Title: The 3rd Birthday
Format: UMD
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix/Hexadrive
Price: $29.99

What can be said about The 3rd Birthday?  How can it be described?  Well, the story was . . . um . . . involved (aka – confusing).  That’s something, right?  There’s a fair amount of time travel – referred to as Overdive.  I guess that’s pretty cool.  It’s a 3rd person shooter with controls that actually work on the PSP.  That’s definitely a plus.  It’s certainly ambitious.  Unfortunately, ambition, even with the best of intentions, doesn’t necessarily equate to a solid, fun game.

Gameplay:
Playing as Aya Brea, The 3rd Birthday is a 3rd person, cover-based shooter with some basic RPG elements (weapon upgrades and abilities) thrown in for good measure.  The game picks up roughly 2 years after The Twisted emerge from below ground to slaughter and destroy.  They bring with them giant plant-like structures referred to as Babels and have decided to make our top-side planet their own.  In response to this threat to humanity the government forms a team known as CTI – or Counter Twisted Investigations.  It is this team that Aya Brea has become a member of and helps to lead a defensive counter measure against the Twisted with the help the Overdive System.  This machine allows Aya to not only time travel into the past to fight the Twisted head-on in an attempt to alter our future but also the ability to Overdive – or jump – from one body to another while doing so.  It’s an interesting gameplay mechanic and was the main reason I stuck with The 3rd Birthday.

My history with the PSP and 3rd person shooters, in general, hasn’t been all that memorable.  It always seems to be hit or miss.  Surprisingly, the controls for The 3rd Birthday were actually quite solid.  Add to this a fairly easy to manage cover system and things are starting to look up.  Top it all off with the ability to jump from 1 warm body to another at any point and just like that my initial concerns have been all but alleviated.

The Overdive functionality is the mechanic that Square Enix seems to be hanging their hat on and, for the most part, it works rather well.  It allows you to quickly assume the position, health and weaponry of nearby military personnel that are helping Aya on her mission.  These jumps also provide for good positioning of multiple AI “friendlies” that can then focus their firepower on the same target.  Most important of all, Overdive lets you jump into just about any enemy whose health has been reduced to allow Aya to fight from the inside out.  It’s a fast and bloody method of Twisted disposal.  Although there are certain consequences to this Overdive power – most notably in that Aya is more vulnerable after these jumps – it certainly does come in handy from both an offensive and defensive stance.

A common issue I’ve had with 3rd person shooters on the PSP has been with the difficulty of aiming.  Thankfully Square Enix addressed this issue with a reliable lock-on system.  Occasionally, if multiple enemies populate an area your target may not always lock onto the one of your choice.  Cycling through these multiple enemies is quick and easy.  It can cause some confusion at times but the lock-on is mostly a welcome feature.

Visuals:
Without question, The 3rd Birthday’s visuals are some of the best that I’ve seen on the PlayStation Portable; and that’s taking into consideration the high-quality of God of War: Ghost of Sparta.  The unfortunate part of this praise is that it is limited to the cut scenes of the game.  It seems as if Square Enix spent all it’s time applying a high level of gloss to The 3rd Birthday’s cut scenes and forgot to provide even a fair amount of attention to the actual in-game visuals – they’re noticeably bland and often recycled.  I guess I wasn’t expecting too much flair from this game but, after picking my jaw up from the floor after the opening cinematic, I was a little disappointed.

Still, I’ve always been a big fan of the cut scene.  Even the movie that was Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was highly entertaining.  To me, they enrich the story while providing the player with an oft needed break from the gameplay.  Even though The 3rd Birthday can be incredibly pretty to look at these gorgeous cinematics don’t do anything to help with the understanding of the story.  Like watching a movie that “stars” Megan Fox.  Sure, she’s not bad to look at but when she opens her mouth to “act” you’re just confused.

Audio:
Where the cinematics of The 3rd Birthday truly shine the audio pales in comparison.  Playing the game with a set of over-the-ear Sony headphones, The 3rd Birthday isn’t lacking decent audio representation.  In fact, I was impressed with the overall quality of the audio detail, depth and bass of the more intense combat levels.  No, it was those “quiet” moments while Aya runs down yet another corridor toward the next room filled with the same Twisted creatures.  During this repetition you’re provided with an accompanying piano piece that, upon initial experience, was interpreted as both haunting and mysterious.  After the first dozen or so times I began reaching for the volume button.

Add to this some terrible voice acting and you’ve got yourself quite an auditory let-down.  Actually, I can’t place full blame on the voice actors themselves.  Yvonne Strahovski, noted for her voice over as Miranda Lawson in Mass Effect 2, steps up to the microphone to voice the part of Aya Brea.  It’s not that she did a bad job, nor any of the other voice actors (well most anyway) for that matter.  It’s similar to the outcome of the  Star Wars prequels (Episodes 1, 2 & 3).  Look at the actors involved with those productions.  Taken out of the Star Wars Universe they are all more than capable of getting the job done.  Why, then, when filling the shoes of Anakin Skywalker, Ben Kenobi and Princess Amidala do they come off as such junior actors.  Clearly it comes down to what the actors are given to act with.  I think we all know that George Lucas can’t write dialogue to save his life.  The same can be said for The 3rd Birthday.  The lines the voice actors had been given are so ridiculous, uninteresting and confusing it’s not surprising that the end result was weak and unenthusiastic.  I almost felt bad for Ms. Strahovsky.  Then again, I’m in love with the woman so she can do no wrong – just saying.

Conclusion:
The 3rd Birthday is a confusing story, at best.  It is further muddled by constant time shifting and near incomprehensible bouts of dialogue.  It gives the impression of grand game design but delivers more on a level of a repetitive corridor  shooter.  Although the controls of The 3rd Birthday are fairly solid it just wasn’t enough to make this game any better than average.  I had high hopes and was incredibly interested when The 3rd Birthday was first announced and the trailers were released.  Maybe not completely disappointed with the game I was bored with it.  Unless you have intentions of collecting every last UMD for the current generation PSP (because let’s face it, they’ll be non-existent in the near future) this might be a game worth skipping over until it can be found at a discounted price.  Based on my experience I don’t think it’ll be long before that happens.

Grade:

Title: Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Format: UMD and PSN
Release Date: 11/02/10
Publisher: XSEED
Developer: Falcom
Price:
Regular Edition- $29.99
Limited Edition- $39.99

I’ve been a fan of the series since I played the Turbografx version of Ys Book 1&2, but my exposure with the series is mainly based on what’s been available in the US, so I’m warning the Ys die-hard’s out there, that I know about the Japanese PC titles etc, but this review is really focused on what I’ve played in the past. Ys: The Oath in Felghana (referenced as Felghana for this review,) is a re-telling of what many of us knew as Ys III on the Turbografx, SNES, and Genesis. What was once a game that many, including me, considered a terrible game, has quickly become one of my favorites in the genre.

