Driver Renegade 3DS

I was waiting for Driver Renegade to hit my price-point sweet spot of $10.00, and I picked it up yesterday from Futureshop for $9.99.

I was pleasantly surprised by Driver '76 on PSP, and I've been anxiously awaiting a Driver game since the 3DS was launched. But when the game finally launched and the reviews trickled in... they were pretty bad. Driver games haven't really gotten great reviews except the latest console one, and like I said, I found  Driver '76 to be better than the reviews give it credit for-- it's not a great game but it is fun. So I tended to take the reviews with a grain of salt. But the reviews for Driver Renegade are *really* bad. And they are not wrong.

At first I was very disappointed playing this game... I'm actually kind of angry. It feels completely obligatory; an afterthought tacked on to the multi-console release of Driver: San Francisco. I haven't played that game but from what I gather, Driver Renegade is not a port, it's a handheld game unto its own. But it feels like such a phoned-in effort went into making it. The cars look terrible, the sound is very lame and repetitive. The graphics are so basic they look like off-the-shelf models... and the cars handle like crap.

The game is broken up into 2 sections, the Story Mode which is a very short campaign (can probably be beaten in one sitting) and a Career Mode that has most of the game challenges. There are 7 modes, each with 12 levels. But some of the modes repeat themselves, like "Rampage" and "Afterburner" are pretty much the exact same game play: destroy the other cars. But I have to say, this is the most fun game mode, and once I started playing this I felt less jypped of my 10 bones + HST. There is a shunting action in the game using the shoulder buttons you can slam into other cars, it's pretty cool. I really like just blowing up the enemies, the best part of the game by far.

To try and sell Driver Renegade for full price has to be close to committing fraud, seriously. It feels like the developers did the least possible effort to make it functional and shipped it. One of the few exceptions is the artwork, the story is told through still comic book style drawings which look really good. They remind me a lot of the cut scenes from Twisted Metal: Head On (PSP).

Unlike Driver '76, instead of having a free-roaming map, Driver Renegade is very linear, it's mostly just  race or "destroy" events. You can't wander around. You can't get out of the car. I was disappointed that the gameplay seems so different from that title. But at least I have Driver '76 on my PS Vita.

Maybe I bought Driver Renegade so you don't have to. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the franchise, this game is probably not worth your $$$. I admit there are some fun moments, sometimes fun can be had within the brokenness of the game. But I wonder how long the fun will ultimately last... not long I reckon.


later
don

PS Vita PSP settings

I'm a dope... when I first got my PS Vita, I complained about lack of 2nd analogue stick support on my compatible PSP games (namely, Logan's Shadow). I've since corrected that post with the updated information. I was digging around the online Vita menu and found out how to adjust the control settings for PSP games.

While a PSP game is playing (even during the intro or cutscene) hold the touchscreen for a few seconds and the menu screen pops up:



Bilinear Filtering - makes some PSP games look smoother but possibly less sharp as well.

Right stick - can be adjusted to face buttons (as shown) D-pad, left analogue stick (Yay for lefties!)

Camera - I think that's for any compatible PSP games that can use the camera... are there any? Invizimals, maybe?

Color Space - I think if this is set to PSP System, then it displays the palette that was limited to the PSP. It looks a little bit better when it is off.

One problem with this screen is that it the settings are universal for every PSP game. I've set my right analogue stick to mimic face buttons, but it does so on *ALL* PSP games I play on the Vita. Say I had Monster Hunter Freedom Unite or some other game that uses the D-pad for camera control-- I'd have to manually go into the menu and change that setting. It won't remember different settings for different games.


I actually only found this because I started playing Driver '76 on my PS Vita. At first it looked-- well, it looked like ass-- everything was jaggy and pixelated, much worse than Logan's Shadow which looked pretty good. I originally played Driver '76 on my PSPgo which has a smaller screen so it does look better, but I thought it was a bit worse on Vita than it should've been. After turning on Bilinear Filtering, it looks a LOT better.

Things like this make me wish that Sony hadn't cheaped out on not providing a paper PS Vita instruction manual. If they had, I would have discovered this a lot earlier, and I probably would know more tips & tricks about the system than I do now.

