Sony’s Yoshida: we always strive to be the risk-taker
September 30, 2008
"People who take risks regularly get the best results," says Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony's Worldwide Studios. He continues:
We always strive to be the risk-taker, because we are priding ourselves to be the leader of the industry from the platform standpoint, so we have to show by example: this is what we can with the new hardware, this is what we can do with some way of thinking.
Sony's certainly no stranger to risky games, what with a diverse library of games that have anything from unique, to offbeat, to simply stunning. They regularly dish out or support games that take the road less taken, like Patapon, Echochrome, Loco Roco, Heavy Rain, and of course, LittleBigPlanet. An impressively diverse selection of creativity indeed.
On the flip side though, sometimes they can be a bit... too risky. Especially with their ad campaigns. Remember "The Entertainers" ad campaign for Europe? Or even just the Matrjoska ad they launched in Spain. Those just made me go... "whu?" Still, creativity is always a good thing.
Yoshida explains that this unique position in focusing on creativity is due to not having to answer so much to shareholders:
My organisation has the benefit of [being an independent company], [and not one] that must always [satisfy] shareholders every quarter. We don t have to have investors meetings. We can purely focus on creating something unique and interesting.
Mor zen from Yoshida:
- Sony's Yoshida agrees: Japan lagging in video game technology race
- Yoshida - unannounced new PSP titles for next year; third parties should pay more attention to PSP
More screens, art for Sengoku Basara: Battle Heroes
September 30, 2008
If you've played the first game on the PS2 (aka Devil Kings), you'll surely recognize some of these faces. More so, those fortunate enough to have been able to import the sequel will also be familiar with some of the newer characters that were introduced in Sengoku Basara 2.
So who do we have today? In order of the character renders below, (L-R): Date Masamune, Katakura Kojuro, Sanada Yukimura, Sarutobi Sasuke, Maeda Keiji, and Azai Nagamasa.
Related articles:
- Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes debut trailer: 2-on-2 battle gameplay
- Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes announced for the PSP
A year later: UK console and handheld installed base almost doubles
September 30, 2008
New numbers from Chart Track show that the current installed base for console and handheld gamers in the UK have doubled since last year.So which console has the largest installed base? Three guesses. Well, three's all you get since there are only that many consoles.
It's the Wii! What a surprise. The Nintendo miracle boomed from 1.1 million units from September last year, to 3.6 million last count. The DS dominates the handheld scene as well, growing from 3.8 million to 7.1 million units.
As of September 2008, there are 1.4 million PlayStation 3 units in the UK (last year, it was only 0.4 million), and 2.3 million Xbox 360 units (last year saw 1.3 million). The PSP currently totals at 2.9 million units. The UK doesn't seem all that attached to the Sony handheld, as its number didn't grow much from last year's 2.2 million.
All in all, the installed base for all five grew from 8.8 million from last year, to 17.3 million. Way to go, UK. Anyway you slice it, doubled numbers mean good news for devs who want to sell more games, which is good news for gamers who want to see them make more games.
Related Articles:
- UK video games and console sales at an all-time high
- Dr. Kawashima hotter than Lara Croft: Brain Training sets record in UK
- Grand Theft Auto 4 first day sales breaks sales record in U.K.
Konami’s TGS 08 lineup revealed
September 30, 2008
More and more exhibitors for the TGS event are revealing their lineup of titles to showcase next week. Just a few moments ago, we heard from Sony's list of PS3 and PSP games that'll end up on the show floor - one of which is an unannounced PS3 game from Konami.
Do we get that answer now? Unfortunately, no. Though Konami has revealed their lineup for TGS, all of the games that are listed have already been announced before.
- World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (PS3, Xbox 360) - demo, trailer
- Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) - trailer, stage event
- Metal Gear Online (PS3) - demo, trailer, stage event
- Genso Suikoden Tierkreis (DS) - demo, trailer, stage event
- Tongari Boushi to Mahou no 365 nichi (DS) - demo, trailer
- Castlevania Judgement (Wii) - demo, trailer, stage event
- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) - demo, trailer, stage event
- Silent Hill: Homecoming (PS3, Xbox 360) - demo, trailer
- Chaotic Eden (PC) - demo, trailer
Related articles:
- Sony reveals full TGS lineup, 14 new games to be revealed
- Konami files 'Metal Gear Solid Existence' trademark... but for what?
- Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 announced
Fist of the North Star bashing to PSP arena, screens revealed
September 30, 2008
And just when you thought there couldn't be enough manga-based fighting games out there, Arc System Works has announced their upcoming game, First of the North Star: Raoh Story (aka Hokuto no Ken: Raoh Gaiden Ten no Haoh), for the PSP.
Initial details are scarce - but you can already assume that typical elements in a PSP fighting game are found here too: ad hoc multiplayer support, the ability to unleash super powered attacks once a gauge is filled... the usual.
Characters from the anime series are taken into this all out brawl, and as you'd see in today's batch of screens, there's Reina, Thouzer (Souther), Raoh, Jagi, and Uighur.
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Sony reveals full TGS lineup, 14 new games to be revealed
September 30, 2008
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has published a press release on their PlayStation Japan listing all the PS3 and PSP games that will end up in the Tokyo Game Show event next weekend. Curious? Hellzyeah, you better be.
A handful of the games have already been confirmed before (LittleBigPlanet, Dissidia, etc. - we've heard tons about them already), however, Sony's promising to announce 14 new titles we've never even heard of. Ever!
