July 13, 2007
Filed under: Silent Hill
Silent Hill Origins is supernaturally beautiful. Simply analyze the picture above and note its fantastic lighting and shadows. Note the reflection in the mirror, and then be awed that this happening in real-time ... on the PSP.
Silent Hill Origins is shaping up to be the best looking PSP title to date, with its great character designs, atmospheric special effects, and (as noted) the impeccable lighting.
Although the
Silent Hill franchise has never really strayed far from the consoles, this handheld version is shaping up to be just as good as any other iteration of the series. Travis must navigate some beautifully creepy worlds, and fight some truly terrifying creatures. He can pick up weapons and items in the environment and use them against the ghastly denizens of Silent Hill. Controls in the game were intuitive and solid. Travis moved easily through the environment, although we found ourselves having a bit of trouble exploring the level as thoroughly as possible, trying to find all the clues.
Battle is a relatively simple affair, as Travis can easily target enemies with R. His attacks, and most importantly, finishing moves, vary greatly, depending on the weapon he's holding. Players must be resilient, though: if enemies get too close, Travis will have to do a series of button presses to escape close quarters combat. Also, Travis will want to keep a close eye on his weapons, as they degrade (quite quickly) over time. All weapons will break eventually, and Travis will want to make sure th
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Travis will want to be observant and take everything in the environment. In order to streamline the experience, there is no inventory system to manage: Travis can hold as many items and weapons as he wants. Good thing, as they'll quickly disappear when fighting the numerous creatures found in the game.
We're impressed that a handheld horror game can still be .... horrifying. The direction of the game is quite commendable.
Origins still features the series' trademark grainy look, and has the same sublime soundtrack. We're intrigued by the premise of the story, one that continues to get more mysterious as we play more. Travis can cross worlds by looking into a mirror; something that surprised us the first time it happened, and we can't wait to find out how Konami will take advantage of this dual-world setup.
Silent Hill Origins is shaping up to be yet another reason to own a PSP. If the final game manages to maintain all the atmosphere of the build we played at E3, it will be the definitive handheld horror experience, worthy of the
Silent Hill name.
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
Filed under: Final Fantasy, Fan Art
Do you want to share your PSP-related fan art? Send us an
e-mail. A new piece of fan art will be shared
every Friday.
Final Fantasy Tactics box art looks gorgeous. It's so inspiring, that we couldn't possibly put up a Final Fantasy Tactics fan art that didn't measure up. Luckily, this week's fan art by Gemiange certainly does. In case the intro didn't clue you in, this piece depicts characters from Final Fantasy Tactics. It showcases both Ramza and Delita, looking quite upset. It looks good enough, that I wouldn't mind seeing this sort of art in the upcoming remake. Great use of lighting and skyline help seal the feeling. If you enjoy this fan art as much as we do, check out Gemiange's deviantART page to see her other fan art. That, or you can let Gemiange know what you think of the art in our comments section.
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Posted by Steven Bailey under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
We'll be honest. We weren't impressed by
Hellboy. Although Konami promises the PSP version will feature enhancements over the
PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, we can't say the uninspired gameplay will convert any new fans. At least it doesn't look too bad:
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Meet PS Fanboy lead writer, Andrew Yoon, at the first ever Joystiq Reader Meetup in Santa Monica this Friday! If you're in town for E3 (or just happen to live in the area), please join us for the first ever (ever ever) Joystiq Reader Meetup this Friday, July 13th. We'll have free food, drink, and some Joystiq t-shirts to the first folks on the scene, plus we'll be giving away any schwag that we've managed to acquire at this year's E3 (we don't keep that stuff!). So, come along, play a game or two on our projector -- Wii Tennis anyone? -- and talk to the writers behind your favorite video game blog this Friday.
Also, we'd like to give a shout-out to the guys over at
Mahalo.com for hosting the event. Y'know, they're there to help. If you're planning on coming, be sure to let us know in the comments so we know how many to expect!
When: 6PM-9PM on Friday 13th
Where: Mahalo HQ, 902 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica 90401 (
Google Maps link)
And yes, this event is all ages!
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Filed under: News
We got our hands on a fully functional redesigned PSP, and we immediately grabbed pictures of the firmware that was installed on the system. Currently unreleased, version 3.60 was installed on the system. All of the features that are available in 3.60 will not work on the old PSP system, and it's unclear whether or not an older PSP system will even display the features found in this update.
Check after the cut to see the screens.
UMD Cache is used to increase the load speeds of games. As revealed
earlier, the cache is added RAM found in the redesigned system.
USB Charge allows players to charge their PSP battery by connecting their systems via USB. Previously, the system would drain power when stuck in USB mode.
Connected Display Settings contains the settings for the new video-out feature.
Within the display settings, PSP owners can change the type of TV that's connected, and settings for screensavers. We connected a PSP to a TV and were impressed by the results: UMD movies look fantastic, but games will be bordered. PSP games are rendered at 480x272, progressive scan only. Because it's output at 480x272, there will be black borders all around the image when playing on the television.