When I first played Logan's Shadow on my Vita I kept instinctively trying to use the right analogue stick. Now that I actually can use it, I'm initially finding the same problems I'm having with every shooter on the Vita... the 2nd analogue stick doesn't feel..... quite right. Aiming is a bit too twitchy rather than smooth like it is using my Xbox controller S. I know that Logan's Shadow wasn't originally designed to use a 2nd analogue stick, but the Vita-exclusive game Unit 13 *is*, and it suffers the same problem. If we see quick and lazy Vita ports of console shooters that don't make any adjustments for the Vita controls, it could be really bad.

That's not to say that I don't still play shooters on Vita. Unit 13 is my most-played game despite all the bugs including the one that forces the Vita to hard reset. Maybe I will get used to Logan's Shadow using the right analogue stick. And I'm going to buy the PSP Mini N.O.V.A. because I read that it also can use the right stick for aiming. Just waiting until this Tuesday on the random chance it may go on sale. I'd hate to buy it now and find it drop in price 2 days later... not that I think it's going to happen... better safe than sorry.



later
don

PSP games on Vita

I was pleasantly surprised a couple weeks ago when I checked my Downloads list in the PS Store on my PS Vita, and discovered Driver '76 was now downloadable on my Vita.

The first week I had the Vita, only 2 PSP games I bought previously were transferable to it: Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow & Ace Combat Joint Assault.

Of the few PSP games that I can get on my Vita, I have to say they look & play pretty well. Of course they won't look as good as a Vita game, but they don't look bad at all. The biggest adjustment is sometimes I instinctively try to use the Vita's right analogue stick to control my aim. Using face buttons is fine until you HAVE the 2nd analogue stick sitting there practically mockingly.

And there is still so much more that the PS Store needs to do. Most of my PSP download games are not available, and what's galling is there's some Sony first party stuff like Twisted Metal: Head On and even the first PSP Syphon Filter game, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror.



Third-Party game makers like Namco & Ubisoft seem to be interested in porting their PSP games to the Vita. Why would any company leave money on the table by not making their PSP library available to download and buy on new consoles like PS Vita? I'd like to ask Sony, who seems intent on doing just that.

I sure hope the Star Wars Battlefront games become available. Every Tuesday I keep checking my Downloads list, hoping that magical Download button shows up next to them.



later
don

Wii games to get rid of

Man.... I need to free up some space. I've been going through my games stockpile, and there are a bunch I think I simply need to get rid of. Some of them I've played, enjoyed, but I'm pretty sure I won't play again-- like Deadly Creatures-- others I've played, did not like them nearly as much as I thought I would-- like House of the Dead: Overkill-- and others are games that I just couldn't really get into.... I don't think I'm an RPG fan (Jeanne D'Arc) or an RTS fan (Field Commander)

So here's my pile of games to get rid of... there are more PSP games not pictured.



This is just maybe 1/4 of my game collection? I don't know. All I know is I keep my Wii/Xbox games in a cabinet, and this pile are games that can't fit in there. I need to sell off some games before I can buy more....

There are 2 must-buy games on my list for the rest of this year: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) and Ace Combat: Joint Assault (PSP). Hopefully I'll keep my games impulse-buying to a minimum before then....


later
don

Ace Combat Joint Assault demo (Japanese)

Awesome... PS Forum member Gamble_STARS posted a link to a PSP demo (in Japanese) for Ace Combat Joint Assault! (he posted 2 links, but they are just mirrors of the same zip file)

[Check out the post here]






Direct links to the demo:

http://playable01.bandainamcogames.co.jp/ace-x/acex2_trial.zip
http://playable02.bandainamcogames.co.jp/acex2_trial.zip

The demo is 117 MBs big(!)... I'm downloading it as I type. Can't wait to play it-- I've said it before, Ace Combat Joint Assault is my most anticipated game... out of all my consoles even... though I must admit Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) is also right up there on my drool-meter.



later
don

E3 2010 big loser - PSP

Man... I can't believe what callous neglect everyone is showing the PSP this E3.

The only announcement seems to be:

"that 70 PSP games will be released "between now and December."

That's it. No details on WHAT most of the games will be (besides Patapon 3).... or anything. 70 games *should* sound awesome. But here's where I think that it goes south in a big way:

• How many of those 70 games are PSP Minis? How many of them are not only PSP Minis, but PORTS of iPhone games or whatnot?
  
