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  • PSP News

    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:20
    1. Categories:
    2. PSP News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews

    Metal Gear Acid 2
    Publisher: Konami
    Developer: Kojima Studios
    Genre: Action
    Players: 1
    Reviewed by gdf

    Coming across like a bizzare cross between Advance Wars, Yu-Gi-Oh and the original Metal Gear Solid, Acid 2 is the second MG game on the PSP. Following on from the original Acid (though not plot wise), numerous changes and tweaks have been made and new features added. The basic idea is that you have a deck of cards and each turn you have to use those cards to perform various actions, such as moving, shooting, healing and disguise. At intermisson you can edit your deck and add new cards you have found in game.

    Acid 2 is a very tactical game. You have to decide which cards you will sacrifice for movement most turns as the dedicated movement cards are pretty limited in number. This is where the AW comparisons come in. The areas are split into blocks and you can only move so many at a time, and when you engage in battle the camera zooms into the action. Mostly the gameplay is good enough fun and particularly good for long journeys because of the slow burning nature. There is a surprising amount of skill involved in negotiating the levels and avoiding being spotted, along with fair supplies of luck and strategy.

    Sadly it isn't really Metal Gear. The plot is stand alone and is pretty weak if the truth be told; It is something to do with Snake having amnesia and...snore. In comparison to Solid, the story is really uninvolving and dull, with the famous cutscenes replaced by speechless drawings. There isn't even much movement to watch, just scrolling text, and after a while it becomes easier just to tap square and skip the scenes all together. Fans of MGS will feel disappointed as the plot doesn't fit anywhere into the complex timeline; it could be anything, even a VR training program or Raiden's wet-dream. Surely filling in the backstory of a character like Revolver Ocelot or Vamp (or even Liquid), or covering the events in the period between MGS3 and the 1 would have been preferable, if just to appease MGS fans. Some would argue that the game isn't called Metal Gear Solid, so therefore doesn't need to be part of that series and while this is true to an extent, anything with the name Metal Gear comes with certain expectations of plot and production values and Acid doesn't satisfy in those areas.

    One thing you will notice is the striking visual style. In a departure from the serious look of Acid 1, the game looks like a cartoon. The cel-shading is very nice looking and helps the game feel more fun overall, if only because you are slaughtering characters that look like refugees from Gundam. The colours look quite odd to start with, all black, yellow and purple, and while at first you can be irritated you will soon get used to it. Overall the graphics are one of the best elements and help give the game a distinct identity, unlike the very grey Acid 1.

    Thankfully there are more positives to be found in the gameplay itself. Given the deeply tactical, turn by turn style of play, Acid is one of those "Dip-in-dip-out" games that games journalists seem to clamour for on PSP. Play it for five minutes and get bored? Put the console to sleep and come back in half an hour. Another good thing about the game is that, aside from the first Acid, it is a very unique experience. It isn't quite an RTS, but then it isn't an Action or Card Game either. For tactics fans it is one of the only options on PSP too.

    As mentioned previously, there are numerous changes and tweaks over the original. Forgoing the obvious visuals, the gameplay has been subtly changed to make it a little more friendly. For starters you can now pretty much move as you like, crouching and crawling away. Elsewhere more cards have been added in order to vary the gameplay a little. There are some neat bonus features like the "Solid Eye". Basically a pair of 3d goggles, they let you view movies so they appear to have depth. This is all very well, but sadly the twat who traded the game in forgot to put the goggles in the pack, so when I boughty it I never got them. Crossing my eyes gave me an idea of how it should look, if a slightly blurred, pupil cramping idea...

    In intermission you can buy cards from a shop, either as individual cards or full theme packs (MGS3, for instance, contains things like "The Fury" and "The End"). From there you can organise your deck to include which cards you want, with a minimum limit of 30 cards and a maximum that changes as you progress. Sound in the game is a mixed bag, with some neat effects hampered by the total lack of dialogue. The game will keep you going for a while and it is worth returning to levels to find all the cards or complete them in a different way. Overall MGA 2 is competent enough and well worth a look, especially as you can find it quite cheap ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:20
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    2. PSP News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews

    Before I do the miniview, lemme tell ya something--

    Miniviews are a new idea for reviews that I'll be making after I get a game and wish to impart knolwdge that I have from its gameplay thus to the public. Like the title says, its a "mini" review. So yeah. CAW!

