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Portable gaming blog
By David Carnoy
Executive editor, CNET Reviews
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2005 Let the sequels begin: Metal Gear Acid 2
Metal Gear Acid 2
You know a game is taking off when its publisher announces a sequel only months after the game hits stores to begin with. Such is the case with Konami's Metal Gear Acid 2, the follow-up to the quirkily successful card-battling title that launched alongside Sony's PSP. Acid 2 will go for a more cel-shaded, cartoonish look than its predecessor, and Konami has also promised new types of cards and a more streamlined, easy-to-navigate interface. Though there are already several screenshots available, no concrete release date has been set.
Assistant Editor Robert Dubbin contributed to this report.
Posted at 4:28 p.m. ET
Guilty Gear on the go
One thing we noticed at Majesco's booth: the company is launching two different portable versions of its Guilty Gear franchise, one for the PSP and another for the Nintendo DS. The series has been around since 1998 and appeared on a veritable who's who of gaming systems in the interim, so it's no surprise that Majesco is branching out to the current generation of handhelds. Guilty Gear Judgement for the PSP should outclass its DS cohort by a significant margin, at least where graphics are concerned. It also includes Boost mode, a side-scrolling, single-player adventure that you won't find on the DS. To its credit, Guilty Gear Dust Strikers for the DS has a hectic, wireless four-player fighting mode that should be great fun for anyone who cut their teeth on Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Both Guilty Gear titles are scheduled for release later this year.
 Guilty Gear Judgement  Guilty Gear Dust Strikers
Posted at 4:03 p.m. ET
Animal Crossing goes wireless
Animal Crossing DS
It's not going out on a limb to say that Nintendo's quirky Animal Crossing franchise isn't for everybody. Regardless, it has legions of dedicated fans, and when the DS launched last year, reports that the popular town-based exploration game was coming to the handheld generated considerable excitement. Animal Crossing DS was playable at E3, and the long lines of gamers waiting for a demo served as a testament to its following. We learned that the title is being released toward the end of this year and features a number of new features that weren't in the game's original GameCube version. For one thing, Animal Crossing DS will allow you to visit any of your friends' towns, anywhere in the world, via Wi-Fi. That alone should be enough to make this a viable candidate for the DS's killer app.
Assistant Editor Robert Dubbin contributed to this report.
Posted at 3:36 p.m. ET
The Con: better living through deception
The Con
Here's an interesting one: SCEA's upcoming PSP fighter The Con combines the thrill of one-on-one combat with the seedy, backroom intrigue of wagering on fights as they occur. So not only are you responsible for defeating your opponents, but you're also on the hook to dupe the crowd into betting against you--see, a predetermined number of seconds into each fight, a bet will be entered on your behalf. That is, you have a monetary stake in each fight and want to do whatever you can to throw the odds and give yourself a better eventual payout. Whew. Success in this twisted game of deception will yield new clothing and accessories for your fighter to bring into the ring. The Con hits stores this fall--at least, that's what Sony told us. Maybe it's making us wait to try and drive up the price.
Posted at 3:01 p.m. ET
Majesco's viral marketing tactics
Infected
Aside from the constant, blaring music, one of the most disconcerting things at this year's show has been the preponderance of zombies running around the convention center. I should explain: Majesco, in an effort to promote its upcoming PSP game, Infected, has been encouraging attendees to line up in front of their booth and be zombied up (in morbidly convincing fashion) by a professional makeup artist. The operation takes about 15 minutes per person.
Marketing tactics aside, the game itself has been getting some attention because of its viral multiplayer component--if you win an online death match, your avatar will "infect" your opponent's game and continue to appear there even after you've disconnected. I played a little bit, and the game seemed sort of interesting, but it didn't blow me away; in particular, the graphics weren't quite up to snuff with what I've come to expect from the PSP. That said, I didn't get to fully experience the game's viral aspects, so I'll withhold judgment until I play the final version later this year.
Posted at 12:50 p.m. ET
THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2005 Does the Gizmondo stand a chance?
