Want more Gundam-on-Gundam action? You've asked for it, you've got it -- at least in Japan. The arcade title Gundam vs. Gundam is headed for the PSP with some exclusive content. The 2 vs. 2 arcade fighter will feature over 30 playable units, with extra bonus ones unique to the PSP release, according to Famitsu. Other new content includes an ad-hoc mode that supports four players, tweaking of existing mechs, players profile exchange, music from the source materials and an installation option. The game's release window will be this November in Japan, where it is sure to sell like hotcakes. Check out the scans from Famitsu here.
Gundam vs Gundam headed for the PSP
Over 10 million PSP units sold in Japan, top 5 games
- Monster Hunter 2nd G (release date 03/27/08: 2,396,642 copies sold)
- Monster Hunter 2nd (release date 02/22/07: 1,706,387 copies sold)
- Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (release date 09/13/07: 790,705 copies sold)
- Monster Hunter Portable (release date 12/01/05: 668,964 copies sold)
- Phantasy Star Portable (release date 07/31/08: 545,242 copies sold)
[Via Kotaku]
This PSP does a different kind of brew
Stellla Artois, a fancy-schmancy beer originating from Belgium, has devised a clever way to assist their new sales team in Australia. Fifty PSPs customized by the advertising agency Lowe and Rivet were issued to the team, which will be used to present Stella Artois marketing materials, such as short presentations and artwork.
The PSPs are stored in "hand-stitched black velvet drawstring bags and rebranded with Stella Artois logos." Additionally, the devices contain a customized XMB that reflects its status as a Stella Artois sales presenter. Lowe and Rivet also points out that the PSP is Wi-Fi capable, which allows them to "load up new material quicker than new pages can be printed for a loose-leaf folder."
And the results? "... every sales representative who was given a PSP met all their sales targets for the relevant quarter. Anecdotal feedback also confirmed that without exception, the PSP was regarded as the best sales presenter ever received. As a result, Foster's is now reviewing further rollout of the tool." Sounds about right to us -- the PSP's portability, internet and multimedia capabilities makes it an unconventional but ideal tool for just this kind of job.
[Via Gizmodo]
The PSPs are stored in "hand-stitched black velvet drawstring bags and rebranded with Stella Artois logos." Additionally, the devices contain a customized XMB that reflects its status as a Stella Artois sales presenter. Lowe and Rivet also points out that the PSP is Wi-Fi capable, which allows them to "load up new material quicker than new pages can be printed for a loose-leaf folder."
And the results? "... every sales representative who was given a PSP met all their sales targets for the relevant quarter. Anecdotal feedback also confirmed that without exception, the PSP was regarded as the best sales presenter ever received. As a result, Foster's is now reviewing further rollout of the tool." Sounds about right to us -- the PSP's portability, internet and multimedia capabilities makes it an unconventional but ideal tool for just this kind of job.
[Via Gizmodo]
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Acid on PSN 'possible'
That's three possibles in one sentence. Oh, Kojima-sama, don't leave us hanging like that! Hopefully we'll hear more concrete news soon.
[Via Joystiq]
Yuusha and Bleach will have simultaneous PSN and UMD release
Download to PSP
Bleach Soul Carnival will apparently be receiving the same treatment. 3,800 yen (about $35) for the download and 4,743 yen (about $43) for the UMD, both with a release date of October 23rd. What do you guys think about this? The Japanese have been slow to adopt digital downloads. Are the significantly lower price points for these high-profile releases Sony's incentive for gamers to accept this new distribution method?
PSP-3000 coming to Australia on October 16th
In case you didn't notice, Sony unveiled the latest PSP model yesterday at LGC. Basically, the PSP-3000 will have a built-in microphone, improved screen with faster response time and better resistance to glare. You can read all about it here and here.
The 3rd Birthday gameplay and story details
Unlike its predecessors, The 3rd Birthday will be a "true third person shooter," but Tabata notes that it will not the same as Dirge (thank you!) of Cerberus: FFVII. Some sort of wireless gameplay may be implemented, but it was not specified whether it will be infrastructure or ad-hoc.
The game's scenario and design are currently almost complete. Our curvy heroine Aya Brea will utilize an ability called overdrive that allows her to "cross time." This power lets her to fight and eliminate the Twisted, who are the new antagonists of the game. No release date is set, but it sounds like we'll see the game over in Japan some time next year.