    Coded Arms, the original, I got it when I got the PSP. While I wasn't impressed it was pretty fun, but the shortcmonings were obvious: Lack of Story, screwy scenerios, and the ****-awful controls. Well, while the controls haven't changed, this game certainly has gotten much more depth to it. For instance, now there seems to be a nice story (Im 2 hours in ) that blends well with the Coded Arms franchise, ya know, the virtual world thing? Great cinematics, and the voiceovers are near top notch. New guns, new enemies, and something really cool--

    The upgrade system. You will get points in the game and throughout it that allows you to continually level up your weapons fire rate, damage, clip, ect. You are even able to upgrade your health, your scanners battery life, among other things, with these upgrade points. In this game, though, you actually hack. When you find a turret or door you can hack it through a series of number coded hacks. (Turret and door, sound fumiliar? Cough cough Bioshock.)

    Overall its been a great game for the PSP so far. I'd give it somewhere around an 8.5-9/10
    If you liked Coded arms, then you will like this even more since its everything Coded arms SHOULD have been.

    THE MINIVIEW HAS SPOKEN!!! ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:20
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    Fun...fun...erm, yeah.

    I'll just start off out here telling that I'm sadly not the greatest of Yu-Gi-Oh fans when i got this game. So I guess to say I can only speak for the casual card gamer, even though its been about 2 years since I last laid eyes on a Yu-gi-oh card.

    Now I had very very little expectations for this game when I got it. I have been surprised and must say that I initially underestimated this game. To the review, shall we?

    You start out as a newcomer to the dual academy, an isle dedicated to teaching the arts of Dual Monsters (Pft, its Yu-Gi-Oh. Theres no difference, just name.) When you first arrive, its a pretty fun game. Exploring, meeting the characters of the hit show, yadda yadda. Now the highest point of the game (and I'm extremely confident about this) is the actually card battles. This is as close as your gonna get a to a real card battle in a game system. Everything looks as it should, and all the cards are easily read and seen. the AI isn't stupid when it comes to these battles. Which makes it challenging, but not annoyingly hard. Don't forget, this aspect of the game literally governs it, so I think its fair to say this is a fun, fun aspect.

    And who wants to battle if you don't get a little something for your trouble? Depending on how you play, once you win, you'll be rewarded with a good number of DP (dual points, I guess) which you can spend buying booster packs. Yes, booster packs. There is a bit of fun here, but very, very much frustation too. Its about as easy to find super rare cards in the game as it is in real life, if memory serves. But fear not! There are still 3 good aspects to this:
    1) Save whenever you want, so if you don't find the card your looking for, turn off the game, and go back and rebuy that same booster pack.
    2) They cost very little DP. Very, very little. With one dual you can get up to 7 packs!
    3)Its hard to get ultra rare cards, but its not like that till after you buy around 12 of that booster pack. Besides, theres an obscene amount of great cards that aren't even rare, so your cards won't lack any heat needed to take down the other guy.
    Also, after you beat certain people, such as the main characters (I'm 4 hours in, I've beaten all the shows main characters with ease. Real ease.not that the games short [I'll get on that soon], but that you can challenge these guys anytime you want. You got to school with 'em after all.) you will be able to buy new types of booster packs. There 48 unlockable booster packs in all. I'm gonna say there is upwards 3000 different cards in the game, so don't worry about never finding something new.

    Graphics. Which shall I do first, in battle or out? Mind as well out. They SUCK. There are no better words then that. Outside battle, everything is drag, plain, and boring. Some buildings don't even have textures, so they cover that up with a single bland color. Oh look at that purple building! Which purple building? Theres like 7! Oh well. They do what they are supposed to. Now, as for in CARD battles, they can't get better. This is mostly due to most of the pictures being sprites. However, they sometimes look like 3D models. They look exactly as they should, except they aren't jumping off the screen like in the show. They are simply cards, as they were meant to be. All the menus are easy to navigate, and it gives you the ability to use any card at the time it would be necessary. This doesn't sound like much, but given the scenerios, its helpful.

    Im about 5 hours in, and only on the 4 out of 87 "virtual" days in the game till the Tag Force Tournament. I know there is a plot in the game that goes almost hand in hand with the show, but I'm still on the part about the teacher blabbing about dual monsters. Now if I wanted to, I could fly right through those days with a hit of the X button, so if you want to get right into the nitty, gritty, stuff, you can. I've so far fought about 32 duals for the DP and I've pretty much just been updating my deck, turning it into a beats before the game really even starts. Its safe to say that when it comes to replay value, theres little better. However, everything you do outside the duals is usually just flat out boring. If I've heard right, you need to find partners for the Tag Force, and they can be real pains in the a**es. I haven't got there yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to put it in this post.

