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PlayStation Awards 2008: The PSP games
The results are in, and the annual 2008 PlayStation Awards out of Japan is now a wrap. The handing out of awards commemorates successful titles over the past year. It highlight the best of the best and honors titles that have sold more than 500,000 units with a Gold Award, and those which sold over a million with a Platinum Award.Both Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Phantasy Star Portable have earned for themselves a Gold Award; however, the true star this year is Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. It has earned for itself a double-Platinum Award for being the only title (not only from PSP, but out of the entire PlayStation family) to sell more than two million copies in Japan this year. Congratulations to all the games that have won recognition.[via press release]
PlayStation Awards 2008: The PS3 games
The results are in, and the annual 2008 PlayStation Awards out of Japan is now a wrap. The handing out of awards commemorates successful titles over the past year. It highlights the best of the best and honors titles that have sold more than 500,000 units with a Gold Award, and those which sold over a million with a Platinum Award.Unfortunately, only one PS3 title made this year's list. That being, of course, Metal Gear Solid 4 with a Gold Award. With most of the other major PS3-exclusives releasing in late Autumn, we're not really surprised by this. Anyways, congratulations to you MGS4 for the recognition. [via press release]
New PS3 owners in Japan get promo demo discs, including Resident Evil 5 demo
SCEJ is pumping up the completely commercial Japanese Christmas season with new promotional material. The company is offering free demo discs to new PS3 owners in Japan upon the purchase of their system. These discs will contain demos and promotional trailers for both already released and upcoming PS3 titles. Buyers have a choice of either the red disc, which contains family friendly content, or the white disc, which includes more mature content. While majority of the demos to be found on either disc are already currently available on the PS Store, there is one demo of note: Resident Evil 5 with offline and online co-op. Previously, it was announced that a demo for RE5 was to release on December 5 for Xbox Live Gold Members; however, it looks like the PS3 will also be getting in on the action as these discs hit as early as December 18. The demo discs apparently will be only available in-store and while supplies last. See the full disc content listed after the break.[via press release]
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]
White Knight Chronicles vids: online play and TGS 08 trailer
The last time we did a story on White Knight Chronicles, we were bringing you a 14-minute look at Level-5's studio and the online components of the game. It was an interesting look, having the developers show everyone around, but now it' time for a new trailer (and even more footage of online play).The trailer posted above is the same one that was played at the Tokyo Game Show last month. A lot of it includes spliced up imagery from the first trailer the year, before but it's got a few new things in there. The vid posted after the break shows us a little bit about how the "live party" online portion of the game works. Get into that if you want to know more.
MotorStorm 2 humors Japanese gamers with strange new trailer
Something is just off about this new MotorStorm Pacific Rift trailer from Japan. It could be the language barrier, sure, but actions speak louder than words and what we're seeing here has us palm-in-face. What exactly does any of this have to do with racing vehicles on off-road turf? Something tells us they do not quite understand what the game's all about. Or, we're just not getting them.
Love White Knight Chronicles? Here's 14 minutes of it
Way back last month at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony's booth had a small closed theater for White Knight Chronicles. After watching an all-Japanese interview and a brief trailer, closed theater-goers received a little card which gives access to a special video made available starting today. While all of you couldn't grab a card and consequently are not able to see this new video, we've done the work for you and are hosting the special treat for you to watch right here. White Knight Chronicles fans (especially the ones who can understand Japanese) will surely be interested in seeing this 14-minute long look into the making of the game. The first five minutes takes us on a guided tour through Level-5's posh Fukuoka studio. CEO and president of Level-5, Akihiro Hino, then takes us through eight minutes of the battle system, fending off overgrown monsters and transforming into the White Knight himself. The last minute includes some footage seen from the TGS trailer. So watch it right now! WNC is out in Japan on Christmas Day, December 25.
Enkaku Sousa and Diamond Gunshot websites open
Yup, those two modern day, Dick Tracy-like games now have official sites. Now that the print mags have let the cat out of the bag on Sony's first party PSP games to be shown at TGS, the internet is getting a treat. If you're interested in getting a better look at either of these titles, you can check out the Enkaku Sousa website here or the Diamond and the Sound of a Gunshot one right here.This blogger recommends checking out the Enkaku Sousa website purely to listen to the background music. That, and the fact that there's some footage on the game you can watch. Diamond Gunshot's website on the other hand, has less to offer, but drop by if you're interested.
