Patapon 3 (PSP)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Ever wanted to lead a tribe of crazy warriors that move only to your beat?

Well if you own a PSP then you're in luck... You might even have had a blast playing Patapon or Patapon 2 - but everything you've experienced up until now has been 'warm up' - Patapon 3 is where the real rythum drumming tribal warfare is at!

Yes just when you thought Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) might be turning all thier attention towards the awesome looking NGP (PSP2), a game like Patapon 3 is released which shows that the current PSP is a handheld still kicking ass.

Yep the gameplay in Patapon 3 is immdiately pick up and playable (even more so than in the last two games) and it is once again invloves getting a tribe of warroirs to march into battle to the rhythm of the divine drums to please their 'Almighty' - you.

It's a beautiful, unique blend of rhythm and strategy gameplay that is ideal for a quick blast, and offers a deep, satisfying growing challenge that will keep you drumming for months to come. For the first time in Patapon history, you (the Almighty) is actually on-screen as a reincarnation of one of three new Superhero Patapon characters, putting you right at the heart of the groove.

Your tribe of followers will start small, consisting of just three supporting members Chin, Kan and Ton who will be hanging on your every drum beat as you command them through the game in time with the Pulse of the Earth. Guide them through more than 80 levels of volcano-scapes, darkened dungeons and twisted labyrinths, picking up new recruits along the way.

"hit em hard!"

As well as mastering the rhythm, you’ll also need to bring your tactics up to scratch – head to the Hideout where you’ll have to choose the optimal combinations of weapons and skills to send your brave little warriors to battle with. There are 30 bosses to defeat in the quest to save the fallen Patapon that have been turned to stone by evil forces, so your clan will need all your expertise. Different combinations of skills and weapons, and the way you play as a leading Superhero, will create a unique fighting style for your tribe, so no two Patapon clans are ever the same.

Patapon 3 brings online play to the series for the first time ever in Patapon history. Take your own Superhero to the online mode and play the entire game from start to finish as a team of four, or fight battles against up to seven others. You can even form your own online team with other heroes and put your tribe to the test against clans from across the globe.

Come on then 'Almighty' - show em what you've got!!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:


öööö

(4 - bring the drumbeat pain)...

Check out more Patapon goodness over at http://www.patapon-game.com/
If Patapon was a girl it would be the awesome surf chick AnnaSophia Robb:

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)


Developed by: Ready at Dawn

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

This is SPARTA!!!! – in the palm of your hand!

Warriors behold, a glorious new blood soaked reality awaits you – take hold of your trusty PSPs and charge forward into the fight. God of War: Ghost of Sparta sees Sony’s portable handheld PlayStation deliver something over and above what anybody might have hoped for. This is a ‘real’ God of War game, a meaty, violent and supremely satisfying ‘slaughter-em-up’ which shows just what the PSP is capable of.

If you’ve ever wanted to feel the adrenalin rush of intense battle, you might not expect a handheld game to be the best new place to find that testosterone overload focus of pure carnage which will make you feel like a MAN (whatever sex you are!? God of War III showed that when it comes hard bastard heroes, nobody comes close to Kratos – you can keep your space marines, soldiers and RPG fantasy warriors – this guy is the real deal – for behold – he is the God of War.

The Ghost of Sparta plot sees you as Kratos seeking answers about your past and finding out interesting developments such as your brother, Deimos needs saving form none other than Thanatos - God of Death. This cues up an excellent rampage of biblical proportions as you Leviathans, Gods, Kings and a whole host of angry legendary creatures. When Kratos is finished with them however, even the mightiest are left as crumpled bloody dismembered heaps because he is one action hero that doesn’t mind getting down and dirty with his huge upgradable weapons.

If you’ve ever played a God of War game, then you’ll be immediately home – chop, hack and stab enemies, reaping their green (health) and red (upgrade) orbs, Battle insane bosses where you’ll need fast reactions to employ the satisfying mini game take downs. Unleash magical attacks to rip through hordes of enemies or decimate hold as nail opponents… It’s all good!

