Filed under: Previews

PSP Fanboy hands-on: Star Ocean: Second Evolution

by Alan Tsang { 10 months ago }

Star Ocean: Second Evolution, as the title implies, is a remake of the second Star Ocean game released back in 1999 on the original PlayStation. It is a direct sequel to another PSP remake released earlier this year, Star Ocean: First Departure. Besides the updated graphics, what other new elements can RPG lovers expect? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Star Ocean: The Second Evolution

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Engadget unboxes PSP-3000

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

So you've probably already seen the dismantled Japanese PSP Brite and took a look at what's underneath that shiny exterior. Now, how about watching the North American bundle get unboxed? While the Engadget crew has opted out of tearing their precious handheld apart, we do get to have a comprehensive look at all the goods inside the retail box. If you're planning on getting a PSP Brite for yourself, then check out the pics here and see what awaits.

TGS 08 hands-on: Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

When we first heard of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce (back then it was known by its Asian version name Multi Raid) we didn't think it would be coming over to Western shores. So, it was a nice surprise to see a little press release letting us know that the PSP exclusive will in fact be making a North American and European debut in 2009. Armed with that knowledge, we decided it might be worthwhile checking out the game on the show floor.

We picked up the playable demo. There were three characters available for play: Xiahou Dun, Zhao Yun and Sun Shang Xiang; they were all dressed up in their Dynasty Warriors 6 outfits. We chose to play as Zhao Yun and then picked out a map. The load time was fairly tolerable not taking more than a few seconds. Once the stage loaded up, we noticed that the graphics were not that much different from previous DW games on PSP; the character models look actually slightly blockier though.

Gallery: Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

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TGS 08: Full Square Enix Closed Theater impressions

by Joystiq Staff { 1 year ago }

Ah, the Square Enix Mega Theater. It's always something to look forward to at every TGS. We took the time to check out the theater and see what's cooking behind those big, black walls. Square Enix showed off trailers for nine games and a film in the Mega Theater, including two PS3 titles, the Advent Children Complete movie, and four PSP titles. Grab the full scoop on each title in our Square Enix Closed Theater impressions.

PSP Fanboy hands-on: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

The Kingdom Hearts series was first born on the PlayStation 2; however, it has gone and spread its wings into other realms since then and now it carries a new bundle of joy in the form of portable PSP title Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. While the title radically takes the story aspect of the game farther away from the original setting with Sora and friends, this new game will focus on the three (slightly) new faces pictured above (from left: Aqua, Ventus and Tera).

Birth by Sleep was indeed playable on the show floor at TGS and we sunk in some time with the title. The playable build that was available let us try out both Ventus and Tera in battle. We decided to just go with trying out Tera's abilities and then go straight into the action. Tera's level starts off in a forest area which gets you into a fight right away. Kingdom Hearts vets will notice that the controls are incredibly familiar; they're nearly identical to the original console games from the past, though with slight differences due to the change in input interface (ie, shoulder buttons once again control the camera since there are no dual analog nubs).

Gallery: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

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PSP Fanboy hands-on: Dissidia: Final Fantasy

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

Dissidia: Final Fantasy has been a title we've been keeping an eye on a lot lately, and hence, it's one of the first games we decided to see out on the Tokyo Game Show floor. We moseyed on over to Sony's booth to get in a quick session before going at it again and taking in another short round over at Square Enix proper. Five characters were available to play: Firionel, Tidus, Squall, Warrior of Light, and Zidane. We decided to try out different characters for each play session and tested out the skills of Squall and Tidus.

The overall battle system is rather easy to pick up; attacking with the square button deals the amount of damage currently in your "Brave" gauge while attacking with the circle button drains your enemy's Brave, replenishing your own and then eventually putting enemies into a "Break" state as you can see here in these videos. Now while the general concept of the game's battle system is easy to grasp, mastering the play style of the individual characters is another story. After having played as both Squall and Tidus for a solid amount of time, we noticed that neither character played like the other. Even though their special moves use the same button inputs, they move and attack completely different.

