PalmerJoss

I picked up my copy of GTA: VCS earlier today. First impressions: This is a very, very well done game. The graphics are quite good for the PSP - better than the PS2 Vice City in many respects. The draw distance is good, but there is a bit of "pop-in", especially when driving at high speeds. Overall, you can definitely tell that the developers actually care about putting out a quality game. Any fan of GTA needs to own this game, IMO.

The only problem I've had is with the audio - the songs on the radio cut out for 2 or 3 seconds then come back on. I haven't heard of anyone else having problems yet, so maybe it's just a defective copy? I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has this problem.

PixyJunket

>Gaming News
>
>Mastiff Announces A Monstrous Cast
>All-star voices bring Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure to life
>
>San Francisco, CA- Nov 01, 2006 Mastiff, LLC today
>announces the voice talent for Gurumin: A
>Monstrous Adventure for PSP?
>(PlayStation?Portable) system. Gurumin, an action
>RPG from Nihon Falcom, will feature an all-star cast
>of popular voice actors whose credits span an array
>of well-known games, television shows and feature
>films.
>
>Voicing Gurumin?s main character, the adventurous
>Parin, is Amber Hood. Hood?s diverse credits include
>roles in Shark Tale and Polar Express. In addition to
>her work in movies, Hood has voiced characters in
>video games including Everquest II, Onimusha II, La
>Pucelle and the Baldur?s Gate series.
>
>Cream, Mosby and Baby Tokaron will be voiced by
>Tara Strong. Strong is best known as the voice of
>Timmy in Fairly Odd Parents, and as Raven in Teen
>Titans. Her extensive film credits also include roles in
>Rugrats in Paris, The Animatrix and Hoodwinked. She
>has also provided voices for a number of popular
>video games, including Final Fantasy X and X-II,
>Kingdom Hearts II, and Ninja Gaiden.
>
>Dee Bradley Baker lends his voice to Rocko, Digby
>and Puchi. Baker, who specializes in sound effects in
>addition to voice acting, has been featured in dozens
>of movies, including Dawn of the Dead, Scooby Doo
>2: Monsters Unleashed and Sponge Bob Squarepants:
>The Movie. Baker also voiced the title character in
>the Viewtiful Joe video game series, as well as
>characters in other blockbuster titles such as Halo 2,
>Destroy All Humans! and Final Fantasy X-2.
>
>Gurumin will also feature the voices of Justin
>Shenkarow (Hey Arnold!), Kim Mai Guest (Metal Gear
>Solid), Robin Atkin Downes (Star Wars: Knights of the
>Old Republic), Michael Gough (Diablo I, II), Steve
>Blum (God of War) and Quinton Flynn (Final Fantasy
>VII: Advent Children).
>
>Noted voice director Kris Zimmerman will supervise
>recording. Zimmerman is one of the most experienced
>voice over directors in the gaming industry, having
>overseen top selling games such as Dead Rising
>(Capcom), Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos), and Metal
>Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (Konami).
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>About Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure
>
>Gurumin, a 3D action RPG, immerses gamers in a vivid
>fantasy world filled with a colorful cast of characters.
>Real-time combat and stunning 3D graphics combine
>with a spirited soundtrack to make Gurumin a fast-
>paced, immersive, magical adventure.
>
>Gurumin stars a strong-willed girl named Parin, who is
>sent to live with her grandfather in a small mining
>town while her parents are off excavating an ancient
>ruin. With no other children living in this town, Parin
>is surprised one day to encounter a young girl being
>tormented by a stray dog. After Parin drives off the
>mongrel, she is shocked to discover the young girl is
>actually a monster, and like all monsters, invisible to
>adults. Parin is soon invited to pass through a crack
>in the wall behind her home and enter Monster
>Village. Parin has just started making monster friends
>when evil spirits, known as the Phantoms, invade the
>village and monsternap most of the inhabitants. Parin
>soon learns of the Legendary Drill, a weapon hidden
>underneath the village and, in the right hands,
>powerful enough to destroy the Phantoms. Thus
>begins Parin?s quest to reclaim the Legendary Drill
>and set the world right.
>
>Gurumin will be released for PSP? system on
>February 13th, 2007.