  
• How many of those games are movie tie-ins that are put on every console anyway?
  
  
• How many of those games are Japan-exclusive?
  

What if like 50 of the 70 games are PSP Minis or movie tie-ins? That would be a SUCKY 70 games list, wouldn't it?

Sure, we know that God of War: Ghosts of Sparta is in development, and there may be a few other high profile PSP games as well. But the bulk of that 70? PSP minis, or movie tie-ins... or Japanese exclusives that we'll never see here....

Where's the LIST of those "70 PSP games"? The 3DS has a list of upcoming games at least. Don't just announce "there's 70 PSP games coming kthanxbai".

And not getting any announcement of a PSP2..... that just feels like a REALLY BAD sign. You know the end of the movie Se7en where Morgan Freeman's character is all set to retire, but he can't? That's where I feel like that's where the PSP is right now. A dead horse. But I'm not saying that it's not still a good platform-- I use my PSPgo every day (mostly to watch taped TV shows)-- and there's still some joy in the system playing the best PSP games of the past. Just not anything new.

By not announcing a PSP2, Sony is basically saying that they have no idea how to counter Nintendo's handheld strategy. They have no answer to the 3DS. And looking at some of the upcoming games announced for the 3DS, with titles like Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and Saint's Row it looks like it's going after the PSP audience, like it's saying, "you few PSPers left out there, we hear you and are ready to absorb you into our fold. We know how abandoned you are, so here are a few morsels of games to bring you over from that dead system to our living one."

I have no idea what a PSP 2 should be like... what should it have that would set it apart from an iPhone or DS? Yes, 2 analogue nubs, great graphics, touchscreen, well-rounded media capabilities. But what would position it to succeed more than the PSP? I don't know.

And it looks like Sony has no idea either.


later
don

games wishlist 2010

This is kinda late, but it just occurred to me that I haven't posted a games want list for a long time.

I guess because I just haven't seen too much to get excited for this year.... but still, there are a few titles that are really exciting and others that are intriguing.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - I have to say that the first game was a complete surprise for me, I loved it! As much as I loved Super Mario Galaxy.. I do feel that this will be more of the same, which is both good and bad. There will be small changes & updates which will probably be very cool, but I know what I'm getting. Maybe it's the classic "video game sequel syndrome". Still, I'm getting really psyched up for it, it's coming so soon!

Ace Combat Joint Assault - Another sequel to one of my favourite games, Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception for the PSP. This may actually be my most anticipated game of the year so far.


Metroid: Other M - I was not all that fond of Metroid Prime 3 or the DS Metroid Prime: Hunters, but the different take that developer Team Ninja will spin on the franchise might be cool. I'm really intrgued by how it'll play. Maybe I'll replay those games & see if I can get into them.

Hmmmmmmm............ I'm trying to think of some other games I'm really psyched up for, but I got nada at this time. Again, 2010 seems like a bit of a dry year for video games if you only have a Wii, DS or PSP. I find myself buying last year's games, it's a little scary how I've snagged just about everything on my old want list....



later
don

Monster Hunter and other games

So... I've been really into Monster Hunter Freedom (PSP) the last little while. I really shouldn't-- it's frustrating, slow and the camera controls are broken..... but for some reason it is very compelling. It's so satisfying to take down a monster after tracking it & doing work to prepare for it.... there are a lot of good things going for the game.

In fact, I'm really getting psyched up for the release of Monster Hunter Tri (Wii) and I may just pick that up on day 1!

I tried out Pikmin (Wii) a bit last week... maybe it's my short attention span, but the learning curve is a bit steep. I'm determined to try to figure out RTS games like this, so I will put some more time into it when I can, to see if it's enjoyable.

I've also been playing a lot of Wii Sports Resort the last couple days. I never really played it much since I bought it, so this is the first time I've spent a lot of time with it. I'm sad to see that some of the new games, like Frisbee Golf, are *broken*. That's simply unacceptable for a Nintendo-first party franchise like Wii Sports. When we're talking about a simplistic experience meant to appeal to everybody, broken mini-games should NEVER make it to the finished game. Really Nintendo should be ashamed of themselves for that.

