Breaking Windows

Less reading and more clicking!

Beats came out today. It is a music/rythem game for the PSP. I have a a small complaint.

1) You cannot purchase this and download it on the PS3 PlayStation store, though you can purchase and transfer PSOne games to a PSP from the PS3. You are forced to use the PC PlayStation store.

2) Once you purchase Beats, you only really download a 4k file from the web site. You must install a "PLAYSTATION®Network Downloader" to actually transfer the game to your PSP. This software does not work on a Mac.

3) Nowhere that I can find on the web site does it tell you that you can actually download it onto your PS3 once you have purchased it on the PC Store (the two stores share the same account). If I can download it on my PS3 once I purchased it on the PC Store, why not also offer it on the PS3 PlayStation Store.

4) Just for the hell of it, why not have a PSP PlayStation Store? You know, because these are PSP games we are downloading.

Before I even get to the question of "Why isn't this client application available for the Mac?" I have other, more important questions, such as:

What is the need of an inbetween application to transfer a game from a PC to my PSP? When I download a PSOne game on my PS3, I plug in a USB cable, and transfer it right to my PSP, with no extra step needed.

I already know the answer to the Mac question. Sony doesn't make any PSP related software for the Mac, why would they make this application work on the Mac? I mean, no one uses Macs anymore, right?

The PC PlayStation Store gets most everything right. It uses the same account and digital wallet you may have already setup on your PS3. Your download list is also linked between PS3 and PC PlayStation stores.

So I guess the moral of this story is: If you do not own a PC, you had better own a PS3 to transfer your PSP games bought from the PlayStation Store to your PSP.

Is it too much to ask to have a user friendly way of getting the games we want to play?

Want that video output feature on the PSP? Make sure you don't want it to fill your screen, because it does this:

UMDs fill your screen, the XMB media bar fills your screen. Games? Not so much. This is utter crap. On top of that, if you don't have a 480p enabled TV, you can't play games on a TV at all.

Initial Impressions:

I am only a couple days into playing Jeanne d'Arc on PSP, and I have to say, I am stunned. If you're a RPG fan, specifically ones more strategy oriented, this is a fantastic game.

Every aspect of the game has a polish not seen that often, especially not on the PSP (sadly). You will have to wait until the full review on Blogcritics - I also want to get a bit more game play under my belt before I write a review.

I just wanted to say that this is a game not to be missed.

The BBC has a wonderful interview with two of the most prolific "hackers" in the PSP homebew scene. Be sure and check it out.

I almost downgraded my PSP to the Open Edition firmware, but when I read that 3.10 OE was giving Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters serious fits, I decided against it.

If I had a second PSP, I would install the OE firmware, but not on this PSP, as I need to review games using it. Plus I have a GP2X, which emulates pretty much anything I would want (besides GBA).

Sony has put up what it calls a "limited-edition" strategy guide for LocoRoco. So maybe you should download them quick. Each level has a PDF with all the secrets for all the hidden MuiMui, Pickories, and secret areas.

Thanks in no small part to my article hitting Digg (I can only assume), PSP Fanboy ran a blog post about my comparison of the holiday lineup of the DS and PSP.

Best of all, it is attributed as BC Gaming, which I like the sound of very much. I hope this creates a few more repeat readers for BC.

They even go as far as calling me a "DS Fanboy."

Reverse psychology FTW!

I know, I know, the PSP doesn't have enough software. It has, like, three good games. It is such a horrible console, I wonder how it hasn't died yet.

Now, if you could not understand the sarcasm in that, there is no help for you.

For those who don't know, I love my PSP. I use it to its fullest. Lately, I have bought a Korean and Japanese game that you should give a try if you are a fan of the music/rythum genre. And frankly, who isn't?

I want to personally thank "dojosky" from the Digital Press forums for sending Ultimate Block Party. I have to admit, buying things from people you do not know feels a lot better when it is from a forum you visit every day.

You may recall I got screwed over on eBay on this item a little while ago. But now I have the game, and I love it. It is a great puzzler for the PSP.

Here are the instructions on the US PlayStation site.

A (PSP) picture is worth a thousand words, right? Since this is Matt's PSP I will let him explain. But he told me he turned his PSP on after a couple days of not using it (not uncommon). He turned it on to update to 2.71, but he couldn't even get that far, as this is the first thing he saw!

Oh, and at first he could not find any English on the screen at all.

Click image for a closer look.

The English LocoRoco site is up. If you haven't been there yet, you owe it to yourself to visit. LocoRoco is an upcoming PSP title that we previewed in May. It has that Katamari Damacy vibe to it, and will be a hot game when it hits store shelves in September.

Griffin's iFM PSP is a two-trick pony, acting as a FM radio and media remote for your PSP. For $49.99 MSRP, the iFM is a great addition to any PSP road-warrior's bag of tricks.

