Now you can Hunt Monsters on your iPhone…. uh ….Dynamically!

I think if i had to chose the biggest gaming success story of the last decade, I’d definitely have to go with Monster Hunter. Starting off as an obscure PS2 title that relied heavily on the consoles awkward online component, it eventually found new life on the PSP where it faced a sudden explosion in popularity that turned it into one of the most popular franchises in gaming history. It wouldn’t even be too far of a stretch to say that it’s entirely responsible for the PSP’s continued success in japan despite worldwide interest in the platform being at an all time low.

With such a strong following like that,  it’s a surprise it’s taken the series so long to reach Japan’s other massively popular portable gaming platform: the mobile phone. An issue that’s soon to be rectified this June by Capcom’s Monster Hunter: Dynamic Hunting for the iPhone*!

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Soul Calibur 5 & Others Announced by Namco Bandai

Namco Bandai are currently holding their annual Level Up event in Dubai and have announced a series of titles for several consoles during their press conference.

Soul Calibur 5 was the biggest of announcements and though details were scarce, it has been slated for a 2012 release for Xbox 360 and PS3, with a trailer coming soon.
Details on two Nintendo 3DS titles were also dished out, with the announcement of an Ace Combat title and release details for Tales of the Abyss.

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This weeks new releases! May 2nd – 8th

Well it looks like it’s going to be yet another slow week across all formats, which is sadly somewhat of a tradition leading up to the summer months; publishers being under the highly misinformed opinion that most gamers, particularly those of summer vacation age, would rather expose themselves to the vicious dangers of the outside world in order to bask in lethal solar rays rather than just stay inside and play video games all day.

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FIFA 12 Details emerge

The first set of FIFA 12 details have been leaked thanks to  the French version of Official PlayStation Magazine.

According to the magazine FIFA 12 will be having a new ‘Impact Engine’ which realistically tracks player contact and injuries, plus “more human” player AI.

We received the first screenshot earlier this month and now thanks to the French we have some bullet points:

• FIFA 12 introduces the ‘Impact Engine’ which properly tracks and formulates contact between players, including their hips, knees etc.
• The AI will also keep track of areas of the body players have been injured during a match. Players can also become injured off the ball if abused too much, especially late in the game.
• FIFA 12 also introduces ‘AI Vision Game’ (rough translation), which promises to make passing more realistic. If you try to complete a pass to a player that’s not within visible range, for example, it’s less likely you’ll complete the pass. EA hopes this will get rid of “blind passing”.
• Personality Plus is more developed and should influence AI players’ passes this time.
• AI is said to be “more human”, with each player acting more or less according to his abilities. One example given is when an AI player sees Fabregas coming towards him with the ball, he’ll act more carefully.
• OPM describes “new presentation” of matches in FIFA 12, which are said to be very much inspired by English football crowds.
• The game includes three new arenas, this time with integrated benches along the sidelines and “impressive lighting effects” according to OPM France.
• Integration of a new short dribble with the left stick.
• The game features a new camera that’s noticeably closer to the ground.
• There’s also a new menu interface that appears to be simpler and more ergonomic than before.

Sony send emails stating PSN’S take down

Today Push-Start received an email from Sony, which basically has confirmed why Sony has taken the PSN down. As most of us already know we had a feeling Sony has had an an attack on there security, possibly from the group anonymous.  Below is the email Push-Start received.

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:

We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

1)     Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;

2)     Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and

3)     Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state/province, zip or postal code), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence that credit card data was taken at this time, we cannot rule out the possibility.  If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, to be on the safe side we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security, tax identification or similar number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking.  When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password.  Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit or similar types of reports.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience.  Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority.  Please contact us at www.eu.playstation.com/psnoutage should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment Teams

Sony’s failed experiment to ride off into the sunset?

Poor PSP Go, it tried so hard to be loved. But now we’re getting the reports that we’ve known were coming for a long time: Sony is finally pulling the plug, officially halting the sale and production of the less than two year old device permanently.

It’s a sad end to what could have been a significant landmark on the chronology of gaming. It offered us freedom from the inconvenience of disks, (legal) instantaneous acquisition of games and a way for developers not to get screwed over by the second hand market or piracy. We all know in our hearts that’s where gaming is going to end up sooner or later, with fully digital consoles and an end to the traditional brick and mortar stores for good. But some unlucky sod had to be the first one to test those waters and find out if the world was truly ready for the digital gaming revolution, but unfortunately for Sony those waters turned out to be somewhat stagnant. Despite a lot of positive reaction to the new smartphone like “sliding“ design and improved features such as bluetooth support, PSP Go sold EXCEPTIONALLY poorly.

