Turismo is beautiful, though not nearly as stunning as MotorStorm: Arctic Edge or WipEout Pulse. The graphics, which could have been better but at the expense of frame rate, is pretty darn close to Gran Turismo 4, though with obvious downgrades in a couple of areas. The screenshots here may look bland, but they do look good in motion. Cars reflect and shadows are where they should be. Four camera modes exists - chase view, roof view, cockpit (yes, it does exist) and bumper. There is one downside - only four vehicles per race. Even the more hectic MotorStorm: Arctic Edge managed eight!

There are 830 cars in Gran Turismo. I have yet to see a tenth of them, but those of which I have seen are beautifully modelled, and are very close to the real thing. Supposedly players will be able to transfer their car collection to Gran Turismo 5 when it gets released next year - we will see. There is nothing wrong with the design of the 35 tracks, but I do wish for a bit more detail. They just look bare when you compare it to MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, and also suffer greatly from aliasing. This is more apparent with the cockpit view as well as during the replay scenes. I also did not care much for the cardboard spectators. So yeah, I do think that Polyphony Digital should have paid the same amount of attention to detail in creating the environment as they did with the cars.

The sound effects, something I do not normally care about, are pretty good. Cars often sound completely different depending on tyre selection, camera viewpoints, as well in different locations (like tunnels). The soundtrack however isn't to my taste, so it was fortunate that I was able to turn them off. This is something I tend to do anyway with most games, with its The Fast and the Furious-like soundtrack (I blame EA for the trend). Whatever, you will be pleased to know you can customise the soundtrack to your liking by way of installing music on the Memory Stick, but only after completing a couple of challenges first.

So all in all, a lovely game with great polished production values throughout. It isn't perfect though. Track detail could have been better, and the number of cars (lack of) per race is just disappointing. People keen on a career mode and upgrades will be disappointed, though I personally believe that the removal of the features is for the better considering this is a portable game. It also appears to suffer from slight graphical glitch where pixelated white dots appears randomly on the tracks. Not the end of the world, but it can be annoying.

The lack of online (infrastructure) is also a bummer, though hardly surprising considering that the majority of PSP games do not take advantage of infrastructure mode anyway. As a flagship PSP title however, there is almost no excuse not to have infrastructure. Owners with a PS3 console can play online via Adhoc Party, but not everyone has the luxury to do so. As for those content with Adhoc, players can trade/share cars with each other as well as racing each other (no game sharing).

The PSP version of Gran Turismo may be stripped down, but it is still a game worth considering particularly if you enjoy the simulation racing part of a Gran Turismo game, but dislike the hassle of maintaining a virtual garage, adjusting suspension and other such nonsense that some of us just do not have the time for. If you are expecting a portable Gran Turismo game with some features tailored for short sessions of quick gaming, you will get it here. Just don't foolishly expect the full console experience.

Gran Turismo for PSP is out now, available from Amazon UK and Amazon.com

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge review

Evolution Studios's MotorStorm was one of the few PS3 exclusives that truly defined the console's early life. The off-road arcade racer threw out realism for all out mayhem and my gosh they succeeded. The franchise comes to the PSP courtesy of BigBig Studios - the developer behind the two Pursuit Force PSP titles. They know a thing or two about racing games, and they should considering they were established by a couple former members of Codemasters.

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge eschews the desert and tropical environment in favour of the harsh Arctic climate. This, I am guessing, was chosen first to spread the three different environments across many different titles as possible, as well as improving performances. The lush vegetation from Pacific Ridge for example would be too difficult for the PSP to handle. Still while the environment has changed, it is still instantly recognisable as a MotorStorm game, and best of all it plays just as well.

Little has changed with the gameplay. Before each race, the player chooses a vehicle type and a track. Like the previous titles, each track has multiple ways of racing through - with different terrains suited for different vehicles. Dotted around are obstacles as well as a variety of jumps, cliffs and canyons. The environment is destructible (avalanche for example can be triggered), though not as obvious as the previous games. Another feature that has been retained is the Nitrous Boost, where the player uses them to boost the engine at the expense of increasing engine heat. Do so long enough and the engine explodes. Use this wisely and the player can gain an upper hand by rocketing forward the finishing line.

