Hacking the PSP Blog

Kao Challengers - Info & Screenshots

Atari announced today it will publish Kao the Kangaroo Round 2 for current-generation consoles and PC, and Kao Challengers for the PSP this March, picking up the platforming titles from previous publisher JoWooD.

In Kao the Kangaroo Round 2, players once again take the role of the wily yellow kanga in an effort to save animals from a nasty hunter and his henchmen. The game offers more than 30 enemies, varied fighting techniques, and gameplay spanning platforming, fighting, and racing. Kao Challengers adds wireless multiplayer, as well as four bonus levels set in a mysterious swampland.

Source: IGN

MLB 2K6 Will Feature Inaugural World Baseball Classic

February 1, 2006 - In an announcement today sure to make baseball fans salivate, the upcoming MLB 2K6 will feature the World Baseball Classic, the much-anticipated 16-country tournament that will feature the greatest ballplayers in, yes, the world.

Cuba, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Australia…the gang's all here. 2K Sports did confirm today that all Major League ballplayers included in the regular version of the game will be included in the WBC mode, but it remains to be seen if non-MLB players will make it into the game. Also, there's no word yet if the new WBC rules will be included, like pitch limits and mercy rules. Currently, there is a 65-pitch limit in first-round games and pitchers will be ineligible to throw for four days after an appearance of more than 50 pitches. These rules are meant to ensure that MLB studs like Dontrelle Willis don't throw out their arms come the dog-days of summer. Of course, that brings up another great question: Will injuries in the WBC be reflected in the MLB 2K6 franchise mode? Time will tell.

Still, one of the most exciting baseball contests ever staged will be playable, and that's good news for all baseball fans, real players or no. The first round of the WBC kicks off March 3, while MLB 2K6 is scheduled to be released March 6.

"The World Baseball Classic is going to be a winner and will highlight the appeal and passion for baseball throughout the world," said Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President, Business, Major League Baseball. "Being a part of MLB 2K6 will give videogame players and baseball fans the opportunity to experience the excitement of the Classic. It's a natural extension."



More images:

Quick Look: PSP Recorder

I got my hands on the Neuros Mpeg 4 Recorder 2 last night. While there are plenty of reasons to like this cool little $150 gadget, the one most of you will care most about is its ability to record PSP videos straight to a Memory Card from just about any source.

I’ve just started playing around with it, and so far what I’ve seen has been very impressive.

The thing is about the size of an iPod and comes with a set of cables that let you shoot a signal straight through it. For cable TV, for instance, you plug the out from your cable box into the Neuros and then run a cable back from the Neuros to the television.

I did some quick tests and found the interface well put together and very simple to use. Within minutes, literally, I was recording stuff off live TV and onto my Memory Card. When I was done I just pulled the Memory Card out, slapped it into my PS and voila, television show on the go.

I’m going to play around with it for the next week or so and then write up a much more detailed review of the recorder next week. So far, though, I’m very impressed with what I see.

Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 [Neuros]


Source: Kotaku

Review: Ansmann Portable Power Pack

We’ve seen several battery pack accessories for the PSP, with most of them being PSP-specific, and shaped to compliment the PSP. This is not the case with the Ansmann Portable Power Pack for Sony PSP. Although its shiny black case matches the look of the PSP, the unit is way more versatile than most portable chargers. Ansmann claims it can charge the PSP’s internal battery in three hours, and offer up to ten hours of extended playing time. We found these numbers to be fairly accurate. The pack can be charged by the PSP’s AC adapter, with charge-though capability, and by using the included USB cable.

Source: PSP World

Oops - Driver (a.k.a. Driv3r) not coming to PSP (ARGH!)

Just yesterday, readers may recall how we reported that Driver: Parallel Lines would be making its way over to the PSP, as well as the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Well, scrap that, because this morning we received a firm denial from Atari UK that a PSP version was in the works, contrary to overnight reports.

