Homebrew: New PSP Homebrew Releases for April 9, 2006

Tax season really seems to have taken a toll on homebrew this weekend. Still, great stuff - these guys must have gotten a refund! :)

Games
Button Masher Endurance v2 - Two-player button-mashing action - updated with new features!

Applications
PSP-FTPD v0.32 - Updated with new features and fixes!

PSP Software Development
Wario Ware Minigame Developers Kit - Emulator for creating mini-games in Youresams upcoming game.

The Big MP3 Players Shut-out, including the PSP!

The Big Mp3 Players Shutout.

When we last tested Headphones, I promised a Mp3 Player shutout by the following week. But it took a lot longer than that. The reasons do not matter, since here it is! The contestants are: (First Row) iPod shuffle (512MB), iPod 1G (5GB), iPod mini (4GB), iPod photo 3G (40GB), (Second Row) iPod nano (4GB), Sony PSP (4GB), Motorola SLVR L7 (128MB, did not participate, see below why), Virgin 5GB, N-Gage (128MB), Siemens SX66 (1GB), Neonode (1GB).

Read the entire article here.

Source: Tyromaniac

Reviewed: the ICA’s new PSP show

The PSP, it turns out, is not just a corking way of carjacking strangers on the street and humiliating your friends in public places: it’s now also the perfect vehicle for avant garde culture vultures.

Earlier this week, London’s ICA – the gallery that puts on the modern art show Becks Futures each year – released the ICA Show, a ten minute free video available for download on www.yourpsp.com.

It’s the first episode of a series of twelve, with new instalments planned once a fortnight. So, should you shoot your browser over to Sony’s site to get downloading?

Read the entire article here.

Source: Stuff Magazine

More PSP games emerge with spring

Dozens of titles have recently debuted for Sony's PlayStation Portable, the hand-held gaming powerhouse that offers console-like graphics, as well as the ability to play music and movies and display digital photos.

So if you're one of the many who prefer to tote around the latest games as the weather warms, the following is a peek at three just-released PSP titles, each priced at $39.99.

'Daxter'

(Sony Computer Entertainment America; rated "Everyone 10+"; 4.5 stars out of 5)

The wisecracking co-star of the Jak and Daxter games for the PlayStation 2 has made his PSP debut — and this time he's flying solo.

Daxter, named after its little orange hero, is an action "platformer" game that lets you run, jump, climb, sneak and fight through Haven City as a daring pest exterminator.

Armed with an electric fly swatter and poison spray gun, your goal is to clear out hotels, subway systems, streets and gardens, while edging closer to finding your imprisoned friend, Jak.

This smoothly animated action-adventure is a cinch to control and lets you ride vehicles, too. The single-player game offers secondary missions and mini-challenges throughout each of the levels.

'Untold Legends: The Warrior Code'

(Sony Online Entertainment; rated "Teen"; 3.5 stars out of 5)

Fans of hack 'n' slash action role-playing games can get their fix with the sequel to last year's reasonably fun Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade.

This sequel succeeds in adding more personality and polish to the franchise, as well as tweaking the combat system so it's deeper and more intuitive to control.

Before venturing out in this tale of good vs. evil, you can choose to play as one of five characters, each with the ability to morph into a unique beast. You will swing swords and cast magic spells through close to 50 locations filled with brutal creatures, deadly traps and destructible environments that make the game feel more interactive.

If you'd rather play this quest with a friend, two PSP owners with the game can take advantage of a cooperative option via Wi-Fi connectivity. Or up to four players can engage in a wireless "player vs. player" game. Both multiplayer modes provide an online lobby in which to find other players.

Untold Legends also features high-quality, in-game cut-scene sequences, professional voice talent and decent music.

Read the entire USA Today article here.

OFF TOPIC: New Mario Brothers due next month. Will it be accompanied by the DS Lite?

Has it really been 25 years since Mario first appeared in a game? It has, and Nintendo is set to release a new 2D Mario Brothers title for the DS on May 15. With Mario’s ability to move hardware, it's not a stretch to think we’re going to see a bundle with the upcoming DS Lite, the company’s updated and improved version of the Nintendo DS.

Nintendo has a long history of making incremental updates to their portable systems; there seems to be a new handheld released every few months, and it doesn’t seem to be a trend that will end soon. The original unit reviewed well, but seemed clunky; the DS Lite both slims down the case design and adds an improved backlight for visibility. While updating the lighting system may seem like a small improvement, the GameBoy SP redesign with a new light vastly improved the quality of color on the display. The DS Lite looks to be similar with the improved clarity of the screen. The system is now smaller and easier to see than the first-generation units, but Nintendo has to get the word out. What better way to get people excited about the system than with a new Mario title?

