I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a preview build of FlatOut: Head On for the PSP. I have to say that I was genuinely impressed with how this racer is shaping up for it’s March 11th release date.

Racing games can basically be distilled down into two key types; the Arcade Racer and the Simulation. FlatOut thankfully has always accepted that it was the former and pushes that envelope. Any game with a driver high jump event as a challenge can’t be taking itself too seriously after all.

Head On is the latest in the series of games that started out on the previous console generation and most recently made an appearance on the Xbox 360 as FlatOut: Carnage. FlatOut: Head On was based on that 360 version and places heavy focus on its predecessor’s Carnage mode. Carnage is a perfect fit for the quick pick up and play gaming habits that us portable gamers tend to develop. Instead of trying to finish first in a race your goal is to cause as much damage as possible while running the race. Think of it as a cross between Burnout’s crash mode and a smash up derby and you’ll have a good idea what I’m talking about.

I personally loved the heck out of this mode and spent most of my time trying to bash, crash, flip and total everything in my path. It is indeed a perfect game to play after a long and stressful commute home.

When you finally need a break from the intense action in Carnage mode you can take on the game’s huge career mode. You start out with just enough cash to buy a clunker of a car, but by placing well in races, events, derbies and mini-games you earn cash that can be spent to soup up your ride or to buy a bigger and badder machine. This adds a level of depth to this title that will no doubt add hours upon hours of replayability. Even more so when you are a completionist like I am and simply must unlock and buy every car and upgrade in the game.

Making an appearance Head On is of course the mini-games. The mini-games are probably the most recognizable parts of the FlatOut series, as it’s quite hard to forget the joy of launching your first hapless driver hundreds of feet through the air into a large net. Thankfully these mini-games are every bit as fun on the go as they were on the games’ bigger cousins. Your driver still flies out of the car flopping away with the ragdoll physics, and the landings are as bone-cruncingly satisfying as ever. Human bowling FTW.

You can’t have a racing title without multiplayer and Head On will include all the multiplayer options that you would expect. Unfortunately since this was a preview build I was not able to mess around with any of these. I’ll be sure to cover all of the multi-player modes in my review once the retail game hits.

I have to say that I am very impressed with how Six By Nine was able to squeeze all of the fun of the big console versions into my PSP. The graphics are gorgeous with particle effects and debris flying everywhere, and the controls are spot on.

FlatOut: Head On is shaping up to be a killer title for the PSP. If Six By Nine can keep things as quick and brutal as they are in this preview build, this will be a must own for any arcade racing fan with a PSP and a few spare months to waste. I’ve included some more screenshots and a preview trailer below.

Reblogged from our sister site Nukoda.com

With weapons-based combat titles such as Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden largely coming out of Japan, it was great to see a western touch on the genre when SCEA dropped God of War for the PS2 in 2005. The differences in these games were quite noticeable, most poignantly that God of War required less skill and encouraged heavy amounts of button mashing as opposed to learning combos, parries and evasion, as Japanese action games did.

Despite this, the game was a roaring success, and with the third iteration of the God of War franchise hitting PSP’s in early March, the series looks to be embracing its success.

God of War: Chains of Olympus, the third edition of the gruesome Greek gore-fest, is one of the most impressive handheld titles ever created.

Even critics of the game’s simplicity and ease will be converted at the immense technical capabilities that the game offers. While it still retains its square-square-square method of fighting, Chains of Olympus manages to be an impressive and fun button masher, and an absolutely incredible tribute to the console series.

Kratos, the franchise’s superstar hero, returns in his pasty-white, sword slashin’ glory. Controlling the buffed out Spartan feels tight on the PSP’s analog nub, and his attacks, found on the square and triangle buttons, are responsive and feel great.

Executing combinations is as simple as ever – mashing the square or triangle buttons randomly result in badass looking combos – and the right-stick roll is intuitively replaced by holding the R and L keys and nudging the left thumbstick, making for smooth beat-‘em-up action that most have come to expect from the God of War games.

Unfortunately, the painfully easy combat of the console game and brainless puzzles returns, and while this isn’t a technological error that halts the enjoyment of the game, being able to wreck hordes of identical Persian baddies with the tap of the circle button – grab-and-stab – or mashing the attack buttons makes the game incredibly straightforward. Crank puzzles are in full force, which was one of the more annoying portions of the first two games.

There’s nothing more infuriating than endlessly spawning soldiers whose sole goal is to poke Kratos in the ribs in order to make the poor guy restart his crank turning, or ballista pulling. Again, they’re easily dispatchable, but it’s a chore dealing with them.

… and more rapid-fire circle stomping.

