Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Your PS2 is quietly sobbing, jealous of your next PSP purchase. Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow is an incredible game that manages to defy the limitations of portable gaming. Packed with incredible graphics, fantastic music, and terrific gameplay, Logan's Shadow is one of the best PSP games to date. Fans of the series will be surprised at how far the franchise has matured: this is easily the best game in the Syphon Filter series.
The gameplay is what sets Logan's Shadow apart. It's still a stealth action game, but the action has been upped quite considerably. Logan can move through environments with masterful precision, and his updated roster of moves makes him a considerable killer. Cautious gamers will want to take the stealthiest approach to the game, and avoid detection as frequently as possible. By sneaking up to enemies, Logan will be able to slit their throats with a knife, throw them off ledges, or take them as hostages at gunpoint. Sneaking up behind a villain and snapping his neck is always a satisfying experience.
But perhaps you'll want to take a less subtle route. There are plenty of guns at Logan's disposal, and they're all very satisfying. The core of the gunplay is the cover system. You'll hide behind walls, crates, and other sizable objects. By pushing the analog nub, you'll be able to take aim and then duck out for a quick shot. This methodical approach will let you target specific areas of the body: headshots are usually effective, but helmeted enemies can be taken down with a nice shot in the kneecaps. The cover system is ideal for PSP, as it gives gamers time to adjust their aim with the face buttons. Who needs a second analog stick? Of course, if precision isn't your style, then switch to a fully automatic rifle and fire away through the protection of blind-fire, a la Gears of War. There are so many ways for you to kill your enemies -- and it's relatively easy to learn.
Why is Naruto so angry? That's because he knows a certain percentage of people out there are thinking that licensed games are sloppily slapped together and serve no other purpose but to milk the cash cow. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes, published by Namco Bandai, is surely using the license to its advantage, but the game behind it is no slouch either. This anime fighter is fast-paced, frantic and fun, but some design choices may leave serious fighting genre fans looking for something more refined.
With the new PSP-2000 available in the wild, we decided to answer a few more questions in this final iteration of our ongoingseries. Want to know what new background colors are in firmware 3.60? Want to see the TV out function in action? Check out this video overview we made, then check more questions after the cut.
Nippon Ichi hasn't had the best history on the PSP -- every game was plagued with bugs, load time problems, and an overall case of the Mediocres. Perhaps that's why they decided to take a very different approach, stylistically and gameplay wise, with Dragoneer's Aria. The game boasts an "epic" storyline of love and adventure and has what, at the surface, could be seen as fantastic graphics and an interesting twist on the turn-based RPG. Did they pull it off? Did Nippon Ichi finally get it right on the PSP? That's what our review will reveal, so go ahead and take the jump.
Yesterday, we answered your questions about the newly redesigned PSP, codenamed PSP-2000. Today, we'll explore the load times of games on Sony's redesigned handheld. With added RAM, games are supposed to load faster than the older model. Did we see an improvement? Also, we tackle some more questions from PSP Fanboy readers.
Do games load noticeably faster? Submitted by: Hashbrown_Hunter
This took a lot of effort to piece together. It seems that games do load faster, although not as significantly as we would hope. In the above side-by-side video of the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront, you can see that although the games were launched at the same time, the PSP-2000 (the silver one) loads slightly faster than the original. It loads the level slightly faster as well. However, going through our games collection resulted in varying results -- some games didn't change at all, while games like Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow actually took longer on PSP-2000! It appears that games with significantly long load times are the ones to benefit the most. Check out our test results here. Check out Gamespot's test results, which feature different games, here.
Get your microscope ready, because that's what you'll need in order to find flaws in Level-5's PSP-exclusive, Jeanne d'Arc. Although it rarely, if ever, breaks away from standard SRPG conventions, Jeanne d'Arc does everything a game in the genre should do -- and it does it very well. Combining fantastic graphics, impressive production values, addictive gameplay, and an intriguing story, this is a must-have for any PSP owner.
Level-5 is known to produce some of the best looking titles on the platforms it works with. For example, Rogue Galaxy is still one of the finest looking titles on the PlayStation 2. The upcoming Dragon Quest IX looks to push the boundaries of Nintendo DS graphics to limits we never imagined possible. Jeanne d'Arc, already nearly a year old in Japan, manages to still look marvelous by today's standards. The cel-shaded graphics and expansive levels certainly look impressive on the PSP screen. Add beautiful anime cutscenes, and you have a game that provides a visual feast for its players.
From the opening moments, the game tries to wow players with an impressive anime cutscene that sets the stage for the events to come. Although a bit lengthy, as many of the game's non-playable segments are, we were compelled by the high quality of the animation. The story, very loosely based on the classic Joan of Arc tale, strays so drastically from its inspiration, that it manages to surprise the player ever so often. King Henry is possessed with some demonic power, and Jeanne not only hears the voice of God, she finds an armlet that lets her transform into a armored warrior.
