PSP Blogger - PlayStation® Portable Fansite

As you might have noticed, the PS Store is currently blooming with new content (in certain countries of course) and with a new layout coming soon the PS Store has quite a promising future ahead of it.

Price wise however things don’t seem that promising. As you know all purchases on the store are done via credit card. The store however only allows you to activate your PSP on one country setting. What this basically means is that say you sign up for an American account but change to UK afterwards all your content downloaded from the American store won’t play due to license restrictions.

Well since I live in South Africa I obviously selected the South African store as I prefer viewing the currency (Rand) from my own country for easier purchases. Last night I had a little peak at the American store just out of curiosity and was quite shocked at what I discovered. They are overcharging me!

1 USD ($) currently equals 8 South African Rand (R).

Here is an example:

Beats on the USA store costs $5 which equals to R40 whereas on the South African store the same game sells at R75 ($9+). I haven’t checked the pricing on the stores from other countries but I’m sure there’ll be some differences too. Why is Sony doing this? There is no import costs involved since its downloadable content. If I knew this from the beginning I would have signed up for the USA store, and even if I do that now all my already purchased games simply won’t work. I could have purchased Flow and Beats from the USA store for basically the same price as only one game from the SA store.

Really sucks.

PSP gamers seem to constantly talk about custom firmware and the benefits of having it on the console. You’ll find hundreds of forums and websites containing guides, tips, tools, and downloads on CFW all over the web.

Here are some of the main features provided by CFW:

1. You can watch movies from all regions.
2. Run emulators for old console platforms such as NES, SNES, Genesis, Atari, etc.
3. PSP games can play directly from the memory stick.
4. Custom XMB themes can be installed.
5. Full support for third party homebrew applications.

Now while playing movies from all regions and being able to run emulators sound really nice the problem seems to be point nr. 3. Running PSP games directly from the memory stick is quite handy since you don’t have to constantly swap UMD disks but this feature also opens up the door to piracy. Even though the PSP is not that popular in South Africa I was still curious to see how big the effect was CFW had on the gaming community.

PSPSA interviewed local MBB forum member Cerealkilla about CFW and this is what he had to say:

PSPSA: How long have you been in the custom firmware scene?

CK: I’ve been using CFW for about a year now.

PSPSA: Do you think Dark Alex is a genius or just someone who wanted to promote piracy?

CK: I’d go with genius! As for promoting piracy, No! If you download a ripped game, you'll notice in the read me that it's for preview purposes, at the end of the day, it comes down to you as an individual... buy it or be a sad sap.

PSPSA: Is custom firmware in your opinion the main reason for the reasonably low PSP games sales?

CK: I certainly hope not. I think the reason for the low sales rate is marketing and cost related. Firstly, games take ages to reach SA shores. Secondly, some titles are overpriced and last, you don’t see any ads for PSP games!

PSPSA: How many PSP systems have you “hacked” with CFW?

CK: I’ve hacked 3 PSP consoles to date, 2 of my own and a close friend’s console.

PSPSA: Have you experienced any problems while using CFW on PSP’s?

CK: Personally I’ve never come across a bug in the system.

PSPSA: Does running CFW void with the PSP’s warranty?

CK: Yes, it does void the warranty, but you can always reload the original PSP firmware before taking it in and you're good to go. You haven't physically opened the unit.

PSPSA: What’s the main reason you use CFW for?

CK: I use CFW for the homebrew! There are lots of great apps available for the PSP such as using it as a remote for my TV. I love it! Gets my girlfriend really mad when she has the remote and I channel hop!

PSPSA: Do you believe the rumor that the Pandora Battery fix will be patched in the upcoming firmware 4.0?

CK: You know the PSP hackers... anything is possible with time,

PSPSA: What do you think about torrent sites promoting free downloadable PSP ISO images?

CK: I think there should be a fee involved apart from just using your bandwidth. The game should be a full version trial... play it half way, if you dig it, buy the original!

PSPSA: Anything else that you would like to tell us about CFW?

CK: Like I said, I'm a fan of CFW, in my opinion, it rocks. I'll never go back to original FW because my homebrew won’t work.

From what I understand it seems CFW does have its benefits even though games are still being downloaded illegally. The question is who’s to blame. Is it the creators of CFW for allowing the PSP to play pirate games or the users downloading the torrents?

