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From Software lists TGS 2008 game lineup

Here's a last minute update from From Software before people go packing their bags to head to the Tokyo Game Show. At From's official website, they've revealed their game lineup for this weekend's event. Here are the games you can expect at From's booth:

• Tenchu 4 (Wii) - demo, trailer, stage event
  
• Ninja Blade (Xbox 360) - demo, trailer, stage event
  
• Tenchu: Shadow Assault (XBLA) - demo, trailer
  
• LongQ (DS) - demo, trailer
  
• Armored Core for Answer (PS3, Xbox 360) - demo, trailer, stage event
  
• Meet Me (PC) - demo, trailer, stage event
  
• Onore no Shinzuru Michi Wo Yuke (PSP) - demo
  

Straaange. I thought they'd be showing off Demon's Souls in TGS? Hmm, maybe it'll be located at Sony's booth? The upcoming PS3 game is, after all, from both From Software and Sony.

Meanwhile, the PSP game listed above, Onore no Shinzuru Michi Wo Yuke is a puzzle game that'll be showcased via demo. Interesting to note here is that the demo will be playable with a PSP-3000 unit.

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Related articles:

• Sony reveals full TGS lineup, 14 new games to be revealed
• Pre-TGS confirmation: Demon's Souls revealed for PS3
  

Lonpos v1.0: logic puzzle game

Lonpos, the logic puzzle game from homebrew developer XArt, has left its beta stage and is now on version 1.0.

In case you are unfamiliar with the game, it's sort of like Tetris, only infinitely more complicated. Guaranteed to tease the brain and test your patience.

Instructions for playing will be explained during the game itself. The point of the game is to fit game pieces of various shapes - called pentominoes - into a certain area.

Due to strong demand, XArt has removed DRM protection from the game. To download it, please follow the source link below, or visit our forums.

Visit: QJ.NET PSP Development Forums

LocoRoco 2 rolls into Japan by December 4

A December release window in Asia for LocoRoco 2 looks more likely today as we get confirmation that SCEJ's blobby sequel will be rolling into Japanese retail come December 4. This, coming from Japanese online retailer GMStar.

Previously, we heard that Korea will be getting the game "sometime December." Still no specifics on Korea's release, but now that we know Japan's street date for LocoRoco 2, we can assume Korea would get it sometime soon after that.

A Western release, however, is a wholly different story. No official announcements have yet been made about the game's release in North America or Europe, but if SCE UK's product manager's previous hint is anything to go by, Europe might be able to get it within the year as well.

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Related articles:

• Leipzig: LocoRoco 2 footage and the lonely rolling star cameo
  
• LocoRoco 2: first batch of screens revealed
• LocoRoco 2 details now out: singing Mojas, new enemies, and more

Sony's Koller: DSi may be successful, will remain for kiddies under 12

Sony brand manager for the PSP, John Koller, recently spoke his mind about Nintendo's new DS upgrade: the DSi.

Gizmodo was able to ask Koller about his reaction to the DSi, and as it turns out, he does have some positive remarks (but at the same time still somehow manages to take a potshot at the DS' "12 and under" demographic). Here's the full quote:

Nintendo has kind of a history of these [moderate] kinds of updates, and even with DS Lite, there was a lot of discussion, "Is that enough?" And they seemed to do pretty well there.

I can see the DSi being successful. The DS lite was obviously very successful. Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure.

While no one can argue with that (well, it's his opinion, anyways - everyone's entitled to their own), it's interesting to hear him talk of "moderate kinds of updates" in the DS lifespan. Can anyone dare say the same thing of the PSP? Anyone? None? After all, when the PSP-3000 was announced, I heard comments that went something like "brighter screen, microphone, that's it?!"

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Related articles:

• Iwata: DSi not after iPhone and PSP marketshare
  
• Nintendo DSi hardware specs, software details: bigger screen, shorter batt life, more
• PSP-3000 battery life shorter; PSP Slim to cease production
• Leipzig: PSP-3000 officially announced Update details, bundles for North America
  

Dissidia: Final Fantasy full roster to be revealed at TGS

Whoa. Easy there, Tidus. Have a cookie. No one's getting confirmed just yet, but as Dissidia: Final Fantasy senior director Ken Arakawa reveals, we'll finally learn who gets to fill in the missing items in Dissidia's roster - namely, the good guys from FFV, FFVI, and FFVII - during the Tokyo Game Show this weekend.

In an interview with Japanese publication Nikkei, Square Enix's Arakawa summed up pretty much everything we already know about the game: its battle system, character customizations, gameplay, the works. But what's new today is that he said Dissidia will be heading to the TGS with a demo that includes six playable characters.