Gameplay:
For anyone that’s ever played an Ys game in the US, the gameplay mechanics have remained relatively similar, and anyone who’s played those games also understands the term “Linebacker Combat.” In a refreshing switch, your attacks are not performed by simply running into your enemies, and instead likens itself more to the gameplay found in a Zelda title. You have an actual attack button, and another to invoke magic spells and attacks. The gameplay is straightforward, with excellent control with both the d-pad and the analog nub. The interface is incredibly intuitive and streamlined, making it easy even for those new to the Action RPG genre to get into the action.

I don’t want to reveal much of the story, but it kicks-in pretty quickly, as you playing the red-haired Adol accompanying his long-time adventure companion Dogi back to the land where he grew up. You’re quickly pulled-in to helping the townsfolk with some monster problems, and as the worldly adventurer that you are, you immediately set off to vanquishing beasts and battling enemies. The story is compelling and easy to follow, and the fat that I can tell you exactly what’s going on shows that it’s good enough for me to actually pay attention to it, which is rare for me.

Visuals:
This is a beautiful game! The engine is smooth, with backgrounds and environment rendered in 3D, and sprite-based characters all have great animations. The camera is fixed from above, but will also move around during cinematic scenes. I believe that this is the same engine from the PS2 and PSP “Ys: The Ark of Napishtim”, and quite frankly, it’s stunning in this instance. I also played via the component cables on a large monitor, and it looked great even then. The lighting effects are well done, and the special effects are excellent. I have no complaints about the visuals in this game whatsoever.

Audio:
The Ys series, and developer Falcom are both known for some truly memorable soundtracks, and Felghana includes one of the best I’ve ever heard. As a ‘bonus’ of sorts, you can even choose to use the soundtracks from the PC88 and X68K versions of the game. While those are cool additions in terms of comparison and fan-service, the actual soundtrack is all you seriously need, Other options include being able to turn voice acting on or off, and a separate option to toggle the narration (which is very well done I might add.) The voice acting can be hit-or-miss, but definitely falls to the side of ‘hit.’ There have only been a couple of characters whose voices were truly what I would consider bad. Any dialogue can be skipped by hitting X, but it never runs-on long enough to bore you.

Past all of that, the gameplay audio its;f does the job in spades, as the weapon and magic effects are definitely above average. The audio space is multi-layered and fills your headphones with all kinds of awesome.

Conclusion:
Like I said, I’m not really the one to talk about how good this one is when compared to everything in the Ys universe, but I will say this. Ys: The Oath in Felghana has now become my favorite in the Ys series, and has also become one of my favorites in the entire Action-RPG genre. It’s easy to pick up, easy to play, and has a compelling story. The visuals are some of the nicest I’ve seen on the PSP in a long time, and the audio is top-notch. There’s no question about it, buy this game, it’s an absolute blast to play.

Grade:

Mark’s Second Opinion

Well, I probably am one to talk about how this game compares to the rest of the Ys series, being something of an obsessive die-hard fanboy of it. As Glenn mentioned this is a complete remake of Ys III and a port of the Japan-only PC version of Ys: The Oath in Felghana released in 2005. Having played the import PC version, I knew what to expect gameplay-wise, but still came away extremely impressed with how well it translated to the PSP. Especially considering Konami’s sub-par efforts with Ys The Ark of Napishtim on PSP, this is a vast improvement.

To be honest, I can’t add a whole lot to Glenn’s review except more gushing! The graphics look great, the level designs are well done and feature some occasionally devious platforming, and it has what is possibly my favorite video game soundtrack ever (plus two retro bonus soundtracks!) It’s great to see another Ys game in English and thankfully, Ys Oath in Felghana has a stronger storyline than the recently released Ys Seven and XSeed has done a good job with the localization. What really makes Felghana stand out from the rest though is how close they’ve come to achieving Action-RPG perfection. Everything moves at a blazing pace and never drags on. The combat even encourages you to move quickly by giving you bonus multipliers that quickly deplete unless you keep refilling them with more items dropped by enemies.

While it’s a much shorter game than a lot of other Action-RPGs, it’s so tightly designed it feels more arcade-like than RPG and almost encourages repeated play on harder difficulties the better you get at it. This all may come as a bit of a shock to fans whose first Ys experience was Ys Seven, which introduced a lot more RPG-like elements and a much longer, less tightly-woven game. Not a bad thing by any means, just different. Falcom and XSeed have taken the worst game in the series and turned it into the best, not only creating one of the greatest Action-RPGs ever made, but also one of the best games in the PSP’s library.

Grade:

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Title: God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Format: UMD / PSN Download
Release Date: November 2, 2010
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Ready at Dawn Studios / Santa Monica Studio
Price: $39.99

Gameplay:
Set between the events of God of War I and II, Ghost of Sparta will take you on a more personal journey as Kratos goes on a bloody quest to find his brother whom he presumed was dead. While I won’t be giving any story spoilers here, I will say that you’ll speak with Kratos’ mother, fight your way through Atlantis, back to Sparta and into the Domain of Death, a place that has been around since long before the Gods and Titans from which no one has ever returned alive…

If you’re looking to play as Kratos’ brother, Deimos, prepare to be disappointed. While your ultimate goal is to track down and save Deimos from the Domain of Death (a goal with an excellent payoff), you won’t even get to him until almost the very end of the game. Pre-order copies of the game will come with a voucher to download a Deimos skin for use in God of War III that includes new abilities as well so keep that in mind.

The gameplay is no surprise for anyone who has played a God of War game in the past. You’ll be doing a lot of the same button combinations while you hack and slash your way through Atlantis and Death’s Domain and that’s not a bad thing. The difference is that Kratos also now has the ability to throw enemies to the ground and beat them and also toss them around the room which adds a new layer of strategy to some of the more frenzied battles.  I found myself smiling with a sense of satisfaction as I ripped apart a number of the larger enemies and you’ll find that epic battles, even with mini bosses, are the order of the day.

The bigger differences however, as with all God of War games, come in the new weapons and magic you’ll gain throughout the game. While you’ll start with the standard Blades of Athena, you’ll eventually gain access to Thera’s Bane giving you fiery blades which will come in very handy later in the game. You’ll also acquire The Arms of Sparta which mark a change in God of War gameplay. The Arms of Sparta consist of a Spartan’s shield and spear. You’ll use the shield defensively to block and parry incoming projectile and fire attacks. You can also use it as an offensive weapon to slam you opponents and knock them back. The spear can be used for both up close and long range attacks. It’s also critical in some of the puzzles along the way. Overall, the new weapons are a nice change of pace and you’ll quickly learn which ones work best against which enemies.