When it comes to PSP I'm in a funny gamespace right now. I find myself turning down UMD deals, in the vain hope that the PS Store would have as good a deal (yeah right) or that they'd even have the game at all (good luck)... so I haven't been buying PSP games at all. It feels like I shouldn't even bother continuing to buy PSP games because even Sony has given up on the system, and shows nothing but naked, obvious contempt for PSP owners like me. Is it wrong to think that? I still use my PSPgo daily, but I've been hardly been using my PSP-2001 until I started up Monster Hunter Freedom. But when Sony keeps saying to me, "we really don't care about you PSP owner at all." over and over and over, it wears me down.

I know things will change once the new Ace Combat game comes out, I will snatch that up probably day 1.

Not sure if I mentioned I bought The Conduit last week? haven't tried it yet.

Oh yeah, I also got Red Steel 2 last week, during a 1 day sale at EB games-- $40.00 for game & Motion+. Haven't played it yet. I needed a 2nd Motion+, so it is sort of a good deal, though that goes against my previous post about Ubi games. I may be kicking myself later this year when Red Steel 2 inevitably drops in price.... but yeah I needed the Motion+ anyway....



later
don

Can there be too many games?

Yesterday I bought Pikmin (Wii) at Staples for something like $7.47.... and while I was there I saw 2 PSP games: Midnight Club L.A. Remix and Lego Batman, each for like $9.97.

I'd heard good things about Midnight Club L.A. Remix... and the Lego series of games are fairly consistent in their quality. But I thought about it: I already have a few racing games, Ridge Racer-- my fave racing game of all, and the 2 Wipeout games. Do I really need another racing game?

And I already have both Lego Star Wars games for my Xbox.... I'm not even sure if I've finished playing through Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (the 2nd game in the series)..... do I need another Lego game?

So I passed on these games for now. Pikmin is the first new game I've bought since just after Xmas 2009, when I got Crazy Taxi & Blast Off (PSP mini) for my PSPgo. But maybe I shouldn't keep buying games when I still have so many I bought that I have yet to play, and I have games that are similar to them already. I guess part of me being a Handheld Addict is being a videogame addict too......


later
don

Dead or Alive Paradise demo

There hasn't been much to talk about on the PSP front for a long time... the only upcoming PSP game I am truly excited for is Ace Combat: Joint Assault... though I am curious about Dead Or Alive: Paradise....

IGN posted a link to a site that has a demo for it. It's in Japanese so I'm not entirely sure what's going on, I've "played" it and it seems to only be a photo shoot or something? I'm surprised if Dead Or Alive:Paradise is coming to North America.... I actually have a game like this, Finder Love-- was a cheap import from Play-Asia a long time ago-- I think these photo-shoot games are more common in Japan so it would be kinda cool to see some of them in english.....

There'd better be more to the game than that though.

In the meantime I've just started playing God of War: Chains of Olympus on my PSP-2001.


later
don

New Ace Combat PSP for 2010?

Oh man... I just reluctantly logged onto Joystiq's PSP fanboy, reluctant because it's really been sucking for the last while. hardly updated, missing PSP news, it's just sad since there's so few places to get PSP news and they clearly have no interest in the platform anymore.

Oh well, this isn't about how much Joystiq sucks for news (a lot) but rather the AWESOME news of a new Ace Combat PSP game in the works! Yes!!! This is honestly the PSP announcement of 2010 for me. This is suddenly my most anticipated game of the year, following 2009's SW Battlefront Elite Squadron.... which I was playing again last night, and felt a bit tired of it, it can just be so clunky-- but I still play it a lot.

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception is one of my top PSP games, I never knew anything about the franchise before playing it, but it's a great fighter combat game. So hopefully Ace Combat Joint Assault will keep all the good things about the previous game.

It does mention that this new game will take place over real world countries, which is a bit odd for Ace Combat. They usually weave a tale of war between fictional countries Leasath & Aureillia, I believe? There's a bit of freedom and fun when you go with the "Metropolis" or "Gotham City" option rather than New York & Los Angeles, you know? Like you can build up a new mythology about these fictional places rather than being tied to what we all know about the real locales.

But the gameplay will be the real star of it. Supposed to come out summer 2010 in Japan, and "sometime in 2010" for U.S.



later
don

Blast Off & Crazy Taxi

Yesterday I downloaded 2 games off the PSN: Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars & the PSP mini Blast Off.