"Parallel Lines will not come on PSP - the reports are inaccurate," explained an Atari spokesman. So there you go - we thought we'd better say.

Source: PalGN PSP

Review: World Championship Poker 2 for PSP

(CNN) -- There's one thing that trying to create a poker video game has in common with learning the game of poker: both tasks are a lot harder than they look.

Not only does a console-based poker video game have to replicate the tricky variances of a real-life game, it also has to match the convenient interactivity of playing poker with a PC-based Internet connection. Otherwise, it's hard to convince a nation of poker addicts to turn off their computers -- and the 24-hour-a-day poker coverage on ESPN -- long enough to play a poker video game on their PlayStations.

It appears that Crave Entertainment has navigated that tricky challenge in "World Championship Poker 2," the new game for the PS2, Xbox and PSP.

"WCP 2" boasts 14 varieties of poker, including the wildly popular "Texas Hold `Em."

You start the game by creating your customized player. You select everything from your player's gender, hair style, attire and even personality type -- be it a brash trash-talker or a shy, silent wallflower.

Half the fun of poker comes from trying to get a psychological edge on your opponents and using their human frailties to your advantage.

You may be skeptical about playing "WCP 2" in single-player mode against computerized opponents who are anything but human. But in "WCP 2," the computerized players are better than you might expect.

Just like the guys you may play against in your weekly basement card game, the computerized opponents in "WCP 2" display a variety of playing and betting styles; there are some you can bully into making stupid mistakes, others who will try to bully you, and others who vary their playing styles so much that it's hard to read them.

These computerized players even offer "tells" -- little behaviors or physical reactions that, if you're alert enough to catch them, can let you know what kind of cards they're holding. Look closely to see if your opponent's hands are trembling or if he's leaning back confidently in his chair -- both are telltale signs that he has the cards to beat you.

This feature can cut against you as well. If you have a particularly strong or weak hand, you're sometimes forced to play a "Mini-Tell Bluff Game" -- a timed game-within-a-game where you must use your controller to manipulate a cursor across a randomly spinning circle.

Your success will determine whether your character successfully bluffs your opponents or displays an impossible-to-read poker face. If you fail, it is you who will provide the "tell" that alerts your opponents to the strength of your cards.

The "Mini-Tell Bluff Game" may be a valiant attempt to replicate the complexities of a real poker game. But having to jump through this kind of hoop to keep your poker face -- something that's far easier to do in a real poker game -- can be frustrating.

To get the true poker experience with "WCP 2," you may find that you have to test your skills against real opponents online. The online feature even gives players the option of using Sony's EyeToy camera to let their opponents see live pictures of them. But during a recent six-hour playing session, I was the only player who exercised that option, so I eventually turned the camera off.

Although the online experience in "World Championship Poker 2" is a cut above what you'll find in a standard, PC-based online poker game, it still doesn't match the fun of a live game.

The cool thing is, with an MSRP of $19.99 for the PS2 and Xbox -- and $29.99 for the PSP -- "WCP 2" can be a lot cheaper.

Source: CNN

Gamer Exhibit in Chicago Museum - Pretty Cool Excursion!

(Note: I'll probably drive up from Indy and check this out - if you're going, let me know! -Auri)

Game On: The History, Culture and Future of Video Games is back at the Museum of Science and Industry from Feb. 3 – April 30, 2006! More than 125,000 guests were enthralled by this interactive exhibit in 2005; now, in Game On 2.0, guests can experience 20 new games among the more than 100 playable games in the exhibit, including Madden NFL 06, Star Wars: Battlefront II and arcade favorite, Centipede.

While they're trying their hand at a variety of game titles from around the globe, guests will be discovering the vibrant world of video games from 1962 to today—from advancements in gaming hardware, to the game design process, to the role that geography and culture play in game development.

To kick off the exhibit, from Feb. 3-28, the Museum will be giving away a Sony PSP™ console each day to a lucky Museum guest! No purchase is necessary.

