Amped Gaming » PSP

North America Getting PSP AdhocParty

Jon Huie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:06:33 +0000

Sony recently announced that they are bringing their AdhocParty that launched last year in Japan to US shores. What this service does is it allows your PSP, which has both an adhoc mode for local play and an infrastructure mode for online play, to use adhoc to play certain games online with others via the Playstation 3. Two of the titles mentioned were Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Gran Turismo.

Since I am probably the only person in my group of friends that owns a PSP, this is definitely a welcome feature. I held off on buying Monster Hunter and other titles because they were adhoc only. While I wish there were more games that were just making use of the infrastructure abilities of the PSP, I’m glad that this ability to play would be made available soon enough.

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Dissidia: Final Fantasy Review

Jon Huie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:46:26 +0000

One of the things Square-Enix is known for is their ability to create an amazing role-playing game. Whenever they try to go outside of the genre, however, the results are normally not anything worth playing (Dirge of Cerberus). Luckily, this is definitely not the case with Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

Dissidia is the combination of an RPG and a fighting game, pitting both heroes and villains from the first 10 games in the Final Fantasy series against one another in an eternal conflict between the gods Cosmos and Chaos. The fighting portion of the game isn’t exactly in the same vein as Street Fighter or SoulCalibur. Rather than using directional inputs and button combos like in the aforementioned titles, you use much simpler button presses to deplete one of the two different stats your opponent has, Bravery and Hit Points. The amount of Bravery a character has is equal to how much damage they inflict upon the opponent’s HP meter. Combining this with the EX attacks (special attacks from the actual games, like Cloud’s Omnislash) and summons that use their powers when certain conditions are met (Bravery reaches zero, etc.), you have quite a unique system that may take some a few matches to get use to.

Role-playing elements are also a large part of the game. Characters can level up to the usual Final Fantasy max of 99, tons of different weapons and armor appear in shops, skills become available as your character progresses, and even an accessory creation system makes an appearance. Just like in the other FF games, you can level grind if a particular enemy is too tough. Instead of running around in a circle to load up random encounters to do so, you just keep doing quick battles. However, if you are in the midst of a character’s story and get to a boss you can’t seem to beat, the only way to get to the quick battle mode is to lose whatever progress was made and start over again after some levels are gained.

Speaking of the story mode, unlike other Final Fantasy titles, the tales told in Dissidia did not really interest me. While it was intriguing seeing some of my favorite characters interact with one another in the games cut scenes, each of the 10 beginning stories told seemed pretty similar and became something I stopped bothering to pay attention to after the first five were completed. Each of the chapters has a few cutscenes using the gorgeous in-game graphics and horrible voice acting. After you complete one of the character’s stories, a new branch called Shade Impulse becomes available. This four chapter ending of the game’s main mode was more interesting than the rest of the narrative that came before it, but concludes with one of the most irritating boss fights you could ever conceive of. Not only is this one of the cheapest opponents you’ll come across, the stage it takes place on is not even remotely close to the size of any of the other 11 available.

Though Dissidia’s stages are mostly huge, wide open areas, a few of them have enclosed portions that don’t seem to do well with the camera. There were more than a few times where my view was obstructed by a wall or the ceiling, effectively keeping me from dodging the computer opponent’s attacks. Additionally, when combined with the lock-on targeting system, having an opponent on the other side of the wall or ceiling left me awkwardly struggling to get out of the corner.

Even though the stages and camera were a bit disappointing, the amount of stuff Square managed to pack into the game more than made up for it. There’s a calendar system that rewards you for playing on certain days of the week, moogles send you random letters every day with prizes attached, a museum that holds all the things you’ve collected, and a second shop to buy more characters, costumes, and in game bonuses. You also have the option to save and edit replays of your matches with a pretty decent editor. Along with these things, there’s everything you could imagine a Final Fantasy fan would spread a nostalgic smile at to be found somewhere in this UMD, from 8-bit sprites to music from each of the series titles.

All in all, Dissidia: Final Fantasy was one of the best games I have played on the PSP since Crisis Core. With amazing graphics, a ton of nostalgic content, and a fairly unique battle system, it’s no wonder why my battery has finally been dying from use, rather than from being in sleep mode for weeks. Any fan of Final Fantasy would be doing themselves a huge disservice by not at least checking out this game.

