A look back: our predictions for 2008
Filed under: News
PSP Fanboy has been making predictions every year for the last two years now. We found incredible success the first time around. Did we strike gold in 2008? Let’s find out.
PSP Prediction #1: New limited edition PSP bundles with high-profile games and peripherals.
“SCEA will release a special gold PSP-2000 system that includes God of War: Chains of Olympus and a Memory Stick for $200.” Yes! We got that one right … almost The God of War bundle came with a red PSP and — we guessed it — retailed for $200. Unfortunately, we were wrong that “Sony will release a PSP system bundled with GPS in the US.” Drats.
PSP Prediction #2: The PSP Store will debut a huge franchise exclusively for download.
The PlayStation Store was successfully launched this year, so we get that right. The Store includes Network-exclusive games like Syphon Filter and Super Stardust Portable. They’re not “huge” games, but they’re still pretty big titles. Japan has also fully embraced the Store, offering all first-party titles as downloadable games.
PSP Prediction #3: Square Enix will bring tons of PS1 love to PSP.“PSP fans will find that Square Enix will resurrect many of its long-forgotten PS1 franchises back to the PSP.” We were right about that one … but only in Japan. However, Square Enix showed some more love for PSP by moving games like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy Agito XIII to our favorite handheld.
Continue reading A look back: our predictions for 2008
A look back: our predictions for 2008 originally appeared on PSP Fanboy on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Disgaea 2 port features tons of enhancements
Filed under: Disgaea
Considering the effort that was put into the first Disgaea game on PSP, it’s no surprise that so much is being added in the upcoming PSP port of Disgaea 2. Nippon Ichi’s cult SRPG hit will be getting all sorts of new content. Players can expect a new chapter for Axel, and new party members. There’s new weapons skills for the bow and the spear, and a new magic spell.
In addition to the added content, the PSP version of Disgaea 2 will also feature enhancements to the gameplay to make it easier to play on the go. Your characters will be able to move faster than before, and menus will be adjusted to make it easier to find characters, items and magic. A new camera system will also be implemented.
All in all, it looks like PSP fans are in for a treat. Check out the official Japanese site for screenshots.
[Via PSPHyper]
Disgaea 2 port features tons of enhancements originally appeared on PSP Fanboy on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
IBM Exec David Laux Endorses Videogames
“We have found across the board, if you look at different categories of games, they all have the ability to develop unique skills,’ says David Laux, IBM’s global executive in charge of games and interactive entertainment. He continues, “That’s from the casual games which improve memorisation and the ability to discern details, to console games and shooter games that develop rapid decision making and to role playing games like the World of Warcraft that are very unique in producing leadership skills.”
Laux’s expressed these views through a post titled “Gaming is good for you” on the BBC’s dot.life blog. Nowhere near revelatory, and not really scientific, they do establish what’s behind IBM — one of the world’s most successful information technology companies — carefully sculpting a presence in the videogame industry, albeit a little later than some. According to the story, the company is aiming to “help the industry leverage IBM’s products in developing games and cutting overall costs.”
Midway and Electronic Arts, if you’re reading this, you might want to give Laux a call and see if you can take advantage of his offer. After all, both Sony and Nintendo have benefited from IBM’s money-saving efforts. Maybe they can give you guys a hand?
IBM Exec David Laux Endorses Videogames
“We have found across the board, if you look at different categories of games, they all have the ability to develop unique skills,’ says David Laux, IBM’s global executive in charge of games and interactive entertainment. He continues, “That’s from the casual games which improve memorisation and the ability to discern details, to console games and shooter games that develop rapid decision making and to role playing games like the World of Warcraft that are very unique in producing leadership skills.”
Laux’s expressed these views through a post titled “Gaming is good for you” on the BBC’s dot.life blog. Nowhere near revelatory, and not really scientific, they do establish what’s behind IBM — one of the world’s most successful information technology companies — carefully sculpting a presence in the videogame industry, albeit a little later than some. According to the story, the company is aiming to “help the industry leverage IBM’s products in developing games and cutting overall costs.”
Midway and Electronic Arts, if you’re reading this, you might want to give Laux a call and see if you can take advantage of his offer. After all, both Sony and Nintendo have benefited from IBM’s money-saving efforts. Maybe they can give you guys a hand?
Biggest Disapointment of the Year
Gino D:
Biggest Disappointment: Nintendo
Runner’s Up: Too Human, Spore.