To find out more click this link http://www.msichicago.org/index.html.

Source: XBox Solution

New Syphon Filter Screenshots Posted

Here are some new screen shots from the upcoming game Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (wicked sweet)

02/02/2006		02/02/2006		02/02/2006		02/02/2006
02/02/2006		12/16/2005		12/16/2005		12/16/2005
12/16/2005		12/16/2005

Source: IGN

Big-League Game Developer EA's Quarterly Profit Drops 31%

(well, I'm sure it's not for lack of trying, although I heard a number of their games had a lot of bugs - maybe there shouldn't be a new version of a game every year - rather, wait for the game to be fully tested before getting it out the door <hint hint> -Auri)

[UPDATE] Megapublisher reports Q4 2005 net income is down $116 million; names Sims 2, Need for Speed as top sellers; claims 70 percent sports-game market share.

When Electronic Arts announced yesterday it was laying off 5 percent of its worldwide workforce--around 350 people--cynical observers saw it as a preemptive strike to a lackluster earnings report. As a rule, news of layoffs at an ailing company shows stockholders that said company is taking action to cut costs and shores up the stock price.

Whether the layoffs propped up EA's stock is debatable, as its share price lost over 2 percent of its value, $1.18. Trading was heavy indeed--twice normal volume, in fact, with 7.3 million shares changing hands. And no wonder: Shortly after the US markets closed, EA announced its earnings for its third fiscal quarter, which ran from October to December 2005. Besides being of great import to stockholders in the world's biggest third-party publisher, the report was seen by many as being a bellwether of the game industry's overall health.

Most analysts had predicted EA to have quarterly earnings of $1.26 billion, or 90 cents a share--pretty close to the actual numbers. For the quarter ending December 31, 2005, the publisher saw $1.27 billion in sales, $160 million less--or 11 percent below--the $1.43 billion it enjoyed during the same period in 2004. However, EA's $0.83 per-share earnings were below analysts estimates and far below the $1.18 per-share earnings the year before.

EA's net income for the quarter saw an even steeper year-on-year decline. The company's profits were slashed by nearly a third, going from $375 million in calendar Q4 2004 to $259 million in calendar Q4 2005--a drop of $116 million. Part of that shortcoming was due to the publisher's December purchase of mobile-game-maker Jamdat in a deal valued at $680 million.

Still, EA tried to put a brave face on things. "We ended 2005 in a very strong competitive position," said CEO Larry Probst in a statement. "We were number one on the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, PSP, and PC in both North America and Europe. We also had a successful launch on the Xbox 360 and expect that we will be the number one publisher on this platform in 2006."

In a press release, EA also played up its successes during the quarter. Five titles--NBA Live 06, SSX on Tour, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, From Russia With Love, and Battlefield 2: Modern Combat--all sold more than 1 million units during the quarter. Five more--Need for Speed Most Wanted, FIFA 06, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Sims 2, and Madden NFL 06--sold more than 2 million copies during the all-important holiday quarter. As of the end of 2005, Madden NFL 06 had sold nearly 5.5 million copies on all platforms in the US, and Need for Speed Most Wanted had sold more than 7 million, counting international sales.

EA also played up the fact that it still has the biggest slice of the game-market pie. The company touted its overall 22 percent revenue share in North America and 23 percent revenue share in Europe.

[UPDATE] In a conference call after the earnings report was issued, EA chief financial officer Warren Jenson broke down EA's dominant market share on several platforms. "EA was the number one publisher on PS2, Xbox, and PC in North America and in Europe," said Jenson. "Specifically on the PSP we ended the year with 31 percent revenue share in North America and we estimate 25 percent in Europe." The company also claimed to hold 30 percent of the Xbox 360 market in North America and 24 percent in Europe.