The controls are kept simple with face button light and heavy attacks backed up with magic mapped to the D-pad. Special attacks can be brought into play with the triggers as well as using them for evading etc. It is a quality ‘pick up and play’ set up which is quick to feel like second nature and yet has a hidden level of depth once you start unlocking various combos etc. The PSP’s analog nub might not be the best joystick ever but it does the job and the developers have crafted the controls to be very responsive.

"meet my hot blades of death..."

For those who like to use a little brain power amidst carnage there are still some mild puzzle elements but these are not ones to stump you mid battle. Ghost of Sparta is wildly enjoyable, it is a standard bearer as to just what the PSP can deliver and it even has a sex minigame to enjoy…

If you plump for the download option (which I tried) then not only is the gameplay slick and looking gorgeous but there are virtually no loading to be done either… It seems like Ready At Dawn have mastered the PSP and totally made it their good time providing bitch.

If the PSP2 does launch next year, then this will be a very strong reason for Sony to include backwards compatibility… Although we can only dream as to what the next God of War on a more powerful handheld could bring – every PSP owner the world over should invest in Ghost of Sparta – because it is the crowning pinnacle of PSP perfection.

Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (9 stomping on immortal's gonads out of 10)

PlayStation®Network Video Delivery Service - The Future of Home Entertainment

PlayStation®Network Video Delivery Service for Europe
Now Available on PlayStation®3 and PSP™(PlayStation®Portable)

More than 800 movies available, to rent or to own, at the click of a button - I have witnessed the future of home entertainment... it is the PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service!!

LONDON, TODAY– 19th November 2009: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) further expanded its PlayStation® entertainment experience today with the launch of the PlayStation®Network video delivery service for Europe. Now available in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, with other countries to follow in 2010, the service allows film fans to download hundreds of movies, including the latest releases, straight to their PlayStation®3 (PS3™) and PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable).

More than 800 movies are available to rent (from £2.49) or to buy (from £6.99), many in High Definition* (HD) as well as Standard Definition (SD), from major movie studios including 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company 1, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Starz Media, Universal, and Warner Bros.

Titles available within the launch window include Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; Public Enemies; Star Trek; Terminator Salvation; Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen; Bruno; Disney/Pixar’s Cars; Walt Disney Pictures’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; Crank 2; The Dark Knight; Dead Space: Downfall; Drag Me to Hell; Gran Torino; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix;Valkyrie and the obligatory tat like Angels and Demons; National Treasure and X-Men Origins: Wolverine etc...

Additional content will be added on a weekly basis.



"Grab that Hangover... pure quality entertainment!"


Content from local UK studios, Optimum Releasing, ContentFilm International and E1 Entertainment UK, will be available on the English Video Store, including the movies In the Loop and Knowing.

“The launch of the PlayStation Network video delivery service extends our entertainment offering and provides consumers with another way to access their favourite movies, whether at home or on the go,” said Andrew House, President and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “With the choice of content constantly expanding, including full games, bite-size downloadable “minis” games, demos and now movies too, the PlayStation Network is the gateway to a world of entertainment.”


"You want movies?... you got em!!"

At launch, there will be a special offer for existing PSN members, allowing them to receive a complimentary copy of The Da Vinci Code if they buy Angels and Demons. There will also be a special promotion to encourage new members. Anyone who registers for a PlayStation®Network account using their new PS3s between 19th & 30th November 2009 will receive a voucher to download a complimentary copy of Transformers to own2.

Located on the PlayStation®Store under the “Video Store” section, the PlayStation Network video delivery service provides consumers with an exceptional entertainment experience, adding HD and SD movies for rental or purchase, to the already comprehensive line-up of games, demos, trailers and other content.

