What could SEGA be working on? Based off this newly revealed teaser site, the house that Sonic built is working on an RPG. It will be revealed in next week's issue of Famitsu which is out on Friday, September 26. Until then, we'll have to snoop around the website and make some speculative guesses.
Well so far, all we know is that the game is an RPG and has something to do with dragons. Secondly, the background music has an undeniably 8-bit sound ... an era far preceding PlayStation. Is this a hint of some sort? A remake of an old title perhaps or a retro release a la Capcom and Mega Man 9? Whatever it is, we're quite enchanted by the music, so we're definitely intrigued to find out if this will be a PS3, PSP, or downloadable PSN title.
Having sold 217,000 copies on the very first day, the new Japanese chart-topper Phantasy Star Portable went on to ship 500,000 copies in the first week. Though it won't beat out reigning champion Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G's figures of 880,000, it did beat out another very popular PSP game with a larger fanbase: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The Square Enix game managed to ship 480,000 copies in its debut week.
We are unofficially in Bizarro World territory when a Sega game outperforms a Square Enix game. The bigger question is, when is the rest of the world going to get a taste of this?
It looks like Japan has another hit PSP game. Phantasy Star Portable went on sale yesterday in Japan with 400,000 units shipped and managed to get over 217,000 copies into the hands of anxious gamers. Interestingly enough, PSP sold more copies on day one than other huge titles like Soulcalibur IV which sold 147,000 91,000 (combined PS3/360 sales).
We had no doubt that PSP would be successful, especially since it is the perfect game to market to the Monster Hunter crowd -- i.e. they're both games with strong emphasis on co-op gameplay. However, it is shocking to see a portable title outdoing a console game (with, arguably, a larger fanbase) like SC IV. Sega must be very pleased with itself.
Valkyria Chronicles is a PS3-exclusive S-RPG from Sega. At Sony's E3 press conference, the series has been announced to expand into the PSP realm. Further details have not been divulged.
Update:Not true. A very significant error during Sony's E3 conference mislabeled the PS3 exclusive as a PSP game.
As reported earlier, the Phantasy Star Portable demo will allow access to the Story Mode and Multi Mode, and even an option to import your saved data from the demo into the final game. Now there is more details concerning what is turning out to be a rather extensive demo; it will be 301 MB in size and can be obtained via the PlayStation Store or distributed through selected game stores. You will also be able to play all of the first chapter and five missions from the Multi Mode. The game's official website also reveals more information this week, with new characters, a TV spot and an announcement that is DLC planned. The demo will arrive on July 14th and the game will arrive on the 31st.
[Note: All dates are for Japan only. No US or European version has been announced at this time.]
Does Crazy Taxi: Double Punch look familiar? It sure does. In fact, it looks just like Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars. Oh wait, it is Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars -- just with a different name for Japan. You know, to make the title feel like it's brand new and not some year-behind shelf-warmer. In any case, here's a zany Japanese trailer to keep you occupied. Crazy Taxi: Double Punch will be out in Japan this August 12.
Phantasy Star Portable is a title that will be out in Japan at month's end. Gamers that want to try PSP out earlier than that can probably do so as it looks like a demo is on the way. Said to come two weeks earlier than the July 31 release date, a Japanese demo will allow players to tinker with the Story Mode and co-op ad hoc with Multi Mode. One last interesting bit involves the ability to transfer your character data from the demo to the full game, if you so choose to purchase the full game. There's still no word of a release outside Japan.
Coverage of Phantasy Star Portable is picking up in Japan as the game draws closer to its July 31 release. There's a good collection of screenshots over at Gpara, and Famitsu has a new trailer to watch. The trailer takes some footage we've seen before and mixes that in with some more details highlighting the game's features. The ad hoc multiplayer mode looks like a lot of fun; it's a good time to tout such a feature since all those Monster Hunter fans may want a nice, new alternative co-op game this summer.
