minna ni naisho dayo

Catching Up: Part II

Back for another round of playing catch-up with all the new games I've gotten ahold of over the past few weeks. Today's batch: PSP.

But before I get to that, I'd like to proudly announce that my Pepsi Twist Super Mario Bros. Dot Bottlecap Collection is now COMPLETE, thanks to my wonderful girlfriend, who talked a local shop owner into opening up his stash to find the remaining six caps I needed, and JonnyRam (who's also wonderful, I'm sure -- ask his wife), who traded with me for the final cap I needed to complete my collection. Wonderful girlfriend and JonnyRam -- I salute you both.

To commemorate this momentus occasion, I provide for you two wallpaper images I made available on the GAF last weekend, created from photos I took of the combined stashes of myself and AndrewV before I completed my set:

Now, on to the games:

New Game: Wipeout Pure (US)

Title: Wipeout Pure
Platform: Sony PSP (US)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Where: Electronics Boutique
When: March 18
How Much: $39.99 ($43.44 w/tax)

I used to really love the Wipeout games back in the day, but that love faded after the release of XL (2097 in Europe), and it never really came back. I picked this up based on all the glowing hype it's been receiving from US mags and websites, but I've only managed to spend about an hour with it so far, so it's too early to tell if it's going to be a keeper. I've always preferred F-Zero to Wipeout (Wipeout's floaty controls really irk me sometimes), but so far this seems like I may be able to tolerate it. We'll see. I heard the Japanese and European releases will be a bit more "complete," but what that means exactly I'm not sure. The J-version is out here in a week, so maybe we'll get some solid information then. I just hope it's not so much that I'll regret importing this from the US...

New Game: Dynasty Warriors (US)

Title: Dynasty Warriors
Platform: Sony PSP (US)
Publisher: Koei

Where: Electronics Boutique
When: March 17
How Much: $49.99 ($54.30 w/tax)

Ahh, Dynasty Warriors. You know, looking at the receipt, if I'd have known this was going to cost $50, I probably would've passed. For some reason I was thinking it'd be $40 when I asked my friend to pick it up. In any case, I got this because I've been meaning to get into the DW series forever, so I figured the PSP version would be a good way to start, seeing as how I can play it on the go. I haven't played much yet, but I'm hoping to get into it soon.

New Game: Tales of Eternia (JP)

Title: Tales of Eternia
Platform: Sony PSP (JP)
Publisher: Namco

Where: Dreamland
When: March 3
How Much: 4,780 yen (5,019 yen w/tax)

Even though it's just a straight port of the PS1 version with marginal enhancements designed to take advantage of the PSP's capabilities (namely widescreen, filtered graphics), I still had to buy this the moment it hit stores. The Tales series is one of my favorites, and I never got around to finishing this on the PS1 (it was known as Tales of Destiny II in the US), so a handheld version made perfect sense. Namco did a great job with it, too -- there's practically no loading time anywhere at all, making it almost feel like you're playing on a cartridge. I sincerely hope they decide to release it in the US, though if they do, they desperately need to re-record all the voices, as the English's versions voice acting was absolutely terrible.

New Game: Need for Speed Underground Rivals (JP)

Title: Need for Speed Underground Rivals
Platform: Sony PSP (JP)
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Where: Dreamland
When: February 23
How Much: 4,780 yen (5,019 yen w/tax)

This came out at just the right time for me to want to purchase it. Japan got it a month before the US, giving us a good head-start, and it was just long enough after Ridge Racers and before Shutokou Battle that it felt like I could get some good playtime in with it. And I did. It's a really fun game, though I wouldn't quite place it in the same league as Ridge Racers. But if you're into the NFS games, you'll most likely enjoy it. I'm interested to see how Shutokou Battle (Tokyo Xtreme Racer in the west) stands up when it releases here in three weeks.

New Game: Eiyuu Densetsu: Gagharv Trilogy: Shiroki Majo (JP)

Title: Eiyuu Densetsu: Gagharv Trilogy: Shiroki Majo
Platform: Sony PSP (JP)
Publisher: Bandai

Where: Bandai
When: December 15
How Much: N/A

(The title translates to "The Legend of Heroes: Gagharv Trilogy: White Witch" for those of you who aren't familiar with the Japanese.)

Let it be known far and wide: I am a Falcom whore. I've been so since sometime in the late 80s, when I first laid eyes on Ys for the Sega Master System and Legacy of the Wizard (Dragon Slayer IV) on the NES. I've always wanted to get into the Legend of Heroes series, but I never had a good chance until now. White Witch is the third game in the series, and first in the Gagharv Trilogy, which comprises Legend of Heroes III, IV and V. Even though I got this back in December (props to my girlfriend again; her friend who works at Bandai got us a free copy before it hit stores), I haven't written it up yet because I haven't spent too much time with it. I'm planning to get started on it once I finish up my current Ys binge (more on that soon), so perhaps I'll post some impressions once Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermilion arrives. It's due out for PSP on June 2, and I'll definitely be picking that one up too.

Well, that wraps things up for today. I'll be back soon!

Posted by john tv at April 1, 2005 08:50 PM