via ign

Although the PSP has enjoyed many ports from PS2 and Xbox games, more powerful systems are now the being used as the lead SKU. With Xbox 360 and PS3 pushing new graphical boundaries, quickly pumping out a handheld version of the same game won't be quite as easy, if possible at all. Such is the case with Hellboy which looks to be a vastly different beast than its console cousins. Still under the helm of Krome Studios and following a action brawler formula, Hellboy for PSP should provide a totally different experience for fans of the pleasant spawn of hell.

The demo build we played started out with a comic book themed paneled introduction. Hellboy is wandering the desert in search of a hidden oasis, an idea that he readily agrees isn't the best. The playable section begins in an ancient Middle Eastern themed village with dusty streets and heavy use of the tan to brown color range. Hellboy is controlled using the analog nub only and we found his movements to be responsive. The attack buttons are mapped similarly to the console versions, with light and heavy attacks as well as being given the option to pick up the enemies and toss them around.


As we fought through the demo stage, the layout for how small battles would be presented became apparent. Large stone tablets blocked access to other roads and side streets that would only move down after clearing the area of enemies and then waiting for the next bit of the world to stream into the memory. It worked well and gave us no loading screens, even as we entered an inner cavern where we faced a giant boss bug.

The first major fight was introduced through an in-engine cutscene where the bug burst out from a hole in the center of the room. As the camera panned around it, several light emitting stones were spotlit. Ah, the keys to an easy victory…sort of. The bug had enough arms that he could knock you around, pick up smaller enemies and toss them your way, or start bumping into the walls to reshape the layout of the cavern. After climbing two stone staircases and turning on some stones that emit damaging light, the boss started flailing about until it hit the wall and revealed a new path up the side of the cave. We climbed our way up and grabbed the final stone to put into place and complete the fight, though it wasn't much of a fight as the battle was essentially a puzzle without any real combat necessary


The graphics in Hellboy have quite a ways to go if they want to compete with some of the heavier hitters on the PSP. Perhaps it was just the level we were allowed to play, but the color scheme that focuses heavily on the brown side of things looked fairly bland and caused the game to feel a bit empty. Things perked up a bit once we got inside of the cave for the boss fight, leaving hope that the still-early build of the game we played will not be fully representative of the final game. To get a better idea on the game's appearance, be sure to check out our new direct-feed movies in the media gallery.

The handheld version of Hellboy is looking like it will wind up as a standard brawler, which isn't a bad direction to take at all given the intellectual property it is based on. Look for more Hellboy impressions and media as the game gets closer to release.

Screens Via Comments ...

via ign

Yesterday at Konami's annual Gamer's Day we had a chance to play the latest build of Coded Arms Contagion. The game is the follow-up to the original PSP release of Coded Arms, and in some way is connected to the forthcoming PlayStation 3 title Coded Arms Assault. We started the game from scratch, creating our own profile and running through the opening moments of the game.

Contagion opens with a nicely-rendered cutscene where you see your character, Grant, entering the VR chamber to jack into the virtual world of Coded Arms. The only other person in the area is the general, standing behind the controls for the machine, puffing away on cigars. Once inside, he talks to you via a com link and issues commands.


The first thing you'll have to do is run through a short tutorial that introduces you to the play mechanics. There's no way to skip this, but it does provide some rather useful instructions on how to hack and upgrade your plug-ins. We're unsure of whether you'll be able to skip this if you have a save from the original game on your Memory Stick, but it would be nice as it's reasonably basic stuff and the game gives you reminders during the first mission anyway.

The first true scenario in the game takes place in what looks like a factory of some sort. It's a boxy environment, with sharps turns at every corner. There are a number of complicated battle zones however, with machinery impeding direct access of your bullets into your enemies.

The game's control system works on the now-standard setup for first-person shooters on the PSP. The left analog stick handles movement while the four face buttons are used for aiming. The problem with this setup though is that you only have two buttons left for other actions, and with three main commands in the game (fire, jump and lock-on), the lock-on button ending up being mapped to the down button on the D-Pad. It's sort of an awkward setup that can be gotten used to, but it's not as slick as it could be.


The lock-on mechanics are a little wonky anyway though. The game will attempt to aim at the person closest to the center of the screen, regardless of how far away they are. If there's an enemy 10 feet away and just a tad to your left, who happens to be lighting you up with gunfire, and another guy dead-center but on the other side of the level, you'll aim at the farther guy. You then need to press down again to remove the lock-on, then adjust your aim and try it again, or simply aim by hand.