The controls are of typical racing game with the d-pad or analog pad used to steer the vehicle, and are very easy to master. Due to technical reasons, only eight vehicles are allowed in a race - though this seems to be technically good enough (Gran Turismo only manages four). There are plenty of unlockables to be had, and each vehicles can be customised (unlike the previous titles). Each vehicle type (eight of them) has its pros and cons, and controls slightly differently. For example the snowmobiles are quicker than rally cars and control better but the fragility means you have to watch out for even the smallest obstacles. The snowploughs are tough, but slower (but still pretty competitive) and has a crappy acceleration. Well you get the gist - different vehicles control differently (duh).

Despite the lower polygon count, the game is very pretty. Visually, this is the most stunning PSP racing game I have played. Considering how the gameplay requires multiple paths, numerous on-screen mayhem, snow and rain effects, wide-spaced environment and distance vistas - I believe BigBig did good here. The vehicles - being the off-road types - tends to have more details than a traditional flashy car racer like the Ferraris in OutRun 2006. So it is even more impressive when they can fit eight of those vehicles in a race, with damage to boot. The screenshots posted here are all from the game, using the built-in Photo Mode. Like WipEout Pulse's Photo Mode, I see no form of touch-ups - so what you see here is what you see in the game.

The AI of opponents highly depends on the difficulty setting. In the early stages of the career mode (and easy setting), they prefer to stay on the racing line and so are mainly none-intrusive. As the player progress through, their AI and aggressiveness will ramp up pretty significantly Bumping other vehicles off course or into an obstacle is pretty normal at such difficulty. Snowmobilers will attempt to grab hold of other drivers. Get too close and they may try to boost away or, even worse, attempt to veer or crash the player out by any means possible. It makes for a hectic race, and one that made the original MotorStorm such a brilliant title.

The soundtrack is made of some popular music. I can't remember them as I prefer to play the game sans-music. Playlist can be imported as long as there are tracks on the Memory Stick. Arctic Edge also features an online multiplayer mode (infrastructure) as well as local (adhoc) allowing for multiplayer racing with other PSP owners around the world. BigBig has pretty much tick every possible box in their checklist. Impressive considering that this title was being developed alongside a PS2 version (due out in the next week).

I am quite surprised by Arctic Edge. To be honest I was expecting much less. I was expecting a much less stripped down game, especially considering that the title was being developed simultaneously with the PS2 version (which incidentally does not have multiplayer support, though it does have split screen support). Some compromise has been made (eight vehicles, graphical fidelity obviously no where near the PS3 version), but this is still a pretty darn MotorStorm racer, and one that deserves a look even by owners of the two other PS3 titles. Strip away the branding and this is still the best arcade racer on the PSP out there. A perfect portable pick-me-up.

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is out now in both UK and US.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker demo impressions

Despite its clunky controls, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was one of the more impressive PSP games released so far, so I was dying to see how Peace Walker takes portable Metal Gear Solid to the next level. Peace Walker for those who has been living under a rock, takes place ten years after the events of MGS3: Snake Eater and follows an event in Central America that will eventually lead to the creation of the Outer Heaven mercenary force. The Japanese TGS 09 demo is available for download here. The demo features a tutorial as well as a playthrough where Naked Snake has to infiltrate an enemy complex via a jungle (similar to MGS3).

Visually, Peace Walker is an absolute stunner. If there ever was a game that could give God of War: Chains of Olympus graphical fidelity a run of its money, it would be this. And unlike Chains of Olympus, Peace Walker has fully working player-controlled camera. Peace Walker's visuals are so impressive, they look close to their PS2 cousins, and MGS2: Sons of Liberty and MGS3: Snake Eater were some of the best looking games on a last generation console. Despite the limitation in storage, textures are detailed and are only pixelated when looked at a short distance. MGS5-class title indeed. If there is a problem, it seems to suffer from long loading. This despite the demo running from Memory Stick. Still, once the game loads it seems to run just fine, with no framerate issues. This despite more enemy combatants on the screen at the same time.

The control scheme of Portable Ops has been ditched in favour of a more wholesome and intuitive mode. The analog stick is still used to move Naked Snake. The R shoulder button is used for CQC moves, such as punching and kicking enemy combatants, or grabbing them and throwing them. Pressing the L shoulder button will switch to shooting mode, with R triggering the shot. The face buttons controls the camera, as well as aiming (Auto aiming can be turn on). The d-pad acts as a menu system - allowing Snake to select weapons, crouch etc. Like Portable Ops, controls can be customised to suit your need, though I am liking the default controls enough not to bother experimenting yet.

