via gamesetwatch

Well, I jest in the title, of course - but if you're a collector of PSP-related memorabilia, it's probably time to start checking out eBay, because as studios slow down and basically stop releasing UMD discs - the handy UMD release list at The Digital Bits shows only a handful of new Sony-published movies coming out - so, as stores and retailers clear their decks over the next few months, there's likely to be both bargains and rarities galore.

Personally, the thing I get most excited about is great audio/video synchronization, because I use my PSP both to listen to MP3s and to watch movies/play games while commuting, so I finally managed to pick up the Beck 'Guero' special edition UMD which we gave away on GameSetWatch last December - only $5 plus shipping from eBay, too.

The UMD includes "all the audio tracks from the 8-bit retro game-ish influenced album, special video art by D-Fuse for each track, and seven music videos", and it makes me wish that album-specific goodness like the Super Furry Animals' Rings Around The World and Phantom Power DVDs would come to UMD - something which they are clearly not, hah.

But in any case, I've previously mentioned that Dr. Who's first season is apparently out - although I can only find references to it for UK release, so maybe the U.S. release was pulled? What is definitely out is two Family Guy box sets (the first one is still decently priced on DeepDiscountDVD), an Entourage box set, and a bunch of Adult Swim UMDs, for starters. So I think if you're a bit of a geek, you might want to start picking some of these up now, before they get scarce - and feel free to ping us if you see any good UMD sales? ...

via kotaku

In a surprising turn of events, a former New Hanover County sheriff's deputy was charged today in the shooting death of a teen accused of stealing a Playstation 3 console.

Cpl. Christopher Long, 34, was indicted Monday on second-degree murder for the death of 18-year-old college student Payton Strickland, which was shot Dec. 1.

Stories do not address whether Strickland had a controller in his hand when he was shot, though his roommate said that might have been the case. The stories do say he was unarmed.

District Attorney Ben David said Long mistook the sound of another sheriff deputy's battering ram hitting a door as a gunshot. Strickland was shot in the shoulder and once in the head. The fatal shot first ricocheted off of another object, according to an autopsy report.

Deputies believed that the raid would be high risk because of pictures found on the Internet which showed one of Strickland's friend's posing with guns and because UNC Wilmington police had said they had received information that the friend, who didn't live with Strickland, was known to carry a weapon.

Strickland and two friends were suspected of beating a UNC Wilmington student and robbing him of two Playstation 3s in November.

"This indictment is an important first step in holding accountable everyone responsible for Peyton's death - but this is only a first step," his parents, Don and Kathy Strickland, said in a written statement. "None of these actions can bring Peyton back to us, but perhaps they can save someone else's child."
Family and friends of Long, who was fired last week, described the man as widely known, respected and loved. He has, they say, received death threats since the shooting.

These cases are never black and white and in my investigatory experience, which is quite substantial, chargning an officer or deputy in a case like this is very rare. Brian Crecente

Former N.C. sheriff's deputy charged in death of teen during raid ...

via kotaku

In order to wash the taste of the Sony PSP viral marketing video from earlier out of your mouth, I present you with Wii Boy, the story of a man who uses the power of imagination to overcome hardship.

The video reminds me of when I was a kid, and all the other kids had Go-bots and Transformers, and all I had was rocks. I would pretend they transformed into robots, and I was happy. Then Tonka made Rock Lords. *******s. Pretty sure this isn't a viral ad, seeing as a real viral ad would use a real Wii in it...or maybe they know I know that, and used a fake one to throw me off. Man, the internet sure is complicated.

Video here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkj28_TVFss ...

via pspfanboy

There's something lethal about this game. How bad it is. When a publisher decides not to hype a game, and let it silently release to the masses, you know something's going on. Let's see what went wrong, according to the critics:

Gamespot (71/100) enjoyed the game quite a bit, noting good ideas marred by poor controls - "The analog stick isn't conducive to subtle movement, so most of your "mission failed" screens are the result of control struggles. The shooting portions are standard fare"

Games Radar (50/100) thought the game was a bore - "Star Wars: Lethal Alliance is the very definition of mediocre. The storyline isn't integral enough to the gameplay experience to really snag fans, and the gameplay won't do much for anyone else. It's cool to finally play a Twi'lek, but if Lethal Alliance is any indication, they should really stick to dancing."