Gallery: Final Fantasy Dissidia

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PSP Fanboy hands-on: Prinny: Is It Okay If I am the Main Character?

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

Disgaea fans probably jumped in excitement upon hearing the news that Prinnies would be getting their own game for PSP. Prinny: Is It Okay If I Am The Main Character? is the aptly cute pseudo-2D side-scroller which is also being released in North America. While fans may be squealing in delight over that, here's one more tidbit that's going to make your day: you can play the game now off a demo on the Japanese PS Store. If you can't download it or just plain old stuck at work and can't get to it until you're at home, then we're providing our very own impressions for your convenience.

Getting right into it, the demo was a short, one-level adventure taking us through scenery we've seen in screenshots previously (namely the one posted above). As you can see, the environmental objects are 3D models and there will be times when certain actions will cause the camera to shift into this 3D perspective; however, the game is mostly in the 2D perspective, side-scrolling from left to right. Before you start the level you'll be given two optional difficulties: either a "one-hit you're dead" game or a "three-hit chance." The number of hits you can take will be displayed by icons placed in the upper left corner of the screen. If you die, you'll use up a life point which are all displayed in the bottom left.

Gallery: Prinny: Is It Okay If I Am The Main Character?

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PSP Fanboy hands-on: Neverland Card Battles

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

It is refreshing to see a game like Neverland Card Battles hitting the PSP. It's a title that blends together two very distinct strategy genres: tradable card games and strategy RPGs. It may sound a tad strange at first, having these two gameplay aspects merging as one, but that's what we're here for. We're here to help explain to you just how exactly that experience plays out and what it was like going through it all. Was it any fun? You'll find out soon enough.

Having played the title just this afternoon, I immediately went through the very first level to get a quick grasp of the story and basic play mechanics. The game plays out on an S-RPG type of battle grid with the enemy card wielder on one side and the hero Galahad on the other. The objective of all Neverland battles is to obviously defeat your opponent, and to do so you'll have a 30-card deck at your disposal. At the beginning of each battle you'll have a full hand of five cards (see where the TCG is starting to kick in?), and to use these cards you'll have to draw mana. Drawing mana is done by increasing one's "territory" on the battle grid. As you move your character (and later on summoned creatures) across the playing field, they'll turn each square they touch into your team's color -- this represents your territory. Each square equals one mana and dictates your overall summoning strength, so it's crucial to take command over the battlefield in order to win.

Gallery: Neverland Card Battles

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PSP Fanboy hands-on: Star Ocean: First Departure

by Alan Tsang { 1 year ago }

Having played all the Star Ocean titles officially available in North America, I was more than eager to try out Square-Enix's remake of the game that started it all. As most Star Ocean fans know, the original title was released on the Super Famicom in 1996 but never saw the light of day in the US, so this PSP-exclusive remake is the first time many of us will be playing the game. Read on to find out my thoughts after spending a couple of hours with the game.

Gallery: Star Ocean: The First Departure

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Preview: NBA 09 The Inside

by Joystiq Staff { 1 year ago }

Glenn from the PS Nation podcast, the official podcast of PS Fanboy, took some time to play NBA 09: The Inside for PSP. Here's his impressions of the upcoming game.

I'll be the first to admit I really haven't paid attention to the NBA for a couple of years. I still root for my Milwaukee Bucks, and even still use them in video games, but I rarely watch them play any more. Lately, if I'm playing a basketball game, it sits firmly in the "arcadey" category. I even own a full-sized NBA Maximum Hangtime arcade cabinet.

When I opened the small package that I received from Sony, and realized that this was the first pre-release game that they sent to us here at the PS Nation Podcast, I was shocked and excited. I may not spend an insane amount of time on Basketball games like I do for other titles, but I do play them. There's a lot to cover here, but I'll tell you this--what I've seen and played so far is surprisingly good!

