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The Flying Hamster intro is all about love
Also: sunflower seeds, eagles, penguins, UFOs, cows, robots, laser-shooting owls, octopi. Game Atelier's PS mini The Flying Hamster looks crazier than ever in this new trailer -- after the break -- which finally reveals the story behind the shmup.
Pac-Man Championship Edition coming to PSP and PS3
The hypnotic charms of Pac-Man: Championship Edition are being packed into a downloadable Mini for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. According to a Namco representative, the Mini should become available sometime this fall. Barring a delay, it would arrive alongside the new game in the series, Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX, which is slated for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. We got a chance to play the PSP game at a Pac-Man 30th Anniversary event in Los Angeles and found it to be identical to the XBLA version, right down to the in-game trophies. The d-pad certainly gives this handheld version the edge, and the colorful visuals look great on the PSP's screen. It should be a perfect distraction during your dull train commute, provided you don't mind missing your stop. And the next one. And the next one. And just one more.
History Egypt, Telegraph Crosswords, Stellar Attack join growing Minis line-up
It may have had a slow start in the US, but the Minis are finally coming in full-force. Three new Minis are coming to PSP/PS3 soon, and they're all very different games. History Egypt: Engineering an Empire is a licensed strategy game based on History Channel's Engineering an Empire television series. Imagine, if you will, a game that's one part Civilization, another part Advance Wars, with "extensive historical research" delivered by the History Channel. This Mini offers a "hot-seat" two-player mode, and a campaign featuring 14 nations and 30 cities. Telegraph Crosswords will be available next Tuesday, June 1st for $2.99. Featuring 500 puzzles, there are three different types of crosswords to choose from: Quick, General Knowledge and Cryptic. Finally, Stellar Attack (pictured) looks to be the most action-packed Mini of the bunch. Launching on June 1st for $4.49, this is an "homage to classic shoot-em-up Star Castle," featuring puzzles, action and "precision targeting." With a techno soundtrack and a "racking" score system, this should appeal to the hardcore crowd. Check out a trailer, after the break.
Robin Hood: The Return of Richard assaults PSP Minis
Do you ever wish your PSP could experience the magic and wonder of American Laser Games? Well, Nordcurrent's Robin Hood: The Return of Richard doesn't quite replicate the full live-action cheesiness of Mad Dog McCree ... but it certainly tries. Robin Hood will be available as a Mini for $4.99 in today's PSN Tuesday update. But seriously, look at what you're getting yourself into before you even consider buying this. We attached a video, after the break.
The Flying Hamster joins PSP Minis, offers new tutorials
We've been championing Game Atelier's adorable shmup, The Flying Hamster, for quite some time. And although it's still without a release date, the development team has recently confirmed that it will end up in the PlayStation Minis program (hopefully allowing cross-platform play via PSP and PS3). While we may be touting its cute facade, we have to admit that the gameplay looks rather compelling, as well. These new weapons tutorial videos (after the break) offer some insight into the depth of the game's combat. (We can't wait to use the banana weapon!) %Gallery-83145%
Supermarket Mania sweeps PS3/PSP on May 18
G5 Entertainment's Supermarket Mania is leaping from iPhone and PC to the PlayStation Minis program. While it may not be the Supermarket Sweeps game we've always dreamed of, it does offer casual gamers the chance to become a supermarket manager. Players will have to keep the shelves well stocked and serve customers, "including hard-to-please celebrities." (Does that mean you'll have to keep stock of illegal drugs?) Supermarket Mania will be available in North America for $4.99 on May 18th, and in Europe for €4.99 on May 26th. Check out a trailer after the break.
Coconut Dodge bounces to PSN May 19 in Europe, 'soon' in US
Coconut Dodge, the first PlayStation Mini game from Flash developer Futurlab, is coming to Europe on May 19 and "as soon as possible" in the US, according to a recent developer tweet. It's a rather simple game, where you must do exactly as the title suggests: dodge coconuts. There is some depth, though, as evidenced by the addition of hard-to-reach silver treasures and a bouncing ball, which players must balance to receive various bonuses. Coconut Dodge will debut with a limited promotional price of £1.99 on the EU PlayStation Store (until July).
