Gran Turismo PSP: worth the hype?
(Credit: SCEA)In case you haven't noticed, the PSP is getting its game on--or trying to, at least. With a solid software push this year and a revamped PSP Go, Sony's solidly performing yet still second-place handheld is trying to reinvigorate its flagging game library as of late. And, sensibly, the focus is remaining on successful PS2 and PS3 ports. Gran Turismo and, more recently, the MotorStorm franchise have been great examples of first-party Sony success. They're A-level titles, and at last both are making their debut in PSP form in just a few weeks, costing $39.99 and being made available in both UMD and downloadable formats. We received download codes for both titles and gave them a thorough go here at the office, but the results may surprise you.
Scott:
I had heard tons of hype for years (since the original PSP launch in 2005, in fact) about Gran Turismo going mobile. This long-expected virtual vaporware became incredibly tangible for us this week, and will be available to everyone else October 1. I was excited, even though I'm not utterly wild about the hard-core tuning that lies at the heart of GT's automotive fetishism. I do like racing games, and the PSP hasn't had a really good one in quite some time.
As a result, it surprised me to find that Gran Turismo was pretty boring. That's not a knock on the car models or the race tracks or the graphics in general: they're all crisp and smooth and well above average. The problem is that the game itself, in trying for realism, moves at a pace that on a small screen feels like a crawl. Watching your Audi slowly accelerate to 60 mph and take gradual turns with proper braking is the anti-Mario Kart, and not in a good way. It can be soporific, even hypnotic. While the casual nature of the races could amount to a nice mobile break from a busy day, the intensity of Gran Turismo feels like it's moved completely off the map.
That's not to say the game isn't without some great features. ... Read more
On Sale Now: $37.99 - $40.99
View the latest prices for MotorStorm Arctic Edge (PSP)
On Sale Now: $36.99 - $39.99
View the latest prices for Gran Turismo (PSP)
The PSP Go will have some company on launch day.
(Credit: CNET)Gran Turismo, launching October 1 with the PSP Go, was the headlining PSP game during Tuesday's E3 Sony press conference. It wasn't the only ammo Sony had. However, it seems like the biggest in terms of holiday 2009 impact. Polyphony Digital announced a "full game" with 800 cars, 35 tracks, 60 track layouts, and four-player play over local ad-hoc along with car trading, almost like Pokemon.
A true sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3
(Credit: Konami)Other announcements included the first-ever PSP iteration in the Resident Evil series, as well other titles that were shown but not fully detailed: Little Big Planet, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Soul Calibur, Pixeljunk Monsters, Fat Princess and a new Jak and Daxter game, to name a few.
Click for full coverage of E3.
Sony's 2009 and 2010 PSP lineup finally looks like the PSP game library we'd been expecting all along.
More to come.
Last Friday, we reported a rumor about the PS3 getting a $100 price cut, based on a Circuit City flier that's been circulating the blogs. Well, it's not a rumor anymore. Sony just confirmed that the PlayStation 3 is indeed getting getting a fair bit cheaper.
Starting this week, the 60GB PS3 will retail for $500, the same price as the now-defunct 20GB PS3. If you had your heart set on spending $600 on a PlayStation 3, have no fear; the price drop makes room for the new 80GB PS3 bundle Sony also announced today. Taking the 60GB PS3's old price point, the new high-end PlayStation will sport a larger hard drive and come with the grimy-but-pretty racing game Motorstorm.
At $500, the PS3 is still just a bit more expensive than competing consoles, including the Xbox 360 Elite (Microsoft's high-end console comes with a 120GB hard drive, but lacking the PS3's built-in Wi-Fi, media reader, or Blu-ray support). On the other hand, with many Blu-ray players still running over $600, this price cut could still be a good deal for home theater buffs, even if they don't want to play video games. The price cut is effective now, so you should be able to go to your nearest game/electronics store and find a PlayStation 3 at its new, lower price.
[Source: Joystiq]
- prev
- 1
- next
