We've already covered the basics of what's getting added into the Star Ocean remakes for the PSP, but we didn't have a heck of a lot to show off to back those claims. Luckily, we've stumbled across a plethora of screenshots showing off exactly what we expected: crisper graphics for both titles, facial cut-ins for dialogue, and the knowledge that the second title is going to be fully voiced. Didn't they make a Star Ocean EX anime? They may as well toss that cast back on board for the English version.
The only issue we can see from the screens is that the heroine of Second Story, now Second Departure, looks a lot younger than her initial drawings. Well ... maybe it's not really a problem, but it does make us realize that we have gotten older since we first played this game. Either way, they'll be a great addition to the PSP library and we can't wait to check them out at Tokyo Game Show!
Namco Bandai continues teasing us with new screens from Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. These screens showcase some popular guest stars from previous Tales games, and also the new character creation mode. We also received a video that raised some concerns: it sounded like the original voice actors from the previous Tales games are not being used. Check out the rest of the screens, and a new video, after the break.
While reading Destructoid, I came across a reference to new screens for Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition at Famitsu. While we've seen plenty of screens for Final Fantasy I, there haven't been many of II. That's some nice looking 2D up there. I especially like the look of the monster. He looks scarier than a male Sailor Moon cosplayer. Is one of these Final Fantasy titles your favorite or is your fav Final Fantasy still not announced for PSP yet?
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War may just be an upgraded port, but I can't help but get excited by it whenever I see new screens. In particular I love the addition of cinemas and the sketchy look of them. Though the battle scenes do look better than the PS1 original. If you love tactics games like me, check out the rest of the new screenshots.
Everything I know about tennis I learned from The Prince of Tennis so I'm not the most knowledgeable about the sport. But I do know that Virtua Tennis 3 looks amazing. If you're looking forward to getting your top spin on, than these screens will either hurt or help the wait until the game's March 20th release.
IGN has up screens and a trailer for SEGA's upcoming Alien Syndrome. The action-RPG is a continuation of the long dormant Alien Syndrome franchise. It's great to have SEGA bring back some of their old franchises, but the graphics and voice acting seemed below average. Of course the game is early in development and the graphics could improve and the voice actors changed. Even if they stay the same, if the game is fun, that alone will trump the audio and visual short comings. What I want to know is what Alien Syndrome fans think of this new iteration? Are you excited or horrified?
The fine folks over at Game Watch have put up some new screens from the Final Fantasy PSP rendition. The screens show combat, a cinema scene and the screen above. The game is scheduled to hit Japan April 19th, though no US date has been set yet. It's looking very nice considering, but I think the main deciding factor in these releases will be the price point. Will you be buying these releases and what Final Fantasy number would be your dream port to PSP?
It should come as no surprise that the new cutscenes in Final Fantasy Tactics are impressive. However, how does the gameplay compare? The Magic Box has tons of screenshots for you to gaze over. Are the widescreen PS1 quality graphics winning you over? Or, do you wish that Square Enix put a little bit more effort into this?
Famitsu now has direct-feed grabs of the PSP ports of Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II. Do they grab your attention? While this new "Anniversary Edition" certainly has some shiny new special effects in it, the price alone will determine whether or not I'll grab one off the shelf. Certainly, a brand new Final Fantasy game would be far more grabbing.
Gamespot has some Asphalt Urban GT 2 screens up now and while they don't look terrible, they certainly don't compare to the looks of Burnout Dominator. Graphics aren't everything certainly, but the PSP is capable of some very nice looking games and it's difficult to not form comparisons. I've never played the first game though, so maybe the gameplay will more than make up for any graphical short comings. Anyone played this series? If so, was it worth your time?
A few days ago we went over the ridiculous number of RPGs coming to the PSP this year. Harvest Moon was one of the games on that list and we already have some screenshots of the game. No additional details were revealed with the screens, but I'm willing to bet there will be farm tending involved. This seems to be one of the best looking Harvest Moon games to come out yet, so it should please fans of the series.
Just like Bleach on the PSP, some franchises seem to get new versions on a much too frequent basis. Such is the case for Namco Bandai's upcoming US release of Falcom's latest RPG, Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean. The series hasn't been too strong at earning critical acclaim, but it doesn't seem like most PSP RPGs can. Considering how PSP owners will have to wait quite a while before either Crisis Core or Final Fantasy Tactics come out, will the latest Legend of Heroes be able to satisfy the RPG urge? We'll find out when it comes out in January.
Tales of the World isn't the only Tales game heading to Japan. Bandai-Namco is adding yet another excellent Tales game to the PSP library, which continues to expand, much to the anguish of American PSP owners. Jeux France has tons of new screenshots of Tales of Destiny 2, a port of the popular PlayStation 2 RPG. Unlike Tales of the World, this game features some old school 2D graphics. However, with large, eye-catching sprites, and some cool battle animations, ToD 2 will most likely look quite stunning on the portable screen. Expect it to hit Japan in 2007, and potentially never come out in the US. Boo.
The French site, Play France (O, RLY?), seems to have the very first images of the upcoming PSP port of The Warriors, Rockstar Leeds' follow-up to the first two GTA Stories games. These renders are at a much higher resolution than actual gameplay footage, meaning it'll look sharper than what will appear on your PSP. Regardless, considering the team's penchant for technical superiority, there should be little doubt that the game will look quite good on the PSP when it ships next year.
Ruriweb has discovered some supernaturally beautiful screenshots of the PSP version of Rainbow Six. Certainly, the game doesn't match the visual intensity of its Xbox 360 brethren, but it does a fine job visually nonetheless. Everything seems a bit too stellar: the character models, the lighting and the textures. Hopefully, such beauty doesn't come at the expense of framerate or loading times. We'll certainly find out more info before the game sneaks into store shelves in October. Until then, check out more pics after the cut.