The PSP UMD’s have been cracked and the iso images of three games have been uploaded to the net and newsgroups. While this in itself is of no threat as there’s no way to burn the iso to a UMD disk, how long before someone figures out a way of executing a game from the memory stick in the same way that the firmware upgrade can be executed? Also interesting that the iso’s are so small – around 150Meg. Could fit a few games on my 1 Gig card.
Tag: sony
PSP Games
Having great hardware is all well and good but you need great games as well. You only need to look at the Gamecube (stunning hardware spoiled by having a few great games) to see what I mean. At launch of a new platform there is always a wide mixture of good and bad games, usually down to time pressures and lack of familiarity with the new platform. That being said the PSP has a couple of cracking games out from day one with some more to follow soon.
PSP Multimedia
While all other gaming hand-helds to date have focused purely on games Sony also want the PSP to excel at multimedia. Therefore with your PSP you can watch videos, play MP3’s and also view photo’s. What surprised me was how capable the PSP was at all three.
PSP Hardware
I finally have my hands on a working Playstation Portable and thought it only right and proper that I post my views after a few days use. I have a fair bit to say so I’ve split this post into three. The first will deal with the hardware and the value pack that Sony supply’s. Next will be the multimedia elements of the PSP and the final post will talk about games. Don’t know why I’m doing it – just feel the need.
PSP Update
I’d planned to do a massive review of the PSP, the good bits, the bad bits, what Sony should be selling etc etc but it will have to wait. I’m getting it replaced as it developed some ‘dead pixels’. Graham got a new one shipped this morning which looked great which convinced me that I should swap mine while I can. Hopefully have it back by next Tuesday.
I’ll start putting the review together as it’s a great gadget which should appeal to multi-meeja lovers as well as gamers.
Arrived
Well….the PSP arrived this morning. Well – 2 arrived as I’d ordered one for Graham as well. Unfortunately one (thankfully not mine – no conspiracy theories allowed) had 11 dead pixels. So it has been returned, but mine is fine. The screen is gorgeous, it really is the most difficult thing to keep clean and when I sort out my 1 gig memory card videos on the go will be a joy. I’ll do a fuller post over the weekend as it’s not without flaws, but it’s still highly recommended.
Ordered
I’ve caved in and ordered a PSP through ebay. Ridge Racer and Wipeout Pure too. Hopefully delivered next week. This is a device that could replace the iPod as my favourite gadget – it certainly has the potential. I cannot wait for Wipeout – when the PS1 and Saturn were jostling for best new console (95/96) this was the game that showed what next gen really meant – great graphics, amazing style and Chemicals Brothers all in a game which was difficult but once mastered impossible to put down – hopefully pure will be the same.
Danger – Eyetoy
The Eyetoy has been out for the PS2 for a couple of years now – I never had any intention of buying one but those nice chaps at Sony sent me one along with Eyetoy chat for doing a questionnaire as part of the ongoing beta trials. I managed to ‘acquire’ a copy of Play 2 and gave it a whirl yesterday. Never have I felt like such a fool as I did when playing these games.
Firstly you need to wave at the OK and Cancel buttons. Quite why I’ve no idea but there you go – already I had an idea that a few beers before trying this would have helped. First game I tried was Table Tennis. Nice enough but the opponent got in the way of the ball and it was all quite awkward. Next was Goal Attack – save penalties from the comfort of your lounge. Or not – pretty poor game. Onto Kung Fu – damn – while the lighting was fine for the other games I wasn’t distinct enough against my magnolia walls. Final game was Boxing. This started off well – swing your fists and try and knock out your opponent. Good way to vent some frustration….need to swing a bit harder. Ouch.
I managed to smack myself in the jaw. Surely not what was intended. At that point the PS2 was switched off and the Eyetoy packed away until the next games night. Now – can I sue Sony for the injures I sustained – there’s certainly no warning on the packaging. Mmmmm.
GT4
The much delayed GT4 was launched in the UK last week. I had no intention of picking this up – GT3 was a stale game that offered little over the previous titles that appeared on the PS1. The online section of the game had also been dropped – it is alleged that this will come out at some point but I doubt it.
However after playing Graham’s copy on Wednesday night I made my purchase…for the princely sum of 99p. Game are doing a bit of a bargain – trade in any 4 games (except for football and wrestling games) and you can pick up GT4 for 99p.
Onto the game – graphics are very impressive for a PS2 although the ‘edgy’ look is due to the lack of anti-aliasing. It’s down to preferences but I prefer the look of the Xbox racers. The options within the game are vast. You can get straight into some action via the arcade options but it’s the license tests and tune ups that most people will want to play. Here the game is massive with lots of car choices and potential upgrading. For me however this is the most flawed part of the game. It’s too easy to tune up your car and win races simply because your car out performs your rivals. To encourage the tuning aspect the handling and performance of the cars seem to be reduced so that you *have* to tune up whether you like it or not. The license tests can also get a bit dry. Handling is also more difficult with the PS2 pad – the lack of triggers forces you to use the right thumb stick for acceleration and braking – not the best. I’ve played GT4:Prologue with a steering wheel and if you have the room and the ability to set it up there really is no rival on any console.
Track selection is much improved over the previous games in the series. Highlight for me has been the inclusion of the Nurburgring (all 20.8km). This looks stunning – much narrower and twisty than the PGR2 version and with better textures than the Xbox game. Overall a worthwhile purchase for 99p – not convinced I would pay full price for it though.
Pro Evo Patch
It’s finally came out and it’s what you could call a mixed bag. Firstly, quitters are automatically awarded a loss. Yay! Second, it’s attempted to fix the lag issues. I say attempted as for me it seems to work well but I’m sure those with 128k uploads will still be laggy for any connecting clients. Thirdly, you can now cancel the goal animations directly after you score. Fourthly, that’s it!
Which is disappointing as it’s taken 2 months to produce. You still can’t cancel replays of offsides and near misses, you still can’t have manual player select, you still can’t swap L1/L2 and the ranking is still the same dumbass who’s won most type that isn’t the most reflective of who is best at the game. Rankings however have been reset – how annoyed the quitters and those that had played thousands of games to get to the top must be. Shame 🙂
However this is likely to be the one and only patch for PES 4. Roll on PES 5.