I Still Play PSP

I have been playing PSP games a lot these days. The cold Winter weather forces me to stay inside with a warm blanket, so I've been catching up on niche releases such as Ragnarok Tactics and Elminage in between work, social calls, and naps. Sadly, I have been underwhelmed by these two digital releases so far. The beautiful artwork in both games convinced me I must play them, but I should have researched the titles a bit more before my purchase.

Elminage is an oldschool dungeon crawler. While I don't have any real objections to that, I wish UFO Interactive (the publisher) would have spent more time with the translation. It is half ass beyond belief. Races of characters are mixed up, some explanations for quests make no sense, and the digital instruction manual is almost worthless. The game is fun, but it needs more polish. I also bought the game for play on Vita, however beware: YOU CANNOT IMPORT FACES INTO THIS VERSION. The game reads face data from the PSP picture folder, but due to Sony's memory card lockout, you cannot access this directory on your Vita. I wish I would have known this before I bought it since this customization feature was important to me. Also, I am curious why a later Elminage game was not localized since apparently everything was vastly improved in the sequels.

Ragnarok Tactics is a cool looking strategy RPG spawned as offshoot to the popular MMORPG. The game has nice art and music, but overall there is a strong sense of blandness in the battle system and narrative as all of the characters tend to talk way too long. I prefer a more concise story with an emphasis on tactical strategy. I need a new Ogre Tactics, but in the mean time I will be playing Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time not this $24.99 dud. (On the bright side, the Western UMD release has a really pretty cover.)

Things are not all grim. Since my PSP has custom firmware, I can play some cool stuff that was not localized. One Japanese series that I have been to curious to try is the Idolmaster series. The games look interesting, and have a huge following overseas. Luckily, a translation group has made an English patch for Idolmaster SP.

 

Idolmaster SP is a "raising sim" where the player manages a young pop star's journey toward super stardom. The story mode is where I have spent most of my time, and it feels fairly robust with three potential characters to choose from. The game is pretty fun if you like Visual Novels or music games, because it feels like a mix of both. My only gripe thus far is that the requirements for ranking up seem too demanding sometimes, as managing her schedule and finding time to audition are quite difficult. Overall, I think this is an interesting game that should appeal to anyone that likes J-pop or unusual games. I think this game could have found an audience in the US if marketed properly, but Japanese game developers don't like to do that these days...

PSP releases in the US are coming to an end as only a rumored Generation of Chaos game and possibly Black Rock Shooter remain on the TBA calendar for 2014. 

I think the PSP will be remembered as a nice alternative to the Nintendo DS with a very niche library of games that was ultimately overlooked by most gamers. Japan still has plenty of PSP games waiting for release, but I am sure they will not be localized as the Vita is gaining ground in the West while the PSP is regulated to forgotten hardware status. I wish the PSP was more successful yet many gems were left in Japan much to the chagrin of Western gamers. Here are ten games that should have been localized:

1. Yakuza Portable

2. Final Fantasy Type 0

3. 7th Dragon 2020

4. Valkyrie Chronicles 3

5. Bleach Heat the Soul series

6. Initial D

7. Steins ; Gate

8. Gachitora

9. Akiba's Trip

10. Hatsune Miku series

Come on fan translators, get to work on Final Fantasy Type 0 at least. Square Enix is far too busy releasing shit no one asked for to actually localize a great game and make tons of money.

Awesome Cover Art: Elminage series

Awesome Box Art of the Week: Black Rock Shooter (PSP)

Grownlanser IV is coming to the US!