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess definitely being released Apr. 22
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess, the PSP Mini about unfortunate anti-monster racial profiling, has been given a release date of April 22 -- which publisher Mediatonic has confirmed is worldwide. The game, playable on both PSP and PS3, stars the Duke, who goes on an ill-researched quest to rescue his princess, jumping endlessly upward through vertically scrolling levels, and beating up every presumed guilty monster he sees (hint: all of them). To see the game in (unfair) action, check out the trailer after the break. It features random wings, Castlevania-esque music, and monster piledrivers! You'll probably enjoy watching it. %Gallery-82756%
'The Terminator' iPhone game coming to PS Minis
According to its website (and an ESRB classification), Elefunk dev Big Head Games is bringing its The Terminator iPhone / iPod Touch game (released last summer) to PS Minis. There's no date yet for the cross-compatible PS3/PSP title (described as "run-and-gun" by the ESRB) which casts players as Kyle Reese in a prequel to the original Terminator film. iTunes users haven't exactly been kind to the mobile version of the game, but we've yet to see what changes (if any) BHG will be making for the Minis release. Wait -- did we just write this without making a single cringe-worthy Terminator reference? Hmm. Off day, we guess. [Via Destructoid]
Just Add Water announces 'Vektar Beat' for PSP Minis and iPhone
Gravity Crash developer Just Add Water has announced a brand new game for PSP, PS3 and iPhone. Vektar Beat is a "rhythm/puzzle game" that will presumably feature vector-styled graphics. Taking a page from WiiWare's Bit.Trip franchise, Vektar Beat is just the first in a series of Vektar mini-games. While details are scant, there's good reason to play close attention to the game. Just Add Water plans on charging as little as $1 for the game on the Minis service, introducing pricing parity between the App Store and the PlayStation Store for the first time. For PSP owners frustrated at overpriced Minis, Vektar Beat represents an interesting experiment. Vektar Beat is scheduled for release in the Spring. Further details are scant for now, but tonight's episode of the PS Nation podcast should reveal much more.
Halfbrick's Rocket Racing boosts onto PSP/PS3 this month
Halfbrick Studios continues to churn out Minis for the PSP and PS3. Rocket Racing is the fourth title from the Australian studio for Sony's indie platform, following Age of Zombies, Echoes and Blast Off. Based on the Xbox Live Indie Game of the same name, Rocket Racing is one of the few games designed with the PSP Go in mind: the game can be played exclusively with the shoulder buttons, meaning Go owners can play with the system closed. The gameplay of this top-down racer is rather unique. Each shoulder button represents a side thruster on the vehicle. Players will have to adjust each thruster to cut through corners, and make their way through the game's 24 levels. Hugging the walls won't result in a penalty; instead, the "grind" will result in a speed boost. Unfortunately, due to limitations of the Minis platform, there's no real multiplayer. Instead, gamers will have to resort to pass-around multiplayer, taking turns to go through the courses. Unfortunately, this "Party" mode seems like a rather misguided attempt to circumvent Minis' shortcoming. Rocket Racing should appear on the PlayStation Store later this month for $4.99. Check out a trailer after the break. %Gallery-85251%
ESRB lists Freekscape for Minis in the US
Creat Studios, one of the few proud and brave developers supporting Sony's PSP Minis service, recently announced in a PlayStation Blog post that it had three titles in the works for Europe: Alien Havoc; Freekscape and Bubble Trubble. Alien Havoc is already available here in the States, but a recent ESRB listing suggests that Freekscape is also on its way. The ESRB site describes Freekscape as "a platformer game in which players run around a "cartoony" version of the underworld ("Hell") as a small demon creature, essentially a "good" devil." You can check out a two-minute video sample of Freekscape's blend of puzzle-platforming after the break. [Thanks, Blake]
Age of Zombies blasts onto PSP and PS3 Minis Feb. 25
Halfbrick Studios, the Minis-producing development factory in Brisbane, has announced a new title: Age of Zombies. Not to be confused with the Age of Aquarius or the beloved children's film Ice Age, Halfbrick's game is decidedly more macabre -- with a pinch of cute tossed in. (We never thought we'd call zombies both those things, but there it is.) Age of Zombies follows time-traveling protagonist (and delicious side dish) Barry Steakfries, doing his best to eradicate the hungry undead looking to get a mouthful of his tasty vittles. The debut trailer nestled above gives us a vibe akin to a cross between Robotron and Zombies Ate My Neighbors, which kinda sounds like a good time. There's also the promise of zombified T-Rex dinosaurs, which hardly seems possible in the real world, but, hey, we'll take it. Age of Zombies will be available to download from the PlayStation Store on Thursday, February 25 for $4.99. In the meantime, fight your way through a horde of new screens in our gallery below. %Gallery-84946%
Celebrity pool, snooker and darts ported to Minis platform
PSP owners can expect a lot of new sports games this year, including Steve Davis Pool, Ronnie O'Sullivan Snooker and Phil Taylor Darts. Developer GameShastra announced a partnership with PI Sports to adapt their mobile games -- including titles based around pool, cricket, rugby, snooker, golf, tennis, darts, fishing and poker -- for the Minis platform on PlayStation Network. All in all, "over 10" games will appear on the PlayStation Store this year. In addition, GameShastra is promising visual improvements and enhanced controls over the original smartphone versions. "With some of the biggest names in sport attached to the biggest names in mobile gaming, this agreement is brilliant news for all PSP owners," GameShastra's CEO said in a press release. Considering how few new releases are announced for Sony's handheld, the addition of more than ten titles to the service certainly does sound appealing.