This September, Sony will be unleashing the first ever revision of the PlayStation Portable. Codenamed PSP-2000, the system sports a new slimmer design, and the ability to display content on a television. There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the new system -- but tonight, we're going to clear things up. We asked the readers of PSP Fanboy to submit their questions and received about a hundred responses. That's a lot of ground to cover, so we're going to spend the next few days answering as many as we can. Let's begin.
The PSP-1000's volume wasn't that loud. Did they increase the volume? Submitted by: dapurplebyrd
As you can see, the speakers on the new PSP (right) are not louder than the old PSP (left). With headphones on, the volume output is identical as well.
RPG's have taken a while to get their bearings on the PSP, but lately there have been a much larger influx of the genre onto our favorite handheld. One of the most recent releases is Brave Story: New Traveler. The game is based off of a manga, so it instantly has a stigma against it -- much like movie-licensed games have a stigma against them. How does this game work out, then? Is it an open and shut case, or there a diamond in this game that you'd be a fool to ignore? Here's a hint: there's a sparkle in my eye when I say that.
Games in the Tales franchise are about a dime a dozen anymore, but did you know back in the day they sold incredibly poorly and were incredibly niche? I know that, because since the very first Tales title hit US shores, I was hooked and looked forward to every sequel, until they started to seemingly grow on trees. The latest title to make its way to our PSP is Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology and we've got quite a few things to say about this game: how does it stack up against the other titles, what does it bring new to the table, and most importantly, does it suck? This review hopes to cover all these bases and more.
We all have fond memories of PaRappa the Rapper when he first arrived on PlayStation 1 a decade ago. Now, our beloved rapping puppy is back on the PSP. However, nostalgia doesn't make a good game. Although PaRappa fathered the modern music game genre, it simply doesn't offer enough content or gameplay to compete with modern games.
File Size: 356 MB Price: $9.99 Developed By: Konami Published By: Konami Original Release Date: October 2, 1997
Short Review Recommended. One of the most frequently requested PS1 titles finally hits the PlayStation Store, with Konami releasing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The title holds its age remarkably well and clearly shows why it is considered one of the finest titles of the original PlayStation era. The graphics look surprisingly sharp and colorful on the PSP and hold up nicely even when displayed on a 52" HD TV via the PS3. The gameplay is the real selling point here though, as you romp through a fairly non-linear castle, with a full RPG-like leveling system, magic, special moves and colorful monsters, the lengthy campaign is well worth paying the higher-than-normal cost of this retro title. Overall, Castlevania: SotN is a fantastic addition to the PlayStation Store's lineup and should not be miss by any Castlevania or 2D platformer fans.
Namco Bandai's PSP-exclusive Smash Court Tennis 3 is not Virtua Tennis. But, that isn't a bad thing. Smash Court has a unique style that tries to take a serious, more simulation-oriented approach to the sport. It will take some time to get used to the sluggish controls. However, players will find a lot of content and depth in this UMD -- even if it does have some questionable AI practices and glitches.
It's clear from the moment you begin the game that Smash Court Tennis is easy on the eyes. The menus are easy to read, and fairly stylish. The graphics look very sharp on the PSP, with little to complain about. The text overlays that appear during matches are sleek and professional. The game certainly does a great job with visual presentation.
The game that started it all is back. Twenty years after its first release on the NES, Final Fantasy I makes its way to the PSP. Much more than just a port, this game includes upgraded graphics and sound, 3D spell effects and an extra dungeon. Plus it includes all the extra stuff that was found in the PlayStation 1 and GBA versions. Is Final Fantasy I: 20th Anniversary Edition just a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or is it a legitimate PSP RPG in its own right? Read on to find out.
Over the past year, Nintendo has somehow made learning cool and fun. Edutainment titles that have gamers solving math and word puzzles have made a strong showing on the Nintendo DS, and Midway is trying to capitalize on the craze with its new brain game, Hot Brain. Hot Brain is exclusively for the PSP, a platform that's far less familiar with the genre. Although the game has a great deal of charm, its limited assortment of puzzles and easy difficulty level makes it far less engaging than the products that Nintendo have benchmarked on their dual-screened handheld.
One of the most admirable things Midway has done with Hot Brain is the incredible amount of personality they've added to the genre with the Professor Warmer character. A beautifully animated CG intro explains his theory: increased blood flow to the brain causes the brain to get warmer. Therefore, by participating in a series of math and verbal puzzles, players will increase their blood flow, and make their brains hot.
PQ2, or Practical Intelligence Quotient 2, provides everything a PSP gamer could possibly want from a puzzle game on the handheld. It features simple, but attractive graphics, some killer music, and an impressive array of networking features. With a sleek presentation, brisk load times, and a easy-to-understand concept, PQ2 comes easily recommended. However, the difficulty of these puzzles borders on the maniacal, and gamers may find themselves overwhelmed, even frustrated, by many of the seemingly-impossible tasks the game asks.
Like other great puzzle games, the basic mechanic of PQ2 is easily to understand. You must navigate your avatar to the exit. Obviously, this is easier said than done. You can navigate the low-key environments by moving and using various blocks found in the level. At first glance, this may seem a bit too easy: the first puzzles simply have players merely moving and shoving a few boxes around.
However, things get much more difficult, very quickly.