Gallery: NBA 09: The Inside (PSP)

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PSP Fanboy hands-on: Pipemania

by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }

Laying down pipes is a tough job. It's not only for overweight guys with a problem keeping their butt cracks covered up, it's a job for puzzle lovers and thinkers, too. Don't agree? Well, if so, that's because you haven't played Pipemania yet. We've put in some time with the pipe-centric puzzler, playing up the DS version which, while having a different interface than the PSP, will have the exact same core gameplay and game modes.

The main objective of the game is to build pipes and keep fluid called "Flooze" from flooding the game grid. There are two designated squares which will represent 1) the beginning where the Flooze will flow from, and 2) the end where the Flooze needs to be brought to. To bridge these two points together, you'll have to make good use of a prearranged line of differently shaped pipe pieces. You'll only be able to use pipes in a fixed sequential order; however, you'll be able to view the next few pieces in line to plan ahead. This sort of preset arrangement maintains a consistent difficulty, providing balance to the progressive difficulty of the game as more gameplay elements and stricter time pressure appear.

Gallery: Pipemania

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Hands-on: Buzz! Master Quiz

by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }

It's a rather difficult challenge to write hands-on impressions for a game like Buzz! Master Quiz. Sitting all lonesome on a table at Sony's E3 booth, it went by unnoticed by many that simply passed it by. Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm comes from this simple fact: Buzz! Master Quiz can be summed up rather succinctly -- a portable version of the popular quiz franchise, Buzz!

Progression through the game is rather simple. Simply partake in a variety of themed challenges. Perform well on one, and you'll earn a medal which can help unlock other challenges. Considering the quiz select screen fits on one menu, we're a bit concerned that the amount of content on the disc will be on the light side. With thousands of questions programmed in, we're certain these concerns are unwarranted.

Buzz! Master Quiz doesn't need to push the PSP hardware in any way, and that's exactly what we're getting with this simple, easy to look at game. At the very least, the presentation appears to have all the trimmings of its PS2 brethren.

Gallery: Buzz!

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Hands-on: Super Stardust Portable

by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }

What is Super Stardust Portable? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a PSP version of Super Stardust HD, ready to play anywhere you go. The PSN download-exclusive title is making the big jump from PS3 to PSP, and Housemarque (developers of the original SSHD) have succeeded in creating an authentic Stardust experience for the handheld.

There are obviously going to be two big questions on everyone's mind regarding SSHD. Firstly, the controls. PSP may not have a second analog stick, so how will this work? Well, you simply use the face buttons to shoot in the direction you'd like. It may take a little while to get accostmed to, but SSHD vets will be boosting, bombing and shooting in no time. (ProTip: To do a circular attack with the Gold Melter, press all the face buttons at once.) Secondly, the graphics. While the visuals are obviously toned down from the PS3, the PSP version is able to render a surprising amount of enemies on screen while maintaining a silky smooth framerate. It may not be PSP's best looking game, but for a quick pick-up-and-play title, SSP offers more than enough detail.

Gallery: Super Stardust Portable

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European PSN update for June 26th

by Jem Alexander { 1 year ago }

Want content? You got content. Europe gets their hands on the MGS Database today, which is probably the most exciting piece of content here, we reckon. If you're wondering where Novastrike is, you won't be seeing that hit the store in this region until August. Worth waiting for an improved version that includes trophies, right? Here's the full release list:

Playable content

Metal Gear Solid Database (free)
Pursuit Force full PSP game (£14.99/€19.99)
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 demo (free)

Add-on content

PAIN Nigel add-on pack (£0.69/€0.99)
Guitar Hero III "World of Warcraft song" add-on pack (free)

Videos

Call of Duty: World at War Reveal Trailer
Prince of Persia Debut trailer
PAIN Characters trailer
Prince Caspian trailer

The stunning vistas of Valhalla Knights concept art

by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }

PSP is getting yet another exclusive RPG in the form of Valhalla Knights 2. IGN has some stunning concept art on display, showing the various locales players can expect to visit whilst on their quest. However, we remind our readers that unfortunately, the game doesn't look quite as detailed as the art. Hopefully, the majesty featured in these stills will find its way into the spirit of the game's storytelling.