The video delivery service will be fully integrated within the PlayStation Network, using the same log-in, wallet system and user-interface. Visitors can search for movies by name, or can browse categories such as “new releases”, “genres” and ”most popular downloads”. PS3’s progressive downloading allows viewers to start watching a film shortly after the download begins. They can also access certain games or other content on their PS3 while the download is taking place.

Consumers who choose to rent have up to 14 days to watch their movie, and, once playback is started, they have 48 hours to watch the content. Purchased movies are stored on the PS3 hard disk drive and can be accessed at home via PS3 or transferred to PSP for content on the go.

The PlayStation Network video delivery service takes prime position in a line-up of PlayStation entertainment features, alongside streaming music video with VidZone®, Catch Up TV services and free digital TV viewing with PlayTV™. With games, music, Internet, photos, communications and more, it’s yet another reason to make PS3 and PSP the heart of your entertainment world.

To find out more, visit http://videostore.uk.playstation.com/offer_listings.html.


"Little Boots - played live at the launch of the PlayStation®Network Video Delivery Service. You could say that Sony are using little boots to 'kick the ass of the Xbox 360' LOL"

* Initially HD content will only be available to rent

1 Content only available to rent or to buy in the UK and to rent in Germany at launch

2 The promotional code will be sent to eligible customers in December 2009.

 

Stacked – Pocket Poker Perfection for PSP

Stacked – Pocket Poker Perfection for PSP

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Put your hands up if you want to be a real man. Now you must know that it won’t be an easy path (especially if your female) and there are many many things that a real man needs to be able to master in this world. Some of them you can only achieve through ‘hands on’ experience e.g. the art of making love to a beautiful woman or of successfully shotgunning a beer without spillage or pukage. Others are metaphysical realms of soul searching, spiritual enlightenment and football appreciation. Many of these still require life experience or years of training, but there are a few that can be picked up and learnt to a fair degree using the wonderful slab of pocket sized joy, which is also known as a Sony PSP, and Texas Hold Em Poker is amazingly enough one of these.
Yes, if you want to emulate James Bond in Casino Royale (and I don’t mean the bit where he gets his bollocks whipped with a knotted rope!?) or you just want to learn the game without losing the contents of your bank account to your smirking mates, then basically - you need Stacked… This is all the Hold Em Phenomenon Poker you need wrapped up in a sexy, accessible package that will train you in the basics, give you some professional tips and let you refine your strategy against virtual opponents of varying skills. Then if you’ve got the taste for it, you can wifi play Poker over the internet, or wirelessly against other PSP owning pals without ever having to pick up a real card. One word of caution though – Stacked is highly addictive, so if you’re investing in this quality Poker offering, be prepared to kiss goodbye to doing much else. Stacked fits the PSP beautifully, the fact you can pause and power down at any time, only to immediately jump back into the action at the flick of switch later is great for grabbing a quick Poker fix day or night.
The graphics are great, you can design your Poker playing alter ego in a similar way to how you make a player for say Tiger Woods PGA… Just probably a bit fatter, balder and chavy if you’re looking for Poker realism or smooth, cool and sophisticated if you’re living in a dream world where playing cards for money is a valid career – whatever, the choice is yours...
Stacked by name and ‘stacked with options’ by nature, MTV games have teamed up with blonde Poker master Daniel Negreanu (2004 ESPN Player of the Year, World Poker Tour Player of the Year) to deliver this Poker fest of life eating proportions. As you progress through the game's career mode, you’ll get the chance to apply Dan's teachings to overcome some of poker's most renowned stars, including Josh Arieh, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Carlos Mortenson, Evelyn Ng and David Williams. The Poki Artificial Intelligence system utilized in Stacked adapts its tactics in real-time to exploit the user's playing style, detecting tendencies and deploying appropriate counter-strategies to deliver a challenging and authentic experience. Basically, you won’t find a finer Poker game on any format at the moment.

Darkmatters rating system (out of 5):

Overall öööö (Pokermon - got to catch em all, or lose all your cash etc)

Darkmatters: H O M E