BudgetGadgets stuff

Well... today I received those 2 items from BudgetGadgets.com! I was kinda debating whether to post about it, because on one hand I'm kinda excited & psyched to get some PSP stuff (free, no less!) but on the other hand, it's way too early to post reviews on the items. So I don't have too much to really say about them yet. Nor have I transferred my preliminary pics from my camera to my PC....

I will say that the shipment took 2 weeks from them notifying me it had shipped to it landing on my doorstep. 2 weeks to Canada is pretty average I find, especially with free shipping items like from Deal Extreme, which seems like a similar company. So it's neither great nor bad.

Also, the items had no packaging. They were wrapped up as is. Which is kind of weird. I'm not sure if it was to save on shipping, so they could be shipped in a pretty small box, or if they're knockoffs. I was looking over the battery, which I will be scrutinizing very carefully. The back of it looks very official, though the text is in Japanese. The front also looks very official. I'll be sure to post comparison pics of my actual PSP-1001 1800 mAh battery beside this 2200 mAh one.

BudgetGadgets also supplied me with a coupon code that gives 5% discount on all items on their site. Use coupon code: DM5OFF14 if you plan to make any purchase from them.



later
don

PSP Go?

GameSpot article: "UMD-less PSP2 due by early November?"


We're starting to hear a timeline for the not-quite-confirmed PSP 2 now... at this point, this is still all just rumour & speculation.

From the article:

The new PSP will apparently, as rumored, be losing its UMD optical drive. Like Apple's wildly popular iPhone, it will reportedly come in two models with 8GB and 16GB of flash memory. It reportedly will not, however, boast the second thumbstick many PSP owners have asked for.

According to 1up's sources, the new PSP will launch in September in Japan with more than 100 "classic and new" digitally distributed titles. Ellis claims that the long-delayed Gran Turismo Mobile "is said to be one of the premier launch titles." Similar launches in Europe and North America will happen in "either late October or early November," according to the report.

Curiously, though, the 1up article went on to say the PSP Go! name was not confirmed, only "likely." It also said the design "could provide an 800x480 pixel touch screen for the system, as well as a camera on the system's backside" like the mylo. (Emphasis added.)

My thoughts on the article:

Third paragraph first: I think those comments in the 3rd paragraph are the most speculative; it reminds me of the touchscreen & camera that was supposed to come with what we now know as the PSP-3000.

Second paragraph: I'm still feeling that the digital PSP library isn't full enough to support a download-only handheld. I can see they're adding to it with all the announcements lately, but still... unless there are a bunch of games to be announced maybe at E3 or something.

And finally, the first paragraph: having built in memory would've been one of the things I'd be most envious of, but 8 & 16Gb don't compare to the 32GB I'm rocking in my PSP right now...I'm so happy to have that much memory. Hell, I'd love 64GB. And no second thumbstick makes me think, "what's the point of having another PSP if you're not going to fix the BIGGEST single problem with the PSP". I've learned to live without a second analogue nub, but seriously.... Sony, just admit it was a FATAL ERROR to not bother to include a second one.... Sony obviously assumed that developers would accept a control change and work extra hard to deliver games that wouldn't need it. And they were so very, very wrong. If anything, we're seeing that devs want all controls to be the same, across all platforms. If the Wii wasn't the insane seller that it is, they'd be happy to ignore it. The only reason they don't is that they can't. Unfortunately, the PSP is not as lucky. Since its sales aren't insanely hot, it CAN be ignored by lazy devs. The only thing that blows a hole in my theory is the DS, which has a different control scheme in the touch & mic... but lots of devs ignore those features I guess, so maybe it fits into my theory alright.... I dunno... to be honest, as much as I like the DS, I really don't know why it sells so well. I personally haven't found that killer-app that makes it such a top seller (though Brain Age 2 is about as close as a DS killer app to me that I have)


Ok, now my thoughts are going off on a tangent. In summery, PSP 2 coming. Maybe.