A surprise hit out of the gate for Sony's PSP, Untold Legends offered decent gameplay with a completely lacking presentation. Bombarded with a story told through text, abysmal music, and simplistic multi-player, it's not a game that fared well with critics. The sequel, Warrior's Code, tries to fix everything without upgrading the now dry action.

On the PSP, Capcom has taken its superb compilation package, redone the game selection, and made it necessary to purchase both the PS2 and PSP versions. Each Capcom Classics Collection has games worth owning the set for. You'll get the following on the handheld:

After you install version 2.7 of the PSP firmware, head over and download the demo of LocoRoco. This is a Japanese demo of a game published by Sony, and should be played by all. It has that simple puzzle game addictiveness. I only wish there was an English version publicly available.

This pint-sized sidekick's first title is a silky smooth transition from the previous PS2 entries. Daxter, you will find, sacrifices very little on the go. Fans of Jak and Daxter will also appreciate the renewed focus on platforming.

After countless attempts, Godzilla finally ended up in the hands of an American film company in 1998. With the blessing from Toho, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin set out to make the their own version of the movie Jan De Bont failed to a few years prior because of budget concerns. As such, the two makers of Independence Day destroyed an attempt at creating a franchise and all hope of Godzilla fans of finally seeing their favorite monster in an epic, big budget classic.

While the Xbox 360 version may get the attention for its flashy graphics and impressively realistic gameplay, there comes a time when a player needs to look past that. While it is a minor step down in gameplay, the PSP version of Fight Night Round 3 should not be underestimated or ignored. A plethora of features, in-depth money management, online play, and most of what was drooled over on the 360 is here.

There's a sign to tell you when you're having fun with a video game. That's the point when you ask, "When is the next one coming?" That's the case with Mega Man Powered Up, easily one of the greatest remakes this industry has ever seen, and a classic even if the remade portions hadn't worked out as planned in the final product. The mesmerizing amount of things to do changes this game from one where a 20-minute speed run is possible into a 20-hour marathon title.

There's an extra benefit to remakes in the current movie market. That's DVD, and rest assured when a remake is hitting theaters, the original will be brought out of retirement for the home market (in a super deluxe edition if it was previously available). Why else would anyone remake The Fog, a minor horror film with a small following only thanks to an original premise?

While it doesn't feature any supernatural oddities, freaks of nature, or general movie critters, Red Eye is purely a Wes Craven movie. Settling on a tight, closely wound set of three main actors, this "bad situation that's going to get worse" thriller is gripping, even when succumbing to a few annoying clichés. It's a superb example of how a simple idea turns into massive entertainment.

The Island is a rare movie from action director Michael Bay. Instead of quickly setting up the story to give more time to the action, the story here is the constant focus. With its intriguing mystery, the entire Island experience succeeds as entertainment. Fans of Bay need not worry either; the action sequences are stunning achievements.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror just does not feel like a handheld game, PSP or otherwise. Dark Mirror hit store shelves almost exactly one year after the PSP's launch. We have seen some pretty good titles in that year, (mainly at launch) but nothing like Dark Mirror. I cannot stress enough the fact that this feels like a PS2 game. Scratch that, a good PS2 game.

The Syphon Filter series has seen better days. Syphon Filter and Syphon Filter 2 on the PS1 were hot titles. Syphon filter 3, the last of the series on the PS1, didn't seem to hit those same high notes as the first two. But it was still a fun game. Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, for the PS2, can only be described as a series let down. Maybe this is why Dark Mirror comes along as such an astonishing revival of the series.

If you're worried about your child's reading comprehension skills, you could try to give them Shakespeare as test. You might as well pick up something like Shin Budokai. For as baffling as classic literature can be for some people, the storyline in Dragon Ball Z is worse, especially when it's told all through text. Thankfully, the PSP offers a start button to skip all of that after you've gone past the point of being lost, and then you'll end up inside a decent, albeit lacking fighting game.

While the spin-offs of the Mega Man franchise have gone overboard and the X series has taken a sharp downswing, Maverick Hunter X becomes all the more appealing. This PSP exclusive is stunning; losing nothing of what made the original SNES hit a classic while updating everything outside of the gameplay (and even this has been tweaked). The extras sell this package, and while they're not as rich as Mega Man Powered Up, they're still worth unlocking since they essentially turn into a second full game.

Since the beginning of the medium, video games have done one thing predominantly well: action. Fists, bats, guns, cars, explosions, etc. If you can create action around it, a game has done it. Pursuit Force may be built around a simple action concept, but the game is nothing short of intense.

Lost in the luster of Street Fighter III, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is severely under appreciated. The amount of moves, gameplay tweaks, tremendous roster, and presentation are arguably the best in the franchise. It shines on every system it's released for, unless that system isn't capable of handling the controls.

