Posts Tagged ‘PSP’

British game developer Just Add Water is working with studio Oddworld Inhabitants on several new Oddworld projects.  That is fantastic news!  I would have been excited about just one new Oddworld project.  There are several?  I’m elated!  Just Add Water is making the new games and is licensed on several platforms including the PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC.  We should see Abe and maybe Munche return with renewed vigor.

After Munche’s Odyssey debuted on the original Xbox platform disappointed fans were waiting on the fifth game Squeek’s Odyssey which never debuted.  In the late nineties after several hit side scrolling games for PlayStation were developed, Oddworld Inhabitants transferred its license to Microsoft.  Munche’s Odyssey and Strangers Wrath did average business on the Xbox.  Both games disappointed fans since the games were only available on one platform and the design changed from classic 2D side scroll-er to a 3D design. Stranger’s Wrath further disappointed by jumping onto the First Person Shooter band wagon in 2005 leaving behind its core puzzler game style.  Although both Xbox games were interesting and innovative Oddworld Inhabitants ceased production on further games due to mediocre reviews and declining sales.  The studio decided to shut down and take a multi-year hiatus.  Oddworld Inhabitants is now said to be back working on a movie project with a game tie-in, and another separate game all its own.

Studio Just Add Water (JAW) is working closely with Oddworld Inhabitants since June 2009. That’s just over a year of work on the franchise.  Fans of Oddworld should breath a sigh of relief to know that Oddworld creators Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna have been working closely with JAW. This should ensure the games will remain true to their Oddworld roots and atmosphere.  JAW is the developer of the PlayStation Network and the game Gravity Crash for the PSP.  The studio should be announcing their new projects in coming weeks for multiple platforms starring your favorite Oddworld characters.  Lets see if they show anything this August at Gamescon.  Of note the JAW blog says these guys are true fans of the past Oddworld games.  The franchise is in good hands it seems.

JAW’s director:

“To work with the team at Oddworld has been amazing; being able to tap the minds of Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna and others has been fantastic,” said Just Add Water’s Managing Director Stewart Gilray.

“It’s almost symbiotic in that when something moves forward on any of the projects we just start chatting about new items, or what if we do this,” Gilray continued. “We’re all extremely excited to breathe life into the Oddworld universe and indeed to let it breathe life into us.”

After the embarrassing PSP Go fail is Sony going to redeem itself with the announcement of the PSP 2 at this years E3 Los Angeles in June or at Gamescon in August?  That’s what industry insiders are saying.  This year may be the year.  A new PSP device with graphics on par with the PS3.  Yeah, a 2011 release!  I really love my PSP 1000 and Sony is such a great hardware designer the PSP 2 will surely be a winner.  I think that the PSP should have been a bigger hit, but Sony had so many problems with PS3 pricing and software the PSP just didn’t get the attention it deserved for marketing or software development.  The PSP wasn’t a failure, it just could have been a bigger success than it was.  Ok, the PSP Go?  What the hell was Sony thinking?  I think that was a device they wish they could have released in the PSP 1000′s place seven years ago to keep pirates away.  A little late don’t you think?

If Sony is smart about its next PSP darling the design better live up to gamer expectations.  First of all a touch screen better be included.  One on par with the quality screen of the iPhone and multi touch sensing.  Next, the device better damn well have two thumb sticks!  The first PSP thumb stick worked half-ass along with the D-pad.  This was one of the biggest complaints among gamers.  Another complaint was the PSP operating system.  The PSP 2 must have better operating software, not the “half baked” system the first PSP had.  Let software designers hack the thing so they can install legal third party software on it.  There is no way around this, but if Sony ever becomes friendly towards third party developers the next PSP should become more popular among the general public.  Embracing outside developers should only increase hardware and eventually software sales for the long term.  Lastly, make it affordable.  The Nintendo DS is affordable and I believe the larger screen 3D version the Nintendo 3Ds will be too.  If Sony wants to beat Nintendo they better make it more affordable for the average consumer.  At least a reasonable price for the hardware components associated with it.

