A new 2D platformer starring everyone's favorite penguin pals from Disgaea has just been revealed. Very little is known about the game, but the initial screenshots look quite promising; look at the quality of these sprites! More info about Prinny: Is it Okay if I'm the Main Character? will undoubtedly come when its official website launches in September.

[Thanks, Zach M.!]

PSP main man John Koller went to Gamespot to talk about the upcoming PSP Brite, and revealed a few key facts. He admits the change is "minor," one in a continuing series of changes the PSP may see along its proposed life cycle. Most revealing of all is his comment about battery life: the brighter screen will draw more power, diminishing battery life by 20-30 minutes.

He does say that the now-discontinued extended life battery will make a return, possibly rebranded for use with the PSP-3000 series.

Download to PSP

The last Dissidia: Final Fantasy video showcase featured a set of not so beloved Final Fantasy characters -- a punk onion dude and the ultra sexy Cloud of Darkness. Yet, despite that fact, the gameplay footage was still awe-inspiring and kept you drooling for more. This time around, we've got more of the same; however, we're sure you're going enjoy watching these characters a whole lot more.

Final Fantasy X's daddy issues duo, Jecht and Tidus, show us how it's done in this here video clip. Not only are they dishing out mad skills as usual, they're taking the fight all around the fighting arena, giving us a sense of how large and dynamic the stages can get. It seems that every little glimpse of Dissidia that we get, it gets harder and harder to look away. Keep an eye on this one folks. This is looking to be the game to have for this year (in Japan anyway).

PSP news is sounding rather bleak lately -- but why should it stay this way? Hey Sony, here's five things we think you can do to make the system better for you and better for us. With these steps, we think you'll reduce piracy, increase the amount of games and features we want, and make PSP a better, more lovable place for developers. Best of all: none of these features require a hardware reboot. Imagine, a world where PSPs of all creeds, from 1000 to 3000 can access the same benefits. We believe it can happen.

Americans won't be fixing pipes in their PC Store update. Instead, they'll get their hands on a series of wallpapers and themes, some even cake-related! Who doesn't like cake?

• Cake Mania: Baker's Challenge theme
• PSP Wallpapers Series 1 wallpaper (x3)
• Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 wallpaper (x2)
  
• Cake Mania: Baker's Challenge wallpaper (x3)

A new Indiana Jones game was discovered on PEGI by the keen eyes at Siliconera (as usual). Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings is rated for release on PSP and DS ... and those two platforms alone. Could this be that super-secret Indiana Jones game they don't want us to know about? Of course, rumors of internal problems at LucasArts have cast doubt on the next-generation Indiana Jones game ... which vanished, missing E3 altogether. Perhaps the next-gen versions were scrapped for handheld games? A rating isn't much to go by -- but hopefully, it won't be long until we unravel this mystery.

Hope you didn't buy Medal of Honor Heroes last week -- because the superior sequel is available on the Store this week. Ouch! Also, a free demo for you guys to try!

• Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (£14.99)
• Pipemania demo (Free)

Visit store.playstation.com to get downloading, or use your PS3 to connect to the PLAYSTATION Store.

Beneath its simple exterior lies a cruel, sadistic gaming beast. N+ is known for its brutally simple, addictive, ninja-inspired platforming. The goal of the game is ridiculously simple: get to the exit. However, each level in this challenging title will test your nerve and will push you to that strange land where frustration and euphoria meet.

There are a number of obstacles that can get in your way -- all of them deadly. Whether it be explosive mines, homing missiles, or heat-seaking lasers, death lurks in almost every inch of N+. The combination of clever level designs and obstacle placements make each level like a puzzle: players must think of interesting ways to get to the goal. Players will be able to perform incredible feats of acrobatics, bouncing off walls, racing past rockets, and jumping past deadly lasers. Players must learn how momentum works, as many of the levels require pixel-perfect jumps.

Analyst Michael Pachter doesn't see a bright future for the PSP. In fact, he believes that we're nearing the end of the syste's run, due to the paltry release lineup for the remainder of the year. The introduction of the PSP Brite is seen as a sign of weakness, suggesting the redesign will confuse and anger more than excite. "Constant tech tweaks and upgrades might work for telephones, but they're not what gamers want ... it creates confusion, and leaves many users with older models feeling inadequate," Pachter told Das Gamer.

Because everyone needs someone to blame, Pachter offers this advice: "Blame Japan," he says. He believes that Sony is being much too ambitious, handling the PS2, PSP and PS3 simultaneously. "[Japan]'s instructing the US to play catch-up with Microsoft on Xbox Live, step up its online game with Home, offer movie downloads and push the Blu-ray home theater initiative just to begin with. Something had to give. The company has been spreading itself too thin."