Famitsu: Demon's Souls, PS3 action-RPG at TGS
The latest Famitsu has some info on one of those nine unannounced PS3 games coming from Sony and to be shown off at TGS next week. Demon's Souls is a single-player, fantasy-themed action-RPG being developed by From Software (and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, of Armored Core fame), and published by SCEJ. Though it's a new IP, the game's director and SCE producer mention From Software's RPG series King's Field – perhaps a spiritual successor of some kind? Demon's Souls will be playable at TGS, so we'll find out then, okay?[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Dissidia and Patapon 2 dated, new bundles announced
SCEJ just dropped a ton of information concerning several major PSP titles for the remainder of 2008. Three huge games are now officially slated for this holiday season in Japan, and two of them are certainly games you probably won't want to miss importing. Dissidia: Final Fantasy is now set for a December 18 release, while Patapon 2 Donchaka and Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam will both be out November 27 and 20, respectively.All three games will be sold alongside bundled packs that include the new bright-screened PSP-3000. Patapon 2 Donchaka not only dons a new subtitle, but will also be available as a PS Store download for those who want to save a couple of bucks over the UMD version. This is a similar strategy as seen by Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or2 and Bleach Soul Carnival. Tax-inclusive prices for games and bundles are after the break ... just in case you wanted to know how much money will be leaving your wallet this holiday season. [Via press release]
Over 10 million PSP units sold in Japan, top 5 games
Can you believe it? Famitsu reports that according to statistics provided by Enterbrain, ten million units of the PSP have been sold since its introduction to Japan back in the December of 2004. We knew this already, but there is some software news as well. The top game was Monster Hunter 2nd G with almost 2.4 million copies sold. With three games on the top 5, Japan sure loves Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter 2nd G (release date 03/27/08: 2,396,642 copies sold) Monster Hunter 2nd (release date 02/22/07: 1,706,387 copies sold) Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (release date 09/13/07: 790,705 copies sold) Monster Hunter Portable (release date 12/01/05: 668,964 copies sold) Phantasy Star Portable (release date 07/31/08: 545,242 copies sold) The PSP has been beaten by the DS in the hardware sales chart during the past two weeks. But with the PSP Brite coming out in October and Dissidia: Final Fantasy coming out in December, we believe the PSP will be back on top in no time.[Via Kotaku]
The Last Guy priced and dated for North America
Did you try out the demo for The Last Guy yesterday? If you did, and if you liked it, you'll probably be glad to know this bit of news. According to IGN, The Last Guy will be available for the North American PS Store next week on August 28. As for the price, it's going to cost only $9.99 -- nearly half the price of the Japanese version which will release on the same day.So make sure you play up that demo over and over again, and practice saving the herds and herds of people. You'll also want to check out Andrew's hands-on with the US version to prepare for the monster-dodging to come.
The Last Guy gets full release in Japan next week
Download to PSP The Last Guy will be fully released in Japan next week. On August 28, the full game will be available on the Japanese store for ¥2,000 ($18.44). For those who purchased the Japan Premium pack (which was the Asakusa-only level), you can get a refund of your ¥500 for purchasing the full game. However, you'll only have until October 31 to get the "discount."Checking out the newly released trailer (embedded above), the game will include cities such as London, Berlin, Sydney, Yokohama, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, and will also include a whole slew of new (and deadly-looking) monsters. Now, all we need to do is wait for dates and prices on a Western release to pop up.