The new magic available consists of three different abilities starting with The Eye of Atlantis. Using this, you’ll fire off a powerful electrical bolt which you can chain between enemies for even greater damage. The Horn of Boreas creates a roaring tempest which can damage and even freeze enemies in ice for a short time similar to Medusa’s gaze. My favorite however is The Scourge of Erinys which is a homing attack using an “eternal void” that literally sucks the life out of enemies even transferring some of it back to Kratos. A very useful weapon indeed.

As you play through, there are a series of other items to be found which can then be used once you beat the game. These include things like Callisto’s Armlet which will allow you to automatically win context sensitive mini games and The Bonds of Ares which will grant infinite magic among other items.

Ready at Dawn has stated that Ghost of Sparta would be about 25% larger than Chains of Olympus and from what I played, that seems to be a pretty fair estimate. Chains of Olympus took me about six and a half hours and while I certainly wasn’t rushing through Ghost of Sparta, I also didn’t do much wandering around as the God of War games aren’t built for that kind of exploration and it still took me just over nine and a half hours to finish it.

There’s certainly a fair amount of replay value once you’re done with a ton of unlockables and challenges. The Challenge of the Gods is a series of very tough battles that you can use to see how good you really are. There’s also the addition of The Combat Arena where you can choose a set of parameters including health, magic, arena, difficulty and which enemies you’ll face. It’s a great way to practice moves and combos with very little pressure. You’ll also find a large number of videos and galleries to unlock by playing through the game and by visiting The Temple of Zeus in the Treasures menu.

Visuals:
In a word, exquisite. This is the best looking PSP game on the market hands down. Ready at Dawn built a brand new proprietary engine for this game and the visuals rival some of the best PS2 titles. Comparing this with the previous God of War PSP title, Chains of Olympus, it’s easy to see just how big a leap this game is. Everything is much more crisp and smooth, textures are much more detailed and jaggies are almost non-existent. Subtleties like dust kicking up when you walk and small sections of the ground turning to gold as King Midas scratches and claws his way across it help immerse you in this world and make you forget you’re playing on a handheld.

This is a much darker game in general with most action taking place in overcast or stormy weather and underground in temples and caverns. You won’t have many bright, sunlit scenes like Chains of Olympus. The lighting effects throughout are truly outstanding and the new engine takes all of it in stride. The fire of Thera’s Blades creates a shower of visual destruction as they whip around the screen and tear through enemies. The Eye of Atlantis with its electrical chaos lights up the environment with a wonderful blue-white glow. Save points even take on the look of the swirling bright light of God of War III on the PS3. You’ll see rain, smoke, water, fog, lightning, lava and more all rendered with beautiful clarity. Stepping from cut scene to gameplay is often seamless. The game actually looks more like a stripped down version of a PS3 game rather than a PS2 game like most PSP titles, it’s just that good.

Audio:
Every sound effect you’ve come to expect from God of War is here. The voice acting is, as always, top notch. All the regular voice actors are here as expected. From the stoic narration to the rage of Kratos, the gentle wisdom and pleading of Athena and the panicked Atlanteans, it feels like a full fledged, big budget God of War game. Death even sounds just a creepy as you would expect. Play this game with headphones if you can, it gets even better when you get towards the end.

The music is just as good as the console versions. The orchestral soundtrack is often in the background, ramping up for intense sequences and setting the stage for emotional moments. The amount of work that goes into these titles never ceases to amaze me.

Conclusion:
Ghost of Sparta isn’t just an excellent God of War game, it’s easily the best action game on the PSP as well as the best looking game overall on the system. It isn’t necessary for you to have played any God of War games to enjoy this, as it stands alone nicely with its own self contained story. If you have played the others however, you’ll love the way it ties God of War I and II together along with all the clever little nods to those two titles that pop up throughout the game.

This is one of the few PSP games that I got so immersed in that I ended up playing it long enough to have the battery completely die on me not once or twice but three separate times. If you’re a God of War or action game fan, this is a no brainer. Chains of Olympus was possibly the best PSP game to date and this absolutely blows it out of the water. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Grade:

Title: Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip (PSP)
Format: UMD & PSN
Release Date: 6/29/2010
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Clap Hanz
Price: $19.99

Gameplay:
It’s Tennis! The End…

Sorry, couldn’t resist. HST plays quite well in fact, with easy to understand controls, and support for both the d-pad and analog nub (I use the d-pad.) X is a normal hit, Circle is a Slice, and Triangle is a flat shot. If you’ve played a Tennis game on a games console before, this will make you feel right at home.

First off, this is not a clone of the PS2 game, and in fact, there are a lot of differences. The PS2 game was pretty limited by only offering a Quick Match and a thin progression mode. The PSP version expands in almost every way, and is a much more robust experience than what was offered on the PS2 (I know, it’s kinda surprising.)

Instead of just offering a simple progression system, Clap Hanz has fleshed-out a full story mode, which breaks the monotony up a bit, but quite frankly can be cumbersome occasionally. It’s a linear story that you follow, as you wander the world to ring the happiness of Tennis to all that you come in contact with, or something like that. At each locale, you’ll talk to characters throughout the area, and challenge most of them to a game of Tennis. Your opponents will range from regular Tennis players to Football Players, to a thinly-veiled clone of the Tennis version of American Idol (complete with a Judge named Simon.) The story can be funny at times, especially with the obvious fact that the localization team added a bit of flair on their own.

Each time, you win a match, you’ll unlock new items such as costumes or accessories, and this is where the similarities with the Hot Shots Golf titles really becomes apparent and quite welcome. The progression through the story is actually really good, and never seems too tough. Each locale is basically setup like a standard “level,” so you’ll fight through some minions to get to the “boss” of each locale. Defeat that boss, and he/she will join your group and become a playable character, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. You’ll even be challenged to Doubles matches occasionally, so you’ll pick one of your friends to play with you (controlled by the CPU.)

Also included is an Exhibition mode, so that you can play through different opponents and locales in quick, single matches up to multiple sets. Like Hot Shots Golf’s caddies, you now get the choice of umpires, and many are actually from HSG. Everything about this game says “Hot Shots,” and the fact that they’ve made this feel like my favorite Golf series is incredibly welcome. Another piece of that similarity is the fact that you can dress your character(s) in some pretty wild costumes, and you’re afforded a couple of slots to save different configurations in.

