In a recent post we talked about the new PSP Minis that Sony are releasing on October 1st. There we previewed the PSP mini games that Icon will be releasing.
Today we have a quick update on the PSP Minis taken from the pre-Tokyo Games Show, earlier today - with some short demos for you to take a look at as well:
These are the Mini PSP games that EA will be showcasing at the Tokyo Games Show: Tetris and Sudoku.
I am a Tetrus fan so was keen to see the demo on show. Looks super cool.
The Game Developers Conference (2009) is currently being held in Austin.
Why should we PSP players care? Well, this conference has a big section about careers in game development. The seminar has been set up for students or anyone interested in learning how to build a career in the video game industry. The seminar will be held tomorrow - Friday, September 18 - at 9:30am-5:30pm.
If you live in Texas, and think you have a future in game development, then definitely get yourself along to the seminar.For the game developers among you that can’t get to the day long seminar, check out the website for the event.
Some of the topics being covered include:
* step by step, how to effectively market yourself to game companies (by the hiring manager for Obsidian Entertainment).
* How to grow once you have your foot in the game industry door (by Cecelia Harris (Rainbow Studios), Michael Nichols (THQ/Vigil Games), Lindsey McQueeney (38 Studios and Big Huge Games)
How to start out: Do you need to work for a big corporation? Or even a small indie studio? Or can you go it on your own? by Matt Scibilia (Critical Mass Interactive Inc)
The fact is that many passionate game players end up wanting to be part of the gaming industry. This conference is all about showing how we can do that!
Now that’s what we’re talkin about! Majesco Entertainment has partnered with Zumba Fitness to develop a dance/fitness video game!. Here is the news as posted on Majesco’s site:
This one-of-a-kind exercise program pairs Latin rhythms with red-hot international dance steps so you can have a blast as you party your way into shape. The first Zumba® game will release holiday 2010.
Zumba dance/fitness is hot, hot hot. Just check it out:
Now, the real question is - will Majesco develop the game for PSP?
Just looking at the past history of games they have developed, the chances are not good. Their last PSP game was Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship and that was 18 months ago. All up they have only ever developed four PSP games. On the other hand they have developed 25 Wii games and dozens of DS games.
And the Wii platform is obviously compatible with a game so suited to interactive play.
But, but, but….
Firstly, Sony is obviously trying to bring girls on board as PSP fans. Their efforts so far have been pretty weak, so the Majesco/Zumba deal could be a marriage made in heaven for the PSP. What’s more, they can offer cross-over play options with the PS3 to really maximize the interactive possibilities of such a game! They have done this with other games, and a dance game would be a great opportunity to do that again. (Against that, Majesco have not so far developed a game for the PS3).
The first game will not be released for another 12 months. We say, let Majesco know you want the game on PSP!!
PCWorld have just published their list of the best/top 30 PSP games. Unfortunately, they have presented their list in the form of a tediously slow, slide show. So we fell on the sword and waded our way through the list to bring you their selection.
But… Do you agree? What do you think? Is Patapon (either one) really better than Grand Theft Auto? And is Daxter really unlucky 13?
24. Burnout Legends22. Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
But we do agree that God Of War should be in the number one spot! And if you really wanna know what the last five are - well, you know where to go and we have provided the link!
Check out this PSP commercial that was aired a year ago:
And further back in time we see the same focus
There is a clear target audience for these adds! Guys!! Now check out this more recent PSP commercial.
Notice anything?
Yep, whilst there might be chat at the grass roots about girls using PSPs, it does not look like Sony has noticed! There are only guys in the most recent commercial and 99% guys in the older ones.
I am guessing that while ever Sony acts like PSPs are just for guys, that girls that like the PSP will have to accept that games on offer will be targeted at young adult males (as seen in the ads).
We ocasionaly come across comments in forums like:
are you serious HANNAH MONTANA man i dont even think that there is that many girl psp players i maybe wrong i have like one friend who plays a psp more...
and
Female Psp gamers?? Not in my country. Once my girlfriend saw my Psp , she said “Still playing games???Grow Up”. more…
Views that are somewhat encouraged by sites like Joystiq that has a post listing the top ten girls of PSP. No, not gamers - characters! The image to the left is an example - and all but two sported giant boobs!