Gauntlet Legends is another title hitting the Playstation Store this year, so let’s go see what this classic is all about…

Originally released on arcade machines by Atari in 1998 the title ported itself to the Playstation, Nintendo 64 and (gasp!) Sega Dreamcast. Gauntlet Legends is a hack ‘n slash RPG (yes, another one) that doesn’t really offer much than the usual killing, collecting, and leveling RPG gamers have gotten pretty use to over the years. Interestingly enough the original title named Gauntlet was released in 1985 and also had an expansion that made it to the Xbox, Gamecube and PS2 as Gauntlet: Dark Legacy.

The Nintendo 64 version was reviewed by IGN in 1999 and scored a pretty decent 7.7 although the score seem to have been focused more on the multiplayer functionality of the game (which obviously won’t work with the store titles). Here’s a quote from IGN:

“This is a very accurate translation of an arcade game to a console and that's a nice accomplishment but how much you'll like it depends on what you thought about it in the arcades. I for one think it's worth a rent first but don't pick it up if you don't like multiplayer co-op games or have no friends.”

Well I’m not really sure if I should get excited by this release although I might just give it a go to see what I’ve missed. If you’re a Gauntlet Legends fan however then this is your lucky day.

Do you sometimes just stare at your fish tank for hours wondering how it would be like to actually be a fish? I guess the biggest nightmare for fish must be to get caught by a nice sharp hook. What on earth does this have to do with the preview? More than you think my friend so let’s get started.

Kawa no Nushi Tsuri aka Legend of the River King is a RPG developed by Natsumi (the same guys that created the Harvest Moon series). Ok fine, I have a confession to make. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Legend of the River King and was quite surprised that the series was released on various consoles such as NES, SNES, GB, PSX, PS2, and GBA. Either these games where really bad or I’ve been missing something the past couple of years.

The prime object of this game believe it or not is fishing. Your mission is to go find this big fish known as Guardian. Your sister however has been infected with some deadly disease and the only cure is provided by this so called Guardian (sounds like a real sad story to me). The usual RPG elements like collecting stuff, buying stuff, selling stuff, upgrading stuff and chatting to the town’s locals about stuff is also present.

But wait, there’s more! Also included is the very cool fish tank mode (aka Raise) which allows you to raise, breed and feed… fish! Tamagotchi fans should be thrilled. The title is planned for release somewhere throughout the course of the year. ><))’>

The PSP has turned 3 and everywhere on the net you’ll find articles on how the sales figures improved this year. With new features such as Skype, Go!Messenger and games like God of War, Final Fantasy CC and of course Patapon, the PSP has really made it name for itself. PSP fans all over rejoice with the resent success and DS fanboys are still using the same old PSP complains (hey! Stop throwing tomatoes at me!).

Here are some of the PSP highlights for 2008:

1. Not only is the PSP slimmer but it’s also available in new funky colors and special edition box sets.
2. New bigger memory cards have been announced.
3. God of War, Final Fantasy CC, MH 2nd G, do I need to say more?
4. PSP is currently the second best selling console worldwide!
5. Skype, Go!Messenger, and other new firmware upgrades have been added.
6. PSP manages to out sell the Wii in Japan.
7. PSP sales figures are almost reaching 32 million!

Besides the above mentioned highlights PSP gamers also have some great titles to look forward to like Star Ocean, Secret Agent Clank, R-Type Command, N+, Devil May Cry, Phantasy Star Portable, Metal Gear Solid DGN2 and Echocrome just to name a few.

You might have however been wondering what PSP titles have been bringing in most of the sales. Well according to Wikipedia the best selling PSP title seems to be Daxter. Let’s take a look at the sales figures shall we.

1. Daxter (2 Million units sold)
2. Gran Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (1.95 Million units sold)
3. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (1.95 Million units sold)
4. Monster Hunter Freedom (1.15 Million units sold)
5. Need for Speed Most Wanted (1.04 Million units sold)

In the next couple of months we’ll see GOW, Wipeout Pulse, Final Fantasy CC and even Patapon added to the list. The question is if Daxter will still remain the PSP king.

Reviewed by Hades the Prowler

It's no doubt difficult to take a simplistic masterpiece and dissect it into easier-to-digest chunks, because it's impossible. It's one thing that the game is too simple to even dissect. Another is that its premise is so plain. But with Patapon, these are the good stuff.

