When most people think of the video arcade, they think of the early eighties. Those were the days of wine and roses (and Pac-Man). Of course it didn’t last very long. The bubble burst and, for the most part, the arcade scene died a quick and painful death. During my formative years however the arcade scene had a brief but successful resurgence. The early nineties saw a number of great titles that brought the popularity of quarter-munching electronic entertainment back to the forefront. Games like Street Fighter II, Lethal Enforcers, and the six-player X-Men Arcade ruled the day. But tucked away in the back of the arcade was one cabinet that few of us knew what to make of. It usually cost a little more than the rest, but it didn’t have just one game. You could choose from two, four, or — if your local arcade could afford it — up to six different games. The big red cabinet didn’t have much in the way of art to