Another game from New York Comic Con was B-Boy, a game based on break dancing. It's also a title that came out for PAL regions two years ago; however, it will be, for the first time, coming out this June in North America. The game is set for both the PS2 and the PSP. PSP Fanboy went hands-on with the PS2 version, which should be nearly identical to the PSP one. Both games use the exact same controls since the game does not utilize the L2 and R2 buttons missing on the PSP. In fact, the controls are rather simple and only really use the D-pad and face buttons.
Now, when you start kicking those fly moves, you'll notice that there are dots circling around at your character's feet. These dots serve as an indicator for when you need to hit your next move and keep your dance in rhythm. To do different moves, you need to input a combination such as "right-right-triangle." Keeping in step may prove kind of difficult as you'll be trying to constantly make combo strings one right after another. Things can get quite hectic.
If you haven't read our other hands-onpreviews over at PS3 Fanboy, then you wouldn't have known that we were at the NY Comic Con this past weekend. On the PSP side of things we got some quality time in with Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 which was one of the big draws over at Bandai Namco Games' booth.
We of course wanted to try out the all-new Mugenjo story mode, but the demo at Bandai Namco's kiosks didn't have the mode completely ready for play. We did dive into it anyway, and while gameplay wasn't ready, the story was already fully dubbed and can be listened to. The English voice acting was pretty much spot on with those from the anime. One very interesting thing about the voice acting is the option for Japanese audio. If you're an anime elitist who can't stand listening to English dub, this is for you.
There are a lot of different ships you can use in the upcoming R-Type Command. And you must use them strategically! Here are some of the units you can take control of in Atlus' upcoming PSP exclusive:
ACHILLES / Human As the R-Series went into mass production, an obvious flaw emerged: its melee capabilities were severely lacking. To balance this weakness, development began on a line of bipedal modules. The first of these was the Achilles, a unit equipped with multiple beam swords.
We recently sat down with Irem's upcoming R-Type Command. Atlus is publishing the game in the States, and we have to admit that we were surprised by the new direction for this classic franchise. While we do wish it were a traditional shooter, we think Command's strong production values and accessible gameplay make it a nice addition to the PSP library so far.
Anyone who has played Advance Wars on GBA/DS will find themselves in very familiar territory. This turn-based strategy game has players taking command of various units in an attempt to wipe out the invading Bydo army. Players are given an assortment of vehicles to choose and place, each with their own abilities and weaknesses. As is traditional, units can only move a certain number of spaces, and can only attack within a certain firing range. Tiles within the environment can affect the evasion of certain units, so movement is crucial to every battle.
Each unit has multiple types of ammo, each with their own accuracy and damage. When defending, players can sometimes opt to evade altogether, or attempt a counter-attack. Every step of the battle will require some crucial decision making skills from the player.
What can we say? Koei likes their Warriors formula. There's something different about Warriors Orochi though. Even though we've sifted through similar games, nay, almost identical games in the past, this title stands out. Perhaps it's the fact it's not lifted from the pages of history. Perhaps it's the sheer size of the character roster. Maybe we were just bored. Still, for Warriors fans, Warriors Orochi is the best of the franchise on the PSP, but everyone else will find the game repetitive and just like the others.
Although Final Fantasy Dissidia has yet to be announced outside Japan, we're still fervently watching out for more tidbits on this hotly anticipated title. However, the last we heard about anything officially confirmed in this game was back in December, and with Nintendo coming off strong with another mixed-cameo fighter -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- perhaps the PSP-exclusive Dissidia has been forgotten amongst the Mario and Link duels everyone's been having. Or maybe everyone's just too enraptured in getting their FF fix from the recently released Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
In any case, we're still very excited about this next PSP exclusive from Square Enix, and wouldn't want gamers out there to forget about this megaton game. With little known about the character roster, there leaves a lot of room for speculation. So in all our best efforts, we present this Dissidia feature highlighting the top twenty Final Fantasy supporting characters we want to see in the game. Arguably, in a game like this, a good cast of playable characters is crucial; it's working for Brawl, and it'll undoubtedly go the same way for Dissidia. But why only supporting characters you might ask? Well, you'll find that out soon enough.
Posted Mar 24th 2008 3:30PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
March 24, 2005. That was the day PSP was unleashed to the American gaming public. It's been a long and interesting ride since then. Come join us as we take a retrospective look on three years of PSP history.
What did the first PSP concept model look like? Find out.
Way back at GDC weeks ago, we had a chance to chat with Lesley Mathieson from High Impact Games. They're currently working on their second PSP outing, Secret Agent Clank. Read on as we chat about this upcoming PSP exclusive action game.
This is the second PSP game. What has High Impact Games learned from Size Matters? Well, we learned a lot of things. Obviously, the PSP is a very different platform than the PS2. We learned a lot of things about adapting the game to that platform, making sure the controls work, etc.
Is PSP a platform the team would like to continue with? The PlayStation Portable is a great platform. We love working with it. At the same time, we're excited about the next generation of hardware as well. We'd be happy to work in any direction, so long as its an exciting and interesting project.