Enter a world where you play as a formless deity, commanding a group of simpletons known as the Patapons, as they go through their hunts, missions and the like. And commanding them doesn't take you through cavernous menus and complicated controls. No. Instead, you'll just push buttons like any kid. But there's a catch: you must time your button presses into the rhythm, making it quite addictive. It's so much fun learning what's going to happen to your little people.

And learning gets better, as the graphics contribute to your eagerness. Created by talented French 'artiste' Rolito, the graphics are simple but effective. Subtle movements blend in with the background, character designs are a marvel and every little bit of the special effects make for a very fun sightseeing. All playing on a 2D graphics engine. Yes, Patapon is that great.

And being a rhythm game, of course Patapon has some great musical pieces. The drums you beat are easily recognized, the background music can be easy to get into and the singing of your teeny Patapons are brilliant.

There's also that addictive, charming thing going with it. Even as you play it over and over again, Patapon never gets tiring. It's THAT great.

So, it seems that this review may be on the short side, but expect to see Patapon be on the higher ranks of the PSP games. Don't get left behind. Get Patapon and see how amazing simplicity can be.

On a side note, PSPSA would just like to welcome Hades to the team and would personally like to thank him for his contributions. Hades (also known as AmaterasuFan13) has been writing blog posts and reviews on Gamespot for some time now and his excellent knowledge of PSP is a great addition to our site. Once again we’re proud to have you and hope you enjoy your stay here with us.

Davin Warner
PSP Blogger – South Africa

The PSP (Playstation Portable) was released in Japan on December 12, 2004. The console is already on its way to 4 years! (Where does the time go?) Even though the PSP celebrated a new design and some great titles the past couple of years including familiar names like God of War, Final Fantasy and Silent Hill, there’s always been some emptiness in the PSP gaming market. I was shocked to see over 50 PSX and PS2 platinum titles not showing any signs on the PSP. Well after some research and hours of chatting on forums I narrowed it down to the 10 platinum titles that PSP still needs to be a real Sony hit.

I now present to you the…

Showdown! The 10 Games PSP still needs to be a called real Playstation.

Coolboarders

Yeah, the PSP needs snowboarding, and lots of it. Coolboarders 2, 3 and 4 all hit the platinum series on the PSX and therefore will be a great addition the PSP library.
Spyro The Dragon

Who could possibly forget this little cute fire spitting dragon? This game made it to the PS2 greatest hits range and received the Gamecube player’s choice award. It’s a fun little platformer that caters for everybody.

TimeSplitters

With three titles released on the PS2 and excellent gamer feedback this title might just be the first person shooter the PSP really needs.

Hitman

This game has its own damn movie and has not even touched the PSP console. What on earth could be better then killing people with style in the palm of your hand? Platinum status on PS2 is more than enough reason for a PSP version.

Yeah I know it has been announced but it’s seriously taking too long. To make matters even worse it seems that Capcom is planning on releasing a port rather than an original title. What a shame that would be.

Resident Evil

Another so called announced game that’s just not making any progress. Three movies, 2 million versions and still no PSP release.

Gran Turismo

No comment, seriously.

I honestly don’t know if we’ll see any of these titles soon if ever. Hopefully with the resent jump in hardware sales the developers must just surprise us. We can only hope.

Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony is an Action RPG game we won’t recommend you to play while visiting the toilet (read the name again). If you’ve played Dungeon Siege on the PC before you’ll pretty much know what the game is all about. The most similar PSP game we could find was Untold Legends although Dungeon Siege PSP is better in many aspects.

So you start the game off by hacking and slashing, then after awhile you’ll find yourself still hacking and slashing, so that pretty much gives the idea of what 90% of the game is all about. Unlike the PC version you control your character directly with the analog stick which works surprisingly well. HP and MP potions get triggered by the shoulder buttons and inventory as well as spells with the d-pad. The control layout is actually one of the best we’ve used on the PSP. The game however is not without flaws. (Why does that part always end up in reviews?)