GameDaily (50/100) notes the game's poor controls as well - "Unfortunately, the poor mission design keeps this game from being a must buy. Ubisoft relied on old game ideas, such as not being able to leave a room until all enemies have been killed, or back tracking through the same bland looking environment instead of throwing the player something new. On top of that, Rianna's targeting system sucks."

Star Wars games have been notorious for being either amazing or merely mediocre. It's unfortunate to see that we got the latter. ...

Via IGN

Today, Take-Two announced that the preliminary findings in an investigation into the company's stock option granting practices and procedures have been reported by the Special Committee of its Board of Directors.

This Special Committee was put together by Take-Two's Board of Directors to look into stock option grants, the timing of such grants, and related accounting matters. The Special Committee is composed of three independent members of Take-Two's Board of Directors, and is being assisted by independent accounting firm BDO Seidman, as well as outside legal counsel Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman.

The Special Committee conducted a thorough investigation, which included a review and analysis of documents and e-mails, as well as an interview with current and former officers, directors, employees, and advisors to Take-Two. According to the results of the investigation, the Special Committee found that there were improprieties in the stock option granting and documenting process, and that incorrect measurement dates for certain stock option grants were used for financial accounting purposes. The Committee expects that it will release a final report detailing both its findings and recommendations for corrective actions.

Take-Two's Board of Directors and management have concluded that the company will need to restate its financial statements to catalogue non-cash charges for compensation expense relating to past stock option grants. Although the total amount of said charges and the resulting impact on the company's accounting has not been determined, all financial information for the company for periods between 1997 and 2006 has been deemed unreliable.

While certain improprieties were uncovered as a result of the investigation, no misconduct was found on the part of the company's current Executive officers, including Paul Eibler, Take Two's CEO and President, and Karl Winters, Take-Two's Chief Financial officer.

Additionally, Take-Two met with the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel to petition for an extension of time to file its Form 10-Q, solicit proxies, and hold an annual meeting despite not complying with NADAQ filing requirements. ...

via IGN

Today, D3Publisher announced Puzzle Quest: Warlords for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS handheld systems. Puzzle Quest incorporates role-playing and strategy elements with classic puzzle-based gameplay.

"We believe consumers will enjoy the combination of much-loved gameplay styles incorporated into Puzzle Quest and find the game to be a compelling choice for casual or on-the-go gamers, as well as offer a great challenge to more seasoned gamers," said Michael Scharnikow of D3. "Puzzle Quest can be enjoyed in either long or short doses of gameplay for a casual, yet also deeply satisfying and immersive, gameplay experience."

Puzzle Quest forces gamers to create their own hero in order to save the land of Etheria from the evils that threaten it. In order to complete this quest, players must battle in turn-based, head-to-head puzzle games in one of three distinct gameplay modes: Single-player pits gamers against the computer AI in a series of 150 quests, Instant Action allows gamers to jump in and immediately play continuous battles to level-up characters without the need to participate in quests, finally Multiplayer lets players take on opponents via wireless connectivity on both handheld systems.

Puzzle Quest: Warlords for both the PSP and Nintendo DS will ship to North American retailers in March 2007. ...

via IGN

After years of nothing, Square Enix's PSP entry in the Final Fantasy VII compilation series will be making its playable debut in just five days. The only problem is, if you want to play it, you'll have to be in Japan!

Crisis Core will be shown in playable form in the Square Enix booth at Jump Festa, the annual Shueisha held comic/videogame show. The contents of the demo are unknown, but we don't care. What was once vaporware will at last show itself in solid, touchable form! ...

News/release from wejp of his Music player for the GP2X:

...

Tusken raider has released a new version of the Atari Lynx emulator for the GP32, heres whats new etc:


Download Here --> http://pelle7.php-space.eu/progr/gp3...ndy/index.html ...