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A Call For Suggestions: Amped Tourney Addition

Ichi — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:44:20 +0000

So the last Tournament was a resounding success! Our Champion rose above the rest to claim his prize in Street Fighter 4 and now that the smoke has cleared the staff here at Amped is thinking about the next tournament already. However, a game cannot be decided upon. Should we do Street Fighter 4 again, should we do a tournament for the PS3 this time? Should we do a Halo 3 Tournament since the Multiplayer for that game has recently been revitalized with the release of ODST?

Well the logical explanation here is to ask those of you who would be participating in this tournament. What game do you want? What system? What rules? I encourage you to leave as many comments as you feel necessary, if you see an idea leave a comment on how you support it. We can’t commit to something that won’t follow through because of lack of players so please be involved here! This tournament will most likely be decided by you guys if there is enough conversation on this post so get to it!

-Ichi

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Get ready to go to hell February 9th

Arsen Nazaryan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:24:31 +0000

Yes, gamescom has boasted impressive announcements and left barely any room for disappointment. Now, Visceral Games, the award-winning EA studio that created Dead Space, has finally dated the long-awaited Dante’s Inferno. The action-adventure game, based on a literary masterpiece known as the Divine Comedy, will drop to stores on February 9th (12th in Europe). The title will be released for the PS3, 360, and PSP.

In cooperation with DC/Wildstorm, EA is also releasing a comic book series of only six issues, the first of which is slated for release on December 9. Lastly, EA will be working on an animated feature co-produced by Starz Media which will be released on the same day as the game. Sure, this year’s a toughie for new releases, but next year is shaping up!

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PSP Minis Coming

Jon Huie — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:34:54 +0000

It appears another of the Sony rumors has come true. The PSP’s own version of iPhone apps are coming when the PSPGo releases on October 1st. Called PSP Minis, they have a size limit of 100MB and there are expected to be 50 total released by the end of the year, 15 of which will be out at launch. FieldRunners, Tetris, Hero of Sparta and MiniGore are the currently known Minis so far.

Source

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Rock Band 2 expands…yet again

Arsen Nazaryan — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:35:13 +0000

In its standard fashion, Harmonix, the minds behind the hit music game Rock Band 2 are announcing a new trackpack, which will feature Gorillaz, the animated band created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn. The songs will be up on XBOX Live Marketplace on August 11; on the PlayStation Network they will be released on August 13. Also included in the new track pack are legendary artists The Who, 60s phenomenon Janis Joplin, iconic musicians The Band, and the ever-melodic Jefferson Airplane.

While this proves to be excellent news for 360 and PS3 owners, the Wii does not come out empty handed in this event. In fact, on August 11^th, Harmonix will be releasing more songs on Wii Rock Band Music Store that have been available on the other systems for some time. The included artists will be Blink-182, Damone, The Fratellis (which is the most exciting for me out of this list), KISS, Lenny Kravitz, an additional track from Pat Benatar, Steve Miller Band, and Weezer. The even better news is that the Wii users will also receive the Gorillaz track-pack.

Harmonix is also keeping an eye out on the PSP by releasing two Iron Maiden tracks on the in-game store. Way to go, developers, surely fans of these artists appreciate it!

The pricing is as follows:

Gorillaz Pack 01:

The Band “Chest Fever (Live)”
Gorillaz “Clint Eastwood”
Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc.”
Gorillaz “Re-Hash”
Janis Joplin “Piece of My Heart”
Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit”
The Who “Magic Bus (Live at Leeds)”

XBOX 360 – 440 Microsoft Points, 160 Microsoft Points each song

PlayStation 3 – $5.49 the entire pack; $1.99 each song

Wii – 200 Wii point which is $2.00 each song

PSP – $1.99 each song

Songs released on Wii in addition to Gorillaz Pack 01:

