PSP Stages Major Comeback
A lot of us thought the Sony Playstation Portable was on its last legs. Apparently not. Sony is making major investments in the system. At the annual Destination Playstation event, five major titles were announced for the system.
–MotorStorm: Arctic Edge: It’s Motorstorm on PSP, this time with an arctic setting. New vehicles include the Snow Cat and the Snowmobile. Furthermore, it’s promised you will be able to customize your vehicle with tuned parts and paint jobs, a first for the series. The game is also being ported to the PS2. It’s set to release on August 1st.
-Assassin’s Creed Portable: Not much is known about the game at this time. Release date TBA 2009. I hated the original so lets hope the PSP version is better.
–LittleBigPlanet Portable: LBP on the go. Apparently identical to the PS3 version but with toned down graphics. It will feature all new story mode levels but the basic premise stays the same, including online “play, create, share”. Presumably there will be some interconnectablity between it and the PS3 version. Release date is pegged at December 31st by IGN but it will likely appear sooner than that.
-Rock Band Unplugged: Activision may have ignored the PSP but MTV Games is bringing the popular rhythm genre to the system. Similar to the PS3 version, tap the buttons to follow the song, use the shoulder buttons to change instruments. DLC will be available on the Playstation Store. Release date is TBA.
–Petz: Tamagochi on steriods. Raise virtual pets. IGN says to expect dogs, cats, horses, hamsters, dolphins, tigers and bunnies to be available. Girls will eat this up. Release date is TBA.
-Lilac PSP-3000: It’s the PSP-3000, but it’s lilac purple. Coloured PSPs are a hit in Japan but North Americans have been left out until now. Obviously targetted at female and effeminate male gamers. Due out in July.
-Hannah Montana Bundle: The Lilac PSP-3000 bundled with an exclusive PSP Hannah Montana rhythm and dance game. Also includes Hannah Montana episodes on UMD and a 2gb Memory Stick PRO Duo. Oh, and stickers to customize your PSP. A pretty nice deal for the tween girl in your family. If you’re buying it for yourself though; shame on you! (lol) It will sell for $199.99 and be available in July.
-Assassin’s Creed Bundle: Now that we have the ladies taken care of, Sony also plans to release an AC bundle which will include the above mentioned game and a piano black PSP. No word on what else the bundle will include or when it will be made available. Expect it to cost $200.
Wow, that’s a lot of blockbuster titles for the PSP. I guess the system has come back from the brink of death. 2008 was bad but 2009 with Resistance: Retribution and now all these is shaping up to be the PSP’s year.