Dizzy from all the tail chasing......



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

PSP-2000 white battery covers

Last week I ordered (from eBay) another set of white battery covers for my PSP Slim.... they came in the mail this morning. At over $9.00 CAN, that's more than I would like to pay for something like this, but in anticipation of getting that Stamina battery from Budgetgadgets.com, I will be testing it out in both my PSP-1001 and my PSP-2001. Sure, I do have that nice-fitting black extended battery cover, but I always wanted a DECENT one in white.... especially after that last white extended cover turned out to be a bust.



What's with showing a 1200 mAh battery in both those pics on the back? Shouldn't one of them be 1800 mAh or 2200 mAh? Whatever....




On the replacements, the teeth that hold the covers in place are a little bit smaller than the teeth of the original cover. But they do seem to work ok.


Similar to the previous sets, this one comes in a pair; one is bulgy to accommodate the PSP-1000 battery in the PSP-2000, and the other cover is a regular PSP-2000 cover.




Trying out the regular cover, it seems to fit fine and blends well with the overall white of the PSP. There is a small difference in shade, but honestly, I'd have to be really looking for it to notice. Aside from the cover looking shinier than the rest of my PSP because it's newer, it blends in well with the PSP.






It is kinda odd how there's that space around the battery cover button. I'm not sure it's a big deal though.




The extended cover fits quite well. *Much better* than that other white extended cover I bought.... that piece of garbage, you can't even line up both teeth into place, so one side is always open. But looking at this extended cover, it has a good seal all around.

I did find it tough to get it off... I had to really push the battery button to get it to slide through that latch. Hmmm.




The reason I was holding my PSP upside down is that I haven't put an extended battery in it yet. I'm just trying out the cover for now. So this isn't exactly a complete review, until I can get the stamina battery in there to try out. Still, it does look ok for now. I've noticed that the white cover bulges out more than that black cover.... I can really feel it. Don't know if it's just me or what, it's been a long time since I used that black cover. It's a great cover, if only it came in white it would be perfect.

But this one is alright.



later
don

Peggle Dual Shot (DS)

I picked up Peggle Dual Shot from Real Canadian SuperStore for $14.99 a few days ago... gotta love how they use the DS initials in the game title.... err, yeah mebbe not......

Anyway, it's a pretty casual but addicting puzzle game. I've been playing it a lot over the last few days.

I'd never played Peggle before, but I know there are prior iterations for iPhone(?) and PC. The DS version is developed by Q? Entertainment, the makers of Lumines for the PSP (and Xbox Live)... but I suspect that the presentation & feel of the game is very much from the original, PopCap games.

The goal of the game is to shoot a ball down a peg filled screen, and try to get all the orange pegs before you run out of ammo. You can use the buttons, but the preferred controls are completely stylus. Swiping the stylus side to side turns the cannon, and pressing on the center of the cannon fires it. For the most part, the control scheme works well, but there are times when I tap the fire button only to find it suddenly turned the cannon, wrecking my shot.... that's annoying. And it's very hard to predict how a shot will bounce, so there's still a lot of chance & blind luck involved with the game, which can be a frustration.

But most of my issues with the game are small ones. This may seem nit-picky, but the look & presentation is pretty cheesy. I'm sure some of it's intentional-- when you hit the final peg, I'll just say that the game makes a big deal out of it, hehe. It's pretty funny. But the character designs are pretty bad, and their text dialogue is corny. It's also annoying that it drops the text down over the gameplay screen when you just want to get in and play.

The overall gameplay is very simple and there are a few modes, but it's still a very basic game that's worth a budget price.

GameSpot Peggle Dual Shot gameplay video:





later
don

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

Picking up my DS Lite again got me trying out some GBA games... I'd pulled out my Ewin Rumble Pak out of my DS Lite's GBA slot-- it's a tight fit, so I've been rocking my DS with the slot exposed, no cork...... I thought I'd get some GBA games play time before I cork the slot back up since it's not easy to pull that thing out once it's in.

