First Dissidia, now this? I haven’t even finished Star Ocean… my PSP has been working overtime lately, no thanks to the newest installment of DJ Max Portable, titled “Black Square”. And let me tell ya… it’s incredible.

Clazziquai Edition just came out a month ago, so the timing of this release may seem a bit early - but remember that CE was a sort of beginners-only release to introduce new players into the frenzy that is DJ Max, and BS is the “official” next game in the series. More »

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Did you hear yet? Square Enix has just released the latest Final Fantasy game for PSP, titled Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Now, I don’t want to sound too excited here, but considering that I played through FFVII Crisis Core no less than three times, I was pretty FREAKIN STOKED when I heard Dissidia was coming out. However, as I’ve always been a fan of the traditional Final Fantasy RPG, I wasn’t without a little doubt as to whether Dissidia would work out - after all, previews and trailers of the game show that it is - get this - a fighting game. That said, it still looked freakin cool, and Square Enix’s previous offerings on the PSP haven’t really been turn based either (Crisis Core, Star Ocean), opting for a shorter, faster paced battle system most likely to remain consistent with the portable on-the-go nature of the console. I’m no stickler for any particular genre - if it’s a good game, I’ll play it! More »

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Oh man oh man it’s finally out - the latest installment of the DJ Max Portable series on PSP - Clazziquai Edition! Loaded with songs from Korean Acid Jazz/Electronica/R&B fusion band Clazziquai, DJMPCE isn’t the “official sequel” to DJ Max Portable 2, but rather a side title of the main series (similar to Guitar Hero Aerosmith). With new modes like 2 button and 4 button FX, CE is geared towards newcomers that might have been scared off by the difficulty of the first two games.

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, DJ Max Portable is what I would call “DDR for your thumbs”… or better yet, a much more polished version of Beatmania. Notes fall down from the top of the screen and you must push the corresponding button at the right time - proper timing results in a song that sounds on-rhythm! Clazziquai includes 2 button (up/left and triangle/circle), 4 button (left, up, triangle, circle), 5 button (left, up, right/square, triangle, circle), 6 button (left, up, right…), and 4 button FX (adds R and L) modes to suit your skill level as you familiarize yourself with the gameplay. Trust me - it’s not easy when you first start out, but once you get the hang of it, pushing those buttons and hearing the notes becomes some kind of aural crack…

What really makes DJ Max special is a combination of great songs, amazing gameplay, perfect execution, and endless replay value. That, however, doesn’t make Clazziquai Edition perfect - it’s far too easy, there’s only 48 songs (compared to the 100+ in DJMP2), the note charts aren’t as fun - but make no mistake, it’s still a fabulous game with great music. More »

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Square Enix really knows how to impress an audience. At Tokyo Game Show, they featured four Kingdom Hearts trailers, one of which was the upcoming DS game: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

The trailer featured various mind blowing teasers that included Organization XIII members, the return of Riku and Mickey, various ass kicking and a new character, Xion. The drama didn’t just stop there, at the end the words “February 2009” flashed leaving me completely thrilled and depressed. Note that this is first to be released in Japan leaving the rest of us non-Japanese speakers to wait it out in the cold.

In addition to the DS game, Square Enix plans to release Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep for PSP and Kingdom Hearts 3 for rumored PS3, both of which are still TBA. More »

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Sony’s recently-released third revision of the PSP touts a better, brighter screen, but at what cost? While the new screen eliminates the ghosting (smearing) effect with lower latency, an arguably worse problem seems to have popped up - interlacing (jagged appearance). The issue is systemic as it has been reported in all PSP-3000 units, and the interlacing effect is so prominent it can even be seen while navigating the PSP’s XMB operating system, not to mention any game with any sort of… motion. Joystiq reports that the problem is slightly less noticeably when the “Wide Color Space” option is turned off, but turning off the only reason to get the new PSP isn’t exactly the best fix.

When asked about future patches to fix the issue, Sony replied that the interlacing is a “feature” of the new LCD, and there are currently no plans to get rid of it in a firmware update as it is hardware-derived.

I’ve been looking to get a PSP Brite to replace my 1st generation fatty, but as one that opted for the PSP instead of the DS for its graphical superiority, this is the worst kind of news I can get. Did Sony seriously not think this was an issue during their testing phase? Or did they just not notice it? At any rate, calling a fault a “feature” is not convincing anybody, and I’ll be switching my attention back to the PSP-2000…

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My favorite little leek spinning princess will now be grazing the screen of the PSP according to a recent announcement by Famitsu magazine. The game is title, Miku Hatsune – Project Diva unfortunately, whether or not it’ll be released in the US is still unknown. I’m keeping my hopes up anyways or maybe I’ll finally get off my arse and learn Japanese.

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