Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron IGN impressions

So IGN posted some impressions on Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP) and they called it a "mixed bag".

There's a nice feature where you can do a land battle, then fly up into space(cool!) but they complained that when switching from land to air, there's a cutscene. I dunno, that seems alright by me. I'd have to see how long the cutscene is, and is it a loading screen or what... but I'd expect that on the PSP.

Like the Star Wars movies, the Star Wars Battlefront games are somewhat critic-proof. At least in my mind. I'm a huge Star Wars fanboy, and Battlefront is my favourite series of video games. But I am listening to any criticisms, because at the end of the day, I want a good game.

This reminds me of when critics got a look at an early build of Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. The early videos were really choppy, and looks "early". Normally I'm a huge fan of getting to see a game's development, because it keeps the hype machine going & builds excitement. But since then, I've had second thoughts... as those early videos really weren't indicative of the final game. The final game was MUCH SMOOTHER than those early vids, and the critical drubbing the game got based on them kinda hurt, I think.

I don't expect Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron to reinvent the formula, and to the average gamer these games are probably in the 70% range.

Still, there certainly are sequels or spiritual ones, like Secret Agent Clank, which felt a bit rushed out the door after Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. So it's entirely possible that Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron might not be as polished as Renegade Squadron. But it's still very early to tell.



later
don

PSP Go acessories

Yup, I've been wondering since about, oh-- 5 SECONDS after the reveal of the PSP Go: What kind of accessories will be available for it?

Joystiq posted this nice pic which answers some of my questions, like the video out cables-- both component & AV (composite) cables for luddites like myself who don't have an HD TV. As I suspected, the proprietary USB port is used for those rather than the headphone port.

Sony is also releasing screen protectors? I guess that's nice-- if they're any good? At least they're giving an official option, when screen protectors are a KEY accessory. I'd advise any new PSP owner to make a good screen protector their FIRST accessory purchase (if they already own a memory stick, of course) Not only does Sony offer a normal screen protector, but a "Privacy" one too! Hehe. Hori is the only company I know of that makes privacy screen protectors. Maybe they're getting Hori to do their screen protectors, that'd be nice because Hori has a good reputation for those.

Also of note is the proprietary USB cable, but check out the AC adapter cable & rectangular dongle. I'm guessing that the USB cable needs to be plugged into that dongle to be able to charge through a power outlet. Which is annoying, because that means you gotta move the cable back & forth between using it for the AC adapter & your computer. I'm sure you could charge through your PC, but it will be slower. or you could buy another proprietary USB cable. Nasty "Smart", Sony. Learned another bad lesson from Apple.

The pouches look like the same pouch from the PSP-1000. If they are, you'd think they'd be a bit big for the PSP Go? I'm sure they'd work fine, but, just a bit big. Maybe these ones are resized for PSP go.


Oh... I just noticed a cradle there! Hmmm, that's kinda cool.




later
don

PSP Go flipping open vid

From Kotaku, a brief hands-on vid of flipping open the PSP Go. Opening it turns it on!



The clock is neat, but I hope the feature can be turned off.

I'd be lying if I denied that I'm watching the video over & over & over.....



later
don

PSP Go size

There's an interesting article at Gizmodo Au talking about the PSP Go size. One thing we're not really realizing is how small this thing is. It's hard to say for sure, until we get our hands on it. They've also posted a nice gallery of shots, including the missing topside of the PSP go, the side that gets "slid over":




Finally get to see where those volume controls-- looks like it's changed to a volume rocker-- as well as the sound & display buttons went.


GameSpot posted some ok photos (Hint: learn to focus, GameSpot) and one of them finally has a comparison shot of the PSP Go & PSP-3000:





Not a great shot, I'd like to see them both laid flat side by side, and top to bottom. The PSP Go is small, but not quite as small as I thought, I thought it might only be as wide as the PSP-3000 screen. Of course the screen also looks pudgy; doesn't look like it's the same dimensions as the PSP-1000/2000/3000. So does that mean everything will look vertically stretched? Hmmm.


It's really hard to get a read on how thin it is, but each "piece" looks almost DS Lite thin, which may be why they changed the USB port to proprietary (if they indeed did do that)


Man, it does look cute compared to a DSi:



I'm wondering if the face buttons are DS Lite/DSi-sized. I've noticed the DS buttons are a bit on the small side, and the PSP Go face buttons look about the same size.....



Honestly, if this was May 2006, I'd be pretty interested in the PSP Go. Back then I was *desperately* looking to get my first mp3 player, one that played video, and the Sandisk E200 series was my main choice until I researched the PSP. Believe it or not, I did originally buy my PSP-1001 primarily as an mp3 player. One of the detriments was the PSP size. So the PSP Go size would have been very appealing. Though another main thing I was trying to get away from was iTunes dependence. I didn't want to buy content that had no physical copy. So I may've passed up the PSP Go as being another "iTunes enslavement wannabe" which is about WORSE than being enslaved by iTunes... which is not a good thing either.