Visuals:
Especially when compared to the PS2 game, this one has been changed somewhat, but obviously those changes were made for the smaller screen of the PSP. Framerate is solid throughout, and the color palette is bright and smooth. Texture are crisp (unless you play on your TV,) and the animation is good enough for Tennis. The different locales are pleasing to look at, and each court has a unique flair to set each one apart. They’ve also included indicators on the court as to where the ball may hit when you’re aiming, which can really help see that small Tennis ball on the PSP’s smaller screen (especially since I’m playing on the PSPGo.)

Audio:
If you ever played any of the Hot Shots Golf games, you’ll recognize everything in the audio suite in this game. One nice addition they’ve included is the option to turn the music off during matches, as it can get a bit repetitive after a few hours. Voices are well done when you hear them, and all of the requisite Tennis sounds are present and well done.

Online/Multiplayer
Hot Shots Tennis allows 4-player Ad-Hoc wireless play along with Game Sharing, so only one of you needs to own the game to play. When I played 4-player Ad-Hoc at the PlayStation Blog meetup at E3 this year, it played extremely well. The game not out at the time that I’m writing this, so I don’t know if it will work with the PS3′s Ad-Hoc Party app.

Conclusion
At first, I wrote this game off as a throwaway, then I realized that I killed the battery on my PSP by playing it that much. I’m having a blast in the story mode, and the fact that most matches only last 5-6 minutes makes it a great title for sneaking-in a couple of quick games during a break. For 20 bucks, there’s a lot of fun to be had, and especially if you’ve liked other Tennis titles on the SNES and Turbgrafx, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. I’m just wondering if “Tennis King” is the final boss in this one too

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Title: ModNation Racers
Format: UMD / PSN Download
Release Date: May 26, 2010
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: United Front Games / SCE San Diego Studios
Price: $29.99

Gameplay:
ModNation Racers uses many of the kart racing standards like drifting, turbo boosts, shortcuts & weapons.  MNR introduces a few new twists which help increase the depth of gameplay considerably.

Performing drifts and other maneuvers fills an on-screen meter that represents up to three levels of power.  This power can then be used for turbo, weapons and/or a shield.  Deplete the meter and perform more drifts or tricks to refill it.

Want to go on an offensive and take out a couple opponents or would you prefer to boost your way to the head of the pack?  Maybe instead you plan to boost to the front but save enough power to activate a shield in case an opponent decides to attack.  These game decisions add a level of strategic depth never before seen in a kart racer.  Not to mention the fact that all are well balanced.  No longer will you race all the way to the end of a race just to get knocked out by an overpowered super weapon.  The cheap moves associated with so many kart racers aren’t present in ModNation Racers which puts a much greater emphasis on racing and strategy.  Also missing is what is commonly referred to as “rubber banding.”  Opponents aren’t provided extra speed and more powerful weapons in order to quickly catch up to your racing position.

ModNation’s weapons leverage the power meter and provide varying levels of  attacks.  A first level sonic attack emits a series of rings around the player knocking nearby opponents off the track while a third level lightning strike covers the sky and shoots down bolts of electricity.  If weapons aren’t available opponents can also be attacked by the use of takedowns.  You can stomp and side swipe opponents or of course be hit by one yourself.

Career mode walks players through a series of races while also providing a glimpse into some of the creation aspects of the game.  The associated story is humorous and offers a few smiles and a couple laugh out loud moments.  Each career race is broken into three main objectives; Advanced, Payoff and Bonus.  All three can be earned in one race or can be attained separately through multiple attempts.  Some of the Payoff objectives are quite challenging which helps to lengthen an otherwise short career mode.  Single player is broken into three different race types.  Action race allows weapons, Pure race turns the weapons off and Last Man Standing eliminates the last player within a user defined amount of time.  When it’s set to 30 seconds for example the last place driver is eliminated every 30 seconds.  Rinse and repeat until only 1 player remains or until your character is eliminated.

Career and Single player not enough for you?  Well then, do whatever you want.  Literally.  ModNation Racers has an easy to use and robust creation tool set that can be used to create and edit karts, drivers and tracks.  Create your own or download go online and download someone else’s.  Either way ModNation Racers will have new life breathed into it for years to come.  Not all creation elements are open and available immediately but all can be attained by completing the various stages of the game.

Unfortunately at the time of this review online was not functioning, so I can’t include those aspects of the game in my review.  I will return to and amend my review if the online components affect the review score either positively or negatively.  Online modes include multiplayer and content sharing.

Button layouts are completely customizable and allow for steering both on the directional pad and the analog stick.  I play mostly using the directional.

Visuals:
The entire game including tracks and characters uses similar if not the same set of creation elements available to the player.  To illustrate the insane amount of depth in the creation tools all characters, karts and tracks are crafted with lots of bright colors and pizazz.  Graphically the game looks very sharp and ranks up there as one of the best looking titles available on the PSP.  Has a style all it’s own.  The cut scenes in career mode look as good as it’s PS3 counterpart.  Framerate is smooth and consistent even when there are many opponents on screen.

Audio:
Voiceovers in career mode are well acted and humorous.  Same with the narrator who announces each race with little quips like “All those colors make you forget about your weapon?  Fire at ‘em.”  Game music both in menus and during race events is all instrumental and has a pop/dance sound.  Fortunately it’s never annoying or repetitive  There is no custom soundtrack option available in the PSP version of MNR.

Conclusion:
Take the best elements of Mario Kart, refine the gameplay to a tight balance while also including the most accessible set of creation tools currently available; ModNation Racers redefines the genre and sets a new standard for kart racers on a handheld.

Beyond the refined gameplay and tremendous replayability, the game is a blast to play!  Finally a kart racer that rewards players for good driving and smart strategy rather than who escapes the end without being hit by a last minute blue turtle shell (cheap shot).

Grade:

Title: What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2
Format: UMD / PSN Download
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment / NIS America
Developer: Acquire
Price: $29.99 / $19.99

The release of Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! in July 2009 introduced us to the quirky world of the Overlord and his trusty God of Destruction as dungeons were constructed to keep the pesky Heroes at bay. One lawsuit and just under a year later sees the release of the sequel, now titled What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2. Is this oddball puzzler right for you? Read on to find out.

Here we go.....

Gameplay:
On the surface WDIDTDTML2 appears to be a simplistic puzzle game though it’s anything but. As the God of Destruction, it’s your job to protect the Overlord by digging out paths in his dungeon, releasing and growing an army of monsters who will fight those jerkface ‘Heroes’ when they come to invade. This is basic premise of the game and it’s where the complexity comes in.

Cool! A Dragon!

