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Buy a PSP, get Chains of Olympus or LocoRoco 2 free at GameStop
if you've yet to nab yourself a PSP -- or if you're looking for an excuse to upgrade to a PSP-3000 -- GameStop just might have a deal for you. Right now, if you buy a new PSP system, you can snag either God of War: Chains of Olympus or LocoRoco 2 for free. Granted, both games only cost around $20 anyway, but a free game is a free game. The offer is available in-store or online (use the code FREEGOW). Our local GameStop stated that the offer was only good for the core system, though it looked like the discount was being applied when we put a Dissidia bundle into our cart on GameStop.com (attempt at your own risk).The offer ends on May 21 (this Thursday), so you'd best be snappy if this deal is for you.
Asian PSN releases for the week of 1/26 - 2/1
This past week's Asian PSN update was, to put it simply, a rather delicious surprise. For starters, Square Enix finally decided to shed its apathy towards PSN and shoved both recently revealed Final Fantasy XIII and FFVII: Advent Children Complete trailers onto the PlayStation Store. It'll be nice to watch those two trailers again, especially in full 1080p this time. In addition to those videos, there's also a new (and final) Yakuza 3 trailer as well as a debut trailer for the PSP "new vibe RPG" Yuusha 30. Click the links below to follow-through directly to full update content for either PS3 or PSP, and Japan or Hong Kong/Singapore regions. PS3 - Japan | PSP - Japan | PS3 - HK/Singapore | PSP - HK/Singapore
Killzone 2 demo Feb. 26 on PSN; Sony explains Feb. 2 pre-order-only release
Not pre-ordering Killzone 2? Curious as to when you'll be granted access to the demo on PSN? Short answer: Thursday, February 26th, a day before the game's official release, Sony has confirmed through MTV Multiplayer. Of course, those who pre-order the game -- exclusively through GameStop -- will be able to download and play the demo as early as February 2nd. As Multiplayer has posed, the practice of essentially selling a demo to those who have already committed to purchasing the game (only through a specific retailer) seems counterintuitive to the inherent purpose of a demo; namely, to convince the uncommitted to buy your game. "Offering a playable demo to motivate pre-orders speaks to our confidence in the appeal of a game such as Killzone 2," explained Sony's Scott Steinberg to Multiplayer. "We take this approach when we are convinced that the experience will cement a consumer's interest in purchasing. Retailers will then merchandise those demos within their stores and online to maximize their visibility." Next up: LocoRoco 2 -- demo it by pre-ordering the full game at a retailer near you. Curious about Killzone 2? Check out our ridiculously informative FAQ, featuring everything from button layout to release date to Trophies to multiplayer analysis, and more! And if that don't do it for ya? Then proceed directly to our hands-on preview of the single-player campaign.
LocoRoco 2: cheaper than the original game
Why is LocoRoco 2 so much cheaper than the original? A. It's so much better than the original game and they simply want more people to play it. B. They're begging you to please just stop pirating their games. Whatever the reason, we're happy with the price, as revealed on the PlayStation.Blog. LocoRoco 2 hits American retail stores on February 10th.%Gallery-27791%
LocoRoco 2 won't cost more than two movie tickets, says Sony
It's true, the price of LocoRoco 2 won't surpass that of two regular movie tickets here in the US (don't get snarky, matinee and senior citizen discounts don't count). With a budget price of $19.99, there's really not much to complain about. The game is still set to roll into stores this February 10, so keep watch and save a Jackson for next month. And by the way, that huge image above is the official North American box art.
LocoRoco 2 hits the US this February
After such a tiring localization process (from English to ... er, English), LocoRoco 2 will be available in the US this February. The blubbery fellows are finally coming back to the PSP with tons of enhancements over the original title. Watch for it on UMD on February 10th, 2009. [Thanks, Alex L.!]
LocoRoco 2 coming to North America on Feb. 10
Well, this news is sure to leave you smiling ear to ear for the next week -- a tad awkward if you're meant to be at a funeral in the near future, but that's just how LocoRoco rolls. The giggling explosion of euphoric colors, more elegantly dubbed "LocoRoco 2," is officially slated to arrive in North America on Feb 10, 2009. The PlayStation Blog notes that the anticipated sequel will be available then on UMD, but we hope to see a version of LocoRoco 2 arrive on the PlayStation Store as well (Japan's doing it!). It'll save us the trip into the outside world, which we hear is a rather dour place. %Gallery-27791%
Japan's latest LocoRoco 2 commercial makes us smile
Why can't we have more ads like this? It's so simple, yet so fun. It's sort of like being LocoRoco the game itself, in a sense. We can't help but smile and feel happy after watching this. It's so silly. Oh, and in case you were just wondering, LocoRoco 2 hit Japan today. That's news to everyone but our European readers, of course. They're too busy playing the darn thing to notice.
IGN goes loco with LocoRoco 2 videos
Don't expect to find anything too startling about these LocoRoco 2 videos. We're totally enamored by the upcoming PSP sequel, but the core gameplay experience has remained largely the same. Check out the megaton of videos released on IGN to find out for yourself. One video is embedded, after the break.
New LBP costumes feature LocoRoco, TV-on-head
This week's PSN update will see the addition of new SackBoy costumes for the faithful followers of LittleBigPlanet. The first is a free costume created by a contest winner, featuring a SackBoy with a TV on his head. The original submitted sketch for "Sack-In-The-Box" can be found after the break.The premium (read: pay) LBP costumes this week deliver a SackBoy take on the saccharine world of LocoRoco. Five costumes (pictured above) will come with the $3 pack. Now we await video featuring a full-blown LocoRoco LBP level.