UncleGramps

I can't bring myself to spend $50 on a portable game, so GTA:VCS is a no-go for me right now, especially since I never even finished LCS. Maybe by the time I finish the first one, there will be some better prices for VCS.

I did decide to pick up Killzone: Liberation today, though. I really enjoyed the demo, and the Best Buy Gift Card coupon made it a reasonable purchase. I've only had time to play the first level, but so far, so good. I'm disappointed that the online elements are Ad Hoc only. Co-op mode would be fun, but I don't know anyone else who owns a PSP. I wish more games had Infrastructure support. Oh well. At least the single player campaign seems solid.

Decker

From what I've read, Infrasturcture will be coming via a download. I'm not buying Killzone until that happens, though (or until a price drop).

I'm getting GTA: VCS soon. It's $40.98 shipped from Family Video with that coupon and I was intrigued enough to buy 9it, though I (like you) didn't come close to finishing LCS. It was too hard in the early missions, I hope this has a more gradual curve. I'll post impressions once I get it.

PalmerJoss

I'll say this about VCS - the missions range from insultingly easy to incredibly hard. Most missions I've played are long and multi-tiered, and they're much harder than the missions from LCS. That being said, the best thing about this game is just that it is FUN. I understand not wanting to pay $50 for a portable game, but when you play it the game does not FEEL at all like a portable game, it's definitely got a console game feel to it. This is one of the only franchises I would pay $50 for on a portable system(Metal Gear and Final Fantasy being the others).

PixyJunket

Japan is getting pink, blue and silver PSPs soon.

PalmerJoss

I wanted to mention that I just got my online beta kit for Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. It's setup like most shooters are - choose your mode(deathmatch, capture the flag, etc), how many players, time limit, all the usual options. The graphics look nice and I didn't notice any lag at all. The controls are pretty simple, but like most shooters on the PSP the camera is an issue due to the lack of a second analog stick. This might be a game I'd consider picking up when it comes out - it seems pretty solid.

illini420

So have any of you PSP players bought WTF?

I got it last week and I'm addicted. Some of the games are really funny and addictive, while others are just lame. Overall, I think it's definitely worth the $30.

dcprules

I really don't know much about the handheld video game consoles (Nintendo DS and the PSP), but I'd like to buy one or the other in the next few days here. I've been doing a lot of traveling and such, and having one of these things should hopefully make the time go by faster. I've been really leaning toward the PSP (especially since they have that new GTA game out), but I'm curuios whether or not it's worth the $200 bones. Any info to help a PSP newbie out would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot everyone!

astrochimp

Well ive had my PSP since the beginning of this year and i am somewhat dissapointed with it.I do use it at work on my breaks but every game ive had has slowdown in the graphics and ive always had a bit of a hard time with that stupid nub for directional control and the lack of a 2nd stupid one makes things harder Ive never been into the GTA games so i cant comment on them but if it wasnt for the fact that i use it at work id never use it at all.But thats just my humble opinion

nodeerforamonth

Well, I had to go away for 3 weeks to help my father out with some things and I didn't know what I would've done without my PSP! I didn't play much games (just a casino game), but I bought a 2gig memory stick and loaded it up with mp3s, Howard Stern shows, a movie, and various TV shows. In addition, I had web access. My conclusion: It's a must if you do a lot of travelling.

PerryD

Regarding choosing PSP or DS, just take a look at the game selection. For example, do you want to play Grand Theft Auto or Yoshi's Island 2? I happen to want both, but their game selections are distinctive enough that choosing between them should be straightforward for most people.

DRG

Yeah, I think it boils down to a few things:

1) Will you be using the system for only games alone or is the multimedia functionality important to you?
The beauty of the PSP for me is that it plays movies, images, music, etc. I've actually put maps on the thing for trips as a backup. It's nice to be able to switch between things on a plane without digging out another device.

2) If you are interested in multimedia functions, how computer literate are you?
I haven't played with the newest formware updates so this may have changed, but the system for converting video files and puttign them on the PSP is not exactly intuitive. It's not difficult if you can get around a computer easily, but for those who are clueless about such things it could be confusing. I wouldn't bank on UMDs as a solution because support is drying op for those.