You’re represented on screen as a pick axe and as you dig blocks out your dungeon, basic creatures called Slimemosses are formed.  They’ll begin to wander around sucking nutrients out of the soil and depositing them into other blocks. As the blocks absorb nutrients, they change color and digging those out will get you new monsters (starting with Omnoms and Lizardmen). Each set of monsters feeds on the group below them in the food chain and when conditions are right, they can even breed. This sets up a complex balancing act as you attempt to create the right conditions to release a good number of each monster making sure each group has enough to eat and thrive so you’ll have a strong, healthy army when the Heroes arrive. If it sounds complicated, it is. You really have to work hard to get that balancing act down to protect the Overlord.

On top of all this, you have a very limited amount of time to dig out the dungeon and build your army before the heroes arrive.

This is gonna get ugly.....

When the timer hits zero, the Heroes arrival is imminent. The Overlord will ask you to place him in the safest part of the dungeon. After doing so, the Heroes will make their way into your lair and automatically fight any monsters they encounter. At this point, you can sit back and watch, or continue to dig out monsters if necessary. You’ll want to keep the digging to a minimum though because you’ll get a bigger bonus at the end of the level for using less digs along the way. You can then use that bonus to upgrade your monsters into tougher versions and then the next level starts.

If the Heroes successfully navigate your dungeon, find the Overlord and get him back to the surface without dying, the game is over and you’ll have he opportunity to retry the last level.

Prepare to see this a lot.....

You will fail in this game… a lot. It’s old school hard. The original was knocked for it’s relentless difficulty and really, the sequel hasn’t toned it down all that much. Fortunately, along with a series of Tutorials and Challenges, a welcome addition to the game comes in the form of The Overlord’s Chamber. Here, you can take your time in creating a dungeon, growing monsters, getting a feel for the mechanics and balancing in the game without worrying about Heroes attacking.

Training is a VERY good idea.....

The sequel also includes 4 times more stages than the original, 2.2 times more monsters and 2.3 times more heroes. A new mechanic is also added in the form of ‘mutation’ allowing your monsters to get stronger through deformity, obesity and gigantism.

The game’s dialogue is very well written and funny, sometimes laugh out loud funny. They poke fun at typical gaming conventions and pop culture references abound.

It's Fezzik!

The game also includes an almanac of all the creatures and characters found in the game with plenty of information on their strengths and weaknesses all written in the same witty style as the dialogue.

One of my favorite features is the ability to take screenshots during gameplay simply by pressing the Select button. It’s such a simple implementation and it works brilliantly. All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from my game using this feature.

Visuals:
The game oozes 8-bit charm. There are some cool graphical effects here and there but for the most part, you’ll get colorful, crisp 8-bit stylized graphics. Nothing too fancy but it all suits the game very well. The monsters and heroes all have distinct looks especially between classes and upgrades. You’ll never have a problem distinguishing one from another.

Dig, dig, dig

Audio:
The audio is also really well designed. Eschewing a lush, orchestral score, the music is simplistic yet charming and it fits beautifully with the 8-bit, old school vibe going on in the rest of the game.

As the dialogue appears on screen, you’ll hear a goofy mumbling sort of noise similar to the adults in Peanuts cartoons but in a style unique and fitting with the graphics. The sounds heard as you dig, as the monsters move and grow, as the heroes attack, it’s all spot on and really helps to immerse you into the flow of the game.

Conclusion:
At first glance, there’s not much to this game, but don’t let the looks fool you. This is a deep, complex and very hard game. The UMD version also includes the complete original Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! on the disc as a bonus. To access it, all you have to do is toggle the Left and Right shoulder buttons 5 times while in the main menu. If you like your games a little more portable or only have the PSPGo, fear not! The PSN version of the game is $10 cheaper than the UMD and on top of that, the original game is currently selling for $7.99 on the PlayStation Store making this a cheaper option. Take that digital distribution haters!

If you’re looking for a puzzler/real time strategy game with a ton of challenge, this may very well be the game for you. If, however you’re easily frustrated, you may want to skip it. It really is punishingly hard at times, but it can also be very rewarding.

Grade:

Title- Fat Princess
Platform- PSP (UMD and PSN)
Price- $19.99
Release Date- May 4, 2010

How has Fat Princess fared on Sony’s portable platform? Hit the link and find out:

When we first saw the PSP version of Fat Princess at E3, it was quietly hidden-away in a back corner in the “invite only” area of the Sony booth. While talking to the Lead Designer of the PSP version of LBP, I just glanced at some of the other games running ad saw it off in the corner, so I walked over and started playing. To say that it was rough is an understatement, but already you could see that the visuals were eerily similar to the PS3 version.

Fast-forward to almost 10 months later, when a blank UMD showed-up in the mail, which I threw into the PSP immediately.

Visuals:
We really need to stop being surprised by these translations from the PS3 to the PSP, especially after games like Motorstorm, LBP, and Gran Turismo. The cartoon-like visuals have been almost completely copied to the PSP, with all of the rich color and excessive blood that we’ve seen in the PS3 version. There is the occasional framerate hiccup, which can quickly be excused when seeing the immense battles take place. Everything is here, all of the color, all of the customized characters, and even all of the animations for the characters and objects. I was shocked the first time I saw the full animation during an upgrade of a hat dispenser. The visuals truly shine on the PSP, and it’ll make you grin time and time again.

Audio:
Again, everything from the PS3 version is here, and then some. Sony brought the amazing Tom Kane back to record additional quips and content as the games narrator and “voice from beyond.” Every swing of the axe, every sword hitting another sword, and every bloody demise is represented in some truly wonderful audio, and it definitely works better with headphones if your are so inclined.

Online:
Here we come to the crux of this game on a portable system, and to be honest, it’s a mixed bag. My expectations were obviously lower, and would be for any game on a handheld. Fat Princess does use your PSN login and name for online play, but as far as I’ve seen, there’s really no way to use your PSN friends list to connect with them. Also, you’re limited to 8 humans in a 16-player game, meaning that you’re always going to be playing with A.I. no matter what, and 8 A.I. players via the PSP’s smaller processor means that, quite frankly, they’re not very smart. I had more than a few occurrences of A.I. teammates either only performing a singular task, or outright standing-still in the base. Another issue is no voice chat, which PS3 owners fought so hard for on that version.

Beyond those concerns, online play, overall, does work well. There were a couple of instances of lag etc, but when you’re dealing with peer-to-peer online play with up to 8 PSP’s, I would honestly expect nothing less. All of the maps, old and new, from the PS3 version are included (a couple of them simplified a bit however,) and also included are 6 new maps. There also may be a workaround to some of these concerns that I haven’t been able to try yet, which is the PS3′s Ad-Hoc party app, which would allow for full voice support. Although, if you were going to use your PS3 for that, why wouldn’t you simply just play the PS3 version.