If the “leaked” tech specs for the next PSP are to be believed then this piece of hardware will be truly impressive.  First, a 4-core CPU based on the PS3′s multicore cell processor would be powerful and on par with lower end gaming laptops.  The Power VR multicore graphics chip would only compliment the cell processor.  Power VR also makes the GPU for Apple corporations fantastic iPad.  Power VR specializes in mobile devices so they would definitely be a top choice for that component inside the PSP 2.  The rumors about the addition of a camera and microphone interfaced with 3G mobile networks would make the device a good communications tool with other users of the next PSP, the PS3, or even PC’s.  3G connectivity would compliment the standard Wi-fi  the PSP already possesses.  I wouldn’t worry about battery life for the next PSP if all of this high end tech were to be included.  Battery performance has only improved over the last seven years and the lithium ion battery in the iPad is nothing short of phenomenal.

So, is Sony hungry enough to stay in the handheld mobile device market?  I think so.  They are a smart group and proud of their past hardware.  I think they would like nothing more than to become the leader again in the mobile technology sector.  Nintendo has already claimed victory over Sony in the console and handheld realms and has turned its sights on Apple as its newest threat.  Sony probably feels they would like to enter the fray once again.  After all, the PS3 has lots of growth ahead of it.  At least for the next 5 years in the Dude’s opinion.

The future of home video gaming is unclear.  Analysts used to think the game console industry cycle was around 5 years.  That’s changing.  Around 5 to 10 years is more like it with console technologies ahead of their time, higher price points, and a downturn in the world economy people aren’t reaching as deep into their pockets as predicted.  It is still a booming industry but growth has rapidly slowed.  What will succeed this generation (Generation 7) of consoles and home computers?  The PS4?  Xbox720?  The WiiToo?  OnLive microconsole?  I made up WiiToo.  It’s catchy isn’t it?  WiiToo?  Go ahead Nintendo take my name idea that’s cool.  Just let me have a free console.  That’s all I ask, no royalties please.  Back on point.  Analysts predict no new console technology to hit the store shelves until 2012 or 2013 if at all.  What do they mean, “if at all”?  Internet technology and speed may possibly make home hardware obsolete.  What?  I’ll no longer need a disc or drive?  Yeah, its going that way and in 5 more years we all may very well be comfortable with just downloads and streaming.  No more running out to the local Gamestop.

Wedbush Morgan Video Gaming analyst Michael Pachter who is a frequent guest on GameTrailers.com show “The Bonus Round” is raising some alarm among investors and gamers.  He’s saying this could be the last generation of home consoles.

“We note that video game software sales typically peak in the year prior to the introduction of a new generation console,as many consumers begin to slow purchases in anticipation of purchasing a new console the next year. We do not expect a “new” console in 2010 (other than the long-rumored high definition Wii, which is likely to upgrade the Wii to current console technology). We do not expect the “next” generation to begin before 2013, if at all.”

Talk of a PS4 is almost nonexistent although it is known to be on Sony’s drawing boards.  Sony is planning on the current generation PS3 to eventually succeed and even surpass its competitors while continuing to make money on a nearly 10 year old PS2.  Great!  Where’s my PS3 slim?  Anyone, anyone?  Sony has run into their share of problems with sales and company restructuring.  I believe they will do well and could even surpass sales of the current Xbox360 if a price drop along with a stellar round of exclusive games are implemented.  Not to mention continued development of their online services to give Xbox Live a run for its money.  It could happen, but a plan like this could take some time.  Maybe as long as 2012 before the PS3 could potentially pull ahead of the competition all while the new PS4 hits store shelves with an updated cell processor and blue-ray player.  Hopefully Sony will support backwards compatibility with future software updates of the PS3 console as the PS2 is eventually phased out.  I love the fact that the PS3 can be purchased with a 160GB hard drive and can be easily replaced with a larger 2.5″ laptop drive if needed.  There are plenty of tutorials on the internet to increase capacity for the PS3.  Sony also seems to be sticking to a 10 year cycle for each machine while releasing new technology every 5 years to keep up with the competition.  You can see that giving yourself 10 year period for success instead of only 5 could be a better plan for the marketing department.  Smart?  We will see.   The PS2 is almost irrelevant during this generation after 10 years although it won Generation 6′s console wars.  Nowadays during generation 7 the PS3 is around 9 million units behind the Xbox360, and 28 million units behind the Nintendo Wii in overall sales.  Maybe Sony can make up sales for losing  badly out of the starting gate with a 10 year plan.  Sony’s PSP had also undergone many hardware and software upgrades.  Nothing ground breaking, but at least in the right direction.  The handheld has been largely ignored by Sony and developers and since the console was not very ergonomic and had a “half baked” operating system suseptable to hackers.  Also, its mothership console was in trouble contributing to slow software development.  Now rumors are afoot that Sony is releasing a completely new PSP.  Not just another slight hardware upgrade, but a completely new system.  We may see something at this years E3 in June 09 so stay tuned.