PlayStation 3
- Guitar Hero Legend of Rock
- FIFA 09 World Class Soccer
- Street Fighter IV
- Resident Evil 5
- Lumines Supernova
- Metal Gear Online
- Way of the Samurai 3
- Sonic World Adventure
- PlayStation Home
- Mainichi Issho
- Motorstorm 2: Pacific Rift
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- WWE 2009 Smackdown vs. Raw
- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
- 1 game from Irem
- 1 game from Konami
- 9 games from Sony Computer Entertainment
- Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes
- Dynasty Warriors Multi Raid
- Orochi Warriors Second Coming of the Devil King
- Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep
- Dissidia Final Fantasy
- Secret Agent Clank
- Ape Quest
- Patapon 2
- Bleach: Soul Carnival
- Mainichi Issho Portable
- Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or 2
- LocoRoco 2
- Idolmaster SP
- Mobile Suit Gundam vs Gundam
- Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2
- 3 from Sony Computer Entertainment
Of the 14 yet-to-be-revealed titles, a dozen of them are actually coming from Sony Computer Entertainment - meaning, it could come from any which one of their studios, from Team ICO to SOE. Also, there's no knowing if these unannounced titles will be new IPs or just new installments in existing franchises. I wonder which is the supposed "super-sexy secret game" referred to yesterday.
Care to cast in your bets? Remember! TGS happens next week, from October 9 to 12.
Related articles:
- OPM: Sony's 'super-sexy secret game' will be revealed at TGS next month
- Tokyo Game Show 2008: full list of exhibitors revealed
PSP Homebrew - Open a New PSP Shell
September 30, 2008
Masterlau shares with us his PSP homebrew app, Open a New PSP Shell. Interesting name, isn't it? Actually, it's a shell OPEN beta, and here are the things you need to know in this bundle:Supported formats:
- png
- jpg
- bmp
- mp3
- PBP
- iso
- sco
- ttf
- Games-bin # ps1
- img # ps1 Games
- lua
- txt
- ini
- zip
- html
- ope-# File System
- # unk-Related
- Icon-ic #
- # file-wal wallpaper
Games:
- CoLUAmns
- Connect
- Tetris
- Minesweeper
Utilities:
- Mediamax (thos in collaboration with)
- ad-hoc messenger
- Internet-Browser
- Calculator
Configuration:
- Posibilities to change the wallpaper
- Posibilities to change the color theme
- Posibilities to put a password
- The windows can be move, resize, delete or iconify.
- The bar shows you start the real program install
- You can easily copy, cut, delete, rename files work.
- The data transfer had hoc is not so ...
- Some games are offered
- PSP MEDIMAX lets you navigate work as mp3 in coveflow!
How does it work?
- Analog-Pad to move the mouse.
- High and scroll down to the file.
- Circle: folder
- Right and left to scroll through the selection of the bar start when there is more than 4 window.
- select: leave most games and application.
- Cross: click
- Delta: 2nd click
Download:
- Compatible with slim psp
- Kernel-3.XX required
Download: Open a New PSP Shell
PSP Homebrew - Linux Kubuntu KDE4 Mobile DEMO
September 30, 2008
dridri85 has come out with his Linux Kubuntu KDE4 Mobile DEMO homebrew app for the PSP. Since this is but a demo, you'll just need to "spend less than 2-3 minutes over because there was no application still functional." I guess that means cos it's still a work in progress, there's not a lot going on with this right now.
However, it does seem like the plan is for you to be able to open three Windows office, although for this version, you can only open one. Anyway, we think it would be much safer for you guys to read the translated notes yourselves, lest we muck it up even more:
I finished the first draft of my Linux, I present you the demo, you'll probably spend less than 2-3 minutes over because there was no application still functional. You can open 3 windows office, but for now there is only one. If bug you (2 times 3) a "blank screen, it displays and records information related to the bug, they are stored in a file named" exception.log "send me if it arrives;)
It is possible to change the language by modifying the file "kubuntu.ini"
Download: Linux Kubuntu KDE4 Mobile DEMO
PSPHugo v1.0.4: better emulation speed, cheat support added
September 30, 2008
ZX-81 has released another update for PSPHugo. This time, the NEC PC Engine - or, as it's known in the U.S., the TurboGrafx-16 - emulator for PSP has been given improved global emulation speed and cheat support.
Here's the changelog for PSPHugo v1.0.4:
- Improved global emulation speed, PC Kid is now fullspeed even at 222Mhz
- (overclock parameter set to 26 and sound 22Khz mono)
- HCD file support but sound audio track are still ignored
- Cheat support
- Memory monitoring engine to find your own cheat code
Download: PSPHugo v1.0.4 (fw 4.x)
Download: PSPHugo v1.0.4 (fw 1.5)
Download: PSPHugo v1.0.4 (source)
Visit: QJ.NET PSP Development forum
Related articles:
- PSPHugo v1.0.3: improved speed, ISO support, more
- PSP Homebrew - PSPHUGO: PC Engine Emulator for PSP v1.0.2 (sound speed)
Prinny: Is it OK if I’m the Main Character? demo on Japanese PlayStation Store
September 30, 2008
Well, they've finally been given their own title to star in - Nippon Ichi's Prinny: Ore ga Shujinkou de Iinsuka?, or Prinny: Is it OK if I'm the Main Character? for us gaijin - and a demo has been made available on the Japanese PlayStation Store.
Before you go dashing off and downloading the thing, take a look at the game's control setup below first. We also included a quick demo video of Prinny: Is it OK if I'm the Main Character? from PSPGadgetz. Enjoy!
- D-Pad: Movement
- Triangle: Lift, Throw
- Square: Slash
- Circle: Spin (while spinning, press left/right to dash)
- X: Jump (while midair, press down for hips attack or press square for Prinny Blast)
- Select: Show menu
- Analog Stick: Not used
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