3) What kind of games are you in to?
The games are just so different between the systems. Some love the stylus-based, dual screen approach of the DS and its quirky 'quick fun' games like Nintendogs and Nintendo classic franchises like Mario and Metroid. Others prefer the 'mini-console' approach of the PSP, with its (for the most part) accurate translations of games like GTA, Tekken, etc.

KatSagirl

i just picked up lumines II. i can't stop playing. i got it early at TRU.

nice little game!

-Kat

dcprules

Thanks for your input everyone. I decided to get a PSP because some of the games I'd really like to play (particularly the new GTA and Medal of Honor) and I didn't know it had so much mutlimedia capability. I've been using Sony Connect for a while and it looks like I can transfer all my music files to that, so this should be perfect for what I need. It looks like it does a lot more than the DS and a lot more than I ever thought it did. Thanks again for the input!!

UncleGramps

I saw it at Costco yesterday for $25 while picking up Elite Beat Agents (DS), and I remembered reading your post, so I picked it up. I haven't played for too long, but man, this is one bizarre game. I had read some previews a while back, so I had some idea what I was getting into, but it's just so different from anything else I've played. A lot of people have made the Wario Ware comparison, but WTF has its own unique style. Instead of just quick, fun mini-games, you get a lot of long, tedious mini-games and a lot of extremely simple mini-games that test your reactions but aren't necessarily "fun". It's hard to explain and it sounds like it shouldn't be an enjoyable experience, but somehow it is. The visual style and humor add a lot to it, and the collection aspect should keep me going for a while. If you're looking for something different and you have a lot of patience, this is worth a look. But it's not for everyone - just look at the GameRankings page for WTF. Most of the reviews are in the 60s, but there are a couple of 80s and high 70s.

Anyway, thanks for the post, illini420. I probably wouldn't have picked this up if you hadn't posted about it.

illini420

Yeah, while I'm glad that you're enjoying the game, I should have been more clear that the game isn't always necessarily fun. I mean parts of the game are just funny because of how frustrating they are or how silly they are. But, it's the kind of game where you can have 3 minutes of fun or 3 hours of fun, depending on how much free time you have.

I'm really addicted to the demonstration round-up mini game. I also like the lumberjack one. I just can't seem to get too high of a number in the pen capping or the chick sorting games. Just way too repetitive. The Ramen timer is funny as hell though!!!

devilshalo

I haven't been a gamer for a while and the PSP was the first system I'd gotten in about 15 years (I won it at a company party). LCS was the first title I got and I think I completed it within 12 - 15 hours. I played about an hour or so a day for a couple weeks. The only thing I didn't do was grab all the coins.

Hopefully, being that I got the PSP before I got my PS2, it doesn't affect me so much with the exclusion of the second analog stick.

UncleGramps

"Goody goody!" / "Muscle muscle!"

I love the whole concept of the game: play tedious mini-games to earn tiny amounts of money, then spend your hard-earned money to buy useless trinkets and more tedious mini-games! It's really clever and certainly unique. The email system is a nice touch, and some of the mini-games actually are enjoyable. So far my favorites are Cliff Race and the finger stabbing game. I've only unlocked a small percentage of the games at this point, but I expect this will keep my interest at least until I find all of the games. Just to clarify, I do think this was worth the price I paid.

UncleGramps

I was into LCS for a little while, but I guess I just lost interest at some point. I'll definitely fire it up again sometime, but I suppose I just got burned out on the whole GTA thing there for a while.

devilshalo

Did anyone pick up SOCOM:FTB2? I'm still on the fence. I know I'll pick it up eventually, but I'm still sorta unhappy about the some of the changes.

PalmerJoss

I was planning to pick it up, but some of the reviews I've read have turned me off. I'm not liking any of the changes either, and it seems the game is mostly a retread. I may rent it and if it's decent I'll purchase it. Otherwise, I'm glad I saved the $40.

Brewc

Is the new MOH a better option than SOCOM:FTB2?

PalmerJoss

Word on the new MOH is pretty good. I haven't played it yet myself and don't plan to, but it seems a pretty decent shooter. It's gotten mostly decent reviews from IGN and Gamespot and the like. The controls supposedly take a bit to get used to, but it's all good after that.

mrpayroll

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21229


So, do any of you PSP owners feel that there is any truth to this?

Chris