PSP Blogger - PlayStation® Portable Fansite

Reviewed by DarCowAlways

This game has been notorious for its abstract simple and enjoyable gameplay since it was first created as a playable game on the creator's website. Since then, it has undergone a port to the PS3, and now has come to us PSP owners with great results.

This is a seamless game with amazing graphics, and the aliasing issues are all to do with the difference in resolution. The music is very calm and relaxing and keeps you wanting more, while not getting in the way of the game or becoming annoying.

The gameplay itself consists of you, a microscopic organism, feeding off of other such creatures to grow and become more powerful. This happens through either eating tiny creatures directly, or defeating other very similar organisms by eating their health orbs. You yourself have these orbs, and can see at any time how much health you have through them. Once you have eaten these orbs, the enemy will break into several tiny creatures which can be eaten to either restore health or make you grow, depending on the type of creature.

Each of the six organisms you can control over the game has different abilities, different looks, and different levels. Some move fast, others lure in enemies, and others yet poison them. This adds enough variety to the game to keep you going strong through it.

The game is extremely self-explanatory, with a very simple yet fleshed out system for moving though levels, changing organisms, and playing locally with friends. There is one screen with a very limited set of basic instructions when the game starts- but thankfully, that is all you will need.

Once you beat the levels (by eating red orbs to get to deeper layers) with one organism you are given the option to play as that organism in their evolved form giving you a new, arguably improved creature to play with.

As you progress through the game the background changes from a light blue to a dark and cloudy black with lighting effects, and several various effects in between. There are different backdrops for each creature you play as, so if you find one boring, the next will definitely change things up for you.

The game itself when you eat all of the creatures, is about 4.5 hours long. Further enjoyment can be found replaying levels and playing with friends over ad-hoc.

If you have a little patience, flOw is a very immersive and rewarding game.

This title can be played directly or downloaded onto the PC (free) from here.

Reviewed by GrapejuiceGamer

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is the newest in the series of Final Fantasy VII spin-offs that also includes the film sequel Advent Children, the Japanese mobile game Before Crisis, the RPG shooter Dirge of Cerberus, and several supplementary short stories. Compared to the somewhat disappointing Dirge of Cerberus and the delicious but too short Advent Children, the criticisms of Crisis Core are relatively minor. It tells the captivating story of a likable and compelling character, and retains the Final Fantasy VII atmosphere that was lost in Dirge of Cerberus.

If you've played Final Fantasy VII, you're familiar with Zack Fair, who had a brief but significant appearance in the original game. If you haven't, I strongly encourage you to play the original game first. Otherwise you're likely to be lost. Don't worry that the original game will spoil this one for you. This game is about the journey, not the destination, and there are plenty of surprises along the way. You'll get a lot more out of Crisis Core if you've played Final Fantasy VII.

The gameplay is one of the most unique aspects of this game. Combat is fast and fun, but unlike anything you've ever played before. The action RPG elements are pretty basic although they work, but the really innovative part of gameplay is the "Digital Mind Wave," or DMW, a slot-reel system that randomly spins up limit breaks, level-ups, and beneficial status changes. As the Gamespot reviewer said, it sounds dubious at first, but it works, and it ensures that your battles will be full of dramatic twists and turns. It'll take getting used to, but it ends up being a cool and interesting system.

The graphics in the game are great. Never before have I been so convinced that the PSP really is a portable Playstation 2. The graphics quality is equal to later PS2 games like Kingdom Hearts II, and the character design is great. New characters like renegade SOLDIER Genesis and a Young Turk from Before Crisis named Cissnei look as great as the many returning characters. The in-game graphics are attractive from beginning to end, the cut-scenes are - despite a few detail issues - great, and the pre-rendered CGI scenes are as gorgeous as they were in the eye-popping Advent Children.

The voice acting is on par with the other instalments in the FF7 compilation, and the actors are retained as well, with the exception of Aerith who has yet another voice actor. If you've been satisfied with the voices in other instalments this won't disappoint. A few stand-out voices include Rick Gomez as Zack, George Newbern as the notorious Sephiroth, and Oliver Quinn as Genesis. And the music... is amazing. With the exception of a somewhat unpleasant main battle theme, this game combines music from the original game with completely new tunes to create one of the best video game scores in recent memory. It truly lives up to the musical standard set by Nobuo Uematsu in Final Fantasy VII.

The main story of the game is rather short. Thankfully, Crisis Core includes a huge number of side missions and secrets that can double or even triple your play-time. One of the biggest criticisms is the uneven difficulty of the game. Crisis Core is incredibly easy for the first half of the game, with a few frustrating bosses thrown in toward the end. For those who like long boss fights, the final(ish) boss alone took me a full hour. The one great annoyance of the game is that you can't skip cut-scenes, and since the places where you're most likely to die, the boss fights, are usually preceded by extremely lengthy scenes, this can be quite a pain.

This game will shine for lovers of Final Fantasy VII. Although the basic plot-line is interesting enough, the thing that will really absorb you is the character interaction, the character development, and the feeling of melancholy inevitability for those who know how the story ends. Crisis Core is truly one of the most poignant gaming experiences I've ever had. The scenes between Zack and Cloud, Zack and Aerith, Zack and Angeal, are emotional and effortless. And the final scenes of the game are truly powerful. I'm not prone to crying as I play games, but if you're the kind who sheds a tear at a particularly poignant moment, the ending of this game will probably get you.

Overall, Crisis Core is a great package for die-hard or casual fans of Final Fantasy VII. Almost every aspect of the game shines, and the overall experience is a truly satisfying one. This is the Final Fantasy VII spin-off you've been waiting for.

