The action plays out from an isometric viewpoint that gives you a more or less top-down view of whatever corridor you are currently traversing. City streets, parks, construction yards, and enemy fortresses are just some of the varied environments you’ll visit. They are adequately detailed and filled with destructible items that you can usually explode and walk over without issue. Sometimes, however, these explosions will knock you down or the leftover debris will trip you up. This inconsistency is annoying and can also be dangerous when you are beset by hordes of enemies.

To deal with your foes you have a primary gun that you can (and will) fire almost constantly. You can pick up upgrades that increase your firepower, and these come in very handy. While shooting, you enter strafe mode, meaning you have to press the L and R buttons if you want to change the direction you are facing. Initially this is a bit cumbersome, but you’ll soon get the hang of it and be able to circle-strafe around enemies with ease. Other power-ups include ammo for your beefy secondary gun, a protective shield, an electrically charged shield that damages enemies, a temporary holographic double, and invisibility (yes, Transformers can apparently become invisible). Every enemy you destroy drops energy cubes that power your special attack (damages all enemies in the area) and signature attack (varies from character to character). You’ll have to use all the abilities at your disposal to get through the game because though the first levels are quite easy, later levels are a good deal more difficult.

Revenge of the Fallen makes things harder for you by throwing more enemies at you and making them tougher. Blasting some of them can take quite a while if your gun isn’t upgraded, so you’ll need to make good use of your melee attack. While some enemies are clever enough to back away when you approach them, others just stand and wait for your one or two blows to destroy them. You pack a powerful punch, but the melee button is kind of slow to respond, so you’ll often end up delivering a three-hit combo when you only wanted to hit once. This sluggishness also allows enemies to step out of range, but the same sluggishness does not apply to enemies because their punches often land even if you’ve dodged out of the way.

Square-Enix heralded it as one of the world’s first “cinematic RPGs” (if you own the game, go look at the back of the jewel case), and it quickly became a favorite of gamers around the world. Some will argue that the sequel adopted too much of a Resident Evil feel and lost a lot of that cinematic RPG goodness, but that doesn’t mean fans of the original won’t be interested inThe 3rd Birthday. Even though “Parasite Eve” isn’t in the title’s name, this is most certainly part of that series; Aya Brea returns as the main character with her unique ability, and we’ll embark on yet another adventure within the troubled city of New York. Now, if you’re hoping for a return to more of a role-playing foundation, you may be disappointed, but considering Square-Enix’s success with Sony’s portable unit thus far, you should remain encouraged.

Initially, The 3rd Birthday was only announced for mobile phones, and in the humble opinion of most avid gamers, this idea made absolutely zero sense. Hence, when it was revealed that Square-Enix would be bringing the promising title to the PSP last year, we finally turned our collective attentions to the third Parasite Eve installment. Details are a little scarce at this point, but thanks to a Famitsu interview with director Hajime Tabata (who is also in charge of Final Fantasy Agito XIII for the PSP) we learn that3rd Birthday will be a third-person shooter. …but wait. Don’t think aboutDirge of Cerberus; Tabata says this isn’t exactly a “true” third-person shooter, whatever that means. What we’re hoping it means is that we might be able to expect a unique gameplay mechanic that puts an interesting twist on the standard action shooter genre. Square-Enix is more than capable of doing this, and although we probably won’t get the combat we found in the original Parasite Eve, perhaps we’ll see something that reinvents the concept of portable “third-person shooters.”

As for the story, you will see Aya looking all scrumptious in that wedding dress, although we’re not really sure how this ties into the plot. At the start of 3rd Birthday, Aya and the rest of the NYPD are assembled in order to combat a fresh outbreak of mysterious attacks in Manhattan. Apparently, the perpetrators are nasty creatures only known as the “Twisted,” which have arrived in modern-day New York due to a bizarre time contortion. Is anyone else reminded of Onimusha 3 at this point? Anyway, as mentioned before, Aya is the game’s primary focus, and she has those powers she exhibited in the original PlayStation title. As a special bonus for all you hormonally driven male teenagers out there, Aya is around 35 years old…but thanks to a side effect of her inherent ability, she still has the look and body of a 20-year-old woman. And what woman out there wouldn’t want thatnice little side effect? Scenario director Motomu Toriyama has said it can be difficult to make a woman in her mid-30s the main attraction in any video game, and unfortunately, we do have to agree. We know you remember the shower scene from Parasite Eve II…