    Conclusion: Fun game. NOT a fun game if the only game you like is God of War, which is insanely awesome, but practically the opposite of this kinda of strategy tactics game. If you are a fan, this is an absolute must. If your a *meh* fan, still oughta check this out. I'd say...

    3/5

    I took a full point off for what I hear will be a pint, the Tag force dualing. If I were to determine it off what I've seen....

    3/5, for ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:20
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    Loco Roco
    Publisher: Neversoft Entertainment
    Developer: Activision
    Genre: Sports
    Players: 1-4
    Reviewed by gdf

    Loco Roco, released last summer on Sony's portable, is without a shadow of doubt the happiest game ever made. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise and if you happen to disagree then you really have no soul. It is a game made of Happy, the idea being to roll a happy ball creature around the happy levels on their happy little planet. The plot is a stripped down version of the traditional battle of good versus evil; the planet is being attacked by evil alien invaders called Mojas, and it is up to you and the friendly fluorescent testicle things to save the day.

    The control scheme is simple but effective, doing away with the d-pad and nub and using the R and L buttons to allow the player to rotate the world right and left. You press both at the same time to make your Loco hop, and circle to split it into all its little parts, providing you with the means to get through small spaces. As you progress you will come across red fruits, which you eat to add another ball to your main one. This means the next time you split it, there will be more Locos and you get points at the end of the level for collecting them. You can lose the poor things if you fall on a spike or get sucked up by a Moja and you will be terribly distressed by their little screams as they are separated from the others.

    The levels are packed with fun features and secret areas. Some creatures you meet will help you out, for example giving you a boost up to a higher platform. Other objects are to be found throughout the world, with trampolines and air streams particular highlights. These are all useful and will have you smiling with childish glee. Secret areas often house fruit or Mui Muis, the Locos' friends, and can be fiendishly hard to find. This ensures you will keep coming back to the same levels in order to find all 20 Locos and all the Mui Muis. The game itself is quite short however, with 5 worlds of 8 levels each. Considering the longest time it takes to complete a level is ten minutes, it can be over and done with in a few hours. Bonus games and level editors help, but fail to add much longevity to the game. The length poses a real problem, as though the game has buckets of replay value, it is so damned addictive that you can end up running out of stuff to do in a week.

    Fortunately, this is one of the only weak points of the game, and doesn't detract much from the overall experience. An area it really excels in is the sound. The music fits the backgrounds brilliantly and really contributes to the overall feel of the game; you can't help but grin when you see your Loco sing along to the sprightly tunes. Aside from the music, the visuals are impressive, managing to look cute and sharp at the same time. It all looks like some kind of surreal cartoon, but it is very well done and neat. The graphics make it very accessible; gamers and non-gamers alike will lap it up and rightly so, because it works for everyone: Kids will enjoy the cartoony looks, girls will love the cuteness factor and gamers will play it to death trying to find all the Muis and fruit. It really is one of those "Family" games, but not shit like Buzz.

    Sadly, there is no Multiplayer, but level sharing is available. I would love to have bashed around the world with a mate, but the next best thing is the game sharing, which allows your friend to sample the game on his/her PSP. This is great as it allows you to share the joys and spread the love. The game can be pretty psychedelic at times, which can only be a good thing. There are five colours of Loco to unlock and you find them as you progress. Each has a distinctive look and their own little antenna thing (a la Teletubbies), that wags when you are near something important. Occasionally, your Loco will split up and sing a song to help one of the other creatures feel better, and if that doesn't brighten up your day then your heart is actually made of coal from the fiery pits of Hell. That has been shit out by the devil. Into a...you get the picture.

    Loco Roco is a quality example of how things should be done on the PSP. Originality is the keyword here, and although it isn't the first ball rolling game ever (Check Super Monkey Ball and Katamari Damacy for that) it is one of the best games on the system. It is a perfect fit and highly recommended for all ages. Loco is more what would be expected on the DS, but it proves that cute can be done on any hardware. If Sony don't do a version of this with motion sensitive controls on PS3, then they are seriously screwed in the head. A great 2D platformer.