Ironically, PSP's strongest territory is Japan, where new releases continue to be announced on a regular basis. While we'd disagree that PSP is on a deathbed, it's obvious that drastic work needs to be done to change the current state of the PSP.

[Thanks, Ronnie D.!]

Download to PSP

Perhaps you've heard so much about Pipemania within the last few days that you're just ready to go under the kitchen sink and take the plumbing apart in anticipation. Well, okay, maybe not that far. But, hey, if you've been wanting more, then we've got it. Here's an exclusive trailer just for our dear readers' eyes.

The three minute trailer shows you how the game is played and also drops a bit of the title's back story. Yes, back story, because puzzle games can have them, too. You'll probably want to hear all about those cowboy plumbers ... wait, what? Cowboy plumbers?

The only time we ever saw a PLAYSTATION Network card was when Sony gave us one for Christmas. Never -- not even once -- have we seen these cards available at a retail store. This is easily one of the most demanded items from our readers, many who don't have a credit card to use for the PSN. Thankfully, support for these cards will expand in September to stores we've actually heard of.

According to the PlayStation website, these pre-paid cards can be found at Blockbuster, 7-Eleven and Rite-Aid this September. So whether you're renting a movie, drinking a Slurpee, or buying some condoms in a rush -- keep an eye out for these PSN cards.

[Via CAG]

Want more Gundam-on-Gundam action? You've asked for it, you've got it -- at least in Japan. The arcade title Gundam vs. Gundam is headed for the PSP with some exclusive content. The 2 vs. 2 arcade fighter will feature over 30 playable units, with extra bonus ones unique to the PSP release, according to Famitsu. Other new content includes an ad-hoc mode that supports four players, tweaking of existing mechs, players profile exchange, music from the source materials and an installation option. The game's release window will be this November in Japan, where it is sure to sell like hotcakes. Check out the scans from Famitsu here.

[Via PSPHyper]

While many argue that the homebrew community offers PSP owners a wealth of content that doesn't hurt games developers, Sony would disagree. The staggering amount of piracy on the system has created a situation where even cheap, high-profile games like Patapon are downloaded illegally far more than actually purchased. In spite of terrific hardware sales, software simply hasn't performed well, especially outside of Japan. With developers and publishers reluctant to create new content on a system that never breaks NPD's software top 10 charts, Sony had to change something ... and fast.

Kris Erickson of PSP World postulates that the speed in which Sony has upgraded its PSP hardware from the popular PSP-2000 series may be indicative of a new plan to combat piracy and homebrew. While the brighter screen is appreciated, it seems like too little to warrant yet another reboot of the hardware -- that is, unless something internal has changed. The new PSP-Brite system may have better hardware measures against piracy -- a direction foretold by SCEE boss David Reeves not too long ago.

However, the incredibly dedicated homebrew community -- whether or not they understand their responsibility in creating the current drought of PSP games -- will undeniably continue to hack the new PSP to find new exploits. Unfortunately for Sony, backwards compatability with old PSP firmware and software will continue to work as a Trojan horse against the company.

Can you believe it? Famitsu reports that according to statistics provided by Enterbrain, ten million units of the PSP have been sold since its introduction to Japan back in the December of 2004. We knew this already, but there is some software news as well. The top game was Monster Hunter 2nd G with almost 2.4 million copies sold. With three games on the top 5, Japan sure loves Monster Hunter.

1. Monster Hunter 2nd G (release date 03/27/08: 2,396,642 copies sold)
2. Monster Hunter 2nd (release date 02/22/07: 1,706,387 copies sold)
3. Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (release date 09/13/07: 790,705 copies sold)
4. Monster Hunter Portable (release date 12/01/05: 668,964 copies sold)
5. Phantasy Star Portable (release date 07/31/08: 545,242 copies sold)

The PSP has been beaten by the DS in the hardware sales chart during the past two weeks. But with the PSP Brite coming out in October and Dissidia: Final Fantasy coming out in December, we believe the PSP will be back on top in no time.

[Via Kotaku]

Are you going to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) this year? Lucky you! You'll get to meet our very own Jem Alexander and you'll be able to get your dirty hands on all sorts of exclusive gaming -- never playable to the public before! PS3 fans can get in on some Resistance 2 love, while PSP owners will rush to check out Resistance Retribution. A plethora of PSN titles, such as WipEout HD, Savage Moon and Crash Commando will all be available for play. Even better -- you'll get to see live demonstrations of LittleBigPlanet and inFamous!

Even if you can't make it to Seattle, don't fret -- Sony has a consolation prize for you. Visit PlayStation.com when the show begins on August 29th, and you can win a PS3 prize pack. Find out more here.