It’s not too surprising really, even with its technical innovations there were more than enough factors ensure it would fail: an overly ambitious price, an advertising campaign so awful it could have only come from Sony, a still lingering sentimental attachment to physical storage devices, publishers enforcing ridiculously inflated prices for PSP games on the PSN (often 50% higher than the retail value!), no way for longtime PSP fans to transfer UMD collections into digital downloads, traditional stores realising that the device’s success was not in their best interest, the list goes on.

Wisely Sony have chosen to take a big step back on the digital console front, but not withdraw from the idea completely just yet. The PSP’s successor codenamed NGP (Am I the only one who wants it to keep that name?) will reportedly be a hybrid device that equally focus on both physical storage and digital downloads, with Sony encouraging publishers to opt for the latter format for smaller titles. But the digital only focus isn’t the only thing that won’t be carried over to the NGP; although a lot of NGP dev kits do retain the Go’s “sliding” design, for mass production it was apparently abandoned in favor of the traditional PSP shape due to issues with early NGP prototypes overheating.

At least the PSP Go lives on in the form of Sony Ericsson’s functionally similar Xperia Play (AKA the “PlayStation Phone”), which judging by current public opinion and the crazy price tag that’s been slapped onto it (£479.99), It looks like it will be just as popular as it’s forefather.

Ten of the Best… PSP Games

Little Big Planet

It may lack a lot of what makes its big brother on PS3 so brilliant, but there is planty to enjoy here. The fact that a whole new set of LBP levels exist is reason enough to own it. The charm and fun remain, and the new soundtrack may not quite reach the greatness of the PS3 version, but it comes surprisingly close. Sackboy remains fully customisable, and it’s still as much fun to dress him up halfway through a level. The game is incredibly good fun, but the level editor doesn’t quite cut it. The lack of local multiplayer is a hindrance too, but it’s still a great single player experience.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core

A prequel to one of the best-loved games of all time is always going to be popular, but open to criticism, but Crisis Core is best enjoyed as a very different experience. With a more action-oriented approach to the PS1 classic, it tells the story of Soldier member Zack, whose story interweaves with those of Aerith and Cloud. Battles are real-time, and levelling up is based on chance (to a degree). The system is surprisingly enjoyable, and while it’s not perfect, and can be a bit easy at times, the story is nostalgic fun and the gameplay is different enough to allow this game to step out from the shadows of VII and be enjoyable on its own merits.

Patopon 2

A rhythm game in which you lead an army of tiny cartoon soldiers sounds like a fairly awful proposition for a game, but Patopon, and it’s even better sequel, are a joy to play. The simple, rhythmical thumping of buttons early on gives way to a strategic title, in which you build an army and try to make it as strong as possible to get through the often challenging levels. There is a real charm to Patopon 2, and the music and visuals are top notch. Combined with some great gameplay and the occasional humourous moment, Patopon 2 is one of the best original titles for PSP.

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

Yes it’s a remake, but looking past that, it’s also one of the greatest strategy RPG’s ever made. FFTactics passed European audiences by on the Playstation, as it only saw an NTSC release. This travesty has finally been corrected and now one of the deepest, most well crafted games of the 32-bit era finally reaches our shores. With an excellent story (and improved translation to match) and extremely cerebral battles, FFT will suck hours from your life, as you try to build your team and reach the end of what is a very tough game, but also an incredibly deep and rewarding one.

Everybody’s Golf

Somehow the sedate world of golf translates wonderfully onto the PSP. A few quick holes quickly becomes a full round of 18 in what is one of the PSP’s more addictive titles. Brilliantly simple since it’s PS1 origin, Everybody’s Golf takes a simpler approach to that most dull of sports. With anime styled characters, gorgeous visuals and a simple, classic swing style, the game is a soothing way to kill a long journey. Even if you hate golf with a passion, there’s still a certain addictive quality to the gentle music and pacing of Everybody’s Golf, and while it may not have the depth or originality of other games on this list, it never seems to get boring.

Half Minute Hero

Taking its cue from classic RPG games, Half Minute Hero condenses the grinding, fetching and boss battling of an old-school dungeon crawler into a race against time. With only 30 seconds to level up enough to defeat the boss, each stage is about managing time effectively, as you must be strong enough to beat the boss, but can only reset the clock if you can afford it. It’s simple and immensely entertaining, with plenty of humorous nods to older RPG’s. With a selection of game types on offer, each a very different beast to the others, there’s plenty to do, and the game is perfect for a portable platform.