When asked about the characters in the game, Arakawa explained that the full roster was already decided right from the start. And yes, they took characters from FFI to FFX only, and nothing after.

As a recap (I've lost count of how many times I've done this already...), here are the list of characters which have already been confirmed:

• FF: Warrior of Light - Garland
• FFII: Firion - Emperor Palamecia
• FFIII: Onion Knight - Cloud of Darkness
  
• FFIV: Cecil Harvey - Golbez
  
• FFV: ??? - Exdeath
  
• FFVI: ??? - Kefka
  
• FFVII: ??? - Sephiroth
  
• FFVIII: Squall Leonheart - Ultimecia
• FFIX: Zidane Tribal - Kuja
• FFX: Tidus - Jecht

Chances are, the heroes for FFV to FFVII would be Bartz, Terra, and Cloud, however, it's possible we could also see the likes of Celes (FF6) or Zack (FF7, Crisis Core) in the final roster. If any of you wanna do some speculating, this is you last chance before we get confirmation! (I know I'm still holding out for my 100 bunk wishlist: Ultros, Lenneth, Aya Brea, Chu-chu... etc. What about you?)

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Related articles:

• Learn how to properly pwn your enemy in Dissidia: Final Fantasy
• Sphere Grids and License Boards? Dissidia's chessboard explained
• Dissecting Dissidia: Final Fantasy; characters, crystals, gods, and the manly Valkyrie
  

Iwata: DSi not after iPhone and PSP marketshare

Anyone who's seen the new DSi handheld from Nintendo might have thought at one point that its features are oddly similar to Apple's iPhone and Sony's PSP. Camera: check. Music Playback: check. Online Capability: check. You may think it, but you're thinking wrong.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says clearly enough that it's not an iPhone/PSP wannabe, because it's not after these marketshares in the first place. According to him,

We wanted to have the device on them at all times. By downloading subway maps and other things, for instance, the DSi can be useful for applications other than playing games.

It's all about making it fit naturally into people's everyday lives. Apart from that, he also said that the online functionality available on the DSi will allow users to "customize" their experience with the handheld.

The DSi is coming to Japan first thing next month, November 1, and will also see a Western launch, though not till "well into 2009."

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Related Nintendo DSi articles:

• Nintendo Japan Conference: Nintendo DSi unveiled
• Nintendo DSi hardware specs, software details: bigger screen, shorter batt life, more
• Nintendo DSi won't arrive in North America until next year; more DS and Wii for holidays
  

PSP Homebrew - Beat the Casino, BlackJack

  

We all know how very frustrating it can be to be beaten by the Casino every single time in BlackJack. But here in this homebrew game by PSPKOR, all that will be a thing of the past. No longer will you be tied down by the system as Beat the Casino, BlackJack "aims to help you beat the casino by helping the practice of card counting and basic strategy."

In this game, you can check to see if your count is good at any time through a page where you can flip through a deck of cards and try to keep count. It also helps that you're timed in this so you have a pretty clear gauge as to how much you've improved.

As for the rest of the instructions:

There's also the three basic strategy tables that can be viewed, these show you how each hand should be played but with the knowledge of the card count, which is also kept on the game you play, you can determin your percentages of winning more.

Then there's the actual game this is just how it could be played in a casino, there's five decks, dealer stands on 17, you can hit, stand, double down and split, five card trick counts, you have a wallet and can change your bet. But as this is to practice you can check on the running count, the true count and the basic strategy tables. A good idea for practice is laid out in counting101.

Download: Beat the Casino, BlackJack

PSP Homebrew - iPlay Roche Papier Ciseaux

Rock Paper Scissors is once again making its way to the PSP, thanks to j3r3mie's iPlay Roche Papier Ciseaux homebrew game.

This version has three modes to it, which are the following:

• Against PSP
• Against another player on the PSP
• Against another player Adhoc
  

Now, do take note that the Adhoc mode allows for only one party in this version. Don't forget to go through the Readme!


Download: iPlay Roche Papier Ciseaux

PSP Homebrew - Ball v1.1

 

Flav1984 dishes out his new homebrew game release, Ball v1.1. The goal is to move your character and get to the ball. Now do take note, you are under time pressure in this game, so you better hustle.