Review by Ynfive

I've always been a fan of the Wipeout series since I played Wipeout XL back on the PSone over 10 years ago. Wipeout has been the only game that gets the formula of combat racing just right. The Sci-fi concept of anti gravity rocket ships has always been refreshing to the overdone rubber on asphalt, allowing an excuse for insane speed, and eye-popping racetracks. The design of the game still will satisfy the technophile. It has been a while since the movie Hackers was the most awesome movie ever, but Wipeout Pulse still flies out of that era to this day keeping some of that techno heart beating.

Pulse keeps the tradition started with XL for the most part intact. That tradition is all in the track design. The tracks are quick and require an actual intimacy with each confining turn to master. They are fun and pretty to look at. Pulse's tracks can feel a bit too confining at times like they are one size too small. I tend to spend a lot of time scrubbing the walls compared to Pure, the previous in the series. Pulse also introduces magnetic strips that cling the ships tight to the track, allowing the track to turn upside-down and sideways. Some of the times these mag strip turns can be confusing when the turns are so tight the track is not much visible past the nose of the ship. They work well in situations that keep your ship from flying off into the horizon for going over a small hill. And one creative use of the strip is having it placed only on one side of the track letting you have the choice of flying over a jump for an alternate route or sticking to the track. Hopefully in future downloads we get to see more creative uses of the mag strip.

The familiar ships of the series are there, and thanks to the trickier turns of the tracks in Pulse, I tend to choose a more varied selection of ships to compliment the track I'll be racing on. Pure had me racing mostly with Triakis, a fast but cumbersome ship. Now in Pulse I tend to have to pick the more manoeuvrable yet slower ships. In fact I've been using the ones I originally enjoyed in XL, mostly Qirex and Feisar, and not just for nostalgic reasons.

All the favourite weapons return. Seeking missiles, plasma beams, and the legendary quake are some of the compliments making a welcome return. There's leech, which I think may have originally been in the less popular Fusion, and allows you to steal energy from your foes. Some new weapons enter the mix like the repulsor, which sends a deadly omni directional blast away from your ship heavily damaging surrounding foes.

The campaign is set up less straightforward than previous in series. They have attempted to mix up the pacing by mixing up the race types. Progression follows unlocking parts of a hexagonal grid. Getting enough medals in one grip unlocks the next of sixteen progressively more intricate grids. This method feels a little experimental, is interesting, and fits the design of the game well, but I could take or leave it. A "Racebox" mode is included that lets you design your own grids. This is a good way to create a collection of your favourite races all in one spot.

Wipeout Pulse includes some nice technical features that make full use of the PSP hardware. Full use of the Wi-fi includes Internet access to the Wipeout web page to download add-ons, and online and ad-hoc multiplayer. Custom paint jobs can even be created on the web page and downloaded. The online painter is even less complex than Microsoft paint, but should still get the job done for someone with a good eye. Up to 30 of your own songs can be included to the music playlist. I put on the original Wipeout XL soundtrack in there just for kicks with a little Prodigy and I feel like its 1997 all over again. An in-race camera mode is also available. The pics are saved to your memory stick as jpegs for later viewing. The camera always centers on your ship though, keeping from making many artsy shots.

Wipeout Pulse is an excellent polished game that uses its platform well. As much of a fan of the series I am, I hate to say it’s starting to feel a little tired. Pulse doesn't offer much new in the series. Maintaining the formula for this series is important, as Fusion proved deviating too much can easily break the game. However Studio Liverpool could have played a little less safe and made more creative uses of the new mag strip, and also come up with some other interesting track concepts like that.

Reviewed by Rooster44

Although the story takes place after the first Jak game, you don't have to play the first game to jump right into Daxter and have a great time. The story is pretty simple, Daxter (Jak's sidekick) finds himself with a bug exterminating job. Daxter goes around doing his job, leading up to the events to save Jak, who is in prison. The story is not to great, but it has enough twists and turns to keep you interested throughout the game. Also, good voice acting and likable characters doesn't hurt.

The gameplay is the main attraction. This game is a Platformer, and has everything you want in a Platformer: different weapons, missions, extras, the whole nine yards. Daxter first starts off with an electric fly swatter, which is the main weapon. Daxter soon gets a gun with different attachments which are useful throughout the game.

Daxter also has a multiplayer mode, in which you play rock paper scissors with bugs. How this works is you can find different combat bugs and upgrades for those bugs throughout the main story. This mode is not very impressive, but it is a fun little extra.

The graphics in Daxter are amazing for a portable system, wrapping up a PS2 experience and putting it in your hands. The only problem in Daxter that brings it down is how short it is. It will probably take you 6 to 8 hours to complete the main story. Overall Daxter is a great PSP game you don't want to overlook.

Reviewed by Hades the Prowler

The Simpsons are a dysfunctional family, and America's most well-known bunch of plain retards. What lured the general audience was the show's unstoppable humorous clips, moments and lines. Because of the show's popularity, games were heavily demanded. Finally, the family goes to the PSP.

The Simpsons Game is heavily based on the series, using the voice-overs, characters and settings found sometime in the show. The existence of various Simpsons one-liners can also be found, as well as other typical Simpsons situations. However, the game caters heavily to fans of the series and not much to those who play casually.

The Simpsons Game is, at its core, a platformer. The typical teamwork run-and-jump mechanics and the kill-the-enemies-no-matter-how-many is also found. Graphics are decent, although the cel-shaded approach isn't exactly a great thing for the PSP.

Cutting to the chase, the best part about the Simpsons Game is the humor. Many collectibles and secret items can be found that is reminiscent of the show. Comic Book Guy represents all the Video Game Cliches that are found in the videogame, Bartman segments are pretty fun and the environments all shout "The Simpsons". Not literally, of course.

All in all, the Simpsons Game is fairly solid. I say so myself since I'm a fan of the series.

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

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!

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!