Even though the graphics are pretty sharp and full of texture the frame rate does tend to hinder the game play. You’ll eventually ignore the problem but it would have been a much “smoother” title if it wasn’t for the occasional slowdown. The story itself is nothing to freak out about (even though there are 3 different stories to follow) but luckily it does keep you going until the end. Unfortunately you can’t create your own custom warrior but have to select from 3 game created characters (weird looking crazy blind chick with dual blades, some giant ogre grunt, and a Walt Disney style battle mage). The various locations you visit, monsters you battle (each with their own sound effects) and quests you do does however make up for most of the flaws.

There is plenty and we mean millions of items you can loot and sell even though most of them are pretty useless. Overall if you’re a fan of Dungeon Siege or just looking for a hack ‘n slash game for your PSP then I would recommend checking Dungeon Siege out. The game will last you a couple of hours with the only downside of it being relatively easy (harder modes get unlocked after completing the game).

Anyway I’m off to go test my new Sword of Zaramoth!

Well for those who don’t know yet, Final Fantasy: Dissidia is the next FF installment coming to PSP after Crisis Core. This title however will be quite different to what fans have gotten use to over the years. Dissidia is a 1 on 1 fighting game (yes I’m serious) and that’s about it.

Now before you start yelling “OMG WTF” just relax and here me out. This title will be very different to the usual side-scrolling fighting games you’ve been playing in the arcades. Dissidia will have full 3D batte arenas and will allow you character to perform various special stunts like running up walls, sliding off rails etc. The game will also include EX meters, combos, and special attacks as you would expect from a fighting title.

The fun part is that finally you can have all your favorite Final Fantasy characters killing each other in the palm of your hands. Announced fighters include Warrior of light, Garland, Firion, Sephiroth, Squall, Ultimecia, Zidane, Kuja and more so it should be quite interesting to see what these guys can do.

The lack of PSP software sales is apparently due to piracy figures for the console. Now while their might some truth in that statement I also believe it’s due to lack of great quality titles. Strangely enough there are more PSP titles scoring over 80% on Gamespot reviews than DS titles. Just look at how the sales figures raised when God of War COA, Final Fantasy CC, Monter Hunter 2nd G and Patapon where released. This tells me that great quality titles equal good console sales (yeah pretty obvious).

Piracy however is something that has been plaguing the PSP for some time now although the same thing was present with the PS1 and PS2. Still today the PS2 however sells extremely well.

Here’s a quote from PSP Fanboy regarding the piracy problem…

“Piracy is ruining the PSP. Although quality titles continue to come out on the handheld, many have been wondering: where are the software sales? Hardware has done incredibly well since the release of the redesigned PSP-2000, but PSP software still fails to make it to the top of the charts. What's to blame? It's easy to blame pirates, who take advantage of the easily circumventable security of the system.”

Everybody who owns a PSP is very well familiar with the term custom firmware or the name Dark Alex. I do however support CFW in terms of running homebrew applications but I don’t support piracy.

As we all know CFW allows the PSP to run various emulators such as NES, SNES, Arcade, Atari, Gameboy and even Genesis (which might also explain the fairly low sales of the Sega Genesis Collection). Hardware wise the PSP has more than enough power to run DS emulation but there’s a little problem though.

Nintendo was fully aware of the fact that the PSP is a stronger unit therefore making it possible to run emulation of the DS. I’ve read on various forums people reckon this is why Nintendo also decided to rather go for touch screen and dual screen making it fairly impossible for the PSP to properly emulate the DS. Imagine the DS was just an improved version of the Gameboy Advance. Emulation would have been fairly easy on the PSP and this might have even caused a real dip in DS hardware and software sales.

The current rumor is that Sony plans to implement some new security in the upcoming firmware 4.0 for the PSP resulting in discontinued use of the Pandora Battery fix. How true all these rumors are I honestly don’t know but we’ll see soon enough.

Feel free to comment on what your opinion is about the whole story.

Well for those who aren’t familiar with Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (what a mouth full) here’s a quote of what the game is all about.

“Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus is a standalone follow-up to last year's award winning stealth action title Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Focusing on a portable multiplayer experience, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus players will be able to enjoy more maps, more missions, and recruit a talented crew of war heroes for battling real opponents in online arenas”

The title has recently been released in Europe and is currently err…out of stock in SA (Take 2). The PSP is however not that popular in South Africa and that makes me wonder how good the multiplayer based games are doing here. I probably only know two people who actually own a PSP which is quite sad. I would really like to buy the title but due to the lack of PSP gamers here I might just hold back for awhile. For the lucky MGS fans that have buddies with PSP’s I would fully recommend purchasing the latest installment.

