Slashdot Mirror
Sony Confirms 59 In-Development Japanese Titles for PSP
roadies writes "As tangentially mentioned a day or two back, Sony has confirmed 59 PSP titles currently in Japanese development, with many likely to make the Japanese launch of the handheld. Depending on how many debut at hardware release, this may make other handheld system launches pale in comparison, at least compared to the U.S.: the GBA had 15 titles, N-Gage only had 6 titles, and the cult favorite Neo Geo Pocket Color had around 10 launch titles. This is interesting in light of rumors that PSP dev kits haven't been widely released." Which of the games on the current list actually excite you?
Along with the fully compatable line of several hundred GB and GBC games. That's the power of having near 100% marketshare due to lack of competition. That is a huge advantage for every backwards compatable GameBoy system, no matter how few new games it has at launch. You can buy GB / GBC games which are still entertaining for 10 bucks off ebay or a used game store. Used PSP games will run 40 at best for months after launch, while the DS has a million games, including late GBA titles.
SAILING MISHAP
In the 16bit genesis days I remember how important first generation games were. Now it's alot less important with people usually waiting a year before they buy a system at price drop.
People are also 10x more alert and careful with what the buy given all this internet info available too.
No Solitaire? Screw that! This platform will be DOA. :)
Here's another IGN story from December 2000 that said around 22 games would launch with the GBA in Japan. And Majesco said they would have 7 games for the American launch. The IGN list above has been whittled down to 3 Majesco titles. If you follow some of the links from the IGN's GBA list, some missed the launch, and they don't have Castlevania : Circle of the Moon, which did make the launch.
Going by the games on this list it looks very wrong. Not that its untrue, but it seems like they are trying to simply make another Playstation, only small enough to carry around with you. Different gaming platforms require different games. Sure, some types of games work well in different departments. Fighting games work well in arcades and on consoles. Turn based strategy games work well just about anywhere.
But going by this list it seems like a bunch of sequels for existing playstation games. None of these games stand out as portable games. If you look at the GBA you get games like Advance Wars and Pokemon. These are portable games. They just wouldn't work out too well on consoles or pcs. Pokemon are something you carry around with you and battle your friends with. Advance Wars is the ultimate penis size measurer on long road trips. These PSP titles seem to me like they are reruns of popular 1 player Playstation games.
The PSP seems to me like its going to be a console you can take with you as opposed to a portable gaming platform. The game gear lost to the game boy for the same reason. It was sonic the hedgehog in full color versus Tetris in spinach green. We know who won.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
And the Playstation 2 will have "Toy Story quality graphics".
If you're still taking Sony at its word, you're a chump. (Everybody does it, Sony is just annoying because it has somehow conned a large number of fan-boys into believing every word.)
PSP launches with 59 games...in Japan.
But seriously, I doubt there will be more than 2 or 3 that are even worth a damn. Look at the Game cube or GBA launch. The only launch title I liked for the GC was Pikmen, and I had to rely on my GB/GBC library to hold me over until some good GBA games were released.
If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
Game "To be determined" - Square Enix Come on...with a name like that, it's gotta be good!
Uhhh FYI, Advance Wars is just a 'rerun' of a long-running console series, starting way back on the Famicom. It saw sequels on both Super Famicom and the original Gameboy. I am not sure how it happened, but other consoles also saw very similar games, like the classic Military Madness series on the PC Engine.
One of the reasons genres like turn-based strategy games work so well on previous portable systems (such as the GBA) is because the portables simply weren't up to doing many other genres. The controls of a GBA, in both number of buttons and movement method (smallish D-pad), just aren't very good for modern 3D racing games, 3D action games, fighting games, etc. The small low-resolution (i.e. less than a television) screen is also a factor.
IMO, that is the most exciting 'feature' of the PSP - we have here a portable that can handle stuff like 'real' racing and 'real' action games now, something that has been missing in the portable space for many years. The PSP has more than enough buttons (same as or more than a SNES, yes?). It has a very clear screen that is also an excellent size. It has analog control, which is the real big deal versus the DS. I will take real analog over a stylus almost any day of the week, and I am not remotely alone - who wants to play a Mario64 or MarioKart64 port with no analog control? Would I rather 'suffer' through a portable FPS game with some analog control (a la Goldeneye) or with a stylus that makes my 24-year-old male hand block the screen (a la no successful game I have ever heard of)?
Even better, most of these features make the PSP more suited for stuff like turn-based strategy games. Especially the better screen.