Other Stuff
To compensate for the fact that the PSP isn’t really online all the time, they’ve expanded the Single-Player quite a bit. Along with a couple of new modes, the campaign has been expanded quite a bit. It’s a lot of fun, even though the A.I. is kind-of a pushover most of the time. The story is very funny, and is a welcome addition to the game.

Conclusion
Fat Princess on the PSP may seem like an odd title to translate to a handheld, but it’s extremely well done overall. The biggest issue is the fact that this game was meant to be played online with many others, and at least in some capacity, I really don’t feel that’s something you can get away from. I’m incredibly impressed with the job that’s been done here, and this is definitely an incredible portable version of Fat Princess. The biggest question you need to ask yourself is “will the expanded single-player be enough for me?” The online is functional, but really can’t be considered a major selling-point in this case.

Score:

Socom: Fireteam Bravo 3
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Platform: PSP

“Alexander Gozorov is a man that does not want to be found, an ex-KGB agent with ties to the Russian mafia, he has killed everyone we have sent to find him. Gozorov is believed to have information on a major imminent attack against western interests. Time is running out and your 4-man team of U.S Navy SEALs is sent in to track him down.”

Yup, the storyline sounds a bit familiar, and Socom Fireteam Bravo 3 may even feel familiar, except that a lof of features included have never been experienced on the PSP before. Fireteam Bravo 3 is definitely a Socom title, and for a portable title, is quite robust. Not only do you get a well done single-player experience, but you get extensive multiplayer as well. Let’s see how well it stacks-up!

Visuals
This is yet another PSP title that looks better than what would be expected. Characters look great, with smooth animation. Textures overall are quite crisp, and the draw distance is impressive. The framerate rarely dips, and never enough to hamper gameplay. Most of your missions will be at night, so even walking around using the night-vision goggles looks great. The lighting and shadowing add a nice visual flare to the game, and are also very solid.

Audio
Many in the Socom Community have a few complaints about Slant Six, but one thing that you have to appreciate is the audio engine in Socom Confrontation. They used that same expertise to create a true audio environment in the PSP title. Voice work is very well done, and sound separation is excellent. This is definitely a game that you should play using headphones, as many subtle things may be missed through the PSP’s speakers. They’ve done a admirable job at using audio to pull you into the experience, and it’s definitely an asset to the game.

Control
Those that played resistance Retribution will be surprised to find out that Fireteam Bravo 3 does not control in a similar manner. You move with the left stick. This includes turning right and left, an moving forward and backward. The left shoulder is used for strafing, and the right trigger is used to lock-on to enemies, but also to switch into walking mode with your gun drawn. You fire your weapon with X, and switch weapons by going in to the pop-up menu using left on the d-pad. Using circle, you can even give your squad members orders such as “Open and Clear” or to cover a certain point. It may take you a few minutes to get used to the controls, but once you do, they feel very natural. You can zoom-in your view with certain weapons by using Up on the d-pad, and this allows you to aim without moving around. If you then hold the left shoulder, you can slowly move around to make adjustments.

Online
The online modes included in Fireteam Bravo 3 are what makes this game stand apart from many others, Not only does it actually support Infrastructure mode (and ad-hoc if you so choose,) but it also includes a few features that you’ve only ever seen in a full console title in the past (like Clan support!). The first mode is a FULL 4-player online co-op through all 9 levels of the campaign. This includes full voice-chat, which works better than expected. The mic on the PSP-3000 and PSP Go do ao wonderful job, and speech is clear and easy to understand. You can also choose to go back and play any of the missions that you’ve completed, but you’ll have full control over the rules, which can make the mission play completely differently.

Competitive includes 7 different modes throughout 8 levels. All of these modes support 2-16 players, and uses your actual PSN account for connectivity. The lobby system is simple and easy to use, and shows who’s talking. As in other Socom titles, only 1 person will be allowed to speak at any one time, and uses push-to-talk by pressing and holding right on the d-pad.

Online play is great! Sony set up a day for reviewers to play against some of the development team onlne, and it was an awesome experience. The different maps that we played were diverse and obviously well thought-out. One level takes place in an aircraft carrier, while another was in a run-down fortress in the middle of a jungle. Again, voice chat made a huge difference as our team did a fantastic job of communicating enemy locations and what was happening. We only got to play for an hour that day, but it was honestly much better than I expected, an in my opinion, a lot more fun that Resistance Retribution’s online play. I played on the PSP Go that day, and the text and HUD were easy to read and well layed-out.

Conclusion
I didn’t expect to really enjoy this one much, but it definitely surprised me. The Single-Player is pretty standard, but the fact that it supports full 4-player online co-op is an awesome addition for a game on a mobile platform. Included with that is a full and robust online competitive mode that adds greatly to the value of this one. If you’re a Socom Fan, or are looking for a 3rd-person military-type shooter on the go, Socom: Fireteam Bravo 3 definitely fits the bill.

Score:

Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (PSP)
Price: $39.99
Release Date:
UMD- 9/29/09
PSN- 10/1/09
Download Size- 523MB

Ever since I played that first Motorstorm demo for the PS3, I was hooked. The combination of speed, visuals, and of course, the crashes pulled me right in and never let go. When I first heard that they were making a Motorstorm title for the PSP, I was pretty skeptical. That concern was finally dashed a bit when I got some play-time with it at E3. It was still an early build, but I finally saw that they actually pulled it off. Then we got the Review Build.

Visuals
In short, the visuals are definitely better than I expected. Sometimes it can seem very brown or very white, but they do a great job of changing things up throughout the tracks. Each track definitely has its own “theme,” and each is quite unique. You’ll even see some examples of volumetric smoke and some deformation (which is more of a visual trick, and not the type of deformation that you get in the PS3 versions.) I’m finding it quite easy to see where I need to go on the tracks, and even though you’ll see the occasional pop-in, honestly, they’ve exceeded my expectations. The vehicles all have an appropriate amount of detail, and the textures look great. All of this is brought to the small screen with a great framerate that doesn’t dip. You’ll definitely notice a lack of Antialiasing, but on the small screen, it’s really only evident in the menus.

Audio
This is definitely another PSP game that should be played through headphones. The sounds effects are effective, and portray the mechanical carnage very well. Also, the included soundtrack is quite impressive as in the past Motorstorm titles, even though I’d only ever heard of 2 of the bands on the list. It doesn’t work in my Review Build, but the Fact Sheet does state that the game supports Custom Soundtracks. I’m not 100% positive that it will, so we’ll have to wait until the game is released to know for sure.

