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Marvel Ultimate Alliance Trailer
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Adventure, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Role Playing Games, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Fresh from the San Diego Comic-Con, TeamXbox has a couple of high resolution trailers from the upcoming action RPG, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The first trailer shows off more of the expanded character set in the new game. The character models look to be a mix of the more updated Marvel Ultimate look and the classic comic book conventions. Some characters are shown merely as introduction, but gamers also get a look at some of the superheroes in action as well.
In addition to the generic trailer, an introduction movie for the Human Torch is provided. The flame effects seem fairly strong, but the character modeling is somewhat uneven. Ultimate Alliance seeks to vastly expand the game world from the previous X-Men Legends games, and offer much stronger online co-operative game play. The developers have slowly been revealing the characters included in the game, so Marvel aficionados should be able to find one of their favorite heroes to play. The game should ship some time before the holidays, and has been announced for a number of platforms, from the Game Boy Advance to the Playstation 3.
Read More 
| TeamXbox
Gallery: Marvel Ultimate Alliance Trailer
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In the portable arena, Nintendo with their updated DS Lite and their line up of games have been getting the lion’s share of the attention. Any mentions of Sony’s PSP seem to be associated with bad news. Gamers have been crying out for quality game releases. Others have proclaimed the format “dead.” Target recently pulled UMD movies from their store shelves, selling out the remainder of the discs online. High profile Hollywood studios have scaled back their UMD release schedules. UPI’s Tech File recently caught up with Peter Dille, Vice President of Marketing at SCEA to talk about the UMD format, the PSP, and where Sony wants to take the format in the future.
According to Dille, Sony has been trying to address the issue of the mixed success of the UMD format. The PSP market is different, “unlike the DVD market, the PSP consumer is targeted.” Certainly, the first batches of UMD movies to hit the market didn’t seem to be appropriate for the PSP target audience, but whether even Sony’s new targeted audience approach can succeed seems doubtful. Even the ideal demographic will still buy based on price. Typical gadget-oriented users would also seem to be the type that would be able to convert their existing DVDs rather than purchase another copy in a different format.
On Sony’s game strategy, Dille attempts highlights games like SOCOM, Grand Theft Auto, and LocoRoco. While SOCOM and Grand Theft Auto were definitely high profile titles for the PSP, at the same time the games seem like scaled down versions of their console brethren. That’s not to say the games are bad; they just don’t seem to be unique.
Sony also seeks to expand the audience for the PSP. While Nintendo has been going after the casual and novice gamer to great success, Sony’s tack seems to be pushing the PSP to become a jack-of-all-trades. Dille highlights the GPS and Camera functionality, and Sony’s efforts to expand the multimedia features of the device.
Dille also touches on the PSone download service, and reminds gamers that the PSP enjoyed a great deal of success in North America. The attention of gamers, though, seems to be slipping towards the DS at this point. Hopefully some A-list titles and a renewed focus on the capabilities of the console will turn things around for Sony.
Read More | UPI
Gallery: Sony On PSP: We’re Not Dead Yet
An Epsilon BIOS beta user on the MaxConsole forums reported today that the 1.0 version of the code is nearing release. Included with the post are two videos that show the brick recovery mode and the ability of the BIOS to boot from GZIP compressed images. This firmware, combined with the Undiluted Platinum modchip should allow PSP gamers the ability to run game backups from their memory stick, as well as grant access to the various homebrew applications in development. This release would be the last part necessary for a gamer to unlock the full potential of their PSP.
Read More | MaxConsole
Gallery: Epsilon BIOS For PSP Nearly Ready
Lumines II Video List Revealed
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Portable/Mobile, PSP,
According to Gaming Target, the latest issue of Game Informer has dropped the complete list of tracks for the highly-anticipated Lumines II on the PSP. This is looking like some much-needed relief from the worth-buying PSP game drought.
Over at Joystiq, the editors have brought up an interesting point, though - if all Lumines II is adding is new videos and songs, why can’t the original game be updated through some sort of WiFi download as an expansion pack? The tin-foil-hat conspiracy theorist in me says “because then they wouldn’t be able to sell you another $40 game”, but more likely is that they never built that level of expandability into the original Lumines. Hopefully we’ll see some gameplay improvements or extra modes as well, to make it worth the purchase price.
The full list can be found after the jump.
