via Games Industry


LocoRoco creator Tsutomu Kouno has told GamesIndustry.biz that too many of the games available for PSP are sequels - and that he plans to redress the balance.

Speaking at the Nordic Game conference earlier this week Kouno said, "We need to make more new games for PSP, not just sequels. We have to increase the number of casual games, games that LocoRoco players will want to play."

However, Kouno is currently working on a sequel to his own game for PSP. When asked if LocoRoco will also be appearing on PlayStation 3 he replied, "I can't really say anything official right now, but... As you'd expect."

Kouno went on to state that he is committed to Sony's handheld, and to doing what he can to improve the range of software on offer.

"There are too many sequels for PSP, only sequels, so I want to make a new game for PSP," he said.

"I have many ideas, but I can't make them all because I am only one person. I have five or six new game ideas either for PSP or PS3, but I actually want to make them for PSP - for the people who bought LocoRoco, or bought a PSP because of LocoRoco, and like casual games."

The full interview with Kouno, where he discusses the potential of the Sixaxis controller and the EyeToy camera, the allegations of racism that were levelled at LocoRoco and his latest ideas for new games, will be published on GamesIndustry.biz next week. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft has released a new update for the Halo 3 beta after players experienced difficulties with downloading, announcing an extension of the beta deadline.

Beta keys given away with copies of Xbox 360 title Crackdown initially failed to work for some users, but the new patch, which may take up to four hours to download, solves the problem.

Bungie has confirmed that players may see a text-display issue with the in-game user interface, where words have disappeared. To fix this, players need to reboot the console, then press the D-pad and hold the A-button until the Bungie logo appears. A dialogue box will then appear to confirm the maintenance fix.

Halo 3 is due out in the US on September 25, with the European release to follow a day later. ...

via Joystiq


The sixth Syphon Filter game, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (nearly one per year since 1999, dang) is coming to the PSP this fall, and it is offering up some new features like 360 degree underwater combat, a cover system with blind fire, Havok physics (on the leetle PSP? Nice!), and a contextual combat system that adds some new and unique melee attacks, from neck snaps to knife kills.

What's cooler though is that they are opening this game up on a global scale as Logan travels the globe trying to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of his long-time partner, Lian Xing. Story was penned by comic book writer extraordinaire Greg Rucka, who you'll have to forgive for writing the novelization of Perfect Dark. He does a good job with Queen & Country thought, so we're willing to let it slide. The game also features an original score from Azam Ali, who also composed some of the music for 300.


Screenshots can be viewed here. Leave feedback via comments. ...

via Joystiq


SCEA president Jack Tretton has reiterated Sony's intent to launch some semblance of a 'PSP Store,' but his statements provide little assurance that the project is a priority. "I think the advent of a long awaited and quite frankly long overdue ability to deliver a downloadable service for the PSP will help us out a great deal," Tretton said during an appearance at Sony Gamers' Day. "Hopefully we'll have it out there by the fall."

Tretton gave no further insight into the proposed venture, leaving us to wonder if he was merely referring to SOE's Station Launcher, a forthcoming service that will offer downloads of PSP-formatted movies directly to the handheld device (via PC). Of course, there would be obvious benefits to launching a portable counterpart of PS3's PlayStation Store, complete with PS1 games, demos, and trailers -- and, dare we suggest, full e-Distribution titles. All with just the flick of a WLAN switch. If only... ...

via Nintendo DS Fanboy




For us, it's hard to not surround ourselves in everything gaming. Posters, figurines and, well ... games. It just comes with the territory, much to the dismay of everyone in our life who isn't appreciative of the art (these people exist, we assure you), so receiving such a gift that pays homage to one of our most favourite games would be excellent on a gift-receiving occasion.

...

via Eurogamer


Koei has confirmed this afternoon that the third game in the Atelier Iris series, Grand Phantasm, will be coming to Europe in July.

It brings a bountiful horde of new features and updates to the role-playing table. Gone are the random battles, for instance, with little markers now pointing out enemies on your map, and you'll be able to pick and choose your quests - enjoying a much greater level of freedom this time around.

The card-battle system has also been updated, rewarding quick reflexes with a reduced wait for your next turn, and powerful combos can be triggered when you fill up your "burst meter".

Those of you who like tinkering with the item and weapon creation system will be pleased to see it return in a new and improved way, while story-chasers will enjoy a climatic finale to the series.

"The Atelier Iris series has proved to be immensely popular since we first brought it to Europe, ending up as one of the UK’s best selling Japanese RPGs of last year," boasted Will Curley, sales manager for Koei.

"With this latest instalment featuring countless improvements and advances we hope that fans of the series will see this as a fitting finale to such a fondly regarded series."

Grand Phantasm follows the adventures of Edge and Iris, two inquisitive types that happen upon a part of a magical book. It's this dusty tome that soon turns out to be able to grant wishes, but you'll need to find all eight pieces before it will work.

It's been out in Japan since last summer, and an initial scour of the Inter-void shows it to have a mixed reception - settling somewhere in the "one for the fans" section. ...

via PSP Fanboy




Want to have the power of the sun in your hand? Good. Digital World Tokyo is reporting on a new solar-powered battery. Boasting some impressive specs, like 1350mAh life and 3.7 volt operation, the battery will convert solar energy into portable electricity. One thing that makes this gadget particularly noteworthy is its connectivity to handheld devices, such as PSP.

For the adventurous, this battery pack may help make those trips to the Sahara less boring. There are a few drawbacks that come to mind, though. Firstly, the PSP screen doesn't handle sunlight too well. Secondly, the battery takes quite a while to charge: ten hours in sunlight. Some people don't even see that much light in a day. Finally, it doesn't come cheap: ¥7,980 (about £34). ...

via PS3 Fanboy


Videogame analyst superstar Michael Pachter expects there to be a price cut for the PlayStation 3 by the end of the year, and says that it might even come as early as this summer. GamesIndustry.biz quotes Pachter,

As long as Sony's manufacturing costs have dropped to a reasonable rate, I'd heartily encourage Sony to drop the price of the PS3 as soon as possible. It's very clear that people desperately WANT a PS3, but just can't afford it. Dropping it to $500US and then marketing the hell out of the price drop would do wonders for their sales. Just look at what a 30 dollar price drop did for the PSP. ...

via PS3 Fanboy


The Los Angeles Times has posted a quote from Kyoshi Shin of the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) regarding developer interest in the PlayStation 3. It isn't good. While it isn't good, that doesn't mean it isn't true. In fact, the quote pretty much explains exactly what I'm thinking in food terms. Shin said: "When people talk about the PS3 on chat forums they say it's like going to a very expensive restaurant and not getting anything to eat." This is an obvious play on Kutaragi's previous quote about the PlayStation 3 being a fine restaurant.

The context of Shin's quote relates to developer interest -- namely, they're leaving the Sony restaurant and taking some drive-thru from Nintendo's Wii window (so to speak). If devs focus on the Wii, we've got a problem. Games will reverse engineer themselves to lesser graphics and scale. More minigames isn't the only issue to arise -- porting from the Wii would be nearly impossible due to the control scheme.

It's a waste of the PS3's power, too, as Kojima's quote from a long time ago will explain: "The PS3 is like the theatre, it's a little bit high-priced but it has to be high quality as well. The 360 is a DVD, it still needs to be high quality but you need more variations, while the Wii is almost like a TV channel, because every game you have it with your family." We need games that will take advantage of the PS3's power and Wii titles simply may not do that. If devs leave, there's no reason to buy a $600 console when most games are on a $250 one. ...