Presentation
Simply put, this is a scaled-down version of the PS3 Motorstorm games, in pretty-much every sense of the word. It starts with a pre-rendered cinema, then takes you to the menus which has cars racing around in the background, just like the PS3 versions. You can choose form different drivers and customize their looks, and more can be unlocked throughout your career. The career is setup like a tower, that you continually climb from race-to-race. Events can be standard races against AI, or timed events where you try to beat a posted time limit. You also have timed events that require you to hit certain smoke-gates, and every time that you successfully hit a gate, they add 4 seconds to your allowed time.

The crashes are still in the game, but obviously with the less powerful hardware, they’re not as visually stunning as those on the PS3. Some parts still fly, some parts still crumple, and yes, if you’re on a cycle, ATV, or snowmobile, the driver will fly-off in all if his/her ragdoll glory. Speaking of vehicle parts, another thing that you can upgrade is the vehicles. They are customizable this time around, and you unock parts throughout your career. The changes are noticeable, not just cosmetically either as they do affect performance somewhat. That’s a pretty nice addition to the series, and I hope that they include something like it in the next PS3 game.

Gameplay
Let’s get this out of the way right now, THANK YOU Big Big Studios for allowing us to choose between using the Analog Nub and the D-Pad for controlling the game!!! There are 4 control schemes total, and all 4 are very intuitive. The controls that I use include the D-Pad for controlling the vehicle, X is accelerate, and R1 is boost. Out of all of them, this just felt the most natural for me, and it works very well. You still “feel” some of the bumps and cracks in the racing surface, but again, not as much as in the PS3 versions. The controls are incredibly responsive yet easy to use, and are exactly what you would expect from a Motorstorm game. The difficulty is definitely toned-down quite a bit in your first couple of ranks, but it ramps-up gradually and really starts kicking your butt in Rank 3. If there’s one race that you can’t get through, you will be able to play a couple of others that are past it to build some more points up. I am stuck on one race right now though, and it’s getting a bit frustrating to be honest.

Multiplayer is handled by both Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure, but I have not had the opportunity to try either, as the Infrastructure servers are not online as of this writing. Both seem to be well done, but until I can actually try them, I can’t really comment on multiplayer at all. It’s great to see another PSP game support Infrastructure mode though, and all we can hope for if for more titles to support that mode as well in the future.

Conclusion
It’s rare that a great PS3 game scales so well to the PSP, but this is one of those cases. There’s not really a lot to complain about here, and I’m very happy about that. I would say that the difficulty ramps-up a bit too much in Rank 3, and it would have been nice to try the multiplayer for this review. Also, I would have liked to try out the Custom Soundtrack feature, but again, we’re still not guaranteed that it will be in the final game.

Should you buy this game though? If you are a Motorstorm fan, the answer is definitely ‘Yes’. If you’re not a fan of Motorstorm, probably not, as this is basically more of the same in a smaller form. If you want a great arcadey racer with great visuals, great control, and great fun, this game is definitely for you though. My grade may change after trying the multiplayer out on the full retail release, but even with being stuck on 2 races at the moment personally, this is a great game overall, and is definitely worth getting.

PS- This is another title that’s hitting UMD and PSN. The download is small enough that I’d personally choose the PSN version, as it’s one less UMD to carry around with you.

Title: Gran Turismo (PSP)
Price: $39.99
Release Date: October 1, 2009 (PSN and UMD)
Download Size: 953MB
Install From UMD Option: Yes

One of the big shockers of 2009 was the news that Gran Turismo (GT) for the PSP was not only a reality, but that it would hit in 2009 to coincide with the launch of the PSP Go. Keep reading to see how is translates to the small screen.

Just to preface this review, I’m a longtime fan of the Gran Turismo series, and I own all of the previous titles, but I am in no way “hardcore” in these games. I love playing them all, and I do put a lot of time into them, but my attention has never really been spent on the finer points like tuning the cars or what vehicle does what on that certain track etc. Personally, I’m not a die-hard “car guy,” but I appreciate different cars and do have a couple of dream cars that I would personally like to own. This review will be more of an overview, and probably won’t cover specifics like if the handling on a Dodge Challenger feels correct on concrete, or that sort of thing.

Visuals
I was grabbed right away by how good this game looks on the PSP’s small screen. They’ve done a great job of giving the player as much screen space as possible while still offering a ton of data to the driver. There are 4 available driving views, including the In-Cockpit mode, which came as quite of a surprise to many people. Personally, I like the “on the hood” view, but I have used the cockpit mode as well. It’s very usable, and has the advantage in some vehicles by having two different mirrors, instead of merely the one normally afforded to the player. There is obviously some aliasing in the game, which becomes much more evident when played on a big screen via the PSP Component Cables, but on the smaller screen, it’s really not annoying at all. Overall, textures are good, but some billboards and signs are a bit lower in resolution or quality.

Where the visuals excel is in the cars themselves. They look fantastic, and just like in the PS2 versions, react correctly to turns and heavy braking. There is some polygon tearing occasionally on the tracks, but it’s more of a minor annoyance than anything else. The colors and lighting are surprisingly good for a handheld, and they even have realtime shadows, which I was pretty shocked to see. You won’t see a lot of cool visual effects like HDR lighting or dynamic lighting, but the visuals are much better than I expected, and all of this runs at a SOLID 60FPS. No matter what I’ve had on the screen so far, I haven’t once seen the framerate drop, and that is incredibly satisfying.

Audio
I have found that it is definitely a better gaming experience if you play Gran Turismo on the PSP with headphones. The included soundtrack is good, and is very “GT.” I looked around for a Custom Soundtrack option, and was initially let-down when I didn’t see one. Then, unlike most gamers, I read the manual, which is accessible right from the menu. There I found that after completing the first two Challenges, the option would magically unlock. It gives you two options on where to find the music, and I found it MUCH easier to put the tracks that I wanted to hear in a single “GTPSP” folder within the main “MUSIC” folder on my Memory Stick. One HUGE issue they need to address on the PSP in general is the complete lack of Playlist support, which is still absent even from the new PC Media Manager software.

Aside from the music, the car sounds are nice but not incredible. The racing sounds are quite well done, and they even included the “wind effect” sound from GT4, which I absolutely love on tracks like New York. Overall, the audio is great quality, but nothing new if you’ve played previous GT titles.