To its credit, the bosses in the handheld title are equally as cool as its console cousin, but gamers who are bored by the tired quick-time-events (Tap circle to escape/stab/parry!) will find no love here. Kratos’ brutal method of taking out gigantic enemies has always been a highlight, but timing a random button press – or a series of them – is a less than exhilarating way to gouge the eyes out of a humongous, city burning Basilisk. Simple actions such as opening doors and crates correlate to mashing the circle key as well, and pounding your portable rapidly is going to make for one awkward bus ride, and a very uncomfortable gameplay experience.

The magnitude of Chains of Olympus is incredible. Levels are detailed, character animation is smooth and everything looks sharp. Minimal framerate slowdown and fluid combat make this a worthy and authentic God of War title, and even if the game is more of the same, its scope is astounding and it’s a technological wonder.

How Traveler’s Tales managed to fit all of this awesome on a UMD is a mystery, and even those who doubt the franchise will be impressed by the game, even if the combat is so easy it hurts, enemies are brain-dead to the point that they forget why they’re where they are, or the puzzles were created by the kids at the local daycare. It’s still wicked fun.

So while it fails to live up to the depth and skill progression of Japanese sword slashers, this really feels like a God of War game, so if that’s your bag, there’s nothing not to like.

God of War: Chains of Olympus is going to kick ass all over the place on March 4^th.

Reblogged from our sister site Nukoda.com

At the recent Destination Playstation event held by Sony in Arizona two new bundles were announced. The one announcement that peaked my interest was of course, the God of War PSP Entertainment Pack shipping in June. This bundle contains a new blood red PSP and a copy of the God of War: Chains of Olympus game (full package details below). I so want this bundle, but there is one odd thing about it. The bundle hits in June, but GoW:CoO hit the streets on March 4th!? If you can hold off on picking up God of War: Chains of Olympus until then you will be able to play it on this sweet new PSP, but if you wait you’ll end up with a second copy of the game. Also announced was a 80gb PS3 bundle shipping with MGS4 and a Dualshock 3.

Still cool, but I really don’t understand the method to Sony’s madness on this one. Package details follow from the official press release:

In June, a new PSP Entertainment Pack will be hitting stores, featuring the famous face of the Ghost of Sparta — Kratos. Here’s what you get in the bundle, which will be available for $199.99 (MSRP):

• Limited-Edition “Deep Red” PSP with Kratos silkscreened on the back
• God of War: Chains of Olympus
• Superbad on UMD video
• Voucher to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from PLAYSTATION Store for free

God of War: Chains of Olympus still arrives for PSP on March 4, 2008

Reblogged from our sister site Nukoda.

At Sony’s Pre-E3 press conference Sony spent an unusual amount of time talking about our favorite little handheld, the PSP. Announced at the conference was a new version of the PSP (nicknamed the slim, but no official name was given). This new version of the PSP will be 19% slimmer and 33% lighter, but still have the gorgeous 4.3″ screen. This new version will have greater battery life due to new battery technologies, and feature video out!

During the conference Kaz Hirai demoed this video out and it looked pretty simple. To output your games, movies or images to your TV you just have to plug in the video cable to the headphone jack and hold down the display button for 5 seconds. This is a feature that we were all begging Sony for when UMD videos were still viable, sadly it took Sony this long to do it since the UMD video format is nearly dead.

Also announced were a pair of new coloured systems releasing as bundles. The first bundle contains the PSP, a 1GB memory stick, the game Daxter, and the UMD movie The Family Guy Frickin’ Sweet. This bundle will sell for $199 US. Chewbacca joined Jack Tretton on stage to show off the second bundle, The Star Wars Battlefront edition. This bundle will come with a sweet looking white PSP that has a nice Darth Vader image on the back, and will come with a copy of the exclusive PSP title Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron. This bundle should drop in October for $199.

All in all I was underwhelmed with the new PSP. The new size and built in video-out is nice, but I was really hoping for built-in flash memory and a tie in to the Sony Online store. The rest of the great PSP game announcements at the show left me feeling better though.

The Button Mashers Network is proud to announce the launch of our new website, The Wii Virtual Console Database! The WiiVCdb is a one stop shop for all the info about Nintendo’s Virtual Console! WiiVCdb.com brings you info on all the released US Virtual Console titles including screenshots. We also provide you with links to off-site reviews and other links of interest.

We are planning many enhancements in the future including games from other regions, cheats, ratings and more.

So check it out and let us know what you think!

As always, all bmashers.com podcasts are in their own feed, and downloadable from DSLifePodcast.com and WiiSpot.com. Please visit that site to download/subscribe for automatic download.

We are back for another episode of the DS:Life podcast. We hope that you all had a good week, as we sure did!