LocoRoco

You are a giant yellow blob, an unlikely hero indeed, in this addictive puzzle/platform hybrid. Controlling the level around you, you roll your yellow avatar around stages, growing as you collect more ‘locoroco’ – the aforementioned yellow blob(s), this game is a truly unique prospect. Featuring some of the catchiest music in videogame history, great gameplay and a sumptuous visual style, which exudes character, Locoroco is one of the most charming titles on any system, and while its sequel is probably the better game, that first meeting with the locoroco will always be special.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Somehow managing to pack the vast majority of the GTA experience onto a handheld is an incredible achievement. LCS does very little that it’s home console brethren don’t, and despite some slow load times, it’s very hard to fault. The core gameplay remains, driving, shooting and generally being a nuisance to the citizens of Liberty City are the order of the day. It has a unique story, and despite re-using the setting of GTA3, it feels fresh. There are some excellent missions, and just being able to sit on a bus or train and play a fully 3d Grand Theft Auto title really shows the power of the humble PSP.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

many gamers were let down by Metal Gear Solid 4, disliking it’s over-complicated and somewhat ridiculous plot. Thankfully Peace Walker takes the series back to the excellent style of MGS3: Snake Eater. The stealth mechanic works really well, the controls have been honed specifically to take advantage of the PSP’s setup, a blessing for a game like this, and it has the classic Metal Gear Solid gameplay. The game is separated into missions, perfectly tailored for a handheld. Some features have been stripped back, but nothing that takes away from a fantastic overall experience.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable

A re-release this may be, but what a game this is. One of the greatest RPG games ever, Persona 3 mixes dungeon crawling, turn based battling and lifestyle simulator to tremendous effect. With an impressively deep battle system enhanced by cultivating ‘social links’ the game becomes a compulsive, as players are drawn into their characters world, trying to gain as many social links as possible in order to gain better ‘personas’ (sort of like summons in Final Fantasy) for use in battle. The characters are engaging and well written, the setting unique and the gameplay almost flawless. There’s probably about 70-100 hours of gameplay here, and every second of it is compelling. Not playing this would be a travesty, so if you missed it on PS2, beg borrow or steal to play it now on PSP.

This week’s new releases! April 18th -24th

Wow. It actually looks like a fairly solid line up this week, if a little thin on the ground due to a shockingly unusual lack of new DS titles other than the much overdue 3DS launch title Puzzle Bobble Universe (curiously not under its usual European name of Bust-a-Move). Perhaps the shovelware DS money well has finally run dry? HAHAHA. But seriously, it’s back to boatloads of garbage after this so enjoy the quality titles while you can!

Highlights

Portal 2

A game that should need little introduction. The long awaited sequel to Valve’s 2007 landmark physics defying first person puzzler is finally hear. New features include a fully independent Co-Op mode, a much longer duration (one of the few complaints with the original) and a “gel” painting mechanic that adds an extra level of lateral thinking to the puzzles. Hopefully (but not definitely) it will also have a few more story hooks to the currently sleeping Half-Life franchise, this being the first game set in that universe in over 3 years.

Unsurprisingly you can obtain Portal 2 on the usual triumvirate of PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, but for once the PS3 version might be the ideal console platform of choice. Not only will the PS3 version directly integrate into the Steam PC servers for use with multiplayer (essentially isolating the 360 players from everyone else) and cloud saves, but every copy also comes with an exclusive code that unlocks the PC version for free! So even if you’re part of the “PC gamer master race” it might be worth picking up a copy for the PlayStation triple instead, at worst you can just flog it as a quick trade in and save yourself some money overall.

Mortal Kombat

What can i say? It’s Mortal Kombat, and its BACK. And by “BACK” I mean no more kidyfying the violence to appease publishers. This is a return to the savagely gory origins that turned what would have otherwise been a fairly standard fighting game into a buzz word for brutality. Oh! And it’s a pretty good fighting game too, just in case you were wondering.

Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

Another year, another remake of a SNES classic Final Fantasy game, and this time it’s Final Fantasy IV on the PSP. At the very least this is the EIGHTH time this has happened to FFIV, so what makes this one so important? Well the reason this is known as the “Complete Collection” is because it it features IV’s 2008 sequel The After Years, which had previously only been available on Japanese mobile phones and the Nintendo WiiWare store in a ridiculously expensive episodic format. Not only that, but the game features a(nother) major graphical enhancement over the original version as well as a brand new scenario called “Interlude” that helps bridge the 17 year gap between IV and The After Years.

Yawwwwn…. yeah it’s far from everyones cup of tea, but by the sound of it the legion of RPG fans who are, for some bizarre reason, absolutely crazy for IV will likely view this as the definitive must-have edition of the title. At least until Square Enix announce a 3DS/NGP remake anyway…..