Gizmondo
Those of you tracking Tiger Telematics' dark-horse portable gaming device, Gizmondo, will be happy to know that the company put up some serious money for its booth this year, setting up a fairly significant presence right behind Microsoft's gargantuan Xbox display. Gizmondo will launch in the United States on August 11 for "less than $400," and Gizmondo reps claim the platform would have 89 titles available by the end of the year. The August 11 launch is actually timed to coincide with the release of a Gizmondo-optimized version of Madden '06, alongside two other EA Sports titles: FIFA and SSX Tricky. While the largish handheld's screen and graphics do not measure up to the PSP's, we like Gizmondo's ergonomics, and it has some nifty features, such as built-in GPS that you can read about in our First Take. I still think Tiger somehow has to get the cost closer to $250 for the Gizmondo to have a shot.
Assistant Editor Robert Dubbin contributed to this report.
Posted at 5:39 p.m. ET
Mario returns to action, 2D-style
3D Mario in a 2D world
Though it's still the highest-rated game for Nintendo's dual-screen handheld, Mario 64 DS didn't quite fulfill the company's reputation for launching its innovative new consoles with equally innovative new (and we emphasize new) Mario games. That's why we're excited to see a playable three-level demo for a brandnew Super Mario Bros. title, due out on the DS later this year. The game doesn't have an official name yet, but we know that Nintendo's returning to Mario's 2D roots; though Mario and his enemies will all be made up of three-dimensional polygons, all of the game's action will take place in a two-dimensional side-scrolling environment. There's no word yet on how (or if) the new Mario game will take advantage of the DS's touch pad and microphone, but given the high standards Nintendo has for its first-party titles, this should be a game to look out for in any event.
Assistant Editor Robert Dubbin contributed to this report.
Posted at 5:30 p.m. ET
In the land of Sega's E3 titles, Virtua Tennis is king
Virtua Tennis
I'm over at the Sega booth and aside from having some of the only XBox 360 games on the floor (Full Auto and Condemned: Criminal Origins), the company's also showing Virtua Tennis for the PSP and Sonic the Hedgehog's first appearance on the DS, Sonic Rush. The tennis game looks great and is surprisingly addicting. This one used to be a budget title for consoles but I suspect the PSP version will cost in the neighborhood of $40. Still, seems worth it if you're at all a fan of video tennis. Wi-Fi-enabled multiplayer should be a lot of fun.
Posted at 4:32 p.m. ET
PSP shooters are locked, loaded
The one thing sorely missing from the PSP's game portfolio at launch and, even now, has been the shooter, whether of the first- or third-person variety. I didn't see a ton of upcoming shooters on the show floor, but they're certainly on the way, with Sony's own SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo leading the charge. The game is based on the third installment of SOCOM for consoles, and Sony's talking up how Fireteam will have "interoperability" with the PS2. The quick explanation of what that means is that you'll be able to achieve certain "cross-talk" objectives in one game; then, after you link the two systems, the achieved objective will play into the other game. Linkage aside, the game is looking pretty good on the PSP, though I encountered some frame-rate issues in the demo I played. Sony reps assured me that the game will play much more smoothly when it comes out this fall. I played only the single-player version--missions are mainly based on those from SOCOM 3 for the PS2--but there is a multiplayer mode that should really be the game's selling point.
Another shooter that Sony's showing off is a PSP spin-off of the PS2 title Ghost in the Shell; the PSP version, also due this fall, is called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The E3 crowds seemed less excited about that one, but there was a lot of tittering over Star Wars: Battlefront II. Pandemic, the developer, hasn't set a release date for that one.
If shooters aren't your thing, or perhaps you want something for the kiddies, Sony's Daxter character (of Jak 3 fame) is on the way to the PSP. Viewtiful Joe, the quirkily animated platformer that originally debuted on Nintendo's GameCube, will also head to the PSP in the form of Viewtiful Joe VFX Battle, which introduces competitive play to the fledgling franchise. No firm release dates were given, but both titles appear to slated for the holiday season.