The Last Guy teaser site opens
Remember The Last Guy? It was a title that Sony trademarked awhile back. Other than that fact and a name, the only other thing we knew about the game was that it received an E10 rating from the ESRB. However, now we've got a little more to work with as Gpara points out a teaser site for this supposed title. On the teaser site, we can see rows of red caricatures seemingly marching. The red text stating "2008.7.11" suggests we may see something soon this Friday. A star adjacent to The Last Guy text also seems to be more than just a design -- it appears to be part of the title itself. We sense a strong allusion here; the game could possibly be about Communism (soldiers, red star, etc.), but that's just a thought. Anyway, feel free to play around with the site; maybe you'll find something we've missed.[Via Gpara]
Afrika's main theme sounds Indiana Jones-ish
Afrika is a safari sim hitting Japan in late August. While we haven't heard much about the game recently, we have heard sounds from the game -- the main theme to be exact. Coming from ScoringSessions, this video shows composer Wataru Hokoyama leading an orchestra on Afrika's title music. It sounds rather Indiana Jones-ish in lieu of what we'd expect to hear; like, uh, say something out of The Lion King. Still, it's a good track, and, no, the video has no sights of Africa ... just sights of Hollywood where the music was recorded. If you want to check out more on Afrika, you can hit up the official Japanese site. A North American release has yet to be announced.[Via MultiplayerBlog]
Japan readies for God of War by throwing party
God of War: Chains of Olympus is on its way to Japan on July 10. To help get the game into the minds of PSP gamers -- and peel them away from Monster Hunter -- a special event was held last Friday in Tokyo. There were 15 booths where people could try out the game, tons of free swag such as keychains and t-shirts, and specially crafted drinks made from goat blood, harpy milk, and cyclops sweat were served. Japanese hip-hop group YOU THE ROCK??? was also around to keep things lively. See photos of the event here.As Chains of Olympus devs Ready at Dawn have let their sun set on the PSP, this summer's release for Chains will be the final game on the system from the crew. In that respect, this event was not only the celebration for kicking off the PSP God of War game in Japan, but also, an unintentional farewell. We only hope the game does well in Japan because it really deserves the love.
New Afrika trailer is wildly educational
Okay, we think we finally get it. This latest trailer for PlayStation 3 safari sim, Afrika, reveals that the game is, much like the Wii's Endless Ocean, all about exploring, documenting and learning about wildlife. You'll snap pictures of giraffes (they're really tall!), sneak up on a buffalo in the dead of night (where are his wings?), and drive alongside sprinting cheetahs (they always prosper!). There also appears to be an interactive encyclopedia providing details on all those animals you spied on at the watering hole, though it doesn't seem to mention what any of them taste like.... What?
Japan getting 'Metallic Blue' PSP, 'Cinnabar Red' PS2
Like an enormous -- and enormously spoiled -- child whose tantrums can shake the entire planet, Japan gets all the cool stuff, all the time. The latest, albeit limited-edition, gifts bestowed upon it are a Metallic Blue PlayStation Portable and a Cinnabar Red PlayStation 2. The portable system will be available in a standard Value Pack (complete with cloth, pouch, D Terminal AV cable and, don't laugh, a 32MB Memory Stick), as well as a 1 Seg Pack which includes a 1GB memory stick, carrying case and 1 Seg tuner. They'll be out on July 17th for ¥23,800 ($231) and ¥29,800 ($289), respectively.The Cinnabar Red PlayStation 2, slated to become available on July 3rd, will fetch a price of ¥16,000 ($155). And in case you were wondering, Cinnabar is actually some kind of red-tinted rock. We were under the impression that you could toss back shooters and eat delicious cinnamon rolls in there. [Via Engadget]Source -- Blue!Source -- No, Rehhhhhhd!
PSN gardening game to exercise green thumbs
There's nothing we enjoy quite as much after a long evening of gaming than tending to our resident houseplants, one of which teeters on the edge of death while the other, greener replacement waits for when the original inevitably shuffles off its leafy coil. Now, however, it seems that players in Japan may soon be able to take on this diversion with controller in hand as well, as Famitsu has revealed a new PSN title from SCEJ and movie house Premium Agency called Shikitei (literally translated as "Four Seasons Garden"), that premises to let us plant a garden and watch it grow.Watch being the operative word here, as it seems that even virtually Sony doesn't trust our green thumbs, the report revealing that the game, or "environmental simulator" according to IGN, will focus more on letting players design gardens before letting the program have its way with them. In fact, according to producer Rie Nakamura, the title will include no gaming elements at all. Fun! Still, for all of its hands-offness, Shikitei will include elements such as custom soundtracks, as well as the ability to take a stroll through the virtual eden, no doubt offering solace in the fact that this is one garden that won't meet an untimely end at our hands. At least until we turn off the power.
Europeans barred from Afrika
It seems that you residents of Europe itching to go on an exotic wildlife safari will either have to import a copy of the PlayStation 3's Afrika, or have someone push you through the downtown supermarket on a trolley. And hey, if you have extra money lion around, you could pay a visit to the real Africa (the one with a "c") and snap some pics of those really tall horses.Speaking to Eurogamer, Sony has declared that its plans to publish the nebulous Afrika in Europe are currently non-existent. It was confirmed that the game would still be coming out in Japan, however, with zebra new teaser website promising something "soon." We'll keep our ears to the ground, listening for that stampede of information.