I’ve honestly seen some really weird PSP accessories but this one takes the cake. Can you imagine playing God of War while taking a shower, having a bath (hey wait I do that) or even while swimming? These Japanese dudes however seem to think it’s perfectly normal with their Aquatalk waterproof PSP wallet.

I actually thought really hard about why someone would actually buy one of these and could seriously not come up with any sane reason. Yeah it might be quite funny actually owning one of these things (South Africa won’t see it I promise you) but how many people will actually go buy one?

Surely there must be a production line for these accessories since I can’t really see them promoting the product if it doesn’t sell. Some really weird people out if you ask me. Well on your next trip to Japan be sure to check out the local swimming pools since you might just find some chap swimming and playing Final Fantasy on his PSP.

The chances are real good that you’ve probably heard the DivX rumor for PSP. How did it all start? Well a Sony employee apparently confirmed DivX for a future firmware update. Unfortunately he did not say which one though. Now firmware 4.0 will be a big number in the firmware history for PSP so we can only assume that DivX functionality will be included.

If we have a look back at 3.0 we see lots of major changes like camera, remote play, network play and a visual player amongst others so it would only make sense that Sony has similar plans for version 4. Sony recently released version 3.93 which only included minor fixes already giving us the indication that bigger changes is going to happen with 4.0.

So you might come to wonder what exactly the big deal is with DivX and adding it to the PSP. Simply put, DivX will allow users to download movies and TV shows through the PC PSN Store, or from the Store on the PS3, or from third-party online retailers (which will probably be used more). The thing I’m wondering about is what besides DivX will Sony include in the new version. Curiosity killed that cat and I had to go do some rumor research on other extras we might see.

Well after finding a million firmware wish lists with some bizarre requests (PS3 emulation??), there was a few valid features that popped up. The list included various things like Shockwave Player, Adobe Flash Player 9, Quicktime video, Realplayer, more visuals for music player, mp3 equalizer, and some RSS improvements to name a few. We can only hope to see some of these features added to the new firmware version but I did however stumble upon a very interesting rumor.

The delay in new firmware is apparently caused by Sony adding some “new” protection to the PSP resulting in discontinued use of the very famous Pandora battery custom firmware tool. I’m not sure how true these rumors are but we’ll see soon enough.

To think that over 30 million PSP’s are floating out there somewhere is quite a thought. The resent jump in hardware sales is most likely due to the resent release of Final Fantasy: Crisis Core and God of War: Chains of Olympus. The sales figures will jump even more when Monster Hunter 2nd G gets released worldwide. I did however expect Japan to have the majority of PSP console sales but to my surprise America came out as the victor with 12 million sales versus the 8 million from Japan.

What makes it even more interesting is that the PSP was the best selling console beating the very popular DS with approximately 14000 units for the week in Japan. Even more interesting is the fact the PSP is currently the third best selling console worldwide beating the Xbox 360 and PS3 with over 10 million units.

The current best selling PSP game for the week is God of War in America, Monster Hunter 2nd G in Japan and strangely enough Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 in the rest of the world. The rise in PSP sales is not only due to the new games but also the extra addition in console colors (Japan has the new Mint Green edition) and new applications like GO!Messenger and Skype.

Seems like 2008 is a really good year for the PSP and with rumors of DivX playback being included with the version 4.0 firmware who knows what can happen.

Don’t tell me you never heard of Klonoa! Well this game is really similar to that pink cute monster called Kirby if you ever played that before. The title is a side-scrolling action type game with a Pseudo-3D appearance.

Throughout the game you’ll do the usual Super Mario stunts by jumping around, ridding the world of baddies and collecting various items etc. The title did very well on the PSX and even received a 9.2 and editors choice award from Gamespot (God of War only received 8.5!) so check the review there for more information.

There is currently no ETA on the store arrival but should show up in the next couple of months. (Hey, it’s better than waiting for GT Mobile)

As we all know the PSP is currently the only Sony console who doesn’t have its own Gran Turismo title. The racing simulator was already (yeah right!) in the works when the PSP originally got released. The problem however is that it’s 2008 and still we have nothing.