Another big factor in EA's earnings was sports. "In sports we had 70 percent category share on consoles in North America," Jenson told analysts. "We had 15 of the top 20 sports titles on the PS2 and 14 on both the Xbox and PC." He also said the company's latest sports title, NCAA 2006 MVP Baseball, had sold more than 200,000 copies in its first two weeks at retail.

As far as guidance is concerned, EA said it expects net revenue for the current quarter, ending March 31, to be between $550 and $600 million. It predicted per-share earnings to be between $0.06 and $0.14. The quarter will see the release of three of EA's most anticipated games of 2006--The Godfather, Black, and Fight Night Round 3.

Source: GameSpot

Tomb Raider: Legend - New Screenshots & Info

Tomb Raider: Legend is slated to hit the PS2 and XBox on April 11, with the PSP, PC, and other versions coming later this year...

Check out the new screen shots by heading over to GameSpot... (there's a lot of images, so no reason to post 'em here and clutter your screen <grin>)

From the GameSpot article:

Eidos finally firmly dates Tomb Raider: Legend for current-gen consoles and PC; PSP and Xbox 360 versions to come "shortly after."

The good news: Eidos Interactive has finally set a firm date for legendarily toned heroine Lara Croft's next adventure. After giving a vague April release window, the publisher announced that the game will ship on April 11 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC in North America. (The UK gets it four days earlier, on April 7.) It is rated T for Teen and retails for $49.99 on consoles and $39.99 for the PC.

The bad news: PSP and Xbox 360 owners will have to wait longer to see the pistol-packin' Croft on their platforms. In its announcement, Eidos said Tomb Raider: Legend would arrive on Sony's handheld and Microsoft's next-gen console "shortly after" their current-gen console and PC counterparts. The publisher did not give a specific date, and online retailers weren't any help; GameStop still listed both the PSP and 360 versions as arriving April 11.

Developed at internal Eidos studio Crystal Dynamics, Legend aims to reinvigorate the Tomb Raider franchise following the poor performance of 2003's Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. To aid in the effort, Eidos enlisted legendary designer Toby Guard, who helped out on the original Tomb Raider back in 1996. How did the developers do? Find out in GameSpot's new hands-on impressions of a near-final build of the game.

More Death, Jr. Comic Books Coming in July

Apparently the Death, Jr. game character is also in comic books - who knew? :) -Auri

EMERYVILLE, CA - Feb. 2, 2006 - Backbone Entertainment and Image Comics today announced that Death, Jr. will return to comic book shelves later this year in a second 3-issue, full-color series. The series will feature the return of both Ted Naifeh as illustrator and Gary Whitta as writer.

"The first series of the DJ comic received an unbelievable amount of attention from critics and comic book fans," says Mike Mika, studio head of Backbone Entertainment's Emeryville location. "We're thrilled to have Ted and Gary back on board to further the world of Death, Jr."

Death, Jr. follows the teenage son of the grim reaper and his band of "unusual" friends as they always seem to find themselves in trouble. The first series of the comic generated impressive sales and attracted the interest of some of the top talent in the industry, such as Mike Mignola, who drew the cover for the trade paperback.

"Image Comics is very excited to once again be bringing the adventures of Death, Jr. and his pals to the printed page," says Jim Demonakos, Image Comics' PR & Marketing Coordinator. "Another series is just what the fans have been asking for - after the overwhelmingly positive response to the first series, we're happy to partner up with Ted, Gary and Backbone to oblige!"

After a tumultuous school year in which DJ and his friends had to band together to fight DJ's evil uncle Moloch, the second series will find the gang on their summer vacation. DJ gets his wish and starts working a summer job with his dad, but he's disappointed to learn he has to work his way up from the bottom, while the rest of the gang is headed for a less-than-savory summer camp experience.

Backbone Entertainment will be premiering the first new piece of art from the comic at this month's Wonder Con Convention in San Francisco, where the company will also be selling copies of the first trade paperback, the PSP game, and brand new t-shirts. In addition, Backbone will host a trade paperback signing at their booth with Naifeh, Whitta and Mignola.