In this episode we talk about Konami’s Gamers day, Raid over the River, EA’s pledge to be Nintendo’s #2 developer, and of course we mention how crazy good the DS is selling in Japan. Who’d of thunk that nearly a year after it’s release that people would still be lining up to buy a DS Lite. It’s a crazy crazy world we live in.

So until next time, enjoy your DS:Life.

We are here with WiiSpot podcast episode #3! This episode is out a few days later then planned due to some strange recording issues, but it’s worth the wait. In this hour lng episode we chat a fair bit about the Konami Gamers Day announcements, a couple of cool mods for the Wii, a program on your PC that will emulate the channel menu, WiiJing, Serena Williams and much much more.

We would also like to thank you guys for your kind words and positive feedback. We are glad that you are enjoying our latest effort here at the WiiSpot podcast!

Visit DSLifePodcast.com and WiiSpot.com for downloads and subscription links.

As always, the DS:Life podcast will be in it’s own feed, and downloadable from DSLifePodcast.com. Please visit that site to download/subscribe for automatic download.

Hey guys, we are back with Episode #10 for your listening pleasure. This is the first episode with our new format, well… sorta. We drop a big announcement that is sure to make many of you out there VERY happy.

In this episode we chat about Hotel Dusk, The DS’ strong sales, The software release list for the rest of the year, and talk about the new game Spectrobes that is sure to appeal to the Pokemon crowd. Oh yeah, there is also that huge announcement we make, can’t forget about that.

So until next time, enjoy your DS:Life.

Visit DSLifePodcast.com for downloads and subscription links.

I’ve also been given access to some great exclusive EEE content including some screenshots and great desktop wallpapers which will be included below.

So what do all of you think of this game? I know that it’s been out since November in the US and will hit the UK soon. You can expect my full review soon if you are still on the fence about picking up this quirky puzzle game.

Download this Wallpaper
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Download this Wallpaper
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Download this Wallpaper
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As always, the WiiSpot podcast will be in it’s own feed, and downloadable from WiiSpot.com. Please visit that site to download/subscribe for automatic download.

Welcome to the WiiSpot Podcast Episode #1. We had a huge pile of feedback on our Genesis episode, and want to thank each and everyone of you for writing in.

This being the first REAL episode we decided to take the time to chat about all the games we have played on the Wii, and offer up our thoughts. Please excuse the crackling that appears throughout the episode. We had some recording difficulties, and decided that we would edit it the best we could instead of scrapping the recording.

I’ve received numerous questions from people asking how they can subscribe to this podcast. While we aren’t in iTunes yet, you can always subscribe directly via the following url: http://wiispot.com/podcastfeed/

Catch you guys soon in episode #2!

Visit WiiSpot.com for downloads and subscription links.

As always, the DS:Life podcast will be in it’s own feed, and downloadable from DSLifePodcast.com. Please visit that site to download/subscribe for automatic download.

We are back in the ’07 with episode #009 of the DS:Life Podcast. This one was a long time coming, with the holidays, a strange crystaline entity one of our bodies made for us, and more recently 1 half of our recording being nearly unusable.. we’ve gone through a lot to bring you what you are hearing today. Please disregard the audio quality in parts, we were able to salvage most of the audio we recorded, but some was VERY distorted.

In this episode we chat a bit about all the holiday DS news: Dragon Quest coming to the DS, those damn cool Club Nintendo gifts, a DS version of Halo… and even manage to chat a bit about DS homebrew. This is one packed hour long episode that is sure to be music to your ears.

It’s been a while, but it will of been worth the wait. So until next time, enjoy your DS:Life.

Visit DSLifePodcast.com for downloads and subscription links.

If you weren’t around for the launch of the PSP, or didn’t pay much attention to what it was I’ll give you a basic overview. Lumines is a puzzle game with a simple play mechanic. Basically you drop blocks to try and make coloured matches. Each block you drop is divided into 4 smaller blocks that can be one of two colours depending on the level or skin that you are on. When four of more of these sub blocks form a square or rectangle, they get tagged for removal. The whole game is set to the tune of a particular music track and there is a sweep bar that runs left to right removing any of the blocks that have been tagged. Basically that’s all there is to Lumines; it’s simple, but incredibly addictive.

Well enough on what Lumines is, lets talk about what Q entertainment has added to the original. Not wanting to just put out more of the same, Q Ent. has really upped the ante for this title. You can play through the modes present in the original, those being challenge mode, puzzle mode, time attack mode and Vs. mode, and most of these modes have all received significant upgrades. There are some new modes making an appearance in this title but the only major one is the Mission mode, but everything down to the interface has received some sort of polish differentiating it from the original title.