I'd heard about Sega offering sale prices for their PSN games when I was still in China and couldn't access the PS Store. Crazy Taxi was one of those PSP games that I was always interested in if I could find it at the right price, $10.00 or under.

What's so annoying about the PS Store is... ok, PSP update 6.20 came out a few weeks ago, when I was in China, right? Fine-- I knew I'd have to update before I could access the PS Store. I accepted that.

But when I tried to buy Crazy Taxi off the PS Store, Media Go told me I needed to update it to a later version (I was running 1.2). Hmmm. Ok..... it didn't take too long to update it.

But then..... after buying Crazy Taxi & trying to download it..... it told me I needed to update my Playstation Network Downloader. *After* I already updated Media Go. Grrrrr. Ok fine.


So I update my Playstation Network Downloader. then have to restart my computer of course.... *more time* AND THEN... I can finally download the game I bought, and it only took about AN HOUR AND A HALF to buy and recieve one lousy game off the Playstation Store.

At least I managed to get it... but things like this remind me that the PS Store is a ticking timebomb, sooner or later it will go off and decide to stop working on me, making me regret buying all this downloaded content that will go bad like spoiled milk. I understand that they need to make improvements to software & upgrade their services, and we need to update our accounts in accordance. But WHY do they make it so inconvenient to simply BUY STUFF from them?

Oh well... after getting Crazy Taxi, I remember hearing about Blast Off & bought that one too. I've been playing both games a bunch since last night, Blast Off is really fun. Crazy Taxi is great too, but it is a bit repetitive, because the routes are always the same.


And I'm not thrilled that I now have this comics app for my PSP, but because I'm Canadian, I can't access any comics........



later
don

Wipeout Pulse

I've been playing lots of New Super Mario Bros. DS, but over the last couple days I finally pulled the wrapping off of Wipeout Pulse & dug into the game, which I got from The Source for $9.97 a while ago. Score.

It's fun... I'm a big fan of Wipeout Pure; I still think it's one of the best PSP games in the library. Unfortunately, every system seems to have an overabundance of 1 genre of games; For the original Xbox it was FPS games, for the Wii it's obviously minigame collections. And for the PSP, it's racing games.

But in my opinion, Wipeout Pure is one of the best of the genre. And Wipeout Pulse lives up to the high standards set by Wipeout Pure. It's a great game, but it does feel like more of the same. They haven't changed much at all... which is both good & bad.

If you're ravenous for more Wipeout PSP gaming, Wipeout Pulse would be the obvious choice. But even if you're new to the franchise, either one would probably do.... there's no story, it's just basically racing. I'm only early into it, but I find Wipeout Pulse has more time trials & "beat a certain time" events, and less actual races against AI opponents. I'd rather have more races... so that's one of my quibbles about it.

It also seems like the speed pads are placed just so you'll miss them unless you're really experienced with the tracks. I found the placement more natural in Wipeout Pure.

A nice feature with Wipeout Pulse is that you can import some mp3 tracks into the game. You create a folder named WIPEOUT in the MUSIC folder, and you can put up to 30 tracks into the game. I always wish that more games would take advantage of this feature, as the PSP is a multimedia device, so it seems like a natural. It is so freakin' awesome to be barreling down these futuristic tracks while listening to The Who's Baba O'Reily....

Wipeout Pure also supports gamesharing-- another great PSP feature that should be used more often by game developers. With 1 copy of the game, you can download a small portion of it to another PSP without the game. You can also do multiplayer with another PSP with only 1 copy... the content is limited of course, but it's a nice feature to have.




later
don

HMV PSP games sale

I just heard that HMV has some of the Greatest Hits PSP titles on sale for $10.00.











Some of the titles:

Ape Escape: On the Loose
MX vs. ATV: Untamed
Killzone: Liberation
LocoRoco
Patapon
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror


Could be more or less, depending on the location. I find HMV to vary content store-to-store a lot.



later
don

sonme more UMD PSP games on PSN

I like the headline for this GameSpot article: PSN update sees rush of PSP games

Their definition of "rush of PSP games" being... ummm... 4. From the article:

The newly added PSP games are Brothers in Arms: D-Day, Chessmaster: The Art of Learning, Driver '76, and TMNT. All four of the games have been previously released on the system's UMD format and carry a $19.99 downloadable price tag (with the exception of Brothers in Arms D-Day, which sells for $14.99). They range in size from 84MB (Chessmaster) to 1.05GB (Brothers in Arms).