One of those games ruined at the launch of the PSP was Darkstalkers. Any of its flaws were due to the hardware, not in the programming. Obviously realizing something was wrong and fighting game fans were frustrated, Capcom has addressed the needs for a decent PSP d-pad. Sadly, it doesn't work.

This is Animal House. It doesn't matter what's written here, what the comments say, or what type of analyzing goes on. This is Animal House, and this 1978 piece of flawless comedy will always be one of the greatest of all time and nothing written can ever change that.

It's a depressing day for the industry when a group of homebrew hackers kick out better work than professionals. One of the PSP's best selling points outside of what the marketing materials say is the ability to run emulators and ROMs. For the most part, those games in their various incarnations run smoother, play better, and are more accurate than most of what's been inserted into this latest Midway Arcade Treasures release.

As long as it’s polygonal, you can’t screw up Virtua Tennis. The sprite-based mess that was on the Game Boy Advance and the PSP version prove that. Opponents of Sony’s portable hardware can argue for as long as they want about the number of ports being shoveled onto the system. They’re the ones missing out on one of the best sports games ever created, and this time out, you’re not stuck at home with it.

It took $70 million to bring classic game Doom to the screen. Where, why, and how that money was spent never ends up on screen. It looks like a cheap B-movie, hiding the creatures in the darkness even though the suits are spectacular. It also misses countless key details from the game, and as such, it has no reason to be called Doom in the first place.

There's a key problem with developer SIDHE's GripShift for the PSP. It's a lot of things, and this combination is initially a turn off. Combat racing coupled with platforming doesn't sound like a blend that ever should have been attempted. The key here is to understand that this is not a driving, racing, or combat game. It's actually a clever puzzle title with a unique concept unlike anything we've seen previous.

Oliver Stone was perfect for The Doors. His directing style compliments the darker side of Jim Morrison's short life flawlessly, and creates an absorbing film biography. Val Kilmer's dead-on performance only helps matters.

The effective set up of Godsend is welcome. There are a few different directions it could go, and sadly, the one it takes is not the correct one. When the ending finally hits, you’re left wondering why you even bothered.

Written, directed, and starring Jon Favreau, Made is a subtly funny mob movie. While Favreau may have taken the workload, it's Vince Vaughn that steals this one. Another actor couldn't have handled his energetic, relentless, and even sometimes annoying chatter better if they tried.

Gaining almost all of its strength from its incredible visual flair, Tron is a fun, light, and occasionally engrossing film. Every frame is a joy to look at, while the basic adventure happens behind the effects. On a storytelling level it’s a failure and that’s enough to make it a rough recommendation.

For a system starving for RPGs, the PSP has picked up in recent months. PoPoLo Crois, Legend of Heroes, and the game here Kingdom of Paradise make up the genres latest portable entries. This action RPG is a frustrating experience with little guidance. However, the completely original combo concept is enough to raise it above the average level and turn at least the fighting into an involving button masher.

A sadly rare original PSP title, Infected sucks players in with a wild action concept. In a few levels, it falls apart. Then it sucks players back in with an innovative online feature, and then that falls apart. That's the flow of Infected, and it's not possible to recommend it, even though the deranged sense of humor gives players something to work for.

Varying wildly from the home version, SSX On Tour is not the same game. This is a version of the series made strictly for the PSP. It's easy to say this is the best handheld SSX yet, though when your other options are on the Game Boy Advance and N-Gage, that doesn't say much.

The lackluster mess that was NBA Live 06 on consoles becomes a solid piece of work on the PSP. The feel, style, and gameplay are all different from the home console versions, and if there's ever been a game that needs to stray far, this is the one. In almost every category, Live 06 handheld tramples the home versions.

One of the true dumb summer action flicks, Universal Soldier does not intend to take itself seriously. It's filled with camp, terrible acting, and countless shots of giant things being blown up or destroyed. It's fun given the way the subject matter is handled, but hardly a classic.

Providing some light summer fun, this Roland Emmerich piece is one that opened up his career (along with Universal Soldier a few years prior) for other projects, including the butchering of Godzilla in 1998. Stargate, unlike his later films, has flashes of brilliance sprinkled throughout. It's a nice easy ride that doesn't stop to explain much, instead focusing on the rapid pacing and special effects.

Cheapened by two sequels, First Blood is unfortunately overlooked because of the follow-ups. This is not a true action film, but a drama, and a classic one at that. Sylvester Stallone couldn't have been cast better.

It did not take long for Rockstar to release a utility to enable custom soundtracks in Liberty City Stories (LCS). I would hope that it was planned to launch a few days after the release of the game, and not because of the amount of emails and ranting I am sure that Rockstar has received.

