LATEST & GREATEST: NEW REVIEWS, HOT PREVIEWS & CLASSIC GAMES
BUZZ!
BRAIN OF THE UK
That
crazy Buzz is back with yet another quiz, this time for the PSP.
Last year's Master Quiz didn't translate to the PSP too well,
as the lack of the buzzer controllers and the need to either pass
your PSP around or find other people who own the game removes
some of the party style fun.
So,
what will Brain of the UK offer, and can it improve upon Master
Quiz? David Simpson investigates by going into the game show as
a contestant to quiz Buzz on his latest release...
RESISTANCE:
RETRIBUTION
The
Resistance series has finally made its way to PSP, an inevitable
move given the success that Sony triple-A franchises like Killzone
and God of War have seen in recent years.
And
like these other franchises, Retribution bridges the gap between
the two PS3 games, explaining what happened in Europe following
Nathan Hale's uncovering of the Chimeran conspiracy. It sounds
like it should work but is that enough to secure it as a game
that fans of the series need to own?
MANA
KHEMIA: STUDENT ALLIANCE
Game
releases on PSP seem to be few and far between compared to other
platforms - and good games are fewer still, so finding a great
RPG for Sony's handheld is something of a challenge.
Mana
Khemia attained reasonable success on the PS2, so we were hoping
that this portable conversion would build upon that, fixing a
few flaws to provide an even better experience. Sadly however,
while the gameplay itself isn't too bad, some major technical
issues conspire to ruin what could have been a great new PSP RPG...
BUZZ!
BRAIN BENDER
Ah,
that crazy Buzz, with his plastic hairdo and wacky phrases. Love
him or hate him, you can't deny that his quiz series is an awful
lot of fun with friends and family.
Now,
however, Buzz is branching out, attempting to add another string
to his bow - as though general knowledge on a range of topics
wasn't enough, he's gone even more cerebral and decided to host
the PSP's answer to Brain Training. The question is, just how
high can his IQ be? Read on to find out...
STAR
OCEAN: SECOND EVOLUTION
The
first properly next-gen Star Ocean is little while away just yet,
so what better time than now to replay an old classic or experience
the very pinnacle of the franchise for the first time?
There
are problems of course but they're nothing next to the new life
that all the updates have given to The Second Story. Excellent
presentation, a great story if you can get past the pacing and
some particularly lovely updated graphics make Second Evolution
a stop well worth taking on the J-RPG train that seems to finally
be rolling in earnest for the first time this generation.
LOCOROCO
2
The
original LocoRoco was a delightful breath of fresh air amid a
release slate as sparsely populated as the dire-looking landscape
of the PSP now that the sequel has arrived, but LocoRoco 2 is
only a slight improvement on the original and its enfranchisement
has stolen some of its charm, not to mention its uniqueness.
Still,
it's pretty, approachable, and more of the same isn't a bad compromise
when the original was so great. Series newcomers will surely have
a blast but if you've been around these parts before then there's
nothing new to see.
R-TYPE
TACTICS
R-Type
was one of the best and most memorable shooters from the Eighties
and it's spawned a fair few decent sequels. Tactics is the latest
of these, and it shoots the tried and tested formula into bits.
It talks the talk - it looks like a side-scrolling shooter - but
does it walk the walk?
The
answer is "yes", but it's an entirely different journey than you
might be expecting - R-Type Tactics is, as its name suggests,
not a shoot 'em up but rather a turn-based strategy game, and
a great one at that...
PLAYSTATION
NETWORK COLLECTION - PUZZLE PACK
Don't
expect this budget-priced collection to entice hesitant gamers
into the arms of the PlayStation Network, but as a collection
of budget portable games, the Puzzle Pack succeeds as though by
accident.
Go!
Puzzle threatens to derail the whole affair with a trio of dull
clones, but Go! Sudoku is an expansive and adequate simulation
and Lemmings, well... Lemmings is awesome, especially with its
level editing tools and an effective means of sharing your creations.
One for the puzzle fans? Find out within.
PRO
EVOLUTION SOCCER 2009
Christmas
is on the way again and that means we're at that time of year
when the world and Ian Wright release a deluge of those hilarious
footballing cock-up DVDs with clips of strikers missing open goals
from a yard and referees falling over.
It
also signals the return of all the sports tie-ins, including the
latest version of Pro Evo to hit the PSP. With FIFA putting in
a strong performance of late, can PES hang onto its reign any
longer? Read on to find out...
PRINNY:
CAN I REALLY BE THE HERO
Dood!
Can I really be the hero, dood?
Sure, dood!
But how, dood?
Just run along, jump about a bit, attack a few enemies and explode,
dood! Simple!
If
only it were that simple though - read on to find out why this
gorgeous looking side scroller hides old-school frustration beneath
its shiny art style, and whether or not it's enough to ruin the
experience... dood...