Comments: Well, I could easily give away a game as the biggest flop this year (Too Human, I’m looking at you!), but generally speaking, Nintendo not releasing more first-party titles this year is the biggest disappointment of all. Don’t get me wrong, Mario Kart Wii and Brawl are pretty much up there, but I was expecting Nintendo to roll out a bigger and more substantial library for the Wii and DS to compete with other first-party titles of the other major players.
Isaac C:
Biggest Disappointment: PlayStation Home
Runner’s Up: Haze, Wii Music
Comments: Home isn’t a game, but it’s so disappointing that I’m putting it in here anyway. Boohoo for you, but it’s true. I’m sure it has a bright future ahead of it, but its launch is purely dismal.
Karl B:
Biggest Disappointment: Fallout 3
Runner Up: Sadness
Comments: Fallout 3 - It’s a good enough game if you judge it on its own merits, but I wanted a true Fallout 3 sequel dammit, not a glorified Oblivion mod. Sadness - STILL no gameplay footage. What the hell, Nibris?
Glenn M:
Biggest Disappointment: Chrono Trigger DS
Comments: Chrono Trigger DS is hardly any different from the PS1 remake… seeing the 3D look in the trailers got me thinking that it might have a few scenes in 3D, but no..why go hyping it up when all we’re gonna get is the same game on a different platform? If it’s to have Chrono Trigger on mobile, emulators would’ve done the job a long time ago - and for free..
Chris C:
Biggest Disappointment: Resistance 2
Runner Up: Age of Conan
Comments: Understand that Resistance 2 is by no means a bad game, not even an average game, it’s just not what I was hoping for. The multiplayer and co-op aspects are brilliantly put together but the single player game just feels… bland, like an afterthought. Explosions erupt all around you, chaos ensues, aliens, humans engaged in epic combat on a massive scale, it’s mad and it looks gorgeous… but it never really comes alive.
As far as Age of Conan goes, it’s actually a pretty damn good MMO now, but for months after launch it was a challenge just to play for any period of time without a crash to desktop. So much potential. Please Lord, let Star Trek Online be perfect.
What say you guyses?
Words from Gino D: New IPs, are they a dying breed?
If you look at some of the upcoming games, most of them seem to be sequels, prequels, or spinoffs of already established franchises: Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Patapon 2, BioShock 2, Resident Evil 5… the list goes on. And I’ve heard too many complaints out there saying that devs seem to be getting less creative and are opting for the tried-and-tested approach.
Guess what though? It’s not so much as going the safe route, but to a developer, it’s about making the most of your assets and changing the playing field among their competitors. The best explanation I could find of this “why are there so many sequels all of a sudden?” phenomenon comes from Insomniac Games‘ Ted Price:
“Developers can hit the ground running with sequels. The game’s story and art style have a solid base, the tech and tools are stable and the basic gameplay mechanics have gone through plenty of tuning in the first game. It’s certainly a liberating experience when you’re no longer arguing over the main character’s name, or waiting for basic systems to be implemented. The end result is usually a game that’s bigger, more polished and has more innovative features than the original game.” [Full Article]
And sequels aren’t a bad thing either. If you look at how sequels have been for the past year (MGS4, GTA4, CoD4, Gears of War 2, etc.), they’ve more than proven that not all sequels suck donkey balls - given that the devs deliver in their promise to bring a game that’s “bigger, more polished, and has more innovative features than the original game,” to quote Price again. So… if this trend of actually upping the ante with a sequel continues into 2009 and beyond, then by gods!, can you imagine how so much cooler something like God of War 3 would be?
Now if sequels aren’t your thing, there are still a handful of new IPs to look out for too: Heavy Rain and Hydrophobia are just two games that I personally want to keep close tabs on. But in short, to answer my own question: no, I don’t think new IPs are a dying breed. It just seems like it because most of the popular games this year have been sequels, with some of the new IPs (I’m not saying all) having to follow in the shadow of the bigger sequels: MGS4, GTA4, Fallout 3, and a handful of others on the GotY lists.
Here’s a thought I want to leave you with though: isn’t it strange that most of the good new IPs out there are coming from small studios and independent devs? Look at de Blob and Braid. And then there’s LittleBigPlanet - their team in Media Molecule started out so small, it’s quite surprising how they managed to pull off the entire LBP phenomenon.
Seemingly, this is where the playing field now lies: if you want good sequels, look to the established devs and major players in the publishing biz: Konami, EA, Capcom, Square Enix, Sony, Microsoft, OK fine, maybe even Nintendo despite their skimpy first-party library in 2008. But for new IPs that will make an impact? Look to the indie devs and small studios for those diamonds in the rough.