What stood out for me is that I've been looking for Driver '76 for awhile. But I want it for $10.00 (or less!) so I've been hunting through the bins at Wal-Mart for... hell-- to be honest, I was even doing that tonight. I'm a big videogame bargain-sniffing nerd. May as well admit it.

Seeing as how it's twice the price I want to pay for that game-- and that's probably in U.S. funds too, so it's more in Canada (can you even buy it in Canada? Who knows)-- I'm certainly not going to buy it off the PSN.

Just that one of the games was randomly one of what I consider a fairly obscure game is pretty much why I even noted that GameSpot article and made this post... and maybe just an excuse to post a pic of Jessica Chobot too.

But like I said, if they are moving obscure stuff like that to the PSN, there may be hope for titles like Star Trek: Tactical Assault or Chili Con Carnage..... we'll see come October 1, 2009.



later
don

PSP deals at Wal-Mart

Saw a few good deals at Wal-Mart for PSP games tonight.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Socom: Fireteam Bravo 2

$10.00 each.

Resistance: Retribution - $19.98.

If there is any PSP who's a fan of shooters out there that hasn't picked up Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, I'd be surprised. It's a must-have if you ask me, especially at that price. When I was talking about Socom: Fireteam Bravo 1, I mentioned that I'd like to have gotten Socom: FTB 2 for that price ($10.00) and lo & behold.. it finally arrives! So I picked that one up.


Y'know, it's an "interesting" time for PSP owners/fans.... on one hand, there can be some pretty amazing deals to be scooped up. When I first bought a PSP in 2006, most PSP games were in the price range of $50.00-$60.00! It was brutal. Not having any prior experience with handheld gaming consoles, I was shocked... I expected home console games to cost that much, but handheld ones?

But as we all know, the PSP has fallen into some hard times the last couple years, despite having some gems come out. I blame Sony for a portion of the problem, they keep undercutting their own gains with moves like releasing the PSP-3000 shortly after the PSP-2000, which killed the momentum that the PSP-2000 started. Now everyone is scared of touching anything PSP-related, retailers & consumers alike... and it feels like we're looking at the decline of the system. Will it soon be replaced by PSP Go!, or a "PSP 2"?

But because of this fear, there's some clearance/liquidation sales out there, and those $50.00 games of 2007 are turning into $10.00 games of 2008/2009. I guess I can be somewhat happy for that at least. Sheesh... I sure didn't mean to bring this topic down, I was originally posting just to inform of a good deal. So yeah, yay for deals.


later
don

Coded Arms

Picked up Coded Arms at Real Canadian Superstore for $9.98. Pretty good deal, apparently it's a Greatest Hits title now too?

I've heard a lot about Coded Arms, and not in a good way. But it's one of the few first person shooters for the PSP, and I've always been curious about it. It looks good... why does it get such a critical drubbing? I soon found out....

The problem with Coded Arms is that it really has a lot of potential to be an awesome game, but there are such problems that hold it back. I think it's that feeling of disappointment where the negativity stems from. Playing it, the game certainly does look good. But the overall design is just a series of plain hallways and rooms. The map is randomly generated, so techincally each play experience is different, but it doesn't hide the fact that the overall map design is really bland. There's a map screen which looks a lot like Metroid Prime 3's map, and just as confusing to move around & read. Switching between weapons is very clunky, and you can only hold a certain amount, so you have to swap out weapons-- it's really cumbersome.

Despite the lack of a 2nd analogue nub, I believe that FPS games can work on the PSP. Coded Arms uses what I think is the best control scheme for a shooter on a PSP (given its limitations): using the face buttons to aim. But the aiming in Coded Arms is pretty bad; it's *sorta* sticky, but not really... which makes for a lot of missed shots just because you're fighting the targeting system. I can't help but imagine if Coded Arms had the sort of aiming from Resistence Retribution or even Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, it would be such a better game.