As it was only recently announced for the PSP, we have no idea when it will arrive in North America, but it should be some time later this year. We’re also not sure if the mobile phone version has been canceled in order to focus on this one, although we really don’t care one way or the other. The 3rd Birthday could turn out to be yet another Square-Enix handheld gem, so if you’ve already enjoyed the likes of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and you were a fan of the first two PE games, you should stay tuned for more information.

]]> http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/fighting-games/parasite-eve-the-3rd-birthday/feed/ http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/fighting-games/final-fantasy-agito-xiii/ http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/fighting-games/final-fantasy-agito-xiii/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:09:36 +0000 imran http://www.psphell.com/?p=244 Apart of Squares trilogy of games based around the Final Fantasy Xiii world, Final Fantasy Agito XIII is PSP’s exclusive and the only handheld title in the Final Fantasy XIII series. This game will be set in a school of magic in the Final Fantasy XIII world and will feature combat similar to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII but will use the active time battle system to allow players to control multiple characters. This is one of the biggest titles for PSP in a long time since this is considered apart of the main story of the Final Fantasy XIII world and will have it’s own expansive plot.  Final Fantasy Agito is set for 2009 but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t hit the states until 2010.

The story follows Harry Mason, who wakes up after a car accident to find that his daughter Cheryl is missing. Harry will wander the snowy streets of Silent Hill searching for answers of her disappearance, but when the world freezes over, he will need to escape the lumbering demons that haunt his steps. Harry will need to navigate both worlds to discover the truth; not just about his missing daughter, but also the type of person he actually is.

Silent Hill’s debut on the Nintendo Wii makes the fear more real than ever before. Players will be drawn into the mysterious town using the Wii Remote as a flashlight and a cellphone as they search for clues. Choices they make will shape Harry Mason, as well as the people he meets and the places he visits. The enemies evolve as well, taking the form of the player’s deepest fears. Silent Hill promises to be more terrifying than ever, also bringing the fear to PS2 and PSP.

]]> http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/top-games/resistance-retribution/feed/ http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/role-playing-games/disgaea-2-dark-hero-days/ http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/role-playing-games/disgaea-2-dark-hero-days/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:47:39 +0000 imran http://www.psphell.com/?p=216 Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days for the PSP is a sequel worthy of being considered superior to the fantastic original and that’s saying a lot right there. The game also manages to be just as addictive and enjoyable as the console games in the series with new features that just add more SRPG goodness to a series that just keeps getting stranger and more fun with each new installment. Definitely give this one a try if you want another inventive SRPG.

Review Scoring Details for Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days

It will be interesting to see if the game was directly ported from the DS or if it was remade for the PSP.

]]> http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/fighting-games/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars-coming-to-psp-on-october-20th-psp-games/feed/ http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/racing-games/gran-turismo-game-review%e2%80%93-psp-games/ http://www.psphell.com/index.php/pspgames/racing-games/gran-turismo-game-review%e2%80%93-psp-games/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:37:42 +0000 imran http://www.psphell.com/?p=198 Fasten up your belt as you’re now going to prove your driving skills on 35 different tracks where you can also trade and share by selecting from more than 800 racing cars. Look at the features which will make you buy this game.

Slick Visuals: Gran Turismo runs on a first time introduced graphic engine designed for PSP. This graphics engine delivers visuals at a sharp speed - 60 frames / sec.

Depth and Variety: Make your own collection of more than 800 vehicles; all from major international automakers.

Expand Your Collection: Gran Turismo keeps engaged with friends then why not trade and share cars with them through Ad Hoc wireless system and expand your collection.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey also boasts an all new damage effects engine as well as advanced environmental visuals enriching the game play. Players can see real time damage to the aircraft such as holes in the wings and trail lines during dog fights. IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey features hundreds of airplanes taking part in air battles. The unique environmental engine also produces highly detailed, realistic landscapes that allow players to see breathtaking ground support actions.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey’s visuals are produced with the use of satellite photography. STRM database pictures, renowned for their uttermost precision, have been used to recreate the landscapes of war-torn Europe in remarkable detail.