Gamers and analysts do speculate a bit more about the next console from Microsoft.  I suspect the Xbox360 was named so due to its 3 internal processors.  The Xbox360 did not include a HD-DVD drive which would have been the logical choice to combat the Sony Blue-Ray.  In hindsight Microsoft made a smart move with the standard DVD drive foregoing higher costs of a more expensive input device with greater storage capacity.  The Xbox360 was as highly anticipated as Microsoft’s first entry into the console gaming market.  Although one entire console iteration behind the Playstation, Microsoft’s second console is a sales success.  The Xbox360 was released a full year ahead of the PS3 to its detriment though.  What do I mean.  The Red Ring of Death of course.  The console design is great, however the rush to release the console led to some manufacturing defects costing Microsoft dearly with replacements and retooling of its manufacturing methods.  No one knows what the name will be for the next Xbox.  The Xbox720,  the Xbox Next, Xbox XYZ?  We can expect the next Playstation to be called “PS4″, but who knows with the Xbox.   Of course we can all expect more processors, an updated and powerful graphics card along with increased memory and motion sensing wireless controls with the next version.  What about storage and input medium?  A new low cost technology is already developed called Holographic storage.  This new more cost effective storage medium can out-mode the current blockade of Blue-Ray discs from Sony.  The holographic storage medium can easily equal the same storage capacity of 100 DVD discs.  General Electric (GE) reserch labs in Niskayuna, N.Y., north of Albany have increase the reflective strength of their holographic drives by as much as 200% allowing them to read even Blue-Ray dics!  A breakthrough for the mass market!  The technology has been around for a long time and isn’t a proprietary storage format for Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony.  Any or all companies can benefit from holographic disc storage.  The best thing about the technology is it’s low cost to produce.  A welcome phrase to any company who designs hardware, especially game machines.  As of now the light patterns produced by the technology is expensive and is used only by medical and research devices.  By 2011 or 2012 the storage device could cost significantly less to produce and can be easily made in mass for commercial purposes.

1 Holodisc = 100 DVDs

Nintendo.  Ah, Nintendo.  One of the most beloved console manufacturers on the planet.  A giant in the home and handheld markets.  Yes, we all agree they do it right.  Nintendo ignores the ”console wars” and goes on their own way with unbridled enthusiasm.  They have a host market IP’s and brand recognition that crosses all boundaries.  Smart people?  You’re damn right!  Nintendo’s last console, the Game Cube was not a success.  The cube was a neat idea with a great controller, but Nintendo began to realize it was on the wrong track competing with hardware goliath Sony and software giant Microsoft.  They had to blaze their own path or face total defeat.  Nintendo fans who grew up with the company were getting nervous.  Nintendo had to totally revamped its strategy.  Wow, did they ever!  The Nintendo Wii and DS came down from above upon the industry with a roar during this generation of gaming.  Nintendo practically steam rolled the competition with lower costs, innovation, and marketing acumen.  Now they lead the pack, and the industry with sales in the home and handheld markets.  Shortly to be announced will be the Wii HD.  As previously mentioned by analysts this may the worlds last home game console ever sold.  Wii HD is expected to be an updated version of the Wii with a little more high definition horsepower and a few other improvements for the standard Wii.  Why the last console ever developed on the planet?  First, investors are infusing most of their money in current consoles resisting a new generation.  They see rising development costs associated with “refreshing” software for future systems.  Secondly, advanced internet technologies are beginning to take hold, decreasing the need for advanced home hardware.