Presentation
Everything about the GT series has always been about Presentation, and the portable version sticks to that tradition. The opening cinematic is awesome car-porn as usual, but once you get into the menus, everything is simple but very effective. The options are deep and easy to navigate, even including a separate setting for when you’re using an external display. Screens are laid-out beautifully and getting around in the game is very easy. The replay system, as expected for a GT game, is deep and a blast to use. Unlike the past titles, they don’t seem to “bullshot” the replays, but even still, they’re great to watch. Also, any replay can be saved, with the replay file sizing-up to about 190k. Any of those replays can be accessed in the Theater Mode quite easily. Unfortunately, until you get a good amount of races in, or if you can remember what tracks that you’ve raced on, it doesn’t tell you what tracks have replays in them. It can get a bit frustrating searching around the different tracks for the replay that you’re thinking of. It’s a minor annoyance though.

Gameplay
Control is great, as expected in a Gran Turismo title. Both analog and digital controls are available in the options, and every button is configurable. I personally use the d-pad, and it works brilliantly. Everything is responsive, and moving the brake to R1 allows easier crossover between it and the accelerator. Honestly, I’m loving the control is this game through and through.

Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone else to try Ad Hoc racing with, so obviously I can’t comment on that aspect of the gameplay. I do wish they had full Infrastructure support, or that Sony would get off their ass and get Ad Hoc Party released here in North America!

What’s Different in the Portable Version
There are some differences in this version, and for a portable system, I like what they’ve done. There is no “Career Mode” included within. Instead you choose from one of the 35 tracks or any of their variations (different configurations of some, and reverse mode on all,) and work your way up from Class D to Class A on each. You start with 100k credits, which is nice because you can pick-up two or three cars right out of the gate, and any can be placed in one of the 30 slots of your quick-choice menu of available cars (Favorites.) Overall, their are 800+ cars, and for the first time in the Gran Turismo series, players can share and trade the vehicles they have acquired throughout the game with others via PSP’s Ad Hoc mode. Players will want to trade and share in order to more quickly acquire and race all of the meticulously designed vehicle models. Only 10% of cars cannot be shared, they can only be traded. Also, most or all of these cars can be shared into Gran Turismo 5 when it becomes available (details still aren’t set in stone.)

Also, during a race, the most AI opponents that you will face is three. It doesn’t detract from the game at all, and when you progress up through the classes, the AI can get quite aggressive and becomes very tough to defeat. All of the tracks and variations are unlocked right from the start (which I love,) but only 4 dealerships a day are available for buying new cars for your garage. You never know which manufacturer will pop-up the next day, so make sure to keep some credits available just in case.

Conclusion
Gran Turismo has made an incredible move to the PSP, and is a game that I’ve killed my battery on three times already. Progression through the classes ramps-up nicely, and the gameplay keeps me saying “just one more.” Come October 1st, if you’re a racing fan, or a disciple of the Gran Turismo series, you will not be disappointed. There is a ton of content here, and even as much as I’ve played it so far, I’ve really only scratched the surface. I’d probably get more races in, but I keep watching those sweet, sweet replays.

I honestly do recommend buying the downloadable PSN version, simply because even if you install from the UMD, you still need the UMD in the drive to play the game. Also, if you ever get a PSP Go, you’ll be able to use it right away.

Additional Info From Sony
LEARNING TO DRIVE
• Driving Challenge Mode and Tracks – 102 Challenges await players in Gran Turismo. After clearing the first 48, the game’s closing movie becomes available and 54 additional challenges appear.

SINGLE PLAYER MODES
• Dynamic Single Player Difficulty – There is no difficulty selection in Single Player Mode. Every time the game is played, the level of difficulty increased automatically according to the player’s skill and wins/losses in races. Similarly, the AI drivers level up along with the player through single player races. Player can let their “Leveled Up” AI race for them in ad hoc.
• Time Trial – Time Trial involved continuous laps. When the player exits the trial, the best time in that session is recorded. Gran Turismo records the top 10 lap times for each course.
• Drift Trial – There are two modes in Drift Trial. First, Sector Mode records scores for specific drift sections set on the track (like Gran Turismo®5 Prologue). Secondly, in Full Course Mode, the entire course is judged for drifting for an unlimited number of laps.

PARTY RACES WITH FRIENDS
• Standard Race – Traditional Ad hoc racing, Gran Turismo style.
• Party Race – In this new mode, when a race is continued with the same set of players, a time handicap cumulates. Players who continue to win will accumulate a start delay time.
• Shuffle Race – In this new race mode, the vehicle the player races is selected randomly. Even if the same racers continue a new race, vehicles will change in between races. Winning racers will be given slower vehicles while losing racers are given faster cars. This includes Jackpot Mode. This helps level the playing field and facilitate fun racing regardless of skill.

NEW PARTY GAME SYSTEM
• AI Driver Mode – Enabled in all race modes, the player does not have to race but can have the AI race for him. The AI’s level of performance is based on the player has “trained” the AI in the Single Player Mode. The player can select throughout the race whether to drive or allow the AI to drive.
• Jackpot System – In this system, a roulette wheel is spun at the finish line of the final lap during ad hoc races, doubling or tripling the prize. A lucky racer is selected and if that player wins, he takes all the prize winnings that would have gone to other players. The chance for entering Jackpot Mode fluctuates randomly, and is available in all ad hoc race modes.

OTHER KEY FEATURES
• Developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. for PSP – Gran Turismo’s debut on PSP is developed by the internal team behind the world’s best-selling racing series.
• Over 800 vehicles – Players can race their favorite vehicles from the top manufacturers around the globe, including Ferrari, Nissan, and more. The vehicle model count climbs to over 4,500 when the various paint configurations are included.
• 35 Tracks from Around the World with More than 70 Variations – Famous circuits and some of the favorite environments from the Gran Turismo series have been optimized for racing on PSP.
• Share and Trade Vehicles with Others – For the first time in the Gran Turismo series, players can share and trade the vehicles they have acquired throughout the game with others via PSP’s ad hoc mode. Players will want to trade and share in order to more quickly acquire and race all of the meticulously designed vehicle models.
• Sharing Vehicles – When sharing cars, players can add cars to a friend’s garage without losing the vehicle from their own garage. Only 10% of cars cannot be shared, they can only be traded.
• Trading Vehicles – When trading cars, the vehicle will move from the player’s garage into the garage of the other player.
• Dynamic Vehicle Roster – Based on the amount of time Gran Turismo is played, the in-game calendar will change the dealer vehicle lineup.
• Quick Tune – The player can designate 30 favorite vehicles which can be Quick Tuned.
• Car Descriptions – All vehicles have detailed descriptions, including historical backgrounds
• Available via UMD and PlayStation Network – Offering convenience, choice and options for owners of the original PSP or the newly announced PSP Go.