Since I’m currently in between a bunch of things…. really can’t move forward till I get feedback from various editors and clients…. how about a bunch of random game related news/links/images?
- So today was pretty big for PSP owners! A bunch of new titles were announced for the Sony handheld that just won’t die, including LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm, Rock Band, Assassin’s Creed, and a couple of EA Sports games. Also, Dissidia: Final Fantasy was formally announced for a North American release (I thought that already happened), though no specific date was given, other than sometime in summer (which is what I thought the original timeframe was).
The only one I’m really interested in is Rock Band, naturally. But who the hell knows how it’ll play. Only thing I can think of is something similar to DJMax. UPDATE: Actually, it’ll play just like Amplitude! That’s pretty awesome. I’m also curious about LBP, though that’s been rumored for sometime now. Still, the really big news, for me at least, is how the Persona remake is officially coming to the US! Again, the more I learn about the game and how it’s not for me, the less excited I become, but it’s still fantastic news nonetheless. Perhaps I’ll check it out if they add voices to the cut scenes. Anyhow, Atlus has been on a real roll as of late, with like three new games coming out for the next couple of months! Here’s hoping that people will continue to support the company and that they don’t unintentionally burn themselves out.
Then of course is the brand new rumblings about a possible 4th iteration of the PSP hardware, the PSP-4000, this time with a sliding front screen. I have no idea why I’m posting some random, more than likely complete b.s rumor found on NeoGAF, other than how a lot of people apparently believe it. True or not, it has been nice how Sony is still supporting the platform, despite the fact it perhaps should have been killed off ages ago. Granted, there’s definitely some top quality games… which is to be expected. It’s a platform backed by Sony first and foremost, plus has been around a while… both of those things will produce gold over time, no matter what. I guess it’s one less platform to worry about, though PSP2 has got to be just around the corner at this point.
- Here’s a flyer for the next installment of DoDonPachi, DaiFukkatsu…
… Which again follows the same basic trend that’s been happening for some time now in the world of shumps. Over at my own neck of the internet woods, Dark Steve pretty much hit it on the nail when answering Mike, who asked what the deal is (though regarding the lil girls in Death Smiles 2, not the newest DDP): “Well over 50% of the remaining 2D shooter demographic collects vinyl toys of eight year olds and the rest of them will grin and bear it no matter what we release… It’s a sign of how rough the game market must be getting over in Japan, definitely. There’s something very conservative in the way they’re stacking ostensibly unrelated nerd enthusiasms like this.”
Dave had this to add, in regards to DDP in particular: “In DOJ, they didn’t make much of an appearance, and even the girl groping the phallus ship on the cover is pretty awesome despite the anime influence, and she’s not showing off her flat chest or anything. With DFK all three girls are front and center. Bees and space ships are out in nerdom, and girls on pillows are in. 
“
I suppose this is where I admit to being part of the problem, given my penchant for little girls that are part spacecraft. Then again, I’ll take a Vic Viper or the ship from Radiant Silvergun over any generic animu machine-girl any day.
- As everyone knows, Michael Jackson has fallen on hard times as of late, to the point that he’s been forced to part ways with large chunks of his massive estate. Well now up for grabs is his collection of arcade games and other forms of “amusements” from his Neverland Ranch.
And man, what a collection is it… there’s a TON of crazy stuff, some at total bargain basement prices. Like a Neo Geo MVS arcade unit, starting at just $100? Hell, I’d even pay that amount for the 3DO store display unit (okay, not really)…
… I wouldn’t mind having that Galaxy Force set-up either, and Katie’s expressed an interested in the dual WWF Royal Rumble cabinet as well, though the starting bid of $1,500 is a bit out of our price range. Though as crazy as it sounds, that same asking price for the deluxe model of Virtua Racing, with the widescreen and the moving seat doesn’t sound all that crazy to me… I’ve long dreamt of having one, and this might be my chance!!!
There’s also a R2-D2 statue for the comparatively cheap asking price of $700… Anyhow, I also love this quote from the King of Pop himself that’s randomly displayed under a Bemani machine in the catalog: “I love toys and gadgets. I like to see the latest things manufacturers have come out with. If there’s something really wonderful, I’ll buy one.” Okay!
You know, I remember during the height of MJ’s sexual scandals, there was some behind the scenes look at his mansion, where one of his hired help snuck in a camera and filmed this hidden little door in his bedroom that lead up to this tiny nook where he would bring little boys into, to then molest. Lined up against the tiny stair well and scattered all about the secret playroom was completely filled with all these toys and video game systems… I recall seeing multiple Sega Genesises, all still in their box. Hell, if I was a kid and MJ had asked me to suck his cock for just a taste of his vast stash, I probably would have!