Coded Arms Contagion looks really good at this point, sporting visuals that rival those of some PlayStation 2 shooters in our eyes. Particle effects and explosions look nice, and texture detail is quite sharp. It doesn't run perfectly smooth, but it's certainly playable and the sharp visuals make it worth it.

So far, Coded Arms Contagion looks like a very solid shooter wrapped in some nice ideas. The game is currently slated to ship on March 13th, so stay on the lookout for this one.

Screens Via Comments ...

via ign

Dating simulators have been the bee's knees in Japan for some time now, but as of yet publishers have been rather hesitant to test the waters outside of the country with titles from the genre. Konami is set to change all that with its 90210-esque release of Brooktown High: Senior Year in a few month's time.

The point of the game is to simply date as many of the other students as you can while managing your time. Aside from cheesing it up with the other upper-classmen, you'll have to study if you want better grades, get a job if you want some extra cash, get to class on time and, of course, catch some Zs now and then. It's sort of like the time management issues that you find in The Sims, except that instead of raising a family your goal is to raise something else.


When you first begin your senor year, you need to create your character. You start by taking a personality test that determines how much of a jock, nerd, goth or prep that you are. After your personality is determined, you then get to decide how you want your character to look from a small number of choices. You start with the basics, but you can expand your wardrobe and such by picking up some new threads later on.

Clothing is an important part of the game and will determine how some people will interact with you. If you wear the wrong clothes, you'll alienate some of the people at Brooktown. When the seasons change, you'll need to update your wardrobe or be mocked for wearing a t-shirt in winter or a heavy coat in the spring. You could also just go to class in your underwear, but we're not sure anyone would appreciate that.

Though you choose what you say to people in conversations, the game is not a simple "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of game. Your personality and clothing will directly reflect how others view you, and combined with your comments will determine how they react to you. You won't be able to score with the head cheerleader if you wear a pencil protector no matter how much you're able to sweet talk her.


While conversations play perhaps the biggest and most important role in the game, Brooktown High also includes a number of mini-games that make up events. For example, you can partake in a game of strip blackjack or get down with a little tongue wrestling. In the tongue wrestling game, you're in control of a bottle of breath spray and must navigate around the screen while collecting hearts and avoiding other objects, all while spraying back bad breath. No, it's not exciting as making out with a cheerleader behind the football field after the big game, but it is reasonably entertaining and challenging.

After you complete the school year, the game will fast-forward 20 years in the future and show you what became of yourself, whether or not you ended up marrying anyone from the game and generally how you wind up doing in your late 30s. Of course, before you get to this point you'll have to pass a boss fight with the school bully at the prom...

Brooktown High: Senor Year certainly won't be for everyone, but it actually seems like a decent bit of fun. We're still scratching our heads over the comment from some goth chick about her wanting to spank us with her spatula, but we'll have to wait until the game's release later this year to find out how well she handles her kitchenware.

Screens Via Comments ...

via ign

In a call to investors, THQ announced it would release WWE titles for Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360. Last year wrestling did not come to DS and was absent from the launch of PS3 and Wii.

Previously the title "WWE Superstar Aggression" for DS was found on retail lists. THQ has not given an official name to its DS wrestling title.

No further details were offered about the titles. It's unknown if the DS and Wii versions will be unique to those platforms or if they will be variations on the WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw series. ...

The UK Store Mr Modchips is now selling the CycloWiz Wii Modchip



The CycloWiz chip provides the added capabilities of disabling the modchip and also the concept of quicksolder, which for some may be much easier than the wire install of other chips.

Preorder/buy at Mr Modchips ...

via 1emulation

New Wip screenshots of the Saturn emulator for windows and this news:


More Info ...

The new Dreamcast emulator for Windows has seen a new update with the release of a updated plugin for the emulator, heres the release info:


Download over at the Official Homepage ...

Alekmaul has posted 2 screenshots of his WIP Sega Master System emulator for the DS.

Check em out via Comments ...

A lot of sites in the Wii Scene are reporting that reviews of the recent Cyclowiz and Wiinja modchips have lead to false claims and its even claimed that the review of Cyclowiz was false because of no proper installation pics.

The term Yellow journalism is being thrown about, which i gather means that slagging one modchip off and throwing all your support behind the other.

The news of the Wiikey Modchip has really opened up the talk, especially with the claims it makes via its specs.

My advice to all is to wait and see what proper review sites make of which is best, personally i want a Modchip that is extremely easy to install, allows region free playback of my games and also the ability for Wii and Gamecube Homebrew, i am not interested in piracy whatsoever as this kills the industry.

So dont believe all you read at lesser news sites ...