There are three different levels in this game, each with increasing difficulty. Here's what's in the changelog:

• A red outline around the perso
• A bonus level at the end of each difficulty
• The white blocks (that move and you lose (and thank you to J3r3mie ac-portugal)
• The black blocks that do you stop
• You can now move with the analog joystick
• The image file rules has been redone

  

As for the installation instructions:

PSP Slim & Lite or PSP Standard Custom Firmware:
Picture

• Connect your PSP to your computer via USB,
• Spend your PSP in "USB Mode" through the "USB Connection"
• Right-click on the file you downloaded,
• Choose "Extract files ...", (WinRAR is recommended)
• Select destination as the letter assigned to your PSP by the system.
• Press OK and wait extraction files
• Quit "USB Mode" on your PSP
• Go to the menu Thursday> Memory Stick to launch Ball V1.1

Download: Ball v1.1

PSP Homebrew - sokoPSPban v3

  

There's no doubt that the 1980 puzzle game of Japan's Hiroyuki Imabayashi, Sokoban, continues to be one of the crowd favorites. We've been seeing quite a lot of resurgence of the game, suitably fitted to today's gaming platforms.

Today, we have another one such remake, this one aptly called as sokoPSPban v3 by Spanish homebrew dev WuEpE. Now, in case you guys still don't know what this game is about, it basically features a concept that is simple, but with extremely complex levels.

You play the character of the warehouse guard. Your job is to push the boxes around so that you can put them in order. Now the difficulty of the game is that the guard has to "draw cash". This will be a real challenge.

This third version of WuEpE's interpretation of the game is written in Lua and contains some 90 levels. You're gonna have to be strategic about this one -- and patient. We've got here the game controls, but still, do check out the Readme file for installation instructions, please.

Controls:

• D-pad: move the character
• X: cancel the last move
• Triangle: Reset the level
• O: Previous evel
• Square: Next level

Download: sokoPSPban v3

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Other Sokoban platform versions:

• PS3 homebrew: Soukou No Bannin v0.0.3
• DS homebrew: Rokoban - Sokoban in glorious 3D
  

PSP Homebrew - Uo FBA4PSP 05/10/2008 - Final Burn Arcade Emulator: now with CPS3 support

A new update for the Final Burn Arcade PSP emulator was recently released, and this new version reportedly supports CPS3. However, this CPS3 support is only for the PSP-2000. Here's what the unknown dev has to say about this particular add-on:

• Operating speed is very slow.
• CD-ROM not emulated.
• need NOCD set.
• Setting in the region & screen mode, ini files. (in ROMS folder)
  
• (Edit DIP settings does not support now)
• Wide-screen support. (SFIII, SFIII2nd)
• To enable the wide-screen, the game needs to be reset.
• (Save eeprom does not support now)

As for the other features:

supporting hardware platforms

• Cave
• Toaplan
• Taito (very slow)
• PGM
• misc stuff

no support

• Capcom CPS-1 (do use the njemu. http://nj-emu.tfact.net/)
• Capcom CPS-2
• Neo Geo
• Sega System 16 (and similar), System 18, X-Board, Y-Board
• Psikyo 68EC020 based hardware

PSP port is based v0.2.96.86

As always, do make sure to check out the readme for more instructions and information details.


Download: Uo FBA4PSP 05/10/2008

MSX emulator gets huge update for cheatorz: PSPMSX v1.4.0

Zx-81 has released a huge update for his homebrew MSX emulator project for the PSP today. While some bugs and improvements are incorporated into PSPMSX v1.4.0, what some of you might be more pleased to hear about would be the addition of cheat support. Here's the full changelog:

• Cheat support !
• Memory monitoring engine to find your own cheat code !
• Zip rom files are now decompressed in memory (much faster !)
• New render modes (x1.25, x1.5 and x1.75)
• Add vertical shift & vsync feature
• Improve file requester with virtual keyboard to choose sequentially rom files beginning with a given letter
• Add documentation for settings in help menu
• The virtual keyboard is now usable in the file requester menu to choose the first letter of the game you search !
• In the emulator menu you can go directly to keyboard and settings menu using the L-Trigger key.
• Source code can now be compiled to build a linux version

Other important information can be found in the readme file included in the downloadable archive. You may also visit the forums to contact the developer if you have further questions.

Download: PSPMSX v1.4.0 (FW 4.X)
Download: PSPMSX v1.4.0 (FW 1.5)
Download: PSPMSX v1.4.0 (Source)
Visit: QJ.NET PSP development forums

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Related articles:

• PSPMSX: MSX Emulator for PSP v1.3.0

Patapon 2: story, multiplayer modes, new game plus, eggs, heroes, and Pata-screens galore

Sweet mother of pearl! Patapon 2 screens are marching in, with an accompanying army of details to tide you over. SCEJ is totally upping the ante with this sequel. Just to give you a sampling, Patapon 2 will be getting twice the amount of levels, units, and items, as well as a couple of new features to make every Pata-fan squirm in anticipation.