Obviously Sony could screw up the PSP (price and battery-life are important, if less crucial than many Nintendo fans claim). I am hardly a Sony fanboy (they piss me off far more often than not), but the PSP has a real shot at finally allowing some real genre variety again in the portable videogaming market. Just because Nintendo has traditionally chosen to make a cheaper and less capable portable system doesn't mean all portables have to be like that!
(As a historical aside, the original Gameboy had tons of quality action games and the like that you just don't see on its GBA successor. You had a good Metal Gear Solid game for example. Whether the GBA is missing these types of games because of the consoles moving to more advanced [i.e. 3D] versions of these genres, or the fact that apparently 90% of the GBA market is little kids who want franchised games or sequels is a question yet to be answered. I suspect the PSP might answer it, though...)
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
Words of wisdom : Quality over quantity thats why im getting a DS
The PSP next to the DS however shows the PSP as having a far far far far superior screen. Will that matter? Well yes. IF sony can avoid the mistake of the "also ran" portables. Can it improve the battery life. Does it have a decent library of games. Isn't the big screen immensly vulnarable. Are the graphics on that big screen not going to disappoint.
The price issue is moot, just look at THE mp3 player. iPod is easily the most expensive and Apple just can't ship them fast enough. People got money but can sony make the PSP into a gPod? They sure weren't able to make the iPod despite the fact they invented the walkman.
The really big threat to the PSP is that it will be to restricted. Playing movies on it sounds nice but watching my pvr recorded tv on it that I didn't have time to watch at home on my way to work instead sounds far more usefull. Especially in the more public transport using areas of the world.
The DS has the background of a winner line but could also suffer badly from over confidence. We put up with the crappy screen of the GBA because the alternatives sucked even worse. But if the PSP is sitting in the shelves next to it I fear Nintendo might get an ugly wakeup call.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
News for only the Japanese launch, from a European website. Given Sony's track record of not many games never ever leave Japanese shores (Super Robot Wars anyone?), this probably equates to about 20 games for the European and US launch dates.
Comparing the number of games in development vs. the number of games available at launch is meaningless.
... (or any lighting) ... (or textures) ... (and they must be rendered as a single triangle strip). What amazes me is that anyone still listens to them.
So the GBA had 15 titles at launch -- does anyone honestly believe that there weren't already dozens more already in development? Or are we to believe that developers were taking a 'wait and see' approach, and only started new projects *after* the release of the GBA.
Sony loves to play these numbers games. 66 million polygons/second! (with no game simulation running)
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal
It's really cool how Hudson Soft and RED are working on a Far East of Eden game for the PSP... This series has never gotten its due in America, Far East of Eden 2:Manjimaru, was planned to be released in the US, but the death of the Turbo Duo unfortunately put a halt to that. The games all had a habit of coming out on systems (Turbo Grafx, Saturn) with short lifespans in the US, plus the games had themes that might not have sat well with the American public (Satanism, demon worship, and heavily parodied Japanese history).
They recently released a PS2 and Gamecube remake of 2:Manjimaru in Japan... the original version for the PC Engine/Turbo is probably one of the best games I've ever played!! If you saw this game in 1993 or whenever it came out, the large, vibrant cinemas and awesome music would have totally floored you, even though the in-game graphics are somewhere between Dragon Warrior 4 and Final Fantasy 2 US level..
Now that the American gaming industry has been advancing to the point where they can appreciate more serious themes and Japanese culture, I think it's high time to bring some of these great games over.
The best of course was Far East of Eden:The 4th Apocalypse, for Saturn... A parody of America as told through the eyes of PH Chada, a historian (who reprises his role throughout the series)... you had to do stuff like escape from Alcatraz and save Atlanta from the evil "TV MAN" who was using TV to control everyone. Fantastic game...
So basically, the 2 games I'm mostly interested for the PSP is the Tengai Makyo game and Ys 6... the most recent versions of games that rocked in the days of the Turbo Duo... I know Ys 6 is coming out for the PS2, let's hope that someone decides to bring over the 1-3 remakes, too!
not a one, since I've no intention on paying $300 for a PSP.
MORTAR COMBAT!
I hate to admit it, but being the ravenous fanboy I am, I'm most excited about:
Game "To be determined" - Square Enix
Trust Your Technolust
Maybe they were refering to the 2D platformer on the Super Nintendo? It certainly beat the snot out of that. ;)
"There are people who do not love their fellow human being, and I _hate_ people like that!" - Tom Lehrer