Read the entire article here.

Source: Ars Technica

Games of the Week: Lara and Odama

You know you’re near the end of a generation with a release list like this one. A handful of strong releases mixed in with ports and tons of licensed shovelware (Hummer: Badlands, IHRA Sportsman Edition, AMF Extreme Bowling 2006…).

Tomb Raider: Legend (PC, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360)
Now under the helm of Crystal Dynamics, Lara’s seventh adventure promises a return to her roots.

Auto Assault Online (PC)
The car-battlin’ post apocalyptic MMO from NCsoft will hopefully prove that you don’t need elves and crap to compete in the online market.

Odama (Gamecube)
Yoot Saito’s voice-controlled military pinball hybrid (sigh, another one?) emerges from the barren wasteland known as “the Gamecube release list”.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Xbox 360)
The console version of the team-based shooter gets the Xbox 360 port treatment.

Major League Baseball 2K6 (PSP, Xbox 360)
2K Sports follows up the PS2 and Xbox versions of their MLB exclusive with PSP and 360 editions. What can I say? Roster updates are surely included.

King of Fighters Neowave (Xbox)
Budget release of the extremely long running series of SNK 2D fighters.

Condemned: Criminal Origins (PC)
Sega’s first person horror adventure finally arrives on the PC. Yay!

I’m definitely getting Odama and will consider Condemned (If you’re keeping up, no, Microsoft still hasn’t sent my complimentary Xbox 360!). I’m also going to sit tight and wait for the Tomb Raider reviews to pour in. What about you? Getting anything?

Source: Kotaku

FAKE PSP LINUX HACK: ucLinux (Proof of Concept)

REVIEW: Tokobot for PSP

Tokobot is without a doubt a fun and original game. This game’s platforming and puzzles are what really set it apart from everything else on the PSP right now. But that’s not to say this game doesn’t have a few drawbacks. Though the problems are minor, they are noticeable and a tad annoying.

Tokobot is based on the premise that you’re an agent exploring ancient ruins. The main character is Bolt, which is the character the player controls, sadly Bolt doesn’t have much of a personality-in fact, he doesn’t speak at all. Luckily the other handful of characters do. As well as the game’s music and visuals which also give you a sense of its overall quirkiness.

Gameplay is where this game shines brightest, on the other hand this is where most of the problems are. You, as Bolt, control the tokobots in a bevy of different ways. There are three different formations each with its own use. One lines the tokobots behind Bolt, the other surrounds the Bolt with the tokobots, and the third has them line up next to you on each side. Each formations upgrades as you progress through the game, allowing you to perform more attacks and other actions. As you progress through the game you’ll also unlock karakuri combinations which let you transform into a useful bot to either achieve a certain goal, like a crane puzzle or simply an attack combination, like a tank or a samurai. These combinations can be performed by using karakuri combination parts you pick up along your travels.

One thing that’s really nice about this game is the music. It has a very upbeat and quirky soundtrack that is really befitting to the game. If it didn’t have this music, most of the game’s charm would have been lost, I think. Sound effects are also nice but nothing too amazing. The only thing I can complain about when it comes to sound is the fact that there is no voice acting, only written dialogue. Graphically this game is very pretty. Never do you see something that makes you say “ Wow! That’s ugly!” or “Man, is that choppy!”. The characters and enemies all look really cute. This game looks really good on all accounts.

Boss battles and puzzles are what really make this game stand out. The boss battles couldn’t be more fun and even intense at times. Fighting these bosses is fun and always entertaining. Every boss has a specific way to defeat it which gives it that classic boss battle feel to it. Puzzles actually get you thinking and are very clever, as well as particular.

The only gripes I have with this one is that its sometimes hard to aim the tokobots to perform an action like swinging. If you don’t aim them perfectly they’ll ending up swinging down to their death. The camera also could have been better. For example, it would have been nice to lock on to bosses. The ultimately worst part of this game is its length. I beat it in a little less than 8 hours. But if you can ignore these small problems you’ll have a great time with Tokobot, even if it is only for 8 hours.

Gameplay:7.75
Sound:8.0
Graphics:8.75

Overall Score:7.75

Source: Newsvine