Play LocoRoco 2's official flash mini-game
Want to play LocoRoco 2? Sure, us too, but you'll have to wait -- oh, hold on, what's this? You can play an official LocoRoco 2 flash game right now? That's good to hear as North Americans won't be getting a second helping of the cutesy blobs any time soon. However, you better start playing now because it will be gone come this November 21. Why, you might ask? Because the game hits Europe on that day. Those lucky blob-lovers.[Via Eurogamer]
Europe gets LocoRoco 2 and Buzz! Brain Bender in November
The semi-official PlayStation blog ThreeSpeech has let out a list of Sony Europe's first party titles scheduled for release in November. Apparently, both LocoRoco 2 and Buzz! Brain Bender are SCEE's PSP offerings for the month; however, their respective dates come with an attached to-be-confirmed note -- so things could change. LocoRoco 2 is slated for November 21, while the new Buzz! game is set a week later on the 28th. November 21 is a rather early date for LocoRoco 2 considering that Japan will be getting the title on December 4. We suppose Europeans love the smug-looking blobs more than they do in Asia. Meanwhile, North America will still have to settle with 2009 for a release date.
TGS 08: LocoRoco 2 and the curiously embargoed trailer
Strangely, only one thing we reported on at Tokyo Game Show this year was under embargo. And that was this LocoRoco 2 trailer. Why? We don't know. If you read our hands-on impressions, you'll know that we're absolutely in love with this rather substantial sequel. Take a watch and see if you can find all the new gameplay features and enemies.
TGS 08: LocoRoco 2 grabs us with cuteness and depth
"Sorry it took so long," LocoRoco designer Tsutomu Kouno told me. In spite of the original's high-profile and well-received launch on the PSP, it's been over two years since we saw these lovable blubbers hit Sony's handheld. The silence around the long-rumored sequel is a bit baffling, as getting our hands on with the upcoming PSP title revealed a disarming amount of new content for the sequel.It's undeniable that the original LocoRoco charmed hardcore gamers, thanks to its lovable style and rather unique design. However, it couldn't keep the attention of these gamers, as it was perhaps a bit too simplistic. While children and casual gamers were enchanted, hardcore gamers needed substance beyond tilting left and right.So perhaps LocoRoco 2 is Kouno's attempt at bridging the gap between hardcore and casual audiences. The upcoming PSP-exclusive sequel maintains all the saccharin sweetness of the original, but adds new gameplay features that add a tremendous amount of depth to the experience. The sheer amount of content found in this UMD/downloadable game is staggering.%Gallery-27749%
TGS 08: PSP Wi-Fi Store opening Oct. 15 in Japan; all future first-party titles to be downloadable
Sony has announced that all future first-party PSP games will be available through download in Japan, beginning later this year via the Wi-Fi Store. The store is scheduled to open in Japan on October 15th with the firmware v5.00 update. Games to be sold by direct download include Secret Agent Clank (11/20), Patapon 2 (11/27), and LocoRoco 2 (12/4) (these titles will also be available on UMD).There is currently no date for the release of the store in North America or Europe. We're also wondering how downloadable games' pricing will compare to standard UMD retail prices (considering that direct downloads save on packaging, shipping and a slew of other costs). We'll update as soon as we hear anything.
GC 2008: The first trailer for LocoRoco 2
Do us a favor, just for safety's sake: If you've recently been eating sugary foods (Blueberry Muffintop cereal springs to mind) do not watch this Leipzig Games Convention trailer for LocoRoco 2, which is so adorably, pinchably sweet that combining it with other glucose-rich product is a one way ticket to diabetes.We don't learn much from the trailer, just that it looks like LocoRoco 2 will be sporting a lot more gameplay variety ... oh, and that we'll never ever get that song out of our heads.
LocoRoco 2 trailer is predictably adorable
Download to PSP This new LocoRoco 2 "special movie" found on the official Japanese website shows us just how cute things on the PSP can be. The art direction looks about the same in this highly-anticipated sequel, along with some kawaii music that can get a little annoying if you listen to it more than once. The cute little blobs demonstrates some of their new skills here, such as swimming and biting. Stay for the end, which makes us wish there was a LocoRoco TV show.[Via NeoGAF]
PSP software support way down, recovery is likely
We knew software support for the PSP was relatively dire but this chart says it all. According to Siliconera, who've compiled a comprehensive analysis of publisher support, 2006 was the peak while 2007 saw a huge decline. The top six contributing publishers to the PSP's software library have all taken a considerable dip in scheduled titles, but Siliconera also points out that 2008 is actually starting to curve upward. Does that mean we're on the cusps of a healthy and steady recovery? Possibly, as games like Dissidia: Final Fantasy and LocoRoco 2 are on the way this year, and future titles like Resistance: Retribution and The 3rd Birthday are also on the way. The report is a very good read; we suggest you check out the whole thing at Siliconera for an in-depth look.
PSP E3 2008 screenshot roundup
Liberation? Retribution? There's definitely something up with the jump to handheld third person ... Dive deeper into the mystery in the gallery below, and then check out Super Stardust (um, not in HD), and a pair of colorful sequels posted after the break. %Gallery-27792% %Gallery-27794%
Check out these E3 LocoRoco 2 screens
We knew it! We knew we'd be seeing LocoRoco 2 at E3. We even made the prediction before the game was shown for the first time in Famitsu. Now that Sony's press conference has passed, it's time to check out all these tasty new screens. It should get you excited for all the glorious gaming to be had soon.%Gallery-27749%