Challenge mode, again, is the main play mode in Lumines II. You goal is to clear as many blocks as possible to generate as high a score as possible, with the stages getting faster and faster as you progress. The core game mechanic remains the same, but Q Ent. has added a difficulty selection to the mix. Also new this time is the addition of video skins. A “skin” refers to the background graphics and music track in each level, it’s a weird name but skins are more important in this version so you should know the term. Lumines II boasts over 80 skins that can be unlocked and played in the single player modes, many of them being full on music video skins. Artists such as Beck, the Black Eyed Peas and Missy Elliot have all given the go ahead to have their music featured in this game. These skins are not all available at the start of the game, so you’ll have to get very good if you want to see them all. This slow ramp up in skill is one of the reasons why this game is so addictive in the first place.

The puzzle mode and VS CPU modes have seen an upgrade as well, but nothing as significant as the challenge mode. Puzzle mode now contains more puzzles, so you can form crosses, giraffes and UFOs to your heart’s content. The VS. CPU mode returns, but it’s a poor substitute for real multiplayer. It seems that the CPU opponents you play against are either way too slow or godly fast. It’s nice to have these modes, but I could take them or leave them really.

The major new mode that was added in Lumines II is the Mission Mode. This is similar to the puzzle mode in the way that you have to complete a specific challenge to beat the level, but it is different enough to be enjoyable. Most of the missions have you dropping one or more blocks in an attempt to clear the board. I actually really enjoyed this mode, and it also has the side benefit of giving you some advanced techniques for your block dropping. Other new modes involve a skin edit mode that allows you to rearrange the order that the skins come in, and an interesting remix mode where you can remix the included sound tracks. The new features provide a few extra things to do, without changing any of the core features from the first game.

One aspect that I was hoping would of seen significant improvement was multiplayer. I was hoping and praying that this title would include online multiplayer, but alas only ad-hoc multiplayer made this version. I mean local multiplayer is fun, but online would add a whole other level to the online experience. Oh well, maybe Lumines III?

All in all I enjoyed my time playing Lumines II. While I wish there were online multiplayer, or that the original game was spiced up a little bit; the sheer number of skins combined with the great soundtrack and enhanced visuals left me feeling very satisfied. I can’t see this title straying too far from my PSP in the near future.

If you enjoyed the original, or were in anyway curious as to what the fuss was about, you need to pick this up right away. Puzzle gaming is perfect for handhelds, and Lumines II is that perfect puzzle title.

In an act Bizarro-World worthy, Square Enix announced yesterday at their highly anticipates press conference that the next game in the Dragon Quest series (Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky) would be a DS exclusive!

The last few DQ games have lived on the Playstation platform and have sold like gangbusters, but once upon a time this series made it’s appearance on Nintendo’s consoles. That all changed when the Playstation 1 hit and SquareEnix (then Squaresoft) jumped ship due to Nintendo’s draconian third-party contracts.

As a gamer, I play SquareEnix games wherever they land, but it just feels right when they are on a Nintendo platform. Lets hope that this is just the first step in a new partnership between Nintendo and Square Enix.

As always, the DS:Life podcast will be in it’s own feed, and downloadable from DSLifePodcast.com. Please visit that site to download/subscribe for automatic download.

Episode 8 of the DS:Life, your premiere audio source for all things DS has hit. Delays aside, we think that this episode was worth the wait!

We start off with our usual “What are we playing section” then get into all the great DS news for the past couple weeks. Hilights are the DS kicking ass in the UK and Japan, some freebies in Animal Crossing, a sweet Midi homebrew application, and discussion of the games coming out in teh next week. Of course we wrap this up by answering your emails. We hope you enjoy it!

So until next time, enjoy your DS:Life.

Visit DSLifePodcast.com for downloads and subscription links.

Booster has released version 0.51 of Devhook with full support for emulating firmware version 3.01!

I do not have a PS3 to test with, but from what I understand the downloadable PS1 titles fully work with this emulated version of the 3.01 firmware. Homebrewers rejoice!

Check out qj.net for all the necessary downloads to get this bad boy up and running.

[tags]Devhook, PS3, Firmware, Emulation[/tags]

Simply drop in the DVD you wish to encode, open Instant Handbrake, choose the video file and options and hit convert. Instant Handbrake will worry about transcoding the video to the format you selected, and even import it into iTunes for you.

This is great news for people who like to watch movies while on the go and do not want to pay the premium for the limited UMD movie format. Again, ripping a DVD may be illegal in your country (Yes you US, I’m talking to you), so be sure of the legality before downloading and using this application.

Download Instant Handbrake