Asking for numbers? Then numbers we shall have! Check out the 411 for Patapon 2: 60 levels, 384 items, 22 characters, 7 minigames, and an average playtime of 20 hours. In the first game, we only had 37 levels, 187 items, 11 characters, 5 minigames, and an average of 10 hours of playtime.

On with the details!

• Over land, over sea...Patapon 2's story begins almost immediately where the first game left off. After the Zigaton threat was dealt with, the tribe built a ship to cross the sea. However, judging from the screens (screen on top, first row below), it looks like everything isn't smooth sailing for the pata-tribe.
• Putting all your eggs in a basket. A new feature in Patapon 2 is Egg collecting. There are 30 types of eggs that you can obtain through the single-player campaigns, with varying levels of rarity. These can be used in the multiplayer mode...
• Using your eggs. In the multiplayer arena, there are two modes: Mission and Carnival (third/fourth row of pics below). Mission takes you and your buddies for some co-op play, and your goal is to move the egg to a specific spot. This in turn brings you to Carnival mode, where everyone gets to jam to some pata-beats that show up on the screen.
• The cast gets bigger. New units introduced in this sequel come in different flavors: in the fifth row of pics, we see the Flier unit, the Mage, and the Robot. Another new unit in Patapon 2 is the hero - this little powerhouse can unleash a special attack (a la Limit Break) when you enter Hero Mode. See first pic, third row.
  
• From Zero to Hero. So what is Hero Mode, you ask? This is triggered right after Fever Mode (which is easier to enter this time around, btw). Heroes can also be customized with different armors, abilities, and jobs (demonstrated in last pic).
• New game plus!...ish. Don't go deleting your save file from Patapon 1 just yet! That same save file can be used in Patapon 2. Doing so allows you to carry over certain special items, medals, and gold.
  

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Related articles:

• More Patapon 2 details: multiplayer for up to four players in the bag
  
• Patapon 2 to have twice as much one-eyed tribal fun, easier difficulty

OpenBOR v2.2024

Homebrew dev Damon Caskey has released a new version of OpenBOR, an open-source game engine you can use to create your own 2D side-scrolling fighting games.

This version has several new additions to the script. Here is the changelog as enumerated by Caskey:

continuescore 1/2

• Goes in levels.txt on a per set basis.
• 1 = score is reset to 0 when you continue.
• 2 = 1 point is added to your score when you continue!

subject_to_minz int

• Model header command. Toggles minimum Z bounding for model on playfield. Available to script methods getentityproperty and changeentityproperty as "subject_to_minz".
  

instantitemdeath int

• Model header command, set to 1 to remove the pause before an item commits suicide after being grabbed.

int - Default 1 for all except panel type models.

• 1: Entity cannot move beyond current minimum Z boundry.
• 0: Entity can move freely beyond current minium Z boundry.

subject_to_maxz int

• Model header command. Toggles maximum Z bounding for model on playfield. Available to script methods getentityproperty and changeentityproperty as "subject_to_maxz".
  

int - Default 1 for all except panel type models.

• 1: Entity cannot move beyond current maximum Z boundry.
• 0: Entity can move freely beyond current maximum Z boundry.

Download: OpenBOR v2.2024

Learn how to properly pwn your enemy in Dissidia: Final Fantasy

Alright, armchair brawlers! It's time for a quick lesson on how to properly dispatch your enemies in Square Enix's Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Face it, sometimes it's hard to go by textual descriptions and explanations of gameplay elements alone, so now, we see it in action.

While you can probably pummel your opponents silly by mashing buttons (which is my all-time favorite tactic when I start panicking, mind you), the more strategic combatants would want to make use of the Brave Points and Break mode system. Besides, if you're already beating the lifestream out of someone, you might as well do it in style...

See those numbers flashing on screen every time an attack connects? Those are what we call Brave Points. The higher it goes, the more damage you deal. Now here's where a bit of strategy comes in: see, some attacks can deal damage to your opponent's Brave Points (in typical FF speak, think of this as, say, casting Osmose on your enemy to drain their MP).

And with that, we move to the second video: once your opponent's Brave Points get reduced to zero (haha, what a noob), they go into Break mode. Basically, they're stunned for a couple of seconds, in which case you can pummel them even more, this time with unabashed impunity (aww, poor Garland).

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Related articles:

• Sphere Grids and License Boards? Dissidia's chessboard explained

DJ Max Portable Clazziquai Edition: trailer and screenshot spree

North America will be getting DJ Max Portable come November 11. However, to Koreans (and importers of Korean games), DJMP was so last year.

Over at Korea, they're already past the second installment in the rhythm series and are already gearing up for the next two installments, DJ Max Portable Clazziquai Edition and Black Square Edition.

