Gaming Addict

I’m fresh off playing the new demo for the upcoming PSP game Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron.  What I’ve seen and done here really disappoints me, I have to say.  The concept seemed larger than life, and I just don’t think that the PSP was the place for such a concept.  In Elite Squadron the big hook is more massive battles, in which space and land skirmishes take place at the same time.  You’re able to travel to the ground, and into space to wage war.

Of course the PSP isn’t powerful enough to house a battle like this, so what you’ve really got is two different battles going on simultaneously.  Through a starship you can choose to enter a nice little pre-rendered cutscene that shows you either entering space, or entering the atmosphere to join the ground battle.  That’s a very cool concept, unfortunately I’m just not impressed with the end result.  

When you’re in space with your starship, the battles are nice and big, plenty of open flying space, and enemies to blast.  Then you transfer to ground, and the game’s “massive” scale battles are exposed for being nothing but small skirmishes.  It’s pathetic trying to fly a starship around the miniature ground battle environments.  The level I played might have been the smallest ground skirmish area I’ve ever seen in fact, in a Battlefront game.

From there you discover that the controls have become a right mess, if you’re trying to fight on the ground.  Space combat plays as well as ever, which has been a series shining accomplishment since Battlefront II.  But here the changes made to ground combat are just horrid, and mar the experience as almost unplayable.

Because you only have one analog nub on the PSP your aiming depends on auto targeting the enemies around you.  The problem with this principle is that in big firefights, you frequently target the wrong enemy, over and over again.  I died more than once trying to target a closer enemy, finding I could only target the same far away foe I had been shooting.  There really is no useful means of target switching on the fly, that could be considered effective. 

All in all this is a mess, and serves as a fine example why Lucasarts is slipping in the gaming world.  Starting with Force Unleashed, continuing with Fracture, and all the way into Battlefront: Elite Squadron, everything feels cheaply thrown together and rushed.  Elite Squadron has a fantastic premise, but portable systems just aren’t the place for such a massive idea.

Elite Squadron is screaming for a console release, where the game can take on the massive feel that it really deserves.  But here on PSP, the game rots in the inferior processing power, and small fight environments available.  Maybe Lucasarts will finally learn though, and give us the Battlefront game we’ve all been waiting to see.  Just make the 360/PS3 version everyone wants.  PSP is not the place to take this game online, or try to emulate shooter gameplay. 

If you’re a fan if Ikki Tousen, you already know of the common theme that the anime series carries, of school girls getting their clothes torn apart whilst fighting.  Well the new Ikkit Tousen game Ikki Tousen: Xross Impact picks up where the first PSP game left off, only now with clothes shredding fighting as a feature.  That’s right, now as you pummel your opponents, not only with they receive the wrath of your beating, but they’ll also lose their clothing.  

Of course, as with the show, there is no actual nudity beyond quite a bit of flesh between clothing shreds.  But still, I suppose that’s entertaining to Ikki Tousen fans.  The new game is in the same vein as the first, a side-scrolling beat-em up, in which you’ll face wave after wave of clothing tearing enemies.  As I’m on the outside, not really a fan of the series, this just sounds like a hilarious feature.  That destructible costumes is a big plug for Ikki Tousen: Xross Impact seems like there can’t be a whole lot of great gameplay otherwise. 

But I guess a game with violence and half naked girls that you can make more half naked, the better a fighter you are, is great motivation for someone out there.  

I should be really excited that there is a new Star Wars Battlefront game coming out, but I’m just not.  Probably because Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is planned as a PSP, Nintendo DS release.  I’m getting really tired of playing Battlefront on my PSP, and I’d like to switch to consoles now please.  I don’t understand Lucasarts.  You have this amazing medium of PS3 and better yet Xbox 360 for it’s Xbox Live set up, which would be perfect for Battlefront.  Yet still, no announcement on the game every Star Wars fan is waiting for.  

For what Elite Squadron is, the game still looks decent.  The big changes this time around are space and land battles that happen simultaneously, so you’re able to affect a space battle from the ground, and vice versa.  That means blasting ion cannons at a star destroyer, or taking the big guns in space and shooting at the ground, or even flying your X-wing or TIE fighter from space to the battles below.  Of course you’ll have to deal with a 5 second loading screen when you transition from land to space, but small price to pay.