Select Minis on sale in Europe
For a limited time, select Minis (playable on PSP and PS3) will be on sale in the European PlayStation Store. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will discount these eight games from February 4–18: Fieldrunners - €3.99/£3.49 Kahoots - €1.99/£1.74 Vempire - €1.99/£1.74 Breakquest - €1.99/£1.74 Pinball Fantasies - €3.99/£3.49 Bloons - €2.49/£1.99 Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 - €1.99/£1.74 Dracula - Undead Awakening - €1.99/£1.74 SCEE is also promising to update its YouTube channel with new videos of the Minis. It's not quite as good as playable demos, but it's better than nothing, right?
How to play Minis on your PS3: a Halfbrick tutorial
As promised, the PlayStation Store has been updated with Minis that actually work on your PS3. The process of finding new and old Minis to play on your PS3 system couldn't be simpler; but, just in case you're a little baffled by firmware 3.15, Minis developer Halfbrick has created a tutorial video explaining the process. If you've already purchased Minis and want to play them on your home console, all you have to do is go to the Download List of the PlayStation Store. We tested a few Minis on the PS3, and we'd have to say that the PSP upscaling is good, but not perfect. While the games are very playable on a TV, it's clear they're still low-res games being played on a high-res screen. Still, it's a good value-add for those that have both a PS3 and PSP system. Check out the walkthrough after the break.
PSA: Full PS3 Minis support to begin December 17
Did you download last night's optional 3.15 firmware update on PS3 only to find that none of your PSP Minis were working on the PS3? You're not alone! The team at PSN Stores has compiled a list of all the Minis that work on Sony's home console -- a whopping five: Blast Off, Echoes, Kahoots, Stand O' Food and Zombie Tycoon. But what about the remaining Minis? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a week before the whole lineup is expected to work on the PS3. That means, at least for one week, your copy of Sudoku will remain exclusively on your PSP. Why Sony decided to release the firmware update so long before the feature, ahem, works is beyond us.
PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration
Didn't the PS3 just get a firmware update? Something about posting all your hard-earned trophies onto your Facebook page? Yes, that sounds right. If you thought that was a big deal, wait 'til you get a load of this: According to the European PlayStation blog, yet another firmware update is imminent. And this one is pretty sweet -- seems that not only will console owners now be able to play PSP Minis, but if you've already bought a Mini for your portable and wish to play it on your PS3, you'll be able to download it to your console for free. Also included in the 3.15 update is a simplified utility for transferring data from one PS3 to another. Pretty great, right? Gamers, be sure to hit the source link for the deets.
PSP Minis playable on PS3 with firmware update 3.15
PS3 is getting yet another firmware update -- this time optional -- "very soon" according to a post on the European PlayStation.Blog. The pre-Christmas update brings a feature we reported on earlier: support for PSP Minis on the PS3. Like PSone classics, a single purchase from the PlayStation Store will work on both platforms. If you've bought a Mini and want to play it on your PS3, you'll be able to access it from the Store's archived Download List. In addition to adding Minis support, update 3.15 will simplify the process of moving data from one PS3 to another. For example, if you own both a PS3 Phat and Slim, you'll be able to connect the two systems via a LAN cable and transfer data from one system to the next. For more details on how to do just that, visit the PlayStation.Blog.
Rumor: PSP Minis playable on PS3 before Christmas
Since the launch of the PSP Minis digital platform alongside the PSP Go back in October, Sony has showed little more than a passing interest in promoting its bite-sized game service. After playing a decent chunk of games at launch and then barely hearing a whisper since, we've been wondering when the company would show more support for Minis. If what we're hearing from a handful of reliable sources is true, however, the PSP Minis will finally get some attention in the near future as they become playable on the PlayStation 3. It'll happen "before Christmas," says one source (confirmed as "this month" by others independently), allegedly with the entire selection of Minis (and presumably upcoming releases) to be playable on PlayStation 3 consoles -- with a resolution bump to boot. As for Sony: "We don't comment on rumor or speculation.", so we'll have to leave it in the rumor department for now.