Many PSP owners actually bought the console with GT in mind only to discover that GT isn’t racing to the PSP soon. The developers behind GT reckon that the project isn’t cancelled (rumors amok) but that their main focus now is to first complete GT5 for PS3.

This I kind of understand but since GT5 is only getting released somewhere in 2009, does that mean we might only see “GT Mobile” in 2010!? The original idea was to port GT4 from PS2 to the PSP and add some changes but in my opinion that would be a waste. We have already waited this long so they might us well provide us with a PSP exclusive. Most of the cars featured on GT4 will be old news by 2010 and since GT5 will be main thing at that time, people would obviously assume the PSP version to be based on it.

Let’s just hope they put all their effort into the PSP version and not release some crappy port nobody really wants. God of War is a perfect example of how it should be done.

Yeah this is totally off topic I know but I really wanted to chat about this site I found and it might even help you if you’re a blogger or similar.

I was actually wondering about getting people to know about my site (since there’s like a zillion PSP sites out there) and decided to do some Google hunting. That’s how I came across rssHugger (yes it’s spelled like that). These chaps basically have one goal and that’s to bring bloggers and readers together. It’s a very simple concept but not always such an easy task.

How you may ask? Well I write about them and then they “refer” back to me. It’s like a chain reaction if I may. The great thing about it is that it’s totally free so if you have a blog or whatever maybe you should visit rssHugger. You might just be surprised with the results.

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I really miss this game! This was seriously one of the best arcade racing titles available for the PSX and it’s finally coming to the PS Store (no exact ETA). I currently only own a PSP (must seriously get that donation button up) so playing PSX games is usually out of the question unless it pops up on the PS Store.

I almost convinced myself to go buy a second hand PSX but since Metal Gear Solid has recently been released on the store (currently only Japanese store) and the fact that other great titles like Klonoa and Tekken 3 are coming soon I might just reconsider.

For those who enjoyed playing Ridge Racer 1 & 2 on the PSP or any Ridge Racer for that matter I would fully recommend getting the Type 4 title when it arrives on the store.

Drivers start your engines! (Hey wait, wasn’t that Daytona?)

On a previous post of mine I explained about the PSP only being region locked for movies and as much as I still want to see a PAL copy of The Silent Hill Experience I can bargain you that it’s not going to happen.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel though. MTV seems to be going the UMD movie region free route. Instead of it being labeled PAL or NTSC it will indeed be labeled ALL (huh?). Either way it’s a nice move since UMD movies aren’t really the best selling media on the market.

Maybe making the movies region free is just the lift UMD needs. Hollywood on the other hand does not seem to agree with this idea. Some PAL users also like anime you know.

Hyper Beam attack! Demon fang! Slashing something with dual blades crossed with street fighter uppercut mixed with transformers attack! Well these are the kind of things you’ll hear when playing Tales of the World – Radiant Mythology.

The story itself is the usual let’s save the world type thing but works pretty well with this title. The characters as cool as they are will however be appreciated more by Tales fans than newcomers. It’s a Japanese RPG (yeah, the PSP seems to have plenty of those) but with some extras. Firstly you don’t have to follow any strict linear path in the game which is a real bonus. There are of course the main story quests but you can do them anytime you please. It’s actually possible to reach some high levels thanks to the many side quests before even touching most of the main quests making them a breeze to complete. Another welcome feature is the live action free roaming battle system. Instead of just selecting attacks like in Final Fantasy based games you directly control the character movements and attacks which work extremely well.

The game is also filled with things like crafting, cooking (yea even pasta) and lots of funny dialogue to break away from the sometimes repetitive fetch and eliminate quests. The graphics itself could have been better but plays without any frame rate problems and almost zero loading times to top it off.

What I personally liked about the game is that by changing weapons and armor you actually see the visual change on your character which is not usually present in most RPG’s. This title can easily keep you busy for hours on end (with the help of the side quests) and there’s also lots of unique armor and weapons to discover.

Overall if you’re a fan of Japanese RPG’s and maybe also a fan of the Tales series I would recommend you to pick up this title. Hey what’s the monster doing here? Demon fang attack!