PSP Go control placement is a big issue. The analogue nub being in the middle with the D-pad on the left side. It seems odd... but I'm guessing that once I get my hands on it (if I can) everything will seem close together because the overall unit is small. Another thing I was thinking is that, Sony is not only wanting download-only games, but they want SMALL download-only games, that cost a lot less for them to make & maybe they'll price them accordingly.

Basically, they want to muscle in on iPod Touch's App selection. Small simple games, that aren't too expensive, can be developed quickly, and there's a huge selection. So how does this relate to the PSP Go controls? No, I haven't forgotten the point I was making... just setting it up for... now:

It's as if Sony is saying the D-pad is the preferred control method for PSP Go games. They probably want small 2D sidescroller games-- like many iPod Touch games. Sony stuffed shirt John Koller has mentioned on many occasions what he calls, "bite size gaming", regarding PSP download games. Draw your own conclusions.

So it's almost as if Sony is saying the analogue nub is included reluctantly: "Sigh-- we know you'll all just bitch, so here it is."

Despite all this, I have to admit I'm warming up to the idea of picking up a PSP Go. I know-- I *HATE* the download-only trend. But a smaller PSP with the same media functions as the current models does sound somewhat appealing. It's almost like 2006 again, where I didn't even think about games for my PSP until a few weeks after I bought it...... of course, it's now 2009 & I have 40+ UMD games (and about 4 UMD movies).... the largest game collection of any system I own.

But it brings up another conflict, one that reared its head last year for me: should I just get an iPod Touch instead?

If I'm going to surrender to download-only content, shouldn't it be with an company that at least knows how to do it? What Playstation has going for it is its franchises: Loco Roco, God of War, etc. But all I want are good games. They don't have to be brand names, as long as they're good. And I'd gladly pay $5.00 for a good iPod Touch game rather than $20-30.00 for a Playstation one. At least if the $5.00 game screws up I'm only out $5.00.


later
don

PSP Go USB port?

Ok.... I think I've gleaned a LITTLE bit more about the PSP Go... like where the USB port is.

Check out this hands-on posted at Endgadget.


I assumed that this was the memory stick micro slot, that it was spring-loaded with no door.



But clearly, there is a memory stick micro, M2-- door along the side of the unit similar to previous PSP models.




So that slot along the bottom of the PSP Go *LOOKS* like it may be a proprietary USB/charging port. Anyone used to iPods or other mp3 players knows the "joy" dread of their USB connectivity: they have their own little USB ports that are *ONLY* compatible with their own little USB cables. One of the things I like about the PSP is that it uses a standard mini-USB cable port. That might change with the PSP Go......

On the possible upside, iPods use their proprietary ports for things like video out, so maybe the PSP Go will use its port in a similar way. If that even is a USB port..... And is that the only way to charge the battery, like with iPods & other mp3 players? I can't see an AC adapter port.

Still so many questions about this system.....

UPDATE: It looks like that slot is a proprietary USB port:



More pics of the PSP Go can be found at the Amazon listing.


later
don

E3 PSP Sony highlights

Just some notes I jotted down while watching GameSpot's E3 Sony press feed:



















-Media Go new PC program replaces Media Manager

-PSP devkits 80% less

-SenseMe playlist coming to PSP & Go

-All PSP titles digital & UMD

-Playstation video store available on PSP... but no word on Canada. Probably not.

-UMD still supported

-PSP Go $250.00 US! Yikes!!

-Gran Turisimo PSP finally coming... Oct 1, 2009. Same release date for PSP Go?



First off, that PSP Go price.... Sheesh. I really didn't expect it to be THAT expensive. I thought at the most it'd be $200.00, maybe $225.00. Sure you get 16GB built in, and Bluetooth. But there doesn't seem to be a USB port, if you don't use Wi-fi to transfer content, do you have to transfer via a memory stick micro? Pulling that out of the PSP Go, putting it into a card reader & back again seems like a hassle.

Media Go will replace the current Media Manager software for PC-to-PS Store connectivity. I hope it will add features, and just be a smooth interface. Sony has a bad rep with software.....


SenseMe playlist support... I find this the most exciting PSP news, oddly enough. I suspect this is a carry-over from Sony's mp3 players, I'm pretty sure I've heard of it before. But just news of a dynamic playlist for PSP is a sorta big thing. I'm not entirely sure how it'll work.... I'm hoping it isn't that Media Go will just decide what songs to put onto your PSP, that this thing will allow playlist creation USING the PSP itself.

UPDATE: Ok, apparently, here's where you can download Media Go 1.1. And from the description, it sounds like you have to tag your music files with SensMe™ data, then I suppose once the PSP firmware has the SensMe™ feature added to it that's how it will generate a playlist.




later
don

Super Mario Galaxy 2 coming

Oh yeah!!! Now this makes me excited-- Super Mario Galaxy was one of my favourite games I've played... well, I got it in January 2009... but honestly, ever.

It's easily one of the best, if not the best game for the Wii. Nintendo has announced a sequel at E3.... no big details yet. Yoshi is in the game, he's ridable... sounds like you can freeze lakes to walk across....






Just need a release date. I'm hoping it'll be out by the end of the year, similar to SMG 1.

UPDATE: Sounds like it's not coming until 2010. :::bummed out big time:::



later
don