MP 3′s  have supplanted the CD, downloadable content is slowly replacing DVD’s, gaming PC’s and consoles are next on the hit list.  People are used to having physical hardware and software at home.  That comes at some cost and takes up space.  What if there were a way to save money and space at home?  ”Cloud computing” is proven and the technology is here now.  Server farms, which are basically giant rooms filled with computer hardware linked to your home are springing up all over the country, gearing up to stream the next generation of games right to you.  One of the most noted cloud computing companies to date is OnLive.  OnLive splashed onto the scene at this years Game Developers Conference GDC 09 in San Fransico like a fat kid doing the cannon ball into the toddler pool.  Everyone got wet.  PC trials are beginning this Summer and microconsoles for home use should be on the market by this holiday season.  Low cost of entry for the consumer is key and they know it.  All you need is any ole’ PC or low cost microconsole and a good internet connection and your in business.  Imagine Crysis in 720P on my 42″ HDTV and surround sound cranked?  Believe it or not that game has been tested and works great!

I’m stoked!

-dude

Yes, I own and love my PSP.  Do I buy alot of games for the system?  No.  Have I been disappointed by some of my past game purchases for the system?  Yes.  If there is a game among few that are great for the PSP it’s God of War:  Chains of Olympus.  God of War for the PSP is a must for your collection.

I have always wanted to play the God of War games but couldn’t.  Why?  I don’t own a PS2.  I was planning to buy a PS3 system sometime, but when they lost backwards compatibility I thought whats the point.  Now, with the release of Chains of Olympus for PSP I couldn’t resist.  I drove down to an EB games in Virginia Beach on release day and picked up one of the last 3 copies they had on hand that wasn’t reserved.  I didn’t pop it in my system right away.  No, I waited for a great free moment to play it when I wouldn’t be bothered.  I flew out on Southwest airlines 2 days later and popped it in after reaching our cruising altitude.  The intro music and graphics were great.  The back story captured my attention and wasn’t confusing in the beginning even though I hadn’t played the series before or even followed it.  Of course the beginning of the game reminded me of the Spartans in the movie 300, one of my favorites.

I proceeded to play the game.  Hack and slash all the way against a multitude of enemies in a large and enjoyable environment.  I couldn’t believe how fast the first boss battle had begun.  Although it was just a mini-boss the challenge was there.  After wiping out fat man on the second try now go the spoils of battle.  What!  Wait a minute!  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Is this a video game or a movie?  Chamber maidens in the treasure room waiting for master to satisfy them?  Geez!  I’m really glad the old lady in the seat next to me isn’t hearing this since I’m wearing headphones.  I become embarrassed easily.  Two naked sex slaves lying on top of one another with an extreme closeup of their tah-tah’s.  Oh my, I thought to myself.  This game kicks butt!  Would I let a little kid play this game?  Hell no!  Rated M for mature isn’t just for blood and gore anymore.  Game developers are pushing the boundaries of games like studios have been doing for the past 20 years for film.  Alright!  Gaming is coming into its own as a full entertainment medium. 

After sampling the minigame “pleasing” the maidens, I continue my way along hacking and slashing deeper into the game unlocking and expanding my powers.  The cut scenes are informative and enjoyable to watch without intruding into my play.  Killing the bosses is challenging and fun, and the puzzles.  Yes, the puzzles are also enjoyable as a side note from the main reason I’m playing the game.  What is that you may be asking?  We play to take off heads, rip out eyes, and brutally inialate anything that gets in our way using Cratos’ brute strength and Blades of Chaos!  This is one of the most brutal games I have ever played!  It’s very satisfying to play and easy to save along the way.  Once you save your game in one of the shimmering streams of light you encounter along each level it’s easy to pick up where you left off. 

I’m really excited about picking up the first 2 games for the PS2 and giving them a whirl.  I have always loved Greek mythos and have always been drawn to games of that sort.  I guess I’ll have to get a used PS2 sometime from Craiges list and get my hands on a few copies of the past games to really appreciate the franchise in all its glory.

Do I recommend this game?  Hell yes!  If your looking for a supurb handheld hack and slash puzzle game then this is it!!!

Pros:  Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Puzzles, Mini-games, Characters, Cut-scenes.

Cons:  Story is good, but alittle hard to understand as a whole.

-dude