    Replay Value 3/5 Hampered by a short lifespan.
    Sound 5/5 Well judged and in the right tone. Perfect.
    Graphics 4.5/5 So cute it makes you want to cry tears of joy. ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:20
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    First off, let me tell you that I normally will raise the score because of combos in replay value. I'd normally do this because my personal tastes believe that when you have endless combos, that really enhances replay value. But for those whom combos do not help at all, I will set aside my feelings on this matter for now...

    I'm not gonna lie. When I bought this game, I was desperate. Bored until Mass Effect arrived, and didn't want an overly gorey game (cough manhunt), I got Tales of the World and expected very little. What I got was a game brimming with polish and RPG elements that were enough at to make me instantly love this game (And I'm not that big an RPG fan either, fancy that.) The game begins in the land of Terresia, a land where man is the life force for all things. That mana has attracted a monstrous planet eater, the devourer, to it. You are a Descender, the planets last ditch effort to save itself. Immediately found by the Descender of another unfortunate planet, your quest begins to rid existance of the Devourer.

    The character creator appears very simple at first, offering little in the way of clothing. Don't be fooled. Your clothes look like rags because every of the over 100 armors you can buy latch onto the character model, instead of raise defense without being seem. Helmets, boots, gloves, charms, all things have a model....and often a purpose.

    Gameplay is the best aspect of it all. Fusing startegy from games like Final Fantasy and the physical real time combat of PSO and a small bit of Kingdom Hearts, Tales of the World has a combat system all its own. Quite difficult to explain, but let me put it this way: 360 degree fighting with 3 teamates and endless combos while controlling strategy for each and every character with special attacks and 7+ class groups?

    HE** YEAH!

    With all its great parts comes the bad as well. Your teamates.... well, they are never just smart. Sometimes they are brilliant and do things just like a player would and other times....your glad with they get knocked cold, one less thing to block your view. However, as far as RPGs go, I have yet to find one par with Tales. (Kingdom hearts rivals it, but doesn't have much in the way of strategy...)

    Graphics are great for what they are. Character models show up fine, weapons, armor, all the items are inspired, but there are slowdowns during some of the more crazy battles. Not as bad as Final Fantasy Tactics, but, they get annoying. The levels (and this is where some of PSO's influence comes in) are pretty bear (Yes bear. Grizzly bears. No I just forgot how to spell it right.) But it doesnt matter so much as you never fight on the level itself but an arena when you meet an enemy.

    Sounds is nice, but forgettable.

    Anyyyyywayyy, heres a fine summary:

    Presentation: 4.5/5
    Great story, easy menus, even online trading. Still, the artes can get confusing at times.

    Sound: 3.5/5
    Like I said, its fine for what it is, but you won't be humming it inside your head.

    Graphics: 4/5
    Great character models brought down by moderately bland backgrounds.

    Gameplay: 4.5/5
    Like I said, I'm putting my love of all things combo behind me for this. Yet this game still shines even if they weren't there.

    Replay Value: 4.5/5
    Yeah that right. Its high as the you were last year at the Christmas party. Yeah you remember it. I've logged 25 hours and have only done 27.6% of all quests, meager as they may be. Collecting items, armor, going on training excursions....good fun. Good fun.

    Overall:

    A must have for all RPG lovers out there. A thing you SHOULD have for everyone else.

    THE MINIVIEW HAS SPOKEN! ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:20
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    2. PSP News,
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    Beowulf....just finished reading about it in English class. Turned in a 6 page essay and got an 85. Went and saw the movie, as unfaithfully inaccurate it was. Safe to say I know a good bit about the Geat's history and who he is. But I know one thing, if he was ever an actual character, and if he was alive today, he would have one hell of a time tearing out the insides of whoever made this pathetically awful mockery of his "good" name. This game is a mess. Yet another pathetic attempt at producing a God of War clone, although this one is so bad, Kratos would kill himself for this game even being a CLONE of his. Thats for introduction, you'll see my reason soon...

    The story begins where you are on a flaming(?) island with your apparent friend Barrack (ever heard of him? No? Me neither....) After spending ten or so minutes mercilessly beating up crabs with your fancy , button mashing 4 attack combo, you then arrive on an island to fight some sea monsters ( :rofl: ). After "defeating" them you begin on your way to defeat a monster named Grendal for a King and his people. This soon sets a chain of events leading to Beowulf's kingship...and death.