Here are more screens for the Clazziquai Edition, showing some of the game modes, rhythm gameplay, and menu screens, as well as a trailer straight from Pentavision.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Related articles:

• DJ Max Portable gets new games; more trippy screens ahead
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PSP-3000 preview reveals battery life, Firmware 4.20 details, more

The lucky folks at Eurogamer got to lay their hands on a PSP-3000 and shared their thoughts on it with the unlucky ones.

Their review talks on the 3000's much-touted bright screen, the everyone-thought-was-shorter-but-isn't battery life, and even some details on Firmware 4.20.

Everyone first thought that the new screen took off 20 to 30 minutes in the battery life, but it was later revealed that power consumption was reduced in other components, which evens up the score.

Eurogamer confirms this, saying that they got "the same five and a half hours we've come to expect playing games." Speaking of the battery, they also mention that the 3000 has a "smarter AC adapter unit," which exchanges the black box with just a "small, direct cable."

Firmware 4.20 holds several major changes for the new unit. First of all, they talked about the new "wide" setting for the "color space," which Sony revealed earlier was an option to fully exploit the 3000's hardware.

[...] The new PSP's battery-powered third brightness level outshines the mains-powered fourth on its predecessor. If you flick the "Color space" option back to Normal, meanwhile, the colouring reverts to something closer to, though still brighter than, the PSP-2000.

Last month Sony also revealed the 3000's Automatic USB connection, which switches the unit to USB mode automatically when you hook it up. Eurogamer confirms that this feature will not interrupt gameplay.

Finally for FW4.20, the 3000 now allows you to play games on a TV with a special adapter and composite cable, whereas TV output for gaming on the Slim can only be achieved with component video and D-Terminal cables.

For Eurogamer's complete review, follow the source link below.

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Related Articles:

• Dark AleX explains why PSP TA-088 v3 cannot be hacked yet
• PSP-3000 heading to Japan on October 16, will have game bundles galore
• PSP-3000: Sony clarifies on details for UK and European bundles

Bomberman in Lua: BoomBastic

  

PSP homebrew developer moOm has released BoomBastic. Coded in Lua, it's a PSP homebrew clone of Bomberman, but instead of having bombermen and women as controllable players, this game uses tanks.

The typical Bomberman upgrades and power ups are also included in BoomBastic: an extra bomb, a speed upgrade, blast increase, etc.

Unfortunatley, moOm notes that this will most likely be its first and last release. Why last? It's because his PSP just crashed and he's not able to further tweak this game. The last build of BoomBastic, i.e. the download below, is about two-thirds bug-free.

Download: BoomBastic

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Related articles:

• Bomberman Arena v1.0 Now with Ad-Hoc Support

PSP-3000 box hints direct PSN connectivity

Hey now, lookee, lookee: the box for the PSP-3000 was just spotted at Amazon, and what do people find interesting in the picture?

For one, there's the screen of the PSP itself. It shows the PlayStation Store - a PSP-native PlayStation Store, perhaps? - and not just the PC Store site.

Next, there's the PSN logo at the bottom (kind of like how the PS3 box has a PSN logo too), which is very different from the way network connectivity was presented in previous PSP boxes.

So what exactly are we looking at here? What do these associations with the PSN hint at?

It's quite probable that we might get confirmation on all those "direct-PSN access" rumors we've been hearing about lately. And guess what, there's TGS this weekend, so if you put two and two together... wink

All of this sounds highly probable, especially after hearing about the features in the beta version of FW 5.00. None of the features in FW 5.00 indicated direct PlayStation Store access, however, the precedent of getting to play via PSN (not just via ad-hoc) was already there.

And then, there's that other rumor about PSP games in 2009 being made available as downloads too. If they were all made available as DLC, wouldn't it then sound more logical for Sony to have the PSP itself directly connect to the PSN rather than go at it via PS3 or PC?

You can check out the product listing through the Amazon link for PSP-3000 below. If you want, you can cross check the PSP Brite's box with those for the PSP-2000 and PS3 too.

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Related articles:

• Rumor alert: all PSP games in 2009 will be available as downloads, more
  
• Who said it was fake? Watch PSP FW 5.0 in action
• Rumored PSP FW 5.0 has PSN access, new RSS reader, built-in screen capture?
• PSP to get direct download from PlayStation Store, online play through PS3
  
• E3 2008: Sony 'looking into' native PSP store
  
• New Firmware features found in PSP-3000

Buy: [PSP-3000 4GB Entertainment Pack]
Buy: [PSP-2000 Piano Black]
Buy: [PlayStation 3 80GB]