The lack of health & ammo in later levels is a problem, as you're basically stuck with what you've got. Overall Coded Arms feels like a lost opportunity to make a really decent FPS for the PSP. If it didn't look so promising, it may not be as disappointing. But it's not a terrible game, and I'm finding it worth my $9.98.



later
don

sold Ultimate Block Party

I sold my first game.... Ultimate Block Party (PSP). I have a huge stack of games, especially PSP games, and I'd like to thin out my games library. I'm definitely a packrat who likes to keep what I buy. But I just didn't enjoy the game all that much, and I couldn't see myself playing it.








Traded it in to Future Shop-- the trade-in value was $13.20. Future Shop gives store credit. I got the value from this handy website: www.tivs.ca it's great because it lists Canadian prices, and the major Canadian stores.



Sad that most of my other games I want to get rid of have little/no trade-in value.....



later
don

Resistance: Retribution

I finished the single-player campaign of Resistance: Retribution a few days ago... I guess that seems kinda fast as I got it less than a week ago? I was pretty engrossed into it though.

Resistance: Retribution is a third-person shooter that's an odd cross between a World War II shooter and a sci-fi shooter. I have to admit, I'm just not interested in WWII games... there are so many, so I suppose there's quite an audience for them since they keep making them. I'm also not big on first-person shooters, I prefer games that have a third-person POV. I just like seeing my "guy" even if it's just the back of him (preferrably her, hehe) But I was really in the mood to get into a sci-fi shooter, and I'm happy that Resistance: Retribution is done in third-person view.

Overall my complaints about Resistance: Retribution are small ones... I think the game is pretty good for what it is. I was disappointed that it just assumed I'd already played and completed Resistance: Fall of Man on the PS3, and dropped me into the world with little to no explanation of who the Chimera are and what they're even doing here. I'm going to have to wiki that or something.

The gameplay itself is very straightforward; if you've played developer Studio Bend's previous Syphon Filter PSP games, then you'll probably feel at home with Resistance: Retribution. I'd almost call it a Syphon Filter game with a Resistance skin overlaid onto it. At one point I was going down a ladder, and without thinking I instinctively pressed ↓ (down) on the D-pad and I quickly slid down the ladder... I don't think it was mentioned in the Resistance: Retribution instruction manual to do that, but I knew that you can do it in the Syphon Filter games, and it worked here too. Stuff like zooming in on enemies is pretty much transferred from those games to this one.

Instead of having to press a button to take cover like in the Syphon Filter games, in Resistance: Retribution your character takes cover "automatically" as soon as you go up to something you can hide behind and there are enemies in range. It generally does a good job of knowing when to take cover, but it can be annoying sometimes when you're trying to go past some cover and it automatically ducks you down into it and slows you down... especially frustrating if you're trying to be fast and running to somewhere. So there are trade-offs to this new system.

But it's not like Resistance: Retribution is simply a clone of the Syphon Filter games, it isn't. The big change is the aiming box in Resistance: Retribution. There's a large area of the screen, a box where if an enemy's within it, the target locks onto that enemy... and you can switch between enemies by tapping one of the face buttons (whichever is in the direction of the enemy you want to target).... at first I was a bit skeptical of this system-- though switching targets isn't as smooth as I'd have liked-- it works pretty well. A little *too* well; in the early parts of the campaign it feels like this is going to be a complete cakewalk. But then the difficulty goes up, and I wouldn't call this an easy game exactly. It can get pretty challenging at times, though I wasn't ever outright frustrated by any broken design or straight-up difficulty curve. There are 3 levels of difficulty, which is a nice option.

At first I was a bit taken aback by the lack of a map. But it's generally pretty intuitive as to where to go... though a map would be nice, especially when you're hunting around for some hidden intel....

There are 2 levels where you drive a mech, which I love. I love mech games like MechAssault on the Xbox... I just wish there was a bit more mech levels in Resistance: Retribution What we got felt like a reward for passing some hard bits; you've been on the recieving side of a mech-stomping, now you get to be on the GIVING side, hehe.....

Because of the new targeting system, Resistance: Retribution is a faster-paced game than the Syphon Filter ones. The SF games had a stealth component to them that isn't here. It's really all about shooting up some cannon-fodder Chimera, and shooting them some more. But like the Syphon Filter games, the cover-system is really important-- you *have* to be able to take cover, and plan your attacks accordingly. It's not as focused on that tactic as the Syphon Filter games, but it's still a major part of it.