The first issue of the second series is slated to hit shelves in July.

Source: VGGEN.com News

Sony Officially Announces Syphon Filter Dark Mirror for PSP

Gabe Logan, the renowned Precision Strike Operative from Syphon Filter is back and working for a black ops US agency that doesn't officially exist - even to the President! After being listed as M.I.A after his previous mission, Gabe returns for another deadly surgical strike, but this time on the PSPTM(PlayStation®Portable).

Syphon Filter Dark MirrorTM, due for release in the summer 2006, has no rules and no chain of command. Logan's job is to infiltrate, recon and execute decisively - on his mission to retrieve Dark Mirror...a weapon which threatens the lives of all those on the planet...

Syphon Filter Dark Mirror is tailor made for PSP, which allowed the developers to create exclusive and exciting gameplay linked to each of Logan's main objectives. To 'Infiltrate' locations around the globe, Gabe has acquired a new rifle that uses the latest darts technology, and now has access to a range of vision enhancement goggles. There is enhanced AI with new behaviours and awareness states, such as idle, curious and alarmed! Once in Logan has to carry out life or death decisions thanks to precision aiming and new lethal melee attacks with hands and knife.

Syphon Filter Dark Mirror also features a host of other new additions to make gameplay more enjoyable and realistic; the graphics engine has been completely overhauled to take advantage of the PSP's full visual capacity; a dynamic difficulty structure has been implemented to prevent frustration creeping in; plus there is a bonus mission for fans of the franchise which clarifies the ending of the previous episode - Omega Strain.

The game includes 23 single player missions and five multi-purpose online maps. You have the ability to create your own agent, and the highest ranking players can play as Gabe or as the enemy Commander and have access to unique weapons.

Syphon Filter Dark Mirror allows you to experience the rush of being on the front-line in the war against global terrorism. Keep your senses alert because one minute you are engaging in undercover recon and the next you're blasting your way through a guarded gate or crashing through a skylight on a mission to save the world.

Source: VGGEN.com News

Tons of New PS3 Details Revealed - Sony Declares All-Out War on XBox 360

I know, it's not entirely PSP related, but the PSP will work with the PS3, and you probably want to know more about the PS3 anyway, so check this out ;) -Auri

The story is more than one page, behold!
key points:

• PS3 will have online service that goes beyond xbox live
• PS3 will be a DVR
• It will connect with psp
• There are alot of games being worked on for it right now in the US (alot more then what people know about)
• The final ps3 dev kit is alot faster than they thought (according to the developer)
• The ps3 will have an itunes type service to let you download HI DEF movies, music, etc
• The Ps3 will take the media center functionality the 360 has even further

• PS3 will serve as a location free player for the psp, means you can watch the dvd's that you have in your psp on your psp (from anywhere in the world), or any other video files you have on your ps3, though this is still only being planned.

• PSP will be able to send its files straight to the psp from anywhere in the world, and it can also control its DVR functionalities

• Firmware updates will add more functionality, much like with the psp

• The Blu Ray Player functionality doesnt cost as much as a stand alone player because the Cell and RSX can take care of alot of the stuff the ps3 will need to do to be able to read the disks

• Fall release date for ps3, no release date for online service, but expected to launch w/ the system

Source: Sony's Playstation Discussion Boards

New PSP Homebrew Releases for February 2, 2006

I started compiling a list of new homebrew yesterday - I'll be issuing a daily list so you can quickly find new homebrew and download it without sorting through tons of blog entries :)

And the winners for February 2 are................

Games
Penguin Scramble v1.1 - a port of the classic

Applications
Universal Remote v1.2 - Control thousands of infrared devices, such as TVs and DVD players, with this programmable remote

Emulators
e[mulator] for PSP v0.80 beta - eSwan and Hue Emulator

Developer Tools
LuaPlayer v0.17dk2 - With Full UMD Access