See also:Joystiq hands-on with the new PSPPermalink |
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Filed under: News
The redesigned PSP makes games load faster. But, how? In a private demonstration with Joystiq, John Koller explained that the new PSP includes more than just good looks. The redesigned system also includes more RAM, which is used to increase the load speed of upcoming PSP titles. In addition, the system has much more efficient battery life. Koller promised between 8 to 10 hours of battery life in the new system, a seeming impossibility when remembering the original design.
See also:Joystiq hands-on with the new PSPPermalink |
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Filed under: News
We spent some alone time with the newly announced PSP redesign. At first glance, the system appears to be identical to the original system, but getting our hands on the system revealed that this is, in fact, a significant upgrade to the original. The most immediate thing we noticed was how light the system is: the original was in no ways heavy, but the new handheld is certainly much lighter, without making it too feathery.
The glossy new finish of the redesigned PSP is very attractive, although we're afraid that it might attract fingerprints much more easily than the already susceptible original. Regardless, the shiny new sheen makes the system makes the original look dull in comparison.
The new system is thinner, mostly due to the newly designed UMD door. Instead of having mechanical gears that force the system open, this system features a latch that must be opened by hand. The door feels much more secure than the original. According to John Koller, dropping the system won't result in the UMD shooting out, as it did in the previous system design.
In addition to being slimmer, the new system also has redesigned buttons that feel much more responsive than the original. The D-Pad and face buttons all have a little bit more resistance to them, making the tactile sensation of using the system that much better. Unfortunately, Koller explained that the analog nub is not improved, although we found that a brand-new system works better than our system from launch.
There are also a few more minor changes, such as the omission of the unused IR port. The Wi-Fi switch has been moved to the top of the system, where it's less likely to be hit by accident. The Memory Stick port was moved to the other side of the system, and is much more cramped. We're a little disappointed by that change, because it makes swapping the Stick out of the system a little bit more difficult than previously.
The new headphone jack (pictured, above) not only moves further to the left of the system, but utilizes a new pin system that allows for the system's video-out. Component or composite cables can be used for TV out, but Koller explains that PSP game output will only be component-compatible. Movies (of both Memory Stick and UMD flavors) can use either component or composite cables. The video output of UMD video is especially impressive, due to the UMD's high video resolution. Many people have forgotten that UMD movies are encoded in DVD resolution: 480p. We're certain that this new feature will make UMD movies more viable than they have in the past.
We're very excited about the new PSP redesign. Many were quick to write it off when it didn't appear to be significantly different from the original. However, it's clear that this is a significantly better system that not only looks better, but feels much better. We can't wait for the retail release later this year.
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Filed under: News
Is the new, slimmer PSP all that different from the original? It may be hard to see at first glance, but
direct comparisons show that the system does, in fact, come with a number of significant changes. One can easily see that it has an even glossier look (fingerprints beware!). The system loses some girth all around, but there are a few other more interesting changes to note: the never-used IR port is removed, and the standard battery pack is smaller (how does that make battery life longer?).
[Thanks,
Vahid!]
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 11, 2007
Filed under: Castlevania
At long last, we were able to get our hands on
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles at Konami's E3 booth. This upcoming PSP-exclusive remake of
Rondo of Blood is easily the best-looking handheld
Castlevania to date. Although far away from being the best looking PSP title to date, the game offers a visual feast for those that have become accustomed to the excellent, but somewhat visually underwhelming DS offerings.
The old roots of the game can be easily seen in the game's somewhat antiquated controls. Richter feels stiff, missing the quick movement of recent
Castlevania stars. Regardless, we found ourselves compelled by the classic
Castlevania gameplay. The creatures are well-designed, and the music is even more stunning.
As revealed earlier,
Dracula X Chronicles will include three games: the new 3D remake, the original 2D game, and a newly enhanced
Symphony of the Night. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to see
Symphony of the Night in action. But even without that, it appears that
Dracula X Chronicles will offer a significant, meaty adventure. There are multiple paths through levels, and at completion, another character will be unlocked. Eventually, players will be able to remix the music of the game, reassigning levels with songs of their choice. From what we've seen, we can say the game is drawing close to completion. Expect
Dracula X Chronicles before the end of the year.
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Posted by Andrew Yoon under Sony PSP | Comments (0)
July 11, 2007
Filed under: News
At the Sony press conference, Sony revealed an exciting deal for popular MMO developer NCsoft to create games for Sony platforms. Geoff Heath, CEO of NCsoft Europe commented that
"together with the Internet-enabled PSP, we're confident that SCEI and NCsoft can develop unique and compelling online experiences that will be found on no other platform."
NCsoft is famous for their work on games such as Guild Wars, City of Heroes, and Lineage. We're confident that their skills will come to incredible use on Sony's handheld.Read |
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