    Graphics don't look half bad...when you standing still. As soon as Beowulf starts moving, things become messy. To avoid wasting time for wording, I'll just say that the game soon looks like it was shoved up a horses ass then shot out through its mouth. Yes, its that bad. No need harping on what has already been quite nicely stated.

    Sound is so bad, its funny. I can't even remember whether each level had music or not, and Beowulf's single grunt for every attack he does gave me a borderline migraine. It just doesn't work. Voice acting during cut scenes is, at best, only mediocre. Looking through the eyes of someone who would care, the lip sync is practically non-existent. Mass Effect this ain't.

    Gameplay....wow.
    That practically sums it up. But for the reader, I'll explain WHY its so freaking terrible. X button: Roll. Square: Punch. Triangle: Single, unchainable smash attack. Circle: Grab. Now this could even be moderately acceptable. But the makers of this game couldn't LET it be acceptable. The mechanism for attacks is so broken up, when trying to change directions during attack either never works, or when it does, spins you completely the wrong way. Not even a slight auto aim, and when the length of your weapon reaches barely past you face, that quickly becomes a problem.Blocking attacks does nothing. At best it'll make him take a small amount less damage, but still fly 12 meters northeast. Commanding your Thanes is an absolute needless and pointless feature. Your teamates suck, just like you; theres no point in sending a team of idiots to do one idiots job. Carnage mode is a mockery of power-modes such as Rage of the Gods. Yes, your invincible, but with no extra powers and still having the ability to be thrown from here to there with an enemy's pinky, its as worthless as they come.

    Replay value for Beowulf...an oxymoron.

    Overall:

    Graphics: 2.5/5
    These graphics don't even belong on a broken NDS. it is fun watching the background have a seizure every time you move, though.

    Sound: 1.5/5
    Terrible. I even feel bad for the people who had to MAKE the voiceovers.

    Gameplay:1/5
    Punch, punch, punch, get punted like a football. I am Beowulf.

    Replay Value: 0.5/5
    Haha, replay value....haha....

    Overall:

    I guess the basic point I'm trying to say it STAY AWAY. You'll be glad you did. Don't even get this if someone is willing to PAY you for taking it.

    The MINIVIEW hath spoken! ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:19
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    Tekken: Dark Ressurection
    Publisher: Namco Bandai Group
    Developer: Namco
    Genre: Fighting
    Players: 1-4
    Reviewed by gdf

    Tekken, a series seeming to have lost it's way in recent years, has always been a friend of Sony. This hasn't changed for the legendary series' first outing on the Playstation branded handheld. Dark Resurrection was originally a spruced up version of Tekken 5 for the Arcades, but the PSP seemed like a perfect format for the title to be given a commercial release on, and it works a treat. The Namco brawler feels like it has found its true home and somehow, you seem closeer to the action than ever.

    The player feels every kick, punch and special move like they have just been smashed in the face with a rock covered in diamond spikes. The absence of rumble on the portable seemingly makes no difference to the intense fights and you hardly notice its not there. The bouts are fast paced and fun, great for (I hate this phrase) "Gaming on the go" (Eugh), as they come in tiny bitesize chunks and can be done one at a time if you need to keep putting the PSP on sleep. Loading times are very impressive- even for a PS2 game these would be quick- so you can get into action quite quickly. Of course, the Intro movie when you load the game up is great and looks mighty fine on the LCD screen.

    This moves me along to the next point: the visuals. The graphics in Tekken were always fairly impressive, even on PS1, but here the game properly shines. The character models are especially excellent, with curves and smooth lines rather than bumps everywhere. The backgrounds are impressive too, and the small, constrained arenas also look the part, with shattering ground or flying coins (in one level). The PSP has often been susceptible to awful (occasionally game-destroying) ghosting, but that it not in evidence here. Movement is smooth and swift and doesn't seem blurred that strange yellow colour you can get. All in all, I'd go as far as to say this is the best PSP graphics have gotten so far.

    The action itself is instantly gratifying and is finely balanced between button bashing and combo mastery. Combos are usually simple and effective and there is a wide enough variety to satify both extremes. Noobs to the fighting genre will be able to string together a couple of moves and oldies (have their fingers not succumbed to arthritis yet) should go for the ludicrous 10-hit combos and suchlike. There is a training mode for fighters to try out and a combo challenge, where you try to nail each characters' moveset in as quick a time as possible. The action feels right as well, as opponents provide sufficient challenge to those who want it. Bouts can just as easily time out as be over in seconds and there always seems to be a fine-line between victory and loss, though it never looks to be unfair. The PSP's often limited and flawed control layout doesn't seem like a problem either and you always feel in total control of your characters. When you lose it is most definitely your fault.