Everyday Shooter coming to PSP
Everyday Shooter has just been announced for the PSP. The original game debuted on PC and PS3, and was praised by critics for its innovative combination of music and shooting. No separate release date is available at this time, but it will be included in the PSP 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack, which will launch in November. The bundle will include a voucher which allows you to download the game from the PS Store.
To find out more about this innovative shooter, check out PS3 Fanboy's coverage.
To find out more about this innovative shooter, check out PS3 Fanboy's coverage.
PSP-3000 North American details
SCEA just announced the North American details concerning the PSP-3000. The previously announced Ratchet & Clank PSP Entertainment Pack will launch on October 14th for $199.99. It will now include the following:
- Mystic Silver PSP-3000
- Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
- National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD
- echochrome PSN voucher
- 1GB Memory Stick PRO duo
- Piano Black PSP-3000
- 4GB Memory Stick PRO duo
- Everyday Shooter PSN voucher
Gallery: PSP-3000 series
LocoRoco 2 trailer is predictably adorable
Download to PSP
This new LocoRoco 2 "special movie" found on the official Japanese website shows us just how cute things on the PSP can be. The art direction looks about the same in this highly-anticipated sequel, along with some kawaii music that can get a little annoying if you listen to it more than once. The cute little blobs demonstrates some of their new skills here, such as swimming and biting. Stay for the end, which makes us wish there was a LocoRoco TV show.
[Via NeoGAF]
Top 20 PSP games for under $20
Check it out here.
Phantasy Star Portable ships 500K in the first week
Having sold 217,000 copies on the very first day, the new Japanese chart-topper Phantasy Star Portable went on to ship 500,000 copies in the first week. Though it won't beat out reigning champion Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G's figures of 880,000, it did beat out another very popular PSP game with a larger fanbase: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The Square Enix game managed to ship 480,000 copies in its debut week.
We are unofficially in Bizarro World territory when a Sega game outperforms a Square Enix game. The bigger question is, when is the rest of the world going to get a taste of this?
[Via PSPHyper]
Gallery: Phantasy Star Portable
Touchscreen PSP arrives courtesy of modder
[Via Engadget -- thanks, jimb and rockeranimefreak!]
PSP and PSP dominate Japanese software and hardware charts
The PlayStation Portable and Phantasy Star Portable are both on top of their game this week in Japan; the portable gaming device managed to sell 61,181 units, which is down from 6,271 units from last week. The DS comes dangerously close to beating the PSP this week though, with 57,398 units sold.
Software-wise, Phantasy Star Portable set a record for the fourth biggest debut for a PSP game with 341,700 copies of the game sold, according to PSPHyper. Hardware numbers are below, with software numbers after the jump:
Hardware and software sales for the week of July 28th - August 3rd:
Software-wise, Phantasy Star Portable set a record for the fourth biggest debut for a PSP game with 341,700 copies of the game sold, according to PSPHyper. Hardware numbers are below, with software numbers after the jump:
Hardware and software sales for the week of July 28th - August 3rd:
- PSP -- 61,181
- DS Lite -- 57,398
- Wii -- 41,109
- PS3 -- 9,508
- PS2 -- 9,045
- Xbox 360 -- 5,359
Continue reading PSP and PSP dominate Japanese software and hardware charts
Birth by Sleep and Dissidia: video, Famitsu scans, trailer summary
Wowzers! So there is a lot more information out there on Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep than we anticipated. First we got some translated hands-on impressions gathered from various Japanese sites over at KHInsider, along with a trailer summary. Some of this information we know about already, so here are highlights of the new stuff:
[Thanks, Kristopher G. and MonkeyKHI!]
Source -- PSPHyper; Famitsu scans
Source -- KHInsider; trailer summary and hands-on impressions
Source -- IGN Video; Game Scoop: Square Enix Party
- The new enemies are called Unbirths.
- Xehanort and Maleficent are both after the Princesses of Hearts
- Ven's level is the Castle of Dreams, Cinderella's world. Ven cooperates with Jaq the mouse to collect materials to make Cinderella's dress. After going through a maze and finding the necessary items, a boss fight ensues with Lucifer. No, not Lucifer the demon, but rather the cat from Cinderella.
[Thanks, Kristopher G. and MonkeyKHI!]
Source -- PSPHyper; Famitsu scans
Source -- KHInsider; trailer summary and hands-on impressions
Source -- IGN Video; Game Scoop: Square Enix Party
Gallery: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
Continue reading Birth by Sleep and Dissidia: video, Famitsu scans, trailer summary
