Sony launches Sony Entertainment Network

Sony just revealed the Sony Entertainment Network, which is them placing all online services on one brand name. This includes their online music and video service Qriocity, and more importantly the Playstation Network.  Speaking of Qriocity, that name is gone. They will now be calling their on-demand online service Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited. Oh yes, what a way to keep creative Sony. Thankfully, the Playstation Network will still retain its name on this merge of services.

Kazuo Hirai, now president of Sony's consumer products and services group, announced this change in the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin."We're leveraging the biggest asset, the Sony brand, to establish comprehensive, global platorm called Sony Enterntainment Network," said Kazuo Hirai.

Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited, and Playstation will be under one account for convenience. Third party services like Hulu however still is on a separate account. Curious if there will be any form of change in the PSN, if they do plan on changing something I hope it's a new interface. The Sony Entertainment Network website is already live so you can go check their so-called "Three core pillars of entertainment".

[Source: Gamespot]

Ono X Harada - The Epic Battle

Yoshinori Ono(Street Fighter) and Katsuhiro Harada(Tekken) are at it again to determine who is the best through a series of challenges. Just caught this video and this time it's on this years GamesCom. An amazing way to promote the game, at the same time entertain the fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-L596R5990&feature=player_embedded

It's obviously rigged, but still fun to watch. Both producers have been doing this ever since they officially revealed Street Fighter X Tekken for the first time. I still remember Harada barging in a Capcom's press conference and handing out Tekken 6 copies to the crowd. Epic stuff. The last one before this GamesCom battle was Comic Con, we're they included some fans. It's all in good fun so kudos to Ono and harada for doing this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL0QzfuFO-4

Dead Island release trailer

It's finally September, and we're one week and a day away to the release of Dead Island. I don't know about you guys, but I'm always excited for a zombie game, especially one that has 4-player co-op and RPG elements. Deep Silver launched their release trailer hoping to make Dead Island look epic enough for other people to get interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGnALtczXxA&feature=channel_video_title Maybe a little blunder on their part?or maybe just lazy to make another version of it, but the NA version of this trailer(the one above) says "Out Now" at the end. The Europe version of the trailer is exactly the same except but it says "Pre-order now" at the end. No biggie, it will eventually be true, just wanted to pointed that out. NA is getting the game first on Sept. 6, while Everybody else will have the game by the 9th.

For the people in the Philippines, aim for the Sept 9 release. There's still a chance we might get it around the NA release but it's a slim chance. As usual, we will know on the said date. I really hope this game is as good as it looks. Still have that feeling that we might get a shock for the worse when we actually get the game, but since the concept is so good, it's worth the risk for me.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKcEFYWoNfE&feature=relmfu]

Super Portal Bros?

Apparently the chubby, mushroom addicted, plumber will be getting Valve's famous Portal Gun. This isn't just a mod of Super Mario Bros. but is an actual game that is developed. I remember seeing a flash movie of Mario with a Portal Gun by Dorkly and I'm surprised (and glad) that someone is turning that concept into a real game.

Here is some of the info from the developer's blog at stabyourself.net

Mari0 factsheet

Since Mari0 is suddenly popular, I guess posting some information will be useful.

• Yes, this is an actual game being developed - it is not a mod of any existing one. It’s coded with Löve (info at the bottom of the left menu) and will be released for free (so we don’t get stabbed by lawyers)
• All the source code of the game will be available after release
• The game will have mappacks, which will be downloadable from ingame. Users most likely won’t be able to publish maps directly, but will be able to send them in and we’ll add them for everyone to use.
• The primary maps will have a story and some portaly puzzles. What kind, well, we’ll figure that out as we go
• Level editor will be embedded in the game so you can edit the level while you play
• Original SMB levels and Lost levels will be included
• Simultaneous Multiplayer

Speaking of which, here’s a pic

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtcGiZelPfk&w=560&h=345]

Review: Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai

Publisher: Atari / Bandai Developer: Dimps Platform: Sony PlayStation Portable Release: 03/07/2006

When Sony first announced the original PSP, I promised myself that I would own one. But as with every major purchase, you'd need a large driving factor to keep you motivated. After watching my friend play a full 3D Metal Gear Solid game without a power cable attached or a TV to view it on, I saw the beauty of the PSP.

However, that was not enough. I needed a game that could max out my hype meter and make me crave a PSP non-stop. I grew up watching Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z and am always a sucker for any new DBZ game to come out. So watching the opening movie of DBZ Shin Budokai and hearing that awesome song gave me a raging Super Saiyan boner. I wanted to play that game so bad. But that was 2007, and the sequel (DBZ: Shin Budokai – Another Road) had already been released so I ended up playing that game instead; I never got a chance to play the first game until recently, and decided to finally give it a spin.