Posted at 11:35 a.m. ET
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2005 Madden and Burnout for the PSP: start saving now
I haven't gotten a look at Grand Theft Auto for the PSP yet--the company is showing it only behind closed doors--but I did play around for a bit with a couple of games for this platform that I've been looking forward to: Madden '06 and Burnout Legends. The graphics were impressive on both games, and the PSP's wide-screen format makes it pretty ideal for portable football gaming and over-the-top, arcade-style racing. Both Madden and Burnout aren't due out until the fall, but from the early look I got, save your money for them anyway; they're definitely worth reserving space for in your PSP game library.
Posted at 7:25 p.m. ET
The day the DS went wireless, and other stories
A couple of other interesting DS developments: At Nintendo's booth, representatives were demonstrating both wireless multiplayer gaming via Wi-Fi over the Internet--the DS has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity--as well as VoIP (Voice over IP) using the DS and a headset. The idea with the whole VoIP thing is that you'll be able to communicate while playing and also chat with your buddies outside of games, just as you would with, say, Microsoft's Xbox Live service. Of course, the DS is portable, so its voice applications are somewhat more compelling. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a firm date on when wireless Internet multiplayer or VoIP would arrive; both are scheduled to be released around the same time "later this year," according to Nintendo.
Also on the DS front; in a meeting with SanDisk, reps from that company showed us a Game Boy-size cartridge with an embedded SD card slot that would allow you to add SD memory-card storage to any Game Boy Advance or DS, thus turning it into an MP3 player (the cartridge has a built-in headphone jack). It's already being sold in Japan and should arrive on these shores by the end of this year.
One last note: Perhaps the biggest crowd at Nintendo's booth was there to catch a glimpse of Nintendogs. The DS may have its killer app, after all.
Posted at 6:45 p.m. ET
What will be the Nintendo DS's killer app?
When Nintendo launched its touch-pad-clad, wireless-enabled DS handheld last year, gamers were certainly enticed by its potential. But to say that the DS's launch titles were underwhelming would be, to put it gently, an understatement. A quick glance at GameSpot's collected game ratings for the DS and PSP shows the huge disparity in overall quality between the two consoles' lineups. And though sales of the DS have been strong both domestically and abroad (during its press conference, Nintendo boasted that it's outselling the PSP three-to-one in Japan), American DS owners are largely and justifiably frustrated that the best thing going for their console is a rehash of the five-year-old Mario 64.
Luckily, we've seen a few titles at this year's show with the potential to do for the DS what Tetris did for the original Game Boy--namely, sell lots of DS handhelds and get people excited about the platform. Though its cute name and premise may scare some away, Nintendogs is already a runaway hit in Japan, allowing you to use the DS's touch screen and voice-recognition capabilities to raise and train a puppy for various competitions. On the more action-oriented side of things, Metroid Prime: Hunters is the long-awaited, first-person shooter whose tantalizingly impressive demo version comes free with the DS. The game itself will offer a deep single-player mode in the vein of Nintendo's Metroid Prime series for GameCube, along with a variety of wireless multiplayer modes. Finally, Electroplankton is a musical game that lets you interact with quirky-looking "instruments" by means of the microphone and the touch pad. Electroplankton was one of the central attractions of Nintendo's press conference; a guest DJ played a song that he'd composed exclusively using samples from the game. All three games are due on shelves in the next few months--but it remains to be seen whether they can turn back the tide in Nintendo's favor after the onslaught of the Sony PSP.
Assistant Editor Robert Dubbin contributed to this report.
Posted at 6:40 p.m. ET
Grand Theft Auto PSP gets a new name
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
It's official: Rockstar's highly anticipated PSP edition of its open-ended crime opera has a name. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories will hit shelves this fall, and though we still haven't seen any screenshots or heard any concrete plot details, the game's nostalgic locale alone is enough to inspire our cautious optimism. The game is being developed by Rockstar Leeds in a departure from Rockstar North's normal control over the franchise, but the company's PR release was careful to assert that the two developers worked closely together to get everything just right. As we'd hoped, Rockstar confirmed that Liberty City Stories will feature the same "superb voice talent and diverse music" that made its forebears monster hits, though we're still not sure those features can thrive to the same extent on a portable system. However, it's clear that, in any event, this game will sell 400 billion copies.
Assistant editor Rob Dubbin contributed to this report.