    Though Arcade provides the main meat of the action, there are a raft of other modes to take into account. Story is fairly self explanatory, and sees you guide a character through their KOIF tournament. Quick Battle is just as simple but very fun, and is great for diving into a fight without fear of losing your ranking, which I'll come back to later. One of the more interesting modes is Dojo, which sees you work through an Island of martial arts training houses to become the champ. Dojo is a lengthy trudge, and can feel a little repetitive at times, but mostly proves quite a fulfilling alternative to arcade. There are also dozens of options to be tampered with, and a rather fun Edit mode, where you spend Gold earned in-game on new costumes for your characters.

    And there are a lot of characters. Two new additions Lili and Dragunov feel useful in a fight, especially the former, whose devastating kicks can whip even the largest opponent. Another commendable part of the game is that the list is well balanced. The big, slow ones aren't always the useless *******s they had been before and the light ones don't feel like a bunch of weak ass pussies. My personal favourites are Jack-5, the superpowered robot, and Lili, the aforementioned newcomer. When you use a character in either Arcade or Dojo they are given a percentage and ranked, so after prolonged play you can see who you are the best with. The system works surprisingly well and makes you really determined to win each round.

    Tekken seems to have found a new lease of life on PSP and proves an excellent companion to the system. Not only are the fights rapid and violent (not MK violent mind), but you feel every blow and look absolutely sumptuous to boot. It is a well balanced game and another good example of "How to port a game to PSP". It seems to ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 16:19
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    Killzon: Liberation
    Publisher: SCEA
    Developer: Guerilla
    Genre: Action
    Players: 1
    Reviewed on PSP by gdf

    The original Killzone was released a couple of years ago on the PS2 after an enormous amount of hype, mainly orchestrated by magazines. When it came out it proved a very enjoyable, if unoriginal game, and wasn't quite the "Halo-beater" that it was widely tipped to be. After the implausibly beautiful PS3 trailer for Killzone 2 appeared the hype once again stirred. Over a year on and with no more news concerning it, fans felt lost. Not any more.

    Killzone Liberation is a pint sized version of the shooter that continues the story of the first game. You play as Keller from the first game- on a mission to hunt down the evil Helghast officer General Metrac- but from an altogether different perspective (quite literally). Instead of being in first person, the game's developers Guerilla decided to take the player a step (or twenty) back from the action and have a psuedo top down view a la Metal Gear Solid. Amazingly it seems to have worked and the game proves more fun and rewarding in the new view. The controls are very well adapted to the portable's limited button arrangement and the game maintains the feel of the original. Your man can roll, melee, shoot, grenade, reload, order squadmates, perform context actions, crouch, cover and even strafe thanks to good thinking on the developer's part. It almost feels like Gears of War Mini at some rather excellent parts of the game, especially due to the clever cover system...

    You press R to crouch and if you are behind cover when you do so then you attatch to it. To fire over you press square, and thanks to a laser sight and some subtle auto aiming, blasting enemies is easier than ever; of course this is compensated for by the nails-hard Helghast, who can take more lead than a stack of peiodic tables (I know, that was awful). The system works surprisingly well, and this is good, since without it getting past Level 1 would drive most to suicide. Another life-saver is the strafing, which is activated by pressing L. This makes you lock-on to the nearest enemy and lets you circle round like a little crab with guns-for-claws. It is well implemented and becomes second nature after fifteen minutes' play.

    There are only eight guns in the game and they only become available by progressing in the story, but they are a tight, well balanced lot, all of which have spcific strengths and weakness'. My personal favourite has to be the magnum, a great combination of fire rate, accuracy, power and reload speed. Sadly, only one gun can be carried at a time, which doesn't help when you want a sniper or a bazooka and a shorter range weapon, but have to settle for the most boring one purely because you simply wouldn't be able to progress using just the more powerful or longer range weapons. On a happier note, throwing grenades has been well adapted. You simply press circle to enter grenade mode and tap fire when you want to throw. When in this mode, a set trajectory appears and you move around, locking on to specific targets if necessary.