Here are my impressions.

Story:

Those familiar with the Dragon Ball mythos can tell that the story takes place after the Buu saga, basically at the end of DBZ. If you have no knowledge of anything Dragon Ball then you'll still be able to get the gist of things but won't understand a lot of the references discussed as they talk about past events in the anime.

Here's the rundown, something has torn a hole between hell and the real world and this is causing the dead bad guys to come back to life. This distortion is also causing rifts in time and space, bringing other characters from different time periods together. It's up to the Z fighters to find the cause of this mess and put a stop to it.

Gameplay:

For those uninitiated in the series, in the Budokai games, characters fight on a 3D plain similar to something like Tekken in that the 3D aspect of it comes from being able to sidestep and circle your opponent. However, there are no walls in this game. Instead you get a sky. Knocking opponents into the air or being knocked into the air lets you hover, and certain properties of attacks and movement differ while afloat.

If you've played the Budokai games on the PS2 then you might notice something different with the combat mechanics. Gone are the Punch and Kick buttons, instead you have the Rush and Smash attacks. Rush attacks let you perform quick and multiple hits. Smash attacks lets you do slower but heavier blows that knock your opponent back, these attacks are also chargeable and can break through an opponent's guard.

Now Dragon Ball wouldn't be Dragon Ball without colored blasts of light. The difference between doing a blast here as opposed to previous Budokai games is that they are performed in real-time and can be charged in order to increase damage. Super attacks and in-game transformations are still present, though also handled a bit differently.

Super moves are also done in real-time and bring forth a more arcade-style feel meaning you pick your character not just based on what fancy attack animation they have, but what their moves are and how you would use them in battle.

Another new addition is the Aura Burst. Pressing the R button (by default controls) lets you do an Aura Burst. This drains energy but in return gives you the ability to dash, change up your attacks and power-up your energy moves. This new sense of movement can change the pacing of a match depending on how you use it. This was absent in previous Budokai games and is something that I appreciate very much.

Now this may disappoint some people, but you can only choose to transform into one form per match. I can see why they did this, though, since each character and thus each form has a different set of special and super moves, so this becomes another factor that plays in when choosing who to use. That said, I do miss the campy powering up into each form one by one.

Watching your power / Ki meter is important, as you need this to do simple energy shots, specials, quick dodges, teleports, and super moves. You don't want to be caught in a barrage of attacks without enough energy.

Game Modes:

In ‘Dragon Road’, the game’s story mode, you follow a series of matches with the occasional branching path. This is very short and can be beaten in around 2-3 hours (given that you read the dialogue on the way, otherwise it would be even shorter). Aside from Dragon Road you have the standard Arcade mode (which is always welcome in a fighter), Z Trial, Network Battle, and Training.

‘Z Trial’ contains your Survival and Time Attack modes. Nothing special. Network Battle is your standard multiplayer ad-hoc lobby. What's interesting is you can enable "Accept Battle" in the options, and what that does is if you are in a middle of, let's say, a story match and another person who has the same game wants to challenge you he/she can do so by going into the Network Battle mode and spotting you in the lobby.

At the end of every match you are awarded with Zenie. You use this currency to purchase stamps that you can use to customize your Profile Card to share with people through Network Battles. This only amused me for a good 10 minutes.

Final Thoughts:

Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai is, in my opinion, a great evolution in the Budokai series. The new combat system is easier to jump into while still retaining enough depth to sink your teeth in and characters don't feel like bricks when you control them. The roster, though small compared to past entries in the series, is well rounded enough and feels solid considering that the game is running on a portable system. A lot of the favorites are present and there is a good sense of overall balance.

All in all this is a very good fighting game on the PSP whether you are a Dragon Ball fan or not. However with a better sequel (Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road) already out there is no reason why you should pick this game over the other as Another Road has more characters, content, and improvements that make it a superior game. However, I'm glad I was able to play through this game as I can better appreciate the changes and additions in the game that followed.

Score: 70/100

Pros:

- Great graphics and animation for a portable game

- More accessible fight system

- English and Japanese voice selection

Cons:

- Really short story mode

- Not enough variety and content in game modes

DBZ: Shin Budokai is a great fighting game on the PSP, but if you have the option to play the sequel, DBZ: Shin Budokai 2 / DBZ: Shin Budokai – Another Road, get that game instead.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D14TkyHfc48&w=420&h=345]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmg4oxJ_Uqk&w=420&h=345]

Screenshots from IGN.com