Welcome to another episode of Pimp your PSP (actually this is the first episode). Our lucky selected winner is Mr. Solid Snake from CSI and he’s getting his very much broken PSP pimped! (Imagine that)

The first step is to replace the screen but that seems like effort so we’ll just replace the whole damn thing. Second step is to give some style and this is where Decalgirl comes in.

Decalgirl is an online store that offers a massive variety of skins for not just PSP but any console as well as iPods and cell phones. The great thing about these skins is that they keep your PSP scratch free, are available for the slim and fat series, removes easily without any sticky residue and pretty affordable (they also ship to South Africa).

So if you’re scared about scratching you PSP or just want to give it some style Decalgirl might just be the shop you need. We decided to use the crime scene skin for our CSI client as shown above.

Mommy they stole my lunch money! Well this was usually the excuse if I needed some more lunch money (you can never eat enough Smarties). Thinking about my school days brings back a lot of great memories and some not so great memories (check out the Bully game on PS2 for more information)

I will honestly admit that most of the conversations we had at school was focused on gaming. At the time there was no internet to quickly check out game reviews but instead everybody walked around with good old fashioned magazines. I still remembered my first gaming orgasm when my dad connected up the NES console (Nintendo alert!) and gave me a cartridge with nothing other than Super Mario Bros. Well even though most of my school friends have grown out the whole gaming scene at least one still shares the passion (and the Sony brand…lol).

Reikronian is a blog created by my friend which mostly evolves around err…well lots of random stuff. If you are however a fan of Gran Turismo, cars and PS3 you might just find his blog quite entertaining.

Well I’m off to go Woo-Hoo on Sims 2 so check you later.

So after a very sweaty weekend with your PSP and Monster Hunter you discovered your analog stick not looking the same as when you bought your PSP. How can this be? Easy, you didn’t wash your hands!

Tip: PSP SA recommends all players to wash their hands before playing and after using the toilet.

Anyway, the damage is done so let’s get to the cleaning part. Luckily for you the PSP doesn’t require disassembly to clean the top of the stick. However if the dirt is at the bottom of the stick then that’s a totally different story. You will notice that the top part of the analog is covered with a plastic grip and the dirt tends to fill those spaces and due to this a standard cloth isn’t really going to do the trick. The best thing to use is a cotton swab (ear bud) and some alcohol. Dip the swab in the alcohol (not to much) and swipe gently and thoroughly over the top of the stick. After about a minute of rubbing turn the swab around a use the dry side to remove any excess wetness (which should have dried up if done correctly).

Voila! Your PSP analog stick grip thingy is clean again.

Note: We will not take any responsibility if you muck up your PSP.

Suddenly NTSC attacked with a hyper uppercut and PAL died. Does this have anything to do with the post? Not really but anyway, for those not familiar with NTSC and PAL…well…err…where have you been the past couple of years? Go check out Wikipedia :P

Anyway, PAL and NTSC PSP games can be played on any PSP console but when it comes to movies it’s a totally different story. NTSC UMD movies can only be played on a NTSC PSP and the same goes for PAL. Usually this really isn’t that much of a problem since most major movie titles get released on PAL and NTSC format. Unfortunately for Silent Hill fans staying in South Africa, Europe, etc. there is a little problem when it comes to the UMD named The Silent Hill Experience.

Silent Hill Experience is a movie/digital comic dedicated to die-hard Silent Hill fans (like me!) and comes complete with comics, screenshots, trailers and more. The only problem is that it’s only available for the NTSC format and that truly sucks. This might even give some PAL PSP owners reason to go over to custom firmware.

Sorry for being the bearer of bad news, happy a wonderful day! :)

Good news for Take 2 online shoppers (and no I’m not a Take 2 affiliate) is that Gurumin – A Monstrous Adventure is currently selling at only R159. If you’re not familiar with Gurumin I won’t be surprised. Gurumin is an extremely overlooked Japanese action RPG starring a cute little girl who has to slay demons and stuff. It’s the usual Mario 64 type game with RPG elements added.

Keep in mind that if you’re not really an anime fan then this title might not be for you. For everybody else I’ll recommend checking out the review on Gamershell. The game is really priced well and after some Google searches this is the cheapest copy I could find (feel free to mail me if you find it cheaper elsewhere). So if you’re an anime fan and need something new to play at a bargain price then I would fully recommend checking Gurumin out.

You can find the Take 2 item link in the title bar.