Unlike Portable Ops 'bite-sized' portable friendly missions, Peace Walker features from the get-go full size missions. This is evident by the demo where Snake has to make his way from the beach to the enemy hide-out via a series of jungles. The jungle is divided into 'zones', similar to how MGS3: Snake Eater and other full-size Metal Gear games are structured. In Portable Ops, moving from one area to another is as simple as going to the menu and selecting the area from a map from which then Campbell would just drop Snake off in his jeep - which works well as a portable title, but it isn't the full Metal Gear experience that many were seeking for. Peace Walker will definitely offer a fuller MGS experience, but whether this will translate well as a on-the-go portable title remains to be seen.



The gameplay is a mixture of Portable Ops and MGS4. An acoustic radar is available on the top right. Players of MGS: Portable Ops will be familiar with the radar. For those who has not played Portable Ops, the radar tracks noises, with the middle circle representing the noise created by the player and the outer ring for enemies. The distortion on the radar will indicate the level of noise made as well as the direction the noise is coming from. I like it as it is far more challenging than relying on the visual radar commonly found on other Metal Gear titles. There is also a camouflage indicator. Unfortunately you can't crawl in the demo. A plethora of weapons and items can be found, including sniper rifle, Snake's standard tranquiliser and his famous cardbox.

The dialogue cutscenes are in the same mould as Portable Ops and Digital Graphic Novel, using the same classy comic book style scenes. They are once again drawn by Ashley Wood, whom some has derided but I actually find pretty nice and refreshing. Short cutscenes are still rendered in real time. It is early days and we may yet see more cutscenes being rendered in real time rather than in comic panels. The demo also contains a local multiplayer co-op mode. Unfortunately I am unable to test this yet. Early impressions on the co-op mode by other gamers seems to indicate that the feature is quite a feat. It should be, considering how much of it was highlighted with the last trailer.

If the finish article has the same quality to attention and more to the demo, then it is safe to assume that Peace Walker will be a great game and one so deserving of its Metal Gear Solid 5-class tag. It is a shame that because it does not have a '5' in its title, many will assume it is strictly a side quest (which was the assumption wrongly applied to Portable Ops). If the people at Konami has any sense, they better stick that MGS5 branding ASAP, because I truly believe it has earned it. Go ahead, download the demo and play it. It even features a certain Master Miller.

If you have no means to access demo, then check out the epic TGS 09 trailer embedded above, of which highlights includes the MGS4-scale of the game as well as Naked Snake still lamenting the death of The Boss.

Persona 3 Portable gameplay videos

Persona 3 and its FES expansion was one the highlights of PS2 gaming, so you will excuse me if I sound a little too excited about the title being remade for the PSP console. The game, due to be released this November in Japan, will provide the option to play as a female protagonist - the first among the three Persona 3 games. The video below demonstrates the RPG gameplay with visuals pretty much comparable to the PS2 version, but with lower polygon and slightly different character design (they have a more 'chibi' like proportion now). The gameplay is also being revised to incorporate battle elements from Persona 4 - which allows you to control every character rather than relying on the individual character's A.I.

Interesting if anyone has the Art of Persona 3 book, check out page 2 where you will find a concept art of an unknown female character. Apart from some slight changes, she looks similar to the new playable female main character in the PSP remake. Incidentally page 13 of the book will also reveal a sketch that is even more similar. And here I thought FES was the director's cut... Can't wait!

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker trailer

Portable Ops was one of the better PSP games I've played (and I've played some). The controls were lacking, but the RPG-like power-ups, recruitment gameplay and snack-able portable friendly missions made it a joy. As you know, a new Metal Gear Solid game is being developed again for the PSP, and with Hideo Kojima taking lead, who has at great pains declaring it as the true Metal Gear sequel, even calling it his MGS5 - I wouldn't be too worried about how it will turn up. And just to wet your appetite a little bit - check out the new nine minute trailer filled with gameplay and tank cardbox goodness:

Final Fantasy VII on PSN

Owners of PSP and PS3 will be glad to find that Square Enix and Sony has finally came to their senses and uploaded their big money maker title onto the PlayStation Network. Lord knows why they didn't do it sooner, but that isn't the point.

If you have never played Final Fantasy VII, then you should, even if it isn't the greatest RPG ever (IMO). For £7.99/€9.99/US$9.99 (honestly, I was expecting £12 at least) who cares, as it is still a pretty darn good value considering the amount of gameplay in it. So if you are feeling nostalgic and do not own the original PS1 game, or has yet to start your Final Fantasy adventure, then head off to the PlayStation Store and download it.

Now Square-Enix, when will we see Final Fantasy IX and Xenogears on PSN?