Elite Squadron promises a revamped single player campaign as well.  We all know Star Wars Battlefront games in the past had throwaway senseless single player campaigns, but Elite Squadron promises to change things this time out.  No details on how that will change, just that the story spans the entire 6 episode Star Wars saga.  

But really, give us Star Wars Battlefront for consoles already.  I’m dying to take the game out on Xbox Live, where I can talk to friends and formulate strategy while we take down some hopeless chumps in multiplayer.

The box art for Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 has been released, and I’m a little unimpressed.  I’ve never really been sold on PES over FIFA, mostly because of the fact that PES can’t afford to get the rights to the vast majority of football clubs the way that EA can with FIFA.  I’ll hand it to PES that the quality of the simulation is for the most part better, and more realistic.  But FIFA just has the bells and whistles that truly represent why this is the world’s most popular sport.  

Not to mention the cover art.  Look at PES.  You’ve got arguably the two best strikers in world football right now, in Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres, and they both look bored to tears, acting like they’re actually playing. 

Whereas take the FIFA 10 US artwork, which has been released for a while now, you have Frank Lampard front and central shouting, and looking passionate about the game.  Although Blanco and Sacha Kljestan look fairly bored just like Torres and Messi, still, I think the FIFA cover inspires more passion.  Even if you’re not a Chelsea fan, which I most definitely am not.  At any rate, I’m really droning on about nothing, so decide for yourselves.  I’ll be sticking with FIFA solely based on the more fully fleshed out Be A Pro mode, and that’s become the meat and potatoes of my videogame footballing.  

I’m fairly excited for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines for PSP, considering two announcements about the game.  Apparently Bloodlines is going to tie together the plotlines from the first Assassin’s Creed and the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 2, acting as a storyline bridge so that we can better understand exactly what’s going on in the greater scheme.  Bloodlines will also feature a fully realized open world environment for you to traverse at will as Altair.

If you haven’t played the first game, I’d suggest you don’t read any further, as the plotline of Bloodlines gives away the ending of the original Assassin’s Creed, so consider this your SPOILER warning. 

After the events of the first game the Templars flee the Holy Land to settle on the island of Cyprus.  Altair follows the Templars and takes up arms to lead a local resistance in their bid to remove the Templar influence from their homeland.  So basically this will be Assassin’s Creed 1.5.  But that sounds pretty cool for the most part.  And the island environment gives them a good excuse to make a smaller open world environment, that doesn’t detract from the game’s core mechanic too severely.

You’ll also be able to sync Bloodlines with Assassin’s Creed 2 via your PS3, in which you’ll be able to access all manner of upgrades to your gameplay that would be otherwise unavailable. 

Apparently Sony has big plans for the PSP console, a very welcome change, considering the longstanding critiques of Sony for not supporting their handheld enough with big releases.  Well that’s about to change with two giant announcements of major Sony franchises coming to PSP.  The first of which was the confirmation of Gran Turismo for PSP, to be released on October 1st, coinciding with the release of the PSP Go.  Awesome news considering how legendary the Gran Turismo has become, though it’s not my cup of tea, it’s fantastic news for a handheld I love, that desperately needs the support.

Also announced is an upcoming Resident Evil game exclusively for PSP.  Though no word on what’s planned for the title has been announced beyond just that the game exists.  Already anticipated to have a 2010 release, this will mark the first time that the Resident Evil franchise makes an appearance on PSP, and considering how long PSP has been out, it’s about damn time.

And finally still, in more PSP news, often touted as the absolute best of the series, Final Fantasy VII has been released via the Playstation Store for both PSP and PS3.  Especially awesome in the case of the PSP considering now you can take FFVII with you on the go, one of the most legendary games in the history of the console.  Now all we need is a PSP version of Metal Gear Solid and the classic games quota will really start meeting expectations.  

This is turning into the Metal Gear news network, but Hideo Kojima has announced another Metal Gear Solid game set to come out in the near future.  That being Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker which will be exclusively released on the PSP.  Peace Walker has been described by Kojima as being a direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3, taking place ten years after the events of Snake Eater. 

Kojima also emphasized that Peace Walker is a whole new game in the Metal Gear Solid series, a game of it’s own taking up it’s own end of Metal Gear’s plotline.  Meaning Peace Walker is not a port, tie-in, or subplot, but a full blown chapter in the Metal Gear Solid saga.  Pretty freaking awesome if you ask me. 

