Filed under: PaRappa the Rapper

PaRappa the Rapper used to be the coolest kid on the block when he came out ten years ago. Although this game was the pioneer of a genre ten years ago, our recent hands-on with the upcoming PSP version has left us underwhelmed. PaRappa is back, but he’s just not as cool as you remember him. Like parachute pants, PaRappa hasn’t aged very well.

The greatest flaw we see with the game so far is its awkward input mechanism. Sure, music games have always been about pressing buttons at the right time. The problem with PaRappa is that its hard to tell if you’re doing well or not … until it’s too late. In Dance Dance Revolution, for example, one would receive a confirmation of a “Great!” or a “Bad” immediately after pressing the button. Without an instant response, its hard to tell how you’re performing … and how to improve yourself.

Also, navigating the menus is a chore, and it’s far from intuitive. We’re also disappointed to see that the cinematic sequences in the game are bordered horribly: where’s our full-screen video? There’s still a lot of potential in the game: the game is charming, moves at a brisk pace, and the downloadable content will be available immediately at game’s launch. We still have to play through the game some more, but our initial impressions are far from glowing. Stay tuned for more. Until then, check out new images in our gallery.

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Filed under: Software

PSP Fanboy and Joystiq got its hands on a lot of different games at Crave’s Pre-E3 event. Not many were good. In fact, many were downright terrible. Here’s our impressions:

Spelling Challenges and More!
Honestly, this was the best game available at the event. And, it’s not the best bad game. No, it’s actually pretty good. Taking a page from Brain Age, this “learning” game has you participating in a spelling challenge. And more! There’s hangman, and other language games that’ll make your English teacher proud. The game is presented as a game show, and the host is a lot of fun. The game has a great progression in challenge, and its easy to navigate. The PSP version has audio definitions of words, which makes for a far more natural game (the DS version, instead, flashes the word quickly). This game is going to be a ton of fun for the casual market … who knew spelling could be so entertaining?

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Brunswick Pro Bowling
Brunswick Pro Bowling is one of those magical games that appear on PSP, PS2 and Wii. The PSP version has a unique mode which will allow you to hold your system vertically whilst bowling. A novel idea, for sure … but does it really add to the gameplay?

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Napoleon Dynamite
How does one make a game based on Napoleon Dynamite? A good question. It’s simple: turn it into a series of random minigames. Dance, dance Napoleon Dynamite style … or fling mud at a donkey. A serious issue that gamers will face in this licensed title will be its production values: each mini-game feels like a poor Flash game. The game is as humorous as the movie its based on (so it’s not funny at all). The PSP version will feature more games than the DS version, due to UMD capacity, but don’t expect brilliant gameplay from either.

For coverage on the entire event, visit Joystiq.

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Filed under: R-Type

Okay, so we admit we’re a little biased. Any time we see Irem do anything, we want to report it. They’ve released ten new screenshots of their upcoming strategy game, R-Type Tactics. While they look good to us, we’d love it if Irem released a demo, so that we can fully understand how to play the game. We’re sure R-Type will be fine as a strategy game, but a nagging voice in the back of our head remains a little unsure …

Check out our updated gallery for all the pictures.

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Filed under: HOT PIXEL, Demos

Yes, yet another demo today. HOT PIXEL is Atari’s Wario Ware clone. And when we say clone, we mean it. Play this new demo to see how it takes Nintendo’s formula and copies it exactly.

1. Download the demo zip file.
2. Extract the contents of the zip file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy ULED90025 folder into the GAME directory.

Check out our new demos site:
demos.pspfanboy.com

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Filed under: Star Wars, Video

We’re concerned about the progress Star Wars Battlefront is doing on the PSP. It’s an exclusive for Sony’s handheld, but it appears it might be too ambitious for its own good. Although graphics aren’t the only thing a gamer should look for in a game, when the framerate appears to be as choppy as it is, we get worried. Maybe Rebellion can add some more detail and smoothness to the game with the new 333MHz option that was recently unlocked? This game can use all the help it can get.

Check out all the videos at IGN.

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Filed under: SOCOM, Demos

No, you’re not seeing things. It’s a new demo for SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2. However, it’s nowhere as good or as thorough as the first demo we provided. This new demo lacks the awesome interface, tips, and voice acting as the original. At least it’s free?

1. Download the demo zip file.
2. Extract the contents of the zip file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy UCED90042 folder into the GAME directory.

Check out our new demos site:
demos.pspfanboy.com

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Filed under: Ape Escape, Demos

As promised, the Japanese demo for Ape Escape: Saru Saru Big Mission is finally out. This platformer has you … well, we haven’t figured out how to play it quite yet! (Can you tell us?) It can be downloaded via PlayStation Spot, PLAYSTATION Store, or from us:

1. Download the demo zip file.
2. Extract the contents of the zip file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy NPJG90004 folder into the GAME directory.

Check out our new demos site:
demos.pspfanboy.com

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Filed under: Mega Man, Fan Art

Do you want to share your PSP-related fan art? Send us an e-mail. A new piece of fan art will be shared every Friday.

We really enjoyed the Mega Man remakes that hit the PSP. They had beautiful graphics to accompany the classic gameplay. Unfortunately, their poor sales killed any chance of future Mega remakes. Fred Andrew Urzua seems to have come up with a way to sell Mega Man: combine him with Hello Kitty. After all, there could be a Hello Kitty branded plague and Kitty fans would line up to get infected. It’s impressive that this piece of art retains the cuteness of Hello Kitty, while still having all the distinct features of Mega Man. All that’s left is for Capcom to give Sanrio a call, and make Urzua’s vision a reality. If you like the above fan art as much as we do, surf on over to Urzua’s deviantART page to see his other work. That, or you can let Urzua know what you think of the art in our comments section.

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Filed under: News

Days after a Lumines exploit allowed all PSPs to be downgraded, Sony has released a minor security patch in the form of firmware 3.51. This incremental update doesn’t offer any new functionality. Rather, it corrects the flaw found in Lumines. Those that are interested in upgrading to the latest firmware should use Network Update from their PSPs. Officially, the update includes:

• Revisions to strengthen security have been added.

And that’s it.
[Thanks, Reuban!]

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DL.TV Episode 178: HDMI Switchers, Green Computing, Video Editing Recommendations, Resizing Partitions Safely, Where’s the Rabbit? Your viewer questions and more!!!

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