Click to continue reading Lumines II Video List Revealed
Read More | GamingTarget.com via Joystiq
Gallery: Lumines II Video List Revealed
Traveller’s Tales On Super Monkey Ball Adventure
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PSP,
Super Monkey Ball Adventure will be one of the few games in the series to not be developed by either Sega or Amusement Vision. The task of developing the platform-based version of the game was handed to Traveller’s Tales, who are currently riding high on the success of Lego Star Wars. The adventure game is scheduled for release in August, and will hit the GameCube, Playstation 2, and PSP platforms. Siliconera was able to sit down with Marty Caplan, lead producer, and get some details about this new instance in the franchise. Fans of the game series might be concerned that the game has moved away from the “quick play” mentality of the original, but Caplan moves to assuage those concerns. While platform-style adventure gaming is the core of the game, there should still be enough puzzles and mini-games to keep Monkey Ball fans happy. Hopefully, Traveller’s Tales will be able to keep true to the spirit of the original and extend that into a more fully rendered universe.
Read More | Siliconera
Gallery: Traveller’s Tales On Super Monkey Ball Adventure
PSP “Greatest Hits” Coming July 25th?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Portable/Mobile, PSP, Rumors,
There isn’t a whole lot of verification yet on the ol’ internet, but PSXExtreme is reporting (without properly listing sources, tsk tsk…) that Sony will be releasing a set of “Greatest Hits” titles at a reduced price of $19.99 for the PSP come July 25th. Games listed include Hot Shots Golf, Wipeout Pure, ATV Offroad Fury, Ape Escape, Twisted Metal, Midnight Club 3, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, with more expected shortly thereafter.
There’s no news (yet) of this on the official Playstation site or any of the other major venues, so take this with a large-ish grain of salt for now. We’ll update as necessary when more information becomes available.
Read More | PSX Extreme
Gallery: PSP “Greatest Hits” Coming July 25th?
Sony Sued For Patent Infringement Again
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP,
If this keeps up Sony will soon be able to empathize with Take Two. Sony is facing another lawsuit for patent infringement. This time Sony is accused of infringing on 8 patents held by Agere Systems, a Pennsylvania based semiconductor company. The suit claims that the PSP, Playstation 2, and the Playstation 3’s final specs are the same as those already announced. The suit also covers a large range of the Sony VAIO product line, the Memory Stick Duo, and Location Free TV. Sony claims it has the rights to use 7 of the patents from a 1989 deal with AT&T and Lucent, and claims that several of the patents are invalid.
Read More | GameSpot
Gallery: Sony Sued For Patent Infringement Again
More Ace Combat PSP Screens Take Flight
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PSP, Screenshots, Simulation,
GameWatch Japan has new screenshots from the upcoming Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception release for Sony’s PSP. Some of the screen captures of the new release from Bandai Namco include new combat areas, mission types, and a new stealth aerial fortress. Four playable fighter aircraft are also shown from the game. Players will be able to select the F-22 Raptor, the F-15S/MTD, the Grumman X-29A, and the Russian prototype S-32. The game was previously targeted for release in September in Japan; however this has been changed to a more generic fall release, making the US release date more uncertain. Still, the single player game modes look to be shaping up, and the new environments look particularly good for a PSP game.
Read More | GameWatch
Gallery: More Ace Combat PSP Screens Take Flight
PSP “Greatest Hits” Coming July 25th?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Portable/Mobile, PSP, Rumors,
There isn’t a whole lot of verification yet on the ol’ internet, but PSXExtreme is reporting (without properly listing sources, tsk tsk…) that Sony will be releasing a set of “Greatest Hits” titles at a reduced price of $19.99 for the PSP come July 25th. Games listed include Hot Shots Golf, Wipeout Pure, ATV Offroad Fury, Ape Escape, Twisted Metal, Midnight Club 3, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, with more expected shortly thereafter.
There’s no news (yet) of this on the official playstation site or any of the other major venues, so take this for with a large-ish grain of salt for now. We’ll update as necessary as more information becomes available.
Read More | PSX Extreme
Gallery: PSP “Greatest Hits” Coming July 25th?
LEGO Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Trailer
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Release Dates, Trailers, Xbox, Xbox 360,
A trailer is now out for LEGO Star Wars: The Original Trilogy. The trailer definitely showcases the fun factor of the LEGO Star Wars games and makes me want to find a copy of the first LEGO Star Wars. The game is set for a September 12th release on all platforms except the Wii.
Read More | YouTube
Gallery: LEGO Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Trailer
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