If you were playing a drinking game based on how often I mention Syphon Filter, you'd probably be on your way to being sloshed right now. I can't help it-- as cool as Resistance: Retribution is, I can't help but compare it to Studio Bends Syphon Filter games. That said, I don't feel that Resistance: Retribution's James Grayson is as interesting a character as Syphon Filter's Gabe Logan was. Gabe just seemed cooler, and he had a little bit more that he could do. And while none of these games have great storylines, I also wasn't impressed by the story for Resistance: Retribution. It just didn't grab me. Though the blend between WWII and sci-fi is a unique one. All these games are great, but a bit repetitive; as fun as they are, you're doing the same things over & over.

So Resistance: Retribution definitely lives up to Studio Bends standard of high-quality PSP games. Honestly though, if I had to choose between another Resistance game or another Syphon Filter, I'd probably prefer seeing another Syphon Filter... though I wouldn't be unhappy to see another Resistance PSP game from them either. It's just the world/story isn't all that compelling while the gameplay is.

While I wouldn't call Resistance: Retribution the perfect game, I'm feeling a bit of what's next now... I'm left wanting more, but in a good way. I didn't want it to end... but there is some replayability in the form of finding hidden evidence-- err, I mean Intel (yup guess where they got that from-- I'm not going to type Syphon Filter again-- d'oh!!) and skill points when you do some special task like kill the first hybrid in a level, etc. This unlocks additional weapons & game development info.

This is the second time I've wanted to actually contact a game studio to thank them for making a great game... the first time being Krome's Star Wars: Force Unleashed games..... I never did find an easy contact for Krome, maybe I'll look to see if Studio Bend can be contacted. I bitch so much about broken/half-assed created games, that I really want to thank studios that make GREAT games.....



later
don

Resistance, Tomb Raider Anniversary

Picked up a couple more PSP games today. One, I got a really good deal on, the other... meh deal....

Resistance: Retribution is on sale right now at Toys R' Us, $5.00 off-- $34.95... which isn't that much of a discount.... I'll probably kick myself if it goes on sale for $20.00 sometime in the future, but I've really been feeling the need for a new sci-fi shooter game right now. This week has been a stressful one for me, so as soon as I bought it I ripped off the shrinkwrapping & dug into it. I've played about 2 hours of it so far.

Resistance: Retribution is made by the same team that did the Syphon Filter PSP games. Even though I had reservations about Logan's Shadow, they still set the bar pretty high for PSP (or any system's) games. And the gameplay & controls are very familar to those who've played the Syphon Filter games. The gameplay is faster-paced than them though.... in Syphon Filter, you used cover a lot, and basically had to carefully aim your shots for best results. They're an entertaining mix between immediate action and tactical gameplay, whereas Resistance: Retribution is (so far) more heavily-weighted on the action over the tactics. Moving while strafing is handled using a new target area box that locks onto targets within it, taking most of the worry out of precise aiming without the benefit of a 2nd analogue nub. The sci-fi weapons are cool, though I'm finding some like the rocket launcher a bit unwieldy to use. One of my biggest initial gripes is that they haven't really fixed the crappy context-commands that were messed up in Logan's Shadow. You'd think they'd improve that, but it's like they don't even know they're bad: they flash up for about half a second while you stumble around trying to find the exact right place to stand AND face to get them to show up for longer than that.... annoying.

I've never played Resistance or Resistance 2 on PS3... I was expecting a bit of an intro to this world but it assumes that the player has already completed Resistance and just kind of throws us into it, which is disappointing. The story doesn't seem very strong either. But overall the game's been fun.



The other game I got today was Tomb Raider: Anniversary. I stopped in at The Source, wasn't expecting to find much as most of their games have been cleaned out. But Tomb Raider: Anniversary was there for $9.96! Score! At that price, I had to give it a shot. Haven't tried it yet.

So I guess it's still totally worth checking out The Source... also HMV has some killer PSP deals (varies by store)... lately I've been seeing Socom: Fireteam Bravo there for under $10.00! It's worth it if you're into military shooters.



later
don