    One area the controls fall down slightly is in the conrol of the Tanks, a bizzare mixture of shoulder button rotation and weird face button driving. Thankfully these are few and far between enough so as not to disrupt the rest of the game. Another potential sticky area is the VIP escorting, though thankfully this is one game where a) they can take care of themselves and b) they do what you tell them to. This is the kind of thing that puts many next gen games to shame and is a reflection on the excellent AI on show. Enemies will crouch behind cover like you and help each other out, trying to flank your position. Of course this can be put to rights with a few blasts of the shotgun or a lobbed pineapple.

    The action in the game is tense and exciting, especially when you have a teammate in tow. A tap of select brings the pace of the game to a crawl, and you select a position, enemy or your character and they will go there/kill them/follow you. Sadly there aren't nearly enough of these sections as it's a great way of ordering the AI; very streamlined and simple, but effective. Another commendable element of the game is the graphical punch it carries, with some excellent effects and enemy death physics. The visuals are well above par for a portable game and it impressively matches up to the first game on the creaky old PS2.

    Multiplayer is great in Liberation and an online download will be out soon- enabling you to take on the world wirelessly- thus extending it's already decent lifespan. Combined with the story and excellent challenge mode, this could keep the UMD in your PSP for months to come. A warning however; this game is HAAAAARD. The levels are long and arduous and you'll be swearing at the screen more than once ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 12:27
    1. Categories:
    2. PSP News,
    3. DCEmu Reviews

    Evolve Wild Jungle Edition PSP Faceplate
    Manufacturer: Talismoon
    Site: Buy from Divineo China (Cow Fur) / Buy from Divineo China (Leopard Fur)
    Price: $14.95


    Overview : With Talismoon range of Evolve 'Wild Jungle' edition for the PSP, gamers are treated to extreme levels of comfort thanks to a soft 'like fur' finish, as well as refreshing and unique new look. Xbox 360 controller come complete with everything needed for a pain-free install, and each fur faceplate pattern will be unique. Styles consist of a 'cow' or striking 'leopard' fur finish. Jungle Edition is also available for Xbox 360.

    Quality/Usability : Packaging design is very thought out and cleaver. With the inclusion of an installation guide, torx wrench and screwdriver, installation would be very easy. The quality of build is top-notch. Talismoon has never disappointed anyone with their line of products. The face of the faceplate feels really nice. I guess its similar to like a fur coat but not as long. Not to mention, you dont have to worry about it shedding. The faceplate fits perfectly on the PSP without any problems. They also included a set of buttons to be used instead of the original PSP buttons. I personally prefer the original buttons but they dont as good with the faceplate. The feel of the buttons are great but thats just me.

    Included:
    • 1x PSP Faceplate
    • 1x set of PSP diamond series buttons (original psp buttons can also be used)
    • 1x optimal precision jeweler's screwdriver
    • 1x illustrated installation diagrams
    • 1x unique polishing cloth


    Conclusion : The Evolve Wild Jungle Edition is a great product and unique as well. It has a nice feel to it so its not bothersome. Since its made of "fur", the only problem would be for those with sweaty palms. Would it smell? Getting stains on it and removing it would be hard as well. Besides that, this is a great product. I wonder if they would come out with a product with snake skin or something like that.

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    by Published on January 1st, 2011 12:23
    1. Categories:
    2. PSP News,
    3. DCEmu Reviews

    PSP Dust Cover Set
    Manufacturer: 3rd Party
    Site: Buy from Brando
    Price: $7.00

    Overview : Prevent the dust from the USB port, DC IN and Headphone jack into the inner part of the PSP console.

    Features :
    • Cover the holes of the PSP console to prevent the dust
    • 1pc cover for USB port
    • 2pcs cover for DC IN
    • 2pcs cover for Headphone

    Quality/Usability : The title pretty much says it all. It covers the ports to prevent any dust from entering your PSP. Well honestly, there are other locations dust can enter your PSP such as buttons, directional pad, speakers, UMD tray, etc. Reason to use this? I have no clue!

    You either need the ports open inorder to use them or if you use these port covers, you'll eventually either get tired of having to place them and taking them out or you'll lose them. Plus, isnt that what carry cases are for?

    The covers themselves fit into the ports pretty well and protect dust from going into your PSP. But yea, thats about it!

    Conclusion : Overall, the dust covers does its job but whats the point of making this? If you use your PSP often or have a carry case, there is no point in using this. If you do use this, you'll either lose it or get tired of having to place them and taking them out when you need to use the port.

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