Art has once again updated his Xflash app for the PSP, heres whats new:


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Via IGN

Test Drive Unlimited launched this past September on the Xbox 360, and this coming February it's set to hit the PS2, PC and PSP. Offering up an inside look at the development of the PSP version of the game is Kevin Burfett of Melbourne House, the game's developer. Have a read.

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Via IGN

It seems that with each platform Megaman makes an appearance on, the story shifts further and further into the future. The Megaman X series were placed after the original series of games, and then the Zero and Battle Network games are supposedly after the X series have finished. Now we have the latest Megaman title, called Ryuusei No Rockman (Megaman Star Force), which happens a while after the events of the last Battle Network game on the GBA.

Instead of starring featuring Lan and his Netnavi, we have a new lead role in Subaru, and this time he's not equipped with a Netnavi at all. Instead, his companion is an FM called Warlock. What's an FM? Basically think of a sentient being that lives in the radio waves. Any way, when Subaru and Warlock merge, they transform into the lovable, cuddly Megaman that everyone knows and loves. Netnavis, FMs, they're pretty much all the same when you look at it, really. Three years after the disappearance of his father, Subaru has turned into quite the anti-socialite, and even his companions from school can't convince him to come out of his shell. One night, while looking at the stars, Subaru decides to use his father's Visualizer, and comes into contact with Warlock for the first time.

The basic foundation of the game has changed greatly compared to Battle Network, however. Similar to BN, Star Force's combat is played out on a grid, only this time it's presented in full 3D from a 3rd person perspective. Additionally, Megaman cannot move back and forth anymore, only from left to right. I don't know why this was done, but perhaps it was to make things easier to manage while in battle. Moving on, instead of the Battlechips that Megaman could use, he now has Battle Cards, which can be selected with the touch screen during each battle. The card system is actually quite easy to figure out; there's a gauge on the right side of the screen that goes up while you're fighting enemies. Once it's full, you can press the L or R buttons to bring up the card menu screen to select more cards. You can choose from six cards at a time initially, but the maximum you can carry at once depends on the type of cards that you choose. Despite the changes, the game plays fairly similar to the Battle Network games. Since you can't move around a lot, attacks are sometimes more difficult to avoid, so you can always use the handy Shield option to weather an assault. The downside is that Shield is only active for a limited time, so you can't turtle in one spot for too long.

Star Force uses a mixture of 2D and 3D graphics; 2D for the overworld and 3D for battles and it does a good job for the most part. Personally, I think the 2D graphics look a hell of a lot better than the visuals during battle. The sprites are just the right size, and the animation is plentiful, so Subaru and the rest of the cast can convey a range of emotions throughout the game. The 3D graphics are average at best, but it seems that there isn't enough detail added to the models to give them a clean look, especially with the enemies. The Little Macs look like rectangles most of the time. Not everything looks bad though; the special abilities you acquire in the game look really good and are wouldn't look out of place in a Final Fantasy game.

The best addition to the game is the Wi-Fi and wireless play, which allows you to trade Brother Band (a cute name for Broadband, I suppose) information between players. Wireless play allows you to trade Battle Cards and actually do battle with each other, but with Wi-Fi you're limited to only trading Brother Band information and sending e-mails. Since the game is aimed towards kids, you can create your very own avatar as well as filter out any information that you don't want seen.

Although the game initially seems very similar to the Battle Network games, there are enough changes to make the gameplay a totally different experience from the GBA games. The 3D graphics aren't going to blow your minds, but the underlying gameplay is solid and really addictive, especially if you were a fan of the Battle Network series. As a bonus, those with the BN games lying around can unlock secret items by booting Star Force with a BN cartridge in the NDS' GBA slot. Look for a more detailed hands-on review soon!... ...

via ign

A mysterious game has appeared on the latest release list from Japan's biggest games magazine, Famitsu. According to the list, the PlayStation 3 will be getting a game called Gundam Musou from Bandai Namco Games. The game is set with a TBA 2007 date.

Unfortunately, that's all we know, as the magazine's editorial sections make no mention of the game.

The "Musou" name (complete with the same two kanji characters) is used elsewhere in the Japanese game market. Koei's Dynasty Warriors series is known in Japan as "Shin Sangoku Musou." Coincidence? Possibly, but we'll have to wait for Bandai Namco to give out some actual details. ...

Screw the Wiimote! If you want a really radical controller, check out the EdgeFX which is now available for the PS2 and "will be available soon" for the PS3.

"The EdgeFX has a right hand optical mouse controller and gaming pad with a detachable left hand controller. During game play, the left hand controller is used to move while the right rumble-mouse is used to shoot, look left, right, up and down. The EdgeFX allows you to move at maximum speeds and then instantly slow down for precision targeted shooting when the focus button is pressed."

Yeah, awesome.

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via ps3fanboy ...

News from Guyfawkes

I updated my game originally entered into the GP2X Coding Competition a few days ago to fix a couple of bugs that have been found. Changes are:
- fixed a bug with the media path not being read for some users after their text editor automatically adds a line break.
- fixed a bug where it may crash if you have a lot of music files which are added to the playlist
- fixed a bug if the path to scan is correct but no music files are found, if this happens the music is disabled in the game, do not enable it otherwise the game will crash.
- I changed the speed limiter a bit so the game should hopefully not stutter as much due to the music buffering from the SD card.

A proper update of the game will be released in the new year with all the features that didn't make it in time for the GP2X Community Coding Competition deadline.

Download Here --> http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfile...,0,0,0,27,1974 ...

via Avelino Herrera Morales

This is my first release of DINAMISE: A tracker-style MIDI sequencer for the MIDI out interface I have built for the GBA.

The MIDI out interface is now by its second version. Go to this url for further info about the new hardware version. Build it and enjoy with DINAMISE! :-) ...

J5892 has updated WiiTar app and now it uses the Nunchuck too, heres some info:


Video Here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67BOpSA8J_c

Full Details Via Comments ...

via gamesindustry

Chris Satchell, general manager of Microsoft's Game Development Group, has questioned whether the Wii has got what it takes to keep gamers' interests in the long run.

Speaking in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Satchell said, "I think the Wii is of interest, I'm not sure what its long term potential is. It's a super-strong for Nintendo's first-party IP, but beyond that?

"I get that it is getting more developer support and that's good, but I just don't know if it's going to be that compelling."

The Wii hit UK shops earlier this month, racking up sales of more than 105,000 units over launch weekend. That makes it the fastest-selling home console in history, beating Xbox 360 - which sold 70,000 units in the first few days after its launch last year.

But according to Satchell, it's still to early to tell whether the Wii will be the winner in the end. "It's going to start very fast, it's a cool thing that's different, but I?m not sure how big it's going to be in the long term," he said.

Satchell also questioned whether Microsoft's other rival in the console space is taking the correct approach when it comes to online services and user-created content, stating, "I don?t think Sony has the right focus. I'm not even sure, looking at how they execute, that they even think that it's important.

"Like providing people with tools so that they can be creative; they certainly don't seem to do it in their professional space, so I don't really believe they're going to do it in other spaces."

He observed that it takes "many many years of technology investment and many tens of millions of dollars" to get an online service like Xbox Live up and running, adding, "They're not chasing a fixed target, they're chasing us constantly innovating.

"So I think that's where we do something different - we desperately care about the game development platform. How you enable the developers, how you give them a great software platform to build on. I don't think our competitors care in the same way; they have different interests," Satchell concluded. ...