Finally, more information on Phantasy Star Portable has surfaced. The biggest reveal involves the ability to import characters from Phantasy Star Universe -- the console game that PSP is based on. Players of the PS2 and PC versions of Phantasy Star Universe may import their characters and carry over their character's name and personal data as well as currently equipped cloths and parts. Level, however, will be capped at level 20 and spare equipment, special items, etc. will not be carried over. Those with a 360 PSU will not be able to import any data at all.
Also, the game has an all-new story mode with new missions. A four player co-op mode through an ad hoc connection will also be included. Phantasy Star Portable is currently set for release in Japan on July 31. A North American release has yet to be announced.
There is perhaps no other PSP title as innovative and quirky as Zoe Mode's Crush, a puzzler that successfully implemented 2D and 3D gameplay like we've never seen before. And although the game never sold as well as it should have (Boo Sega's marketing department!), it has received the proper recognition from the critics that it deserves.
To add one more accolade to the list, Playboy has chosenCrush as one of its runners-up for 2007's most innovative game. Being included among such wonderful games as Rock Band, Portal, Super Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed is no joke ... well, maybe the joke is that Assassin's Creed actually made the list in the first place. Nevertheless, it's great to see one of our favorite PSP titles getting a little more love.
If you still have yet to play Crush, then shame on you. However, there's still time to rectify this gross oversight by picking it up today and experiencing one of the most original games ever to grace a handheld.
Abbreviated PSP, Sega's upcoming PSP port of Phantasy Star Universe is set to enthrall the audiences that snagged a PSP to play Monster Hunter. Just like Capcom's RPG, PSP will allow collaborative RPG play with other players ... provided you're all in the same room. At least the style and graphical flair of the Phantasy Star world have come through successfully in these first screenshots of the game.
It's time to get up to speed with the blue blur that is Sonic the Hedgehog. Besides the fact that's a very strange animal to choose as a mascot, the other characters don't exactly get such identifying monikers. Oh well. We've got quite a few videos for you to check out in addition to the one above, so take the plunge and watch the others after the jump.
Video game trends are fairly commonplace in the industry. For example, cel shading was the "it" thing to do a few years ago. Now, it's button mashing a la Resident Evil 4 and God of War. PSP games are not immune to this increasingly tiresome gimmick -- even Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (somewhat unnecessarily) featured the gameplay device.
Sonic Rivals 2 is proudly featuring the gameplay mechanic in its latest trailer, and we have to admit, it's probably for the best. Races will become interesting as there's more interactivity to each level. Instead of simply blindly moving forward from point A to B, the required button presses will add a bit more depth (or so we hope).
Every week, PSP and PS3 Fanboy will bring you new backgrounds for your Sony consoles, in resolutions up to 1080p. Download them directly to your PS3 by accessing PS3 Fanboy on your system. Download PSP wallpapers directly to your PSP by accessing the site wirelessly at m.pspfanboy.com.
This weekend, we're focusing on Sega's upcoming PS3 title Viking: Battle for Asgard.
It's pretty hard to describe, this video. While we understand the concepts of "King of the Hill", the video really confuses us as to how it'll all play out in the end. No matter, we're more interested in Tag Mode -- something that seems a natural fit for the Sonic universe. The mode plays exactly as it sounds: you tag an opposing player, giving them the "bomb" and they chase someone else down to tag them. Since Sonic games are always built on speed, we expect that mode to have a little more playability than sitting on the top of a hill. Seriously, Sonic doesn't like standing still. He taps his feet and glares angrily at you.
Having sold 217,000 copies on the very first day, the new Japanese chart-topper Phantasy Star Portable went on to ship 500,000 copies in the first week. Though it won't beat out reigning champion Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G's figures of 880,000, it did beat out another very popular PSP game with a larger fanbase: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The Square Enix game managed to ship 480,000 copies in its debut week.
There is perhaps no other PSP title as innovative and quirky as Zoe Mode's Crush, a puzzler that successfully implemented 2D and 3D gameplay like we've never seen before. And although the game never sold as well as it should have (Boo Sega's marketing department!), it has received the proper recognition from the critics that it deserves.