Rejoice Growlanser fans, Atlus has answered your prayers. After trolling fans with their hint game, and even trolling with the release of Gungnir (ugh), Atlus got trolled themselves by a leak from internet retailers. Listings post the PSP port for a July 24, 2012 release. It will also be on the Playstation Network for the PS Vita owners. I am very happy that Atlus is giving this super Japanese RPG series another shot in the US, especially since Growlanser IV is considered the pinnacle of the franchise. I just hope the game doesn't get canceled...July 2012 is a really late release date for a PSP game.

http://www.ebgames.ca/psp/growlanser-wayfarer-of-time/312396

My New Games

I decided to get some new PSP games today. My first game is the new Ys Seven. I bought the special edition since it reminded me of the old Working Design special edition games. The package art is sexy and comes with a CD, art book, and a cloth map! I haven't opened it yet, but the graphics look to be amazing for a PSP game.





I already owned Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, but I learned about a special edition with an art book and special case that was available in limited numbers. Being the Metal Gear fanboy I am, I tracked it down. A local GameStop still had a copy for 49.99. This will be on my shelf with my other Metal Gear goodies.



A few days ago I ordered a new, sealed copy of Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne on Amazon for 29.99. This copy will replace the one I sold several years ago. If you don't own this game, I suggest buying it now. It is one of the best RPG's on the PS2 and it will surely go up in value for the hardcore crowd.



Now if I could just work my way through StarCraft 2, I could play some new games after that :-p

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble review (PSP)

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble for PSP is one of those games that comes out of nowhere and makes you addicted to it in no time. I picked this game up on a whim since I try to support smaller scale releases from Atlus and man is it a fun game. Kenka Bancho follows a young bancho (high school bully) on his class field trip to Kyoto. On the trip you can fight all the other banchos on school trips, romance a woman or two, and randomly insult any thugs you come across. You have seven days to become the most badass kid in Japan.
Kenka is a sandbox game, the type which allows you free access to run amok through the city like the GTA titles. You can't hijack cars; but you can beat the crap out of pretty much anyone. Customization comes in the form of deciding your deliquent's wardrobe, haircut, and city of origen. Another nice feature is the ability to fight with a weapon or without one; but be warned using a weapon is not considered manly in the world of bancho and this loses you man points ...yes I am serious about that.
The graphics look like a first generation PS2 game which isn't too bad. The music is just okay, but some of the tunes are catchy. The real highlight of the game is the open endedness and the story itself. The story is very funny, giving you a slice of Japanese culture many are not very accustom to. Being a thug is supposed to be honorable in Japanese highschool and one must treat his underlings with respect or he runs the risk of being a lame bancho. Also being un-manly is grounds to not be a bancho ( such as starting a brawl without a proper insult). One of the key features in the game is the insult system used to start fights. You have a bunch of random words pop up and it is your job to put them together into a cool insult, if you fail the enemy gets the upper hand. This is pretty original and entertaining as well.
The open endedness of the game is sort of like the old Way of the Samurai titles. You pick who you battle and when as the seven day trip counts down. Your ultimate goal is to be the biggest badass and hopefully get a hot chick along the way. If you choose however your character can just run around the whole time wearing a giant banana suit dodging traffic, and (gasp) actually going on the educational trips around Kyoto with your classmates. It is all up to you.
Kenka Bancho has alot of replayability. The trip has many opportunities you'll miss the first time around and you will want to see what those are. The game becomes very addictive as you keep thinking let me beat just one more bancho, and every bancho you beat becomes your personal underling. This is a pretty rewarding system. Also a percentage meter shows how much of the game you have seen, and even after beating the game my first time it was fairly low.
If you have a PSP and love Japanese culture or manga this game is a no brainer, go get it. I think the story itself is fun enough, and the Final Fight like battle system is more than enough to satisfy most gamers. I just hope Atlus makes a few bucks for brining it overseas, lord knows everyone loves to pirate PSP games. This game deserves your money...so if you liked this
review, please do not download it like a bum.
Randomness:

• This isn't the first Kenka Bancho. There are actually two other Kenka Bancho games for PS2. These games were never released outside of Japan.
• One of the game's more amusing side missions has you tracking down mysterious UMA like a Kappa, UFO, and a dog demon.
  
• If you like the punk culture of Japanese high school be sure to sure to check out the manga, Crows or the anime, GTO.