Blink-182 “Dammit”
Blink-182 “Down”
Blink-182 “Feeling This”
Blink-182 “The Rock Show”
Damone “Out Here All Night”
Fratellis “Creeping Up the Backstairs”
Fratellis “Flathead”
Fratellis “Henrietta”
KISS “100,000 Years (Live)”
KISS “Deuce (Live)”
KISS “Parasite (Live)”
Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
Lenny Kravitz “Freedom Train”
Lenny Kravitz “Let Love Rule”
Lenny Kravitz “Mr Cab Driver”
Pat Benatar “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
Steve Miller Band “Space Cowboy”
Steve Miller Band “Take The Money & Run”
Steve Miller Band “The Joker”
Thin Lizzy “The Boys Are Back in Town (Live)”
Thin Lizzy “Cowboy Song (Live)”
Thin Lizzy “Jailbreak (Live)”
Weezer “My Name is Jonas”
Weezer “Pork & Beans”
Weezer “Undone – The Sweater Song”

PSP songs:

Iron Maiden “The Number of the Beast”
Iron Maiden “The Trooper”

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Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines Trailer Released

Frank Hunter — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:31:36 +0000

I think anyone who played Assassin’s Creed will remember the cliffhanger ending we were left with upon unraveling Altair’s final tasks. We were all thirsty for more. Now, if you’ve got a PSP, you’re in luck. You’ll be back in the action come Christmas.

It’s still not apparent whether Ubisoft will show us what’s become of that lovable cab driver, Desmond Miles, but we will get to follow his ancestor Altair on the next part of his quest: his mission to destroy the Knights Templar in Cypress. The trailer forBloodlines has just been released, so have a look, and if you have a PSP…..well lucky you.

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PAX 10 Announced For PAX ’09

Matt Shafeek — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:49:28 +0000

Ever since its inception, The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) has become one of – if not the – biggest gaming events of the year. Today the announcement of one of the cornerstones of the event: the PAX 10, a selection of independent game chosen to be on display by a “panel of game industry experts.”

Unlike many of the hundreds of top 10 lists that litter almost every gaming website on the internet, (stayed tuned tomorrow for my ‘Top 10 Most Delicious-Looking Video Game Burgers list!) a lot of the games mentioned are unknowns, but hopefully all that will change once gamers like yours truly (attending his first PAX this year – woo-hoo!) get their hands on them.

Without further ado, here is the list:

CarneyVale: Showtime by the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Games Lab (Xbox 360)

Closure by Tyler Glaiel and Jon Schubbe (PC)

Fieldrunners by Subatomic Studios (iPhone/iPod touch)

Liight by Studio Walljump (Wii)

Machinarium by Amanita Design (PC)

Osmos by Hemisphere Games (PC)

Puzzle Bloom by Team Shotgun (PC)

Tag: The Power of Paint by Tag Team (PC)

Trino by Trinoteam (Xbox 360)

What is Bothering Carl? by Story Fort (PC)

Check out the official page below for more details about each game. And if you’re going to PAX this year (less than 50 days away according to their site clock!), drop me a line and let me know!

Source: http://www.paxsite.com/pax10.php

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GameStop Summer Sale Has Some Pretty Sweet Deals

Matt Shafeek — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:45:29 +0000

Normally the GameStop circulars I receive every week mention a few “bones” being thrown to me – a discount here, a buy two (used) get one free there, but apparently this summer either GameStop has decided they finally want to start offering some great deals…or alternatively, they just want to clean house a bit. Either way, for the patient gamer there are definitely some deals to be found at the site. Namely:

- $100 off Guitar Hero Band Kits (through July 12th)
- $20 or less on the following titles (along with many many other crappier titles): Prince of Persia (360/Ps3), Bionic Commando (360 – already?!?), Star Wars TFU (360), Wheelman (360/PS3), Tom Clancy’s Endwar (360) and H.A.W.X. (360/PS3), Shaun White Snowboarding (360/PS3), Infinite Undiscovery (360), Crisis Core: FFVII (PSP), Chrono Trigger (DS), House of the Dead 2 and 3 Returns (Wii), and Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
-Plus apparently two other announcements, one Wii-related TBA.

I snagged PoP up (also for $20, thankfully) from Amazon a few weeks ago, or else I would have immediately just now. And now I’m very tempted on some of these other deals. Better grab them while you can, I’m sure the better games will disappear first!

Source: http://www.gamestop.com/gs/landing/sumsale/default.aspx

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Transformers: Rise of the Fallen Trailer

Ghathaway — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:07:37 +0000

This game doesn’t look half bad and will probably be much better than its predecessor. Thank god. Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and see the film. Let us know what you think about the movie, the trailer of the game and even Ms. Fox. No related posts. Related posts brought to [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.