It might look like Burnout, and even play like Burnout. But, Burnout it ain't. Head On lacks the refinement, speed and fun of Criterion's critically acclaimed franchise. Instead of solidifying its core gameplay, Head On relies on gimmicky mini-games that offer a thin veil to distract the game's ultimate shortcomings.
At first, we were impressed by the trailers released for the title. However, we're sad to admit that Head On falls short of the visual fidelity found in its initial videos. Textures and environments are muddy, but even worse: the framerate suffers quite a bit through the experience. For a racing game, this is rather unacceptable. The questionable physics and grip of the cars does little but detract from a game that touts its destructible environments.
The western-themed RPG franchise finally hits the PSP with their strategy title, Wild ARMs XF (crossfire). Throughout the franchise's history, they've battled lukewarm reviews, netting them the title of a catch-all RPG. Traditional, but different. Easy, accessible, and more or less for everyone. However, the titles have garnered a cult following, where they yearn to traverse Filgaia once again and explore its barren desert exterior. It seems the folk over at Media.Vision and Sony have been secretly working on this title for a long time, plotting to destroy everything you know about Wild ARMs, but keeping everything as familiar as possible. The result? Pure genius.
The best-selling PSN title will be available on the PSP tomorrow. This experimental title received a lot of attention when it sailed to the PS3 due to its unique style and premise. Less of a "game" and more of an "experience," players titled their SIXAXIS controllers to guide an ever-growing creature through a series of primordial stages. Players would consume other creatures along the way, expanding in size and capability.
flOw is a rather accurate recreation of the PS3 title -- an impressive feat, considering the reduced processing capabilities of the handheld. Just like the PSN original, flOw will look and feel unlike anything else on the system. However, those that have played the original will find little reason to revisit the title, and many may find the technical shortcomings of this SuperVillian-developed effort to be an ebb to an otherwise engrossing experience.
Continuing our previous chat about N+, the upcoming PSP and DS platformer is David Geudelekian from Atari. As a producer, he helped bring the indie game over to the handheld scene. Find out more in our exclusive interview.
What caught your eye about N? What made it so appealing to bring to the console side? David Geudelekian: I had been playing N since 2005, and on top of simply being one of the greatest platform games of all time I had always thought that this would make an excellent portable game! The organization of the gameplay into 5-level episodes make for an excellent translation to portable gaming with each level usually lasting under a minute and each episode just over the two minute mark. The simple but stylish graphics would translate well too, and even the run-and-jump gameplay seems perfectly suited for the often interrupted attention-spans of the average portable gamer.
Metanet's latest game, N+, recently took Xbox Live Arcade by storm. With a pending PSP and DS release, we chatted with the development team about what handheld players can expect from this challenging, community-driven platformer.
The original N was a surprising success. What do you think made it appeal to such a wide audience? Mare & Raigan: It's very addictive, in part because it's not easy -- the more you play, the more you learn and the better you get, the more you want to keep playing. Hundreds of levels provides a lot of options for players, so that if they get stuck on a specific level they just play a different level rather than giving up. Online replays allow them to show off their talents to the world and be competitive. The simple presentation focuses the player's attention on the gameplay and puts the spotlight on the movement of the ninja. N references old school games like Lode Runner and Jumpman, titles that inspire nostalgia in the older gamers, and the injection of modern physics and collision plus the hilarious ragdoll deaths makes it appeal to younger gamers. N has something for everyone!
The life of Kratos may have been one long Greek tragedy after the next, but the God of War series and the success it reaps is anything but tragic. To call it so would be blasphemous to the gods, for each game in the action-packed series has never failed to impress. As the latest entry in the series, God of War: Chains of Olympus has a lot of to live up to; do the gods continue their blessings? They most certainly do.
The stuff that comes out of every game in the series has always been top notch, and Ready at Dawn's Chains of Olympus is no exception. The hard work put into Chains of Olympus makes us wonder if the developers themselves adhere to the hardened Spartan culture that they so skillfully instilled in Kratos. Like the strictly disciplined Spartans, do these developers kill off straggling animators, modelers, and ilk if production standards are sub par? We only jest of course, but their skill in game design is so analogous to Sparta's warriors it's hard not to try and draw parallels.
If there is one genre that has really flourished on the PSP, it would be rhythm games. Titles like Lumines, beats, Parappa the Rapper, and Gitaroo Man have made Sony's handheld a must-have for any fans of the rhythm genre. And while all those games were fantastic titles, Pyramid's most recent PSP title, Patapon, manages to blows them all away with some of the most unique rhythm-based gameplay you'll ever experience.
Combining gameplay from a wide swath of genres, developers Pyramid managed to create a game that is part rhythm-based, part RPG, and part RTS. It's not always easy for developers to successfully combine genres to create a greater whole, but Pyramid absolutely nailed it with Patapon. The resulting gameplay makes Patapon one of the most unique titles to come along in years, on any system -- not just the PSP.
You play the roll of a long missing deity to a tribe of big-eyed warriors, called Patapons, who have been banished from their land and have lost the will to fight. In order to help the Patapons regain their former glory and achieve their final hope of seeing the mysterious 'it' at the end of the world, they need you and your mighty war drums to whip them into shape and get them motivated for some serious combat.