Kratos in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

Holy fuck Batman, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is looking pretty good. About time we have some decent new portable fighting games. Best of all? Kratos will be the guest character (will we see Nariko too? Doubtful, but I wouldn't mind). Most of his moves from the God Of War series seems to have made it. The only thing missing so far are the QTE fatality moves, and uhm, hidden sex games with Ivy, Cassandra and Sophitia. Make it happen Namco, make it happen.

Sony wins E3

Seriously, as a gamer I am only interested in one thing = games. Not silly lifestyle applications like Facebook and silly none-gaming stuff. And Sony delivered today. I mean sweet Jesus, just look at the shit they have in store for us:

PS3
The Last Guardian (Team ICO)
God of War III
Fat Princess
MAG
Uncharted 2
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIV
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
Agent
Heavy Rain
Mod Nation Racers
Gran Turismo 5 (with WRC Rally)



PSP
Gran Turismo
Final Fantasy: Dissidia
Fat Princess
Jak & Daxter
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (sequel to Snake Eater)
LittleBigPlanet
Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge
Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday
Soulcalibur Broken Destiny
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Resident Evil
Tekken 6

Nintendo has some decent stuff, but their E3 conference is hampered by ridiculous amount of back patting and gloating. Give it up Nintendo and stop being a prat. Still Team Ninja's take on the Metroid franchise will be interesting. Can't wait to see what they do with Samus! And we still have Dragon Quest IX for the DS to look forward to.

Tekken 6 and Soulcalibur for PSP

Tekken: Dark Resurrection was one of the better fighters on the PSP. In fact it is the only fighter title worth considering if you are not into retro fighters. Which is a darn shame considering the title is almost three years old.



Well wait no more. According to the internet, Namco is releasing Tekken 6 (and Bloodline Rebellion) for the PSP, which they promise will contain plenty of those features unique to the PS3 version. This includes character customisation and ad-hoc wireless multiplayer.



Better yet is the announcement of Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. Unlike the broken Wii abomination Soulcalibur Legends, the PSP game here is said to be based on Soulcalibur IV, which I found to be a rather nice game. It will also apparently feature ad-hoc wireless multiplayer.

Now, what about a decent portable Street Fighter for a change, Capcom?

Patapon 2 US retail a waste of money and space

In case you are wondering, this is what you get when you walk into a North American store and purchase Patapon 2. Basically a box, a manual and a voucher to redeem and download the game from the PSN store where it actually resides. Now, I understand the necessity of digital distribution, but when someone is willing to walk to a retail store to purchase his or her game (and pay more for it), that is what they should expect - the game and the ability to play it straight away. This whole pointless exercise defeats the purpose of both retail and digital download games. Not to mention what a waste of plastic and paper (the manual can be embedded in the game) just to purchase a one-off voucher. Wasn't the point of digital downloads to cut the middle man? I am willing to bet good money that there won't be any free WiFi access in most shops for customers to download the game from.

I think this experiment has more to do with appeasing to the retail shops like GameStop and Walmart than it is to Sony's customers. It really boggles the mind what goes on in the brain of those geniuses who runs SCEA. Just sell the physical games at retail and increase the amount of downloadable games at PSN, at a cheaper price.

Patapon 2 mini-review

The sequel to one of the most original game of last year is equally as joyful as its predecessor. Patapon 2 features some new features that ought to satisfy fans of the first game as well gain new ones.

The gameplay of the first game has been retained. The idea remains that the control of your small army is through beating the face buttons in rhythms. A certain combination of buttons will signify a different action such as 'advance', 'attack' or 'defend'. Do so long enough without any mistakes and your Patapons will go into 'Fever' mode, where their stats are enhanced. Of course keeping your Patapon's rhythm won't work unless you plan ahead and like any good RPG, you should plan ahead. Enemies have different weaknesses and weather can play a role into the strategy you form. Placing your archers at the back will usually work, but not always.


It isn't all old though. New Patapons are available to be unlocked and there is the usual plethora of mini-games. In addition to that there is the Patapon Heropon who is able to perform special attacks during 'Fever' mode. The Heropon's class can also be switch before each mission. Also new in this version includes a multiplayer mode that involves giant eggs where four players must defend the egg from an onslaught of multiplayer enemies, whilst moving it to a egg-hatching thingy. Once placed, the egg must be hatched through the synchronising the rhythm.

Patapon 2 at a glance is more or less the same game, and there is nothing wrong with that. I believe those new to the franchise will the title to be a delight and veterans of the first game will find adequate amount of new features on offer. It is superbly priced and can be had only £14.99 or $24.99 when released in the US next month.