Been catching up on Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land... bought this awhile back, I think used off of eBay?

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is a pretty cool platformer. The Kirby series of games have a reputation of being on the easier side of the platformer scale, but I'm finding Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land to have a few challenging, even frustrating moments. The campaign seems pretty long, I've read reports that it can be done in a few hours, but there seem to be alternate paths & doors to try out, so I think there are a lot of different areas to explore. I really like Kirby's gimmick: he swallows his enemies, and can either spit them out or absorb their powers (if they have any) it's a great gameplay mechanic.

Overall, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is pretty fun if you're new to the platformer genre of games.

Yesterday I picked up Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) and I've played an hour of that... maybe it's early but I'm finding that one to be MUCH EASIER than Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land... I'm wondering if there's much main game to Kirby Super Star Ultra (there are a few minigames) and it seems like Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land has more game to it. So right now I have both DS slots filled with Kirby games, but I'm more compelled by the Kirby GBA game.......



later
don

Feel the Magic XY/XX

I love my DS Lite... but I have to admit, I don't play it that much. It's like one of those friends who blows into town every couple of years, you go out & have a great time with them, but you just don't see them that often.

The last time I played my DS was early January, after getting Custom Robo Arena as part of Roger's 2/$20.00 deal. I've been meaning to review that game, will get to that eventually.

Last week I saw Feel the Magic XY/XX at EB games "new" for $4.99! For $5.00, it's worth a shot. Especially with that cover!

Feel the magic XY/XX is a collection of minigames wrapped up in a "dating sim" type of theme. You're this guy who wants to attract the attention of a girl, and you perform all these minigames as part of trying to get close to her... it's pretty wacky, and very Japanese in its wackiness.

The look is great. The people are silhouettes, similar to the game Exit (PSP/DS) and overall the art direction is very stylish. Yes, the DS is not as powerful as the PSP. But games like this show how to do more with less.

I think Feel the Magic came out with the launch of the original DS, it's ©2004... but it really is innovative; its control scheme makes full use of the DS specific features. The controls are entirely stylus-based or using the built-in DS microphone. And I have to say, it (mostly) uses the controls fairly well. Doesn't seem overly gimmicky. There's one minigame where you have to blow a sailboat close enough to rescue the girl, and I'm really impressed how well it works. But there are some problems with the stylus controls, like lack of precision that makes a few minigames much less fun than they should be.

Like most minigame collections, there are a few clunkers. And it is a pretty short game overall. The replay value comes from re-doing the story mode in HARD, or replaying individual games to collect starts or rabbits to unlock more costumes for the girl.

It's weird that Sonic Team developed this game... to see the "Sonic" logo on a non-Sonic game.... but at least it doesn't suffer from the problems of that franchise. If you have Sonic GBA cartidges in your DS with Feel the Magic, it will unlock some bonus outfits for the girl. I (unfortunately) have Sonic Advance 3, so I was able to get a new hairstyle I think? In any case, take that, DSi! Ironically, having Sonic GBA games doesn't unlock ANYTHING if you have Sonic Rush in your DS. Okay... so this non-Sonic game uses a Sonic game to unlock stuff, while an actual SONIC DS game doesn't....... huh??

The game options have English & Japanese, and if you switch the language to Japanese and go back to the title page (same image as cover except cropped at the title), the girl doesn't have a bikini top... she's still in silhouette so it's not like you see anything...

There are a few little things like that; little bonuses that are kinda cool. On the player's birthday, the girl on the main menu screen will say "Happy birthday". Apparently there are also Xmas & New Years messages too. That's another thing I like about the DS, even the startup music changes a bit on your birthday. Like my PSP would ever acknowledge my birthday, or Xmas, or New Years.....

Feel the Magic is a pretty fun, stylish-looking, but short mingame collection.


Feel the Magic GameSpot review:





later
don