- And yes, I too have heard that Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram might be heading towards XBLA and PSN. UPDATE: actually, it’s just been confirmed by all the major news sites! That’s cool I suppose, though truth be told, I never got into the second VO as much as I did the first… but that was mostly because the control set-up on the Dreamcast controller totally blew, whereas Sega did a decent enough job remapping the buttons on the Saturn pad. Yet perhaps it’ll work this time since the Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers both have sticks… still, I also recall controls sucking on the PS2-only VO, Marz. Which I own, but have never actually bothered playing!
Anyway, the one Sega mech game I care about the most at this point is the upcoming Border Break…
- So over at Kotaku, good old Mike McWhertor has details behind on the one thing I had been struggling to find out myself (for my somewhat dormant GSW column, though mostly due to having too much on my plate at the time), and that’s the story behind the video game featured in The Wrestler! But yeah, its not just some simple rom hack like many people assumed, but a real-deal, original game!
Speaking of Cinema Pixeldiso, expect a grand return early next week, as I review the upcoming Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, which I hope to catch sometime this weekend! Here’s hoping the ghetto movie theater around the corner has it, though I have feeling that Madea Goes To Jail will still be playing on all the screens.
- Time to find out once again… what I?ve been playing! A bunch of things, as usual, but mostly Boom Blox believe it or not. Mostly its been for research on this one article I’ve been working on, though it made me realize how I hardly touched the thing when it came out last year, and how it’s seriously one of the best games to come out in years. The Wii has actually been getting a ton of play recently; in addition to Katie’s regular sessions of Animal Crossing: City Folk, I also recently got Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, which has been pretty neat thus far, though the less than stellar Wiimote tracking is a real pain in the ass.
Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot to look forward to in the coming months for Wii owners, with the exception of Boom Blox 2 of course. At leas there’s also Muramasa: The Demon Blade, which comes out sometime this year, though no solid date (let alone a time frame) has been provided. Here’s a bunch of screenshots I’ve wanting to pass along forever now, but kept forgetting to…
- They somewhat remind of these, which were all the rage about two weeks ago: ultra lush and super stylized re-interpretations of classic video game moments, via some dude on DeviantArt…
… Sorry, but that last image is what Street Fighter 4 should have looked like.
- Let’s head on back to NeoGAF for some wacky mods! Always a fan of those, and the following got plenty of buzz when they first hit the scene, but only now have I gotten the chance to actually check them out. For starters, there’s this fellow that wondered what the characters from No More Heroes would like if there was no cel-shading filer applied. The result is as follows…
… You can find out how this was done if you dig into this NeoGAF thread, but the best part is the other stuff the dude responsible for above has also done…
- Now, the following might be a bit less impressive in comparison, though I find them even more exciting, and so should you. Yes, via yet another NeoGAF thread (hey, it’s been a while since I’ve spend serious time there, so sue me) comes stunning examples of what old games can look like if they’re properly emulated. First up is Final Fantasy 12, which already looked stunning on the PS2, but even more so…
… Perhaps the difference is not all that noticeable, sized I’ve treated all the images to fit this page, but simply refer to the thread for the originals to admire the details.
Next up is Metroid Prime 3. Yes, even Wii games are easily and beautifully emulated via PCs. They are, after-all, GameCubes with a few extra bells and whistles. Anyhow, Samus has never looked better…
Here we have another dose of No More Heroes, this time sporting that fine cel-shaded look, but at a much higher resolution…
… Sadly, and once again, the above doesn’t do the originals any justice. You’ll simply have to click the source to know what I’m talking about.
Moving on, it’s Resident Evil 1 for the GameCube but with the visuals all messed, up for an even creepier effect!
Model 2 emulation has been something I’ve been keeping my eye on for years, and it’s finally looking like we’ll eventually get that same arcade only look at home. This here is far from perfect, but it’s the best I’ve seen of Daytona outside of Dave & Busters…
Finally is something that literally made my jaw drop: Persona 3, but much, MUCH prettier…
… All I need to know is how to set up a PC to get Persona 4 to look like that, and SO I’m there!
- BTW, some question why I bother with a place like NeoGAF in the first place, and to be perfectly honest, I often wonder that myself. But then along comes something like this, and next thing you know, all is well with the world.