Full schedule

Multiplatfrom
Mortal Kombat Xbox360/PS3
Operation Flashpoint: Red River PS3/Xbox360
Portal 2 PS3/PC/Xbox360
Virtua Tennis 4 Wii/PS3/Xbox360

PSP
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

PC
Majesty 2 Collection
Black Mirror 3
Heroes Of Might & Magic Collection
The Next BIG Thing
Black Mirror III

Wii
Conduit 2

PS3
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs

3DS
Puzzle Bobble Universe

(Unfortuantly) Hyperdimension Neptunia will return in August

Hyperdimension Neptunia , a hardcore JRPG set in the world anthropomorphised video game consoles, is set to return in Japan this August with the aptly named sequel Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2. It follows a similar setting to the original with Arforie, the physical manifestation of video game piracy, threatening the stability of the world of Gameindustri (oh, see what they did there?).

The previous game had you taking the role of Neptunia, the “Console Patron Unit” of SEGA’s unreleased Neptune console, alongside those of Noire the PS3, Blanc the Wii and Vert the Xbox 360. However in MK2 you’ll be playing as their smaller “sisters” who instead represent the the handheld consoles. They are Nepgear the Purple Sister (a theoretical portable version of the SEGA Neptune) Uni the Black Sister (PSP) and Rom/Ram the white sisters (likely the DS and the 3DS). Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu at one point reported that MK2 was going to be sold under the name NGP, so it would be fair enough to suspect Sony’s PSP successor to factor into the story at some point.

Apparently each of the sisters will look significantly younger than their elder siblings from the first game, which is either just an easy way of representing the size difference between handhelds and consoles or part of fulfilling some creepy anime fetish. Not sure I want to know which. Either way, the concept sounds cool right? Well a lot of people said the same thing about the first game, and I’m not going to lie to you, that thing sucked hard. Actually no, that’s an understatement.

It was a truly god awful game for such a large number of reasons that I could easily do an entire article on the subject. In fact at one point I nearly did write a review, but after contemplating suicide after only two play session with the title I decided it was in my best interest to leave it well alone. Hopefully Mk2 will make better use of the unique setting, honestly it couldn’t do much worse than its predecessor.

PSN gets a spring sale!

While it pales in comparison to the sort of bonanzas our digital distribution overlords over at Steam usually put out, Sony has thrown together a pretty tasty sale on the PSN to [help keep us inside playing video games during the few weeks we get any sunshine in the UK] celebrate the arrival of spring!

Highlights include the arcade revival sleeper hit PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX at £3.99, co-op twin stick shooter Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light at £5.10, under appreciated PSP RPG gem Half Minute Hero at £6.29 and best of all the pair of remastered PS2 classics found within God of War HD Collection for only £14.99! Oh, and if you one of the 5 or so people who don’t yet own or despise Angry Birds, then you can now pick it up for only £1.24. Uh, yay?

Full list:

PS3

(Offer prices available until the 27th April)

• PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Worms 2: Armageddon – (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)
• Worms 2: Armageddon Battle Pack – (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)
• Noby Noby Boy – (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)
• Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao – (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• PowerUp Forever – (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer – (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype – (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £5.10/€6.49)
• Blade Kitten – (was – £7.19/€8.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Space Invaders: Infinity Gene – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Ferrari: The Race Experience – (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
• Borderlands – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part One – (was – £12.99/€16.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part Two – (was – £12.99/€16.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light – (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £5.10/€6.49)
• Blue Toad Murder Files Episode One – (now free)
• Blue Toad Murder Files: Season Upgrade – (was – £8.99/€11.25 now – £7.19/€8.99)
• Premier Manager – (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
• HamsterBall – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Ricochet HD – (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• Assassin’s Creed II – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £17.49/€21.99)
• Voodoo Dice (PS3 version) – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
• Cell Factor: Psychokinetic Wars – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game + Knives Chau Add-on Bundle (£7.99/€9.99)

The following PS3 offers will be available from Thursday, 14th April

• God of War HD Collection – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £14.99/€19.99)

PSP

(Offer prices available until the 27th April)

• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
• NBA 2K11 – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
• Worms: Battle Islands – (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Half Minute Hero – (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)
• Michael Jackson: The Experience – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £17.49/€21.99)

The following PSP offers will be available from Thursday, 14th April

• God of War: Chains of Olympus – (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• God of War Ghost of Sparta – (was – £19.99/€24.99 now – £11.99/€16.99)
• ModNation Racers – (was – £21.99/€26.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
• Twisted Metal: Head On – (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• LittleBigPlanet PSP* – (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)

*All LittleBigPlanet PSP billable level kits are now reduced permanently to £0.79/€0.99

PS3 & PSP

(Offer prices available until the 27th April)

• Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder (mini) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
• Mad Blocker Alpha: ROTF (mini)- (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
• Edge (mini) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
• Space Shooter for 2 Bucks (mini) – (was – £1.74/€1.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
• Angry Birds (mini) – (was – £2.49/€2.99 now – £1.24/€1.49)
• Rayman (PSone) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.99/€3.59)