Know Your Meme: Project Chanology
Project Chanology, Message to Scientology, Anonymous (group), The Traditions of Guy Fawkes Night, An Illustrated History of Scientology, Tom Cruise Attacks Oprah, Tom Cruise Scientology Video, Streisand effect, The Great Habbo Raid of July 2006, The Habbo Hotel Raid Pool’s Closed, Fox News “report” on Anonymous, Chanology Call To Action, Anonymous Feb 10 2008 Philadelphia Scientology protest, April 12th London Scientology Protest - Rickroll, YouTube SYSTEM ALERT: Video view counts not updating, Operation Party Hard, LAPD at March 15 Hollywood Anonymous Scientology Protest, Scientology Protest - March 15: Operation Party Hard, Anti-lulz, Ask REddit: What’s up with Anonymous?, Scientology “Anonymous Hate Crimes” DVD, Scientology® Versus Mark Bunker and XenuTV, Scientology: XENU TV Speaks to Anonymous, Operation Clambake, Chanology Portal, Chanology Project on YouTube, Why We Protest
Three Titles From EA/Hasbro Deal Sold a Combined Two Million Units
It takes a confirmation from Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello to ease our worries that the critically-lauded Mirror’s Edge will return for a sequel, but, if a report from Gamasutra is correct, Riccitiello probably won’t need to do the same for Littlest Pet Shop, Nerf: N-Strike, and Hasbro Family Game Night. Combined, the three titles have sold over two million units. Additionally, EA says Monopoly “continues to build momentum” after its strong November launch.
Previously announced in February, the titles originated out of a deal EA made with Hasbro to create a series of games based on the company’s popular brands of toys for consoles, including one tied to the upcoming G.I. Joe film and a mobile version of Risk.
EA Hasbro VP and general manager Chip Lange says “Our focus on creating audience-appropriate games has paid off with the consumers we wanted to reach and made EA Hasbro titles THE gift to give this holiday.”
Three Titles From EA/Hasbro Deal Sold a Combined Two Million Units
It takes a confirmation from Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello to ease our worries that the critically-lauded Mirror’s Edge will return for a sequel, but, if a report from Gamasutra is correct, Riccitiello probably won’t need to do the same for Littlest Pet Shop, Nerf: N-Strike, and Hasbro Family Game Night. Combined, the three titles have sold over two million units. Additionally, EA says Monopoly “continues to build momentum” after its strong November launch.
Previously announced in February, the titles originated out of a deal EA made with Hasbro to create a series of games based on the company’s popular brands of toys for consoles, including one tied to the upcoming G.I. Joe film and a mobile version of Risk.
EA Hasbro VP and general manager Chip Lange says “Our focus on creating audience-appropriate games has paid off with the consumers we wanted to reach and made EA Hasbro titles THE gift to give this holiday.”
5 Years: The Best of 1UP
Celebrating half a decade at 1up by rounding up the best culture, retro, and humor features.
It’s crazy to think that it’s been five years since we launched 1UP (well, technically a little more than five — the site went live in October 2003, but we waited until the end of the year, when we were out of the heavy game-release season, to post this story). In some ways, it seems like that was such a long time ago; in others, it seems like it was just yesterday. But either way, when you look back at everything that we’ve accomplished in that time — growing from this fledgling website that served as an online presence for Ziff Davis’ gaming magazines to a network of game sites that now reaches over 13 million people a month — it really puts things into perspective. We’ve been busy.
Over the years we’ve been through multiple redesigns; we’ve expanded our content with cheats, videos, and files; we’ve been steadily building the largest social network for gamers; and we’ve started syndicating our content out to partners like ESPN and Amazon. But the main reason we’ve been so busy and have built such an audience is the content that we produce every day. Attempting to carry on the great tradition of our print magazines, it’s always been our mission to create the very best content in the business — the most informative and entertaining coverage of games. But this doesn’t just mean having the highest standards for our editorial — it means digging deeper and thinking differently. It means looking at the bigger picture and focusing on the culture or trends in the industry. It means having fun and expressing our personality.
We’ve also embraced new forms of media to produce our content, from blogs to videos to podcasts, and we’ve approached everything with the same ideals. Nowadays, we publish hundreds of articles each week, multiple weekly audio and video shows, and an endless stream of blogs. It’s more material than any single person could consume.
Top 10 Best Selling Games
-