At any rate, it is nice to have custom soundtracks in LCS. You can download Rockstar Custom Tracks v1.0 (RCT) from Rockstar's official site, among other places. But you cannot use it on a Mac. It is Windows only software. This is disappointing as I use a Mac application to manage all of my PSP media.

Before I say anything else, go out and buy Liberty City Stories. If you enjoy the series, and you own a PSP, you will no doubt find hours upon hours of fun here. This may well be the game that convinces you to get a PSP if you are still on the fence.

Liberty City Stories (LCS) is no side story to GTA III, it does not borrow any missions from its brother. LCS is set in 1998, before the events of GTA III. As in San Andreas, you run into new and old friends from the GTA world.

Comparing LCS to GTA III is inevitable. So lets not try to hide it. I dusted off a friends copy of GTA III for a nostalgic ride through the 2001 version of Liberty City.

A surprisingly calm action film, Unleashed isn't the action packed martial arts flick it was advertised to be. It's a drama, and an unexpectedly good one. Jet Li's brutal strikes in the opening few moments are intense, certainly more so than other recent films in the same vein.

Missing the mark on the PSP in its first outing, EA's Tiger Woods 06 is actually playable this year. Gone are the absurd load times (obviously because a of rushed product), and they now more closely resemble the console version. It's still behind in the feature set, the multitude of modes cut down and single player only includes the Rivals mode, also changed from the home versions. Where it matters is on the course, and Tiger 06 fares only ok.

There's more WipEout action coming to the PSP. Those that can't get enough of the game can now download another expansion, Classic Pack 3, which includes a new track, two new tunes and a new ship.

This marks the sixth download for WipEout Pure. That rivals most Xbox Live games, or rather Xbox Live itself. Don't get me started on Xbox Live "Downloadable Content" designation to their games.

The new skin, Icaras, has a very light purple background and the purple text "Icaras" in the upper right like most other skins. I now have ten skins to chose from. This new skin leaves the text easy to read, unlike some of the other skins.

The Icaras ship is fast (5/5) but lacks shields (2/5), has mediocre handling (3/5) and OK thrust (4/5). It is a great ship to use in the early speed classes, but will get tore apart in the faster rounds when the enemies start using more weapons.

Off to a slow start in the current generation of handhelds, EA's Madden franchise just can't find footing in the portable realm. The two DS entries were less than stellar, and now the glitchy PSP port arrives in typical, toned down fashion. It's impressive to feel and use the physics of the series on such a small piece of hardware, but it's not fun to deal with the multitude of other problems.

When the PSP came out, I bought a package from Mad Catz. It has screen protectors with it. It surely is not anti-glare, and it took me 3 scrapped protectors (it comes with 4 or 6 protectors) to get one on, and I still had an ugly air bubble in the middle of the screen. Not the best.

JAVOedge just started shipping their products, so I gave the JAVO Screen Anti-Glare a try.

While I do not care for the part that wraps around the D-pad, Analog Stick, and face buttons, It does go on a lot easier then the Mad Catz screen protector. I got it on the first try, and got all major air bubbles out. I only have some small air bubbles that really have no air trapped in them (not noticeable when the PSP is turned on). Not the case with the Mad Catz protector, where it was very obvious where the air bubble lived - right in the middle of the screen.

I chose to cut off the excess on the left and right of the screen protector, because it does not lay on the face of the PSP that well. The face of the PSP curves on the ends, where the D-pad and face buttons are, and the plastic does not stay stuck in these areas.

After two days of use, this JAVOedge Anti-Glare screen protector is the best I have seen. And it is really anti-glare. It does a great job. The company also has an Ultra Clear protector, but I have not tried that one. I am quite happy with the Anti-Glare protector for now.

At the mercy of the game's physics engine, Burnout's now trademark crash mode succeeds on a rare level. It's almost entirely out of the player's hands once contact is made, and the jaw-dropping wrecks are enough to sell the game. That's on a home console though, and watered down on the PSP (with familiar territory for fans of the series), it's not the classic it could be. It's just another one in a line of unforgettable and brutal racing games, and it barely falls short of the previous entries.

Released in five different editions on the Playstation, the Namco Museum set was a decent collection, though the price was hard to swallow ($20 a disc). That collection was remixed onto a single set with the most popular titles. That has been making the rounds for some time on the current generation of consoles. On the PSP, that set has been broken down, revamped, and added to. The games are as follows:

If Death Jr. is fortunate enough to receive a sequel, especially on a home console, it will be worth playing. It features a great sense of humor, lots of destruction, and energetic gameplay. The restrictive nature of the PSP doesn't allow this portable original any room to breathe. It's stuck without any camera controls, crammed corridors, and far too many enemies to handle (of course made even worse by the camera).