Especially considering how fantastic Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was, I really can’t wait to play essentially a game that will encompass all the good, but take MGS’ foray into the portable to a new level with a plotline to match the fantastic gameplay.  I just hope, of course, as with all Metal Gear Solid games that Kojima has a heavy hand in the production, because I still don’t trust anyone else with the series, as we’ve seen the results before, and Metal Gear without Kojima just feels like Snake in someone else’s shoes. 

Warner Bros is taking the reins of the Lord of the Rings movie/game tie-ins, and are going to start us off by basically remaking the games that have come before.  First up is Lord Of The Rings: Aragorn’s Quest, which is just a rehash of the same battles and events you’ve already played through from the films, only this time you’re only given the choice of playing as Aragorn.  The game is going to be released for DS, PSP, PS2, and Nintendo Wii, which also means we won’t get a cool glossy and beautiful ‘next-gen’ LOTR world to play through, meaning this really is going to be nothing but rehash of what you’ve already done before.

Lame, is all I have to say, completely and utterly lame.

I don’t really find myself interested in any ‘unique’ take on Aragorn’s quests, at least not with last-gen technology, or motion control gimmicks.  I want new LOTR experiences, with battles that push the scale and ability of the Xbox 360 and PS3, with graphics that make you feel a part of Middle-Earth.  I don’t want to play yet another LOTR PS2 game, or a gimmicky DS game…although some cool epic battles on the go would be awesome for PSP considering the 3D rendering ability of the handheld.

But still…new experiences, not rehashed cash-ins…please Warner, take that to heart.  

Once again my disappointment with Lucasarts knows no bounds.  There is in fact a new Star Wars Battlefront game on the horizon, but not in the way that we were all hoping.  If there is in fact to be a ‘next-gen’ Battlefront, we’re certainly going to have to wait for some time, as the only release coming up will be for PSP and DS.  Which to me, once more, means Lucasarts is cutting corners, likely because of the hits they’ve taken in the economic recession.  And I understand having to cut corners when the economy sucks, but it still pisses me off.  

I have two PSP Battlefront games, and they’re both damn near identical, just as this new Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is destined to become.  I don’t want more crappy visuals combined with crappy controls Battlefront games.  I want the real thing, with awesome visuals that push 360 and PS3 to their limits, vehicles that rival the fun found in Halo 3’s vehicular carnage, and epic stages lifted straight from all six Star Wars films.  And something new, not the Hoth battle again, we’ve all done that to death, it’s time to let the lame Hoth stage die once and for all.

Please do a Battlefront game right!  We got an awesome Battlefront esque Lord Of The Rings game with LOTR: Conquest, and it was fantastic, from graphics down to battle scale, down to just how cool the combat itself was.  Step up Star Wars, give us a movie franchise battle game that we’ve all always wanted!

A slew of PSP news today…or maybe not a slew, but a little bit of news, well really two announcements which are pretty exciting.  Not exactly enough to make somebody that doesn’t own a PSP run out to purchase one, but definitely two new additions that will entertain current PSP owners, like myself.  The first of which that Sony has announced SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3.  I’m semi interested in this, considering SOCOM has always been a decent franchise, although the PSP iterations have left much to be desired.  

Mostly because the PSP is just a horrible medium for a shooter that involves three dimensional shooting.  In fact the only shooter I’ve been impressed with in terms of design has been Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, and that mostly just because of your ability to lock on to other players, making it fairly easy to shoot any foes.  But I’m always willing to give SOCOM another try, especially considering how awesome the PS2 games have been in the past.  As long as Fireteam Bravo 3 is fun and offers a reasonable amount of badass feeling, as being a Navy SEAL should make you feel badass, I’m down for at least a rental. 

Also announced, well actually more confirmed considering the story broke and I even reported on it a while back, is the PSP version of LittleBigPlanet.  Which is exceptionally cool as except for graphics all the fantastic gameplay of the PS3 version should remain intact.  And if you haven’t yet played LittleBigPlanet on PS3, then you really should get around giving it a shot.  Seriously.  

I love games with a massive amount of replay ability, but LBP offers not only engaging fantastic levels, but an in depth level editor, allowing you to create your own masterpieces.  Or if you’re just not that creative, you can download other levels that people have uploaded to Playstation Network, essentially creating a game experience that never ends.  Coolest concept ever made.