Posted at 1:02 p.m. ET
SanDisk rolls out 2GB cards for PSP
For those of you who like rolling your own PSP movies, SanDisk has some good news and some bad news. The good: in July, it will begin offering a 2GB Memory Stick Duo Gaming Card, which actually offers more storage capacity than the 1.8GB UMD discs that hold official PSP games and movies. The bad: SanDisk's new card carries a list price of $350. That hurts, especially when you can get a slick portable DVD player for that price. But don't worry--by this time next year, we're betting that the price for 2GB will have dropped to $150. Any takers?
Posted at 12:32 p.m. ET
Nintendo's Game Boy Micro: why go smaller?
Nintendo Game Boy Micro
If you've read our First Take of the upcoming Game Boy Micro, you know that Nintendo's doing its best to extend the life of its venerable Game Boy Advance system, which had already been extended once with the Game Boy Advance SP. It's nice that the GBA's decreasing in size, making it even more pocket-friendly, but I have my own theory on why Nintendo's going smaller: the median age of GBA users is falling, which means younger kids with smaller hands are playing. I have no scientific evidence of this, but I do have three nephews who are of prime portable-gaming age. Jordan, 12, has moved onto to the PSP; Avery, 8, has a Nintendo DS; and Brett, 5, has a GBA. And judging by their reactions to the announcement, only Brett, the 5-year-old, seems truly excited about the prospect of owning a Micro. Of course, Assistant Editor Rob Dubbin, who's editing this very entry, is also very excited, and he's 22. So, my theory could be wrong. Thoughts?
Posted at 11:43 a.m. ET
Much ado about N-Gage
The future of N-Gage?
Nokia didn't have a new N-Gage to show off at the show, but it did have some new hardware to talk about. How's that possible? Well, Nokia has embarked on a new strategy for N-Gage, its beleaguered portable cell phone/gaming device: it's becoming a platform. That's right--yesterday, the company announced that several of its upcoming high-end smart phones (those running Symbian's Series 60 operating system) will be compatible with N-Gage. The N-Gage-enabled phones will hit stores later this year.
Good move? Hard to say at this point, but it's really Nokia's only move. After all, the N-Gage QD has lagged way behind Nintendo's Game Boy systems in sales, and the PSP is flying off the shelves, so it's either give up or get N-Gage onto a whole lot more devices--namely phones--while praying that people will want to play games on them. Nokia claims that it will have 25 million smart phones on the market in the not-so-distant future, so it hopes game developers will consider that an audience worth "N-Gage-ing." Another plus: I was told that new N-Gage games will take advantage of the larger screens on the new phones, as one of the chief complaints about the N-Gage QD was its too-small display. The only problem with the new strategy is that owners of high-end phones (we're talking $300 to $500) tend to be older and aren't exactly known to be gaming fanatics. Small flaw.
As I write all this, a few of you are probably wondering what will happen to the QD. Though its pulse is fading, it's not dead yet; according to Nokia, the company will continue supporting the QD with new titles--seven, to be exact--through 2005. There will be new accessories and a silver-colored QD, as well. But the QD probably won't support next-gen N-Gage titles, which is a bummer. Also, it was a little unclear what format the next-gen titles will come in. As you may know, current N-Gage games come on an MMC card. More advanced titles that require significant storage space should continue to be sold in memory-card form, but Nokia's also talking about downloadable titles (probably a good idea). In any case, I hope Nokia can tough it out until smart phones come down in price to mass-market levels. I like N-Gage games a lot better than standard Java cell phone games.
Posted at 10:20 a.m. ET
Logitech decks out the PSP
When the PSP launched, I briefly considered some of the chintzy PSP add-ons being sold at GameStop and other gaming stores but decided to hold out for something a little snazzier. Luckily, Logitech announced nifty new PSP accessories at the show. In July, the company will extend its PlayGear line with PlayGear Mod headphones (behind-the-head design, 30mm neodymium drivers, $30); the PlayGear Street carrying case (also $30), which also stores three UMDs and four Memory Stick cards; and the Logitech PlayGear Visor scratch-resistant protective screen cover ($10). Check 'em out.
Posted at 9:10 a.m. ET
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