SME Dynamic Systems Limited is able to take advantage of the PSP’s considerable graphical capabilities and produce a handheld format that bears notable familiarity to the home console versions of IL-2. The PSP campaign unveils 30 thrilling missions across six major WWII battlefields with over 30 aircraft recreated in stunning detail (14 available for the player to pilot). The non-linear campaign allows players to pick any mission and unlock new ones as they are completed. There are 16 achievements to gain as well as multiplayer support for two player head to head dogfights on the move.

Building accurate 1940’s environments using the latest in cutting edge satellite technology comes with a set of immediate problems, most obviously the 50 year time gap in buildings, foliage and other features, many of which did not exist at the time of the game’s setting and others which are now long gone from the real word and need to be added. To combat this, the development team have collated and pored over hundreds of wartime photos, documents and maps, painstakingly removing unwanted additions and recreating missing landscape features.

Features

• Authentic World War II atmosphere
• Engage in more than 50 thrilling missions from famous historical battles over Eastern and Western Europe and fly historically accurate aircraft
• Flexible difficulty level system: from arcade to realistic simulation
• Thrilling multiplayer mode support customization - choose the color scheme of your plane and install your choice of weapons
• Cutting edge, highly-detailed visuals, realistic sound and original music from Jeremy Soule

From the moment you step on the pitch, UEFA EURO 2008 gives you complete control over all of the action. New manual controls enable you to dictate the play with control over through-passing and crossing. Control the goalkeeper in one-on-one situations to deny the striker yourself. Plus, experience the thrill of the best players elevating their play when the game is on the line with all-new Critical Moment AI.

Intelligently prepare for each specific opponent using new custom formations. Design your own unique strategy to create the perfect formation and tactics. Assign roles and move players to the exact position in relation to teammates to undermine the opposition.

UEFA EURO 2008 captures the look and feel of the journey from qualification to the finals with rain and mud dynamics that impact playing conditions, real-time player ratings that change based on player performance, and a penalty kick mode that re-creates the elation and agony of a penalty shoot-out as if you were on the pitch. Experience the thrill of scoring the goal that sends your country through to the next round and then choose how to celebrate it with all-new interactive user-controlled celebrations. Captain your country, play alongside your heroes, and inspire them to championship glory.

UEFA Euro 2008’s main features?

* Win UEFA EURO 2008 — Compete as one of 53 teams from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

* Conquer Europe — Navigate the interactive map to overcome objectives and challenges to see if you have the skills to dominate Europe. Think you are the best? Now you can prove it!

* Critical Moment AI — Experience the thrill of the best players elevating their play with the game on the line with all-new Critical Moment AI.

* Dynamic Rain— Winter weather from across Europe is authentically re-created to simulate real-world playing conditions. Experience driving rain that creates sloppy pitches and dramatically impacts passing and player performance.

* Authentic Stadiums — Compete in all 8 official stadiums of UEFA EURO 2008 with authentic day, dusk and night time lighting conditions.

* Team Managers — Watch reactions from team managers on the sideline as they shout encouragement or become disappointed in your team’s performance.

* Custom Formations — Design your own unique strategy to create the perfect formation and tactics. Set each player’s exact position in the formation, and assign specific attacking and defensive runs.

* Manual Controls — Dictate the play with manual controls for through-passing and crossing. Use the Pass Pulse to covertly call for the ball when playing with friends on the same team. Control the goalkeeper in one-on-one situations to deny the striker yourself. Use the right-stick to quickly switch to the exact player you want to control when defending.

* Dynamic Player Ratings — Real-time player ratings change based on actual player performance, simulating the momentum swings of a real season.

* Sticker Book — Collect your favorite players and unlock new game features in a virtual sticker book by completing objectives and challenges.

* Soccer IQ — Test your soccer knowledge inside Quiz mode featuring thousands of European Football Championship related questions.