But the fact is that most of us see girls in - sexy poses in PSP wallpapers, sexy poses in PSP ads, or as sexy characters in PSP games. We don’t so much see girls actually playing PSPs.
All the same, it certainly looks as if females of all ages are taking to PSPs in UK and Europe (though not necessarily as gamers!) and in Japan (more on this in Part II). For now, just take a look at this recent video on the subject.
Looks like a real push to develop completely new games. Not to replace the type we get now - just pushing for more variety in role types. What do ya reckon? Got any suggestions to put forward?
Put them in the comments section.
Maybe Sony needs to rethink their marketing and get some celebs playing the PSP as well as being the characters in their games!! Because the Beyonce promo for Nintendo seems to be working a treat. Though it beats me why! Even with Beyonce giggling cutely over the game it still looks like a pretty dumb game. You can see what I mean in this video:
Nor does the Bitfood team think that the upcoming PSP-3000 Lilac bundled with Hannah Montana, is going to capture the tween teen heart away from the Beyonce-backed Nintendo, on its own! As the game is also being released for Nintendo, they are gonna have to do better than just a lilac console!
But who could put the PSP game for girls - Hannah Montana (with Lilac console) into contention?
Here is our pick - but doubt that Sony could swing it!
Tell us who you would want promoting it!
Sony have been quietly conducting a revolution for PSP owners. Not everyone is going to like it - parents because it may seem as if school is more fun than it should be and students because - well, boring shit may now find its way onto their PSP (and may be more fun that it should be!!)
What are we raving on about? Well, Sony has been convincing schools in the UK to use the PSP as a tool for learning!
They have been showing teachers there just how well this can work - and it has been working!! Now over 100 schools in the UK use the PSP in their teaching programs. According to ConnectED, Sony’s education team:
PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) provides a great way for students and teachers to access and interact with a rich source of educational multimedia content. Through its built-in wireless Internet browser, PSP™ lets users download and play audio and video podcasts via RSS feeds, anywhere and at any time – so your pupils no longer need to be confined to a classroom to access your lessons
Hmmm - maybe that last part isn’t so good? On the other hand - who wouldn’t prefer to do their homework on their PSP (hands up those who agree!!)
Well, whether you are a kid or a parent, this stuff is good to know. After all, why should US kids miss out on having this kind of fun in the classroom? Show this post to teachers along with the following video and you might be able to persuade them to take this on!
You might suggest this Pdf file as well -you know how teachers love research and stuff.You might also like to refer them to some of our previous posts - PSP in management training and the growing use of wifi on school buses
2K Sports have just shown how committed they are to providing fans with the games that fans want to play. No detail is too small - as shown by the way they developed the cover for the upcoming NBA 2K10 game - see the video for their entertaining approach!
2K Sports revealed today what cover was voted by their fans to grace the cover of their new game - and it features four-time NBA Champion, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers:
Yeah man!! Now they reckon that the NBA 2K10 will deliver “the most realistic, stylistic, and feature-rich simulation experience ever available in their NBA 2K franchise” And that includes the gameplay, the graphics, the presentation and online features. NB - NBA 2K10 is not yet rated by the ESRB.
WE have said it before - but we will say it again - lets have more free PSP game demos!
Thats the fastest way to get us to buy them. Most of us have enough experience to be immune to the hype that goes with most games (OK some still get the pulses racing but that’s because they are hot games). But too often a game does not live up to the promos and that just makes us ultra slow to jump in again! If a game is really worthy it will get rave reviews from the demo and be quickly got by everyone.
Now I mean free demos (not like the recent offer for Patapon 2 where you get the demo only if you pre-buy the game) - and from the Sony store or the PSN - why not? And add all the promo suck-ins you want. Just give us the demos. Now I am not gonna complain if the demo is short either - as I have seen some guys do. In fact it just makes sense to keep us wanting more. I wanna be there - don’t you?
Having said all that, I’m still gonna include a trailer for Patapon 2 (above) and a link to a site that has free PSP game demos on it. Now, they are either older games (most before 2008) or they are Japanese games that are not available elsewhere. So these demos aren’t like the ones I was talking about above - that give us a good sense of what a new game is like. But they can pass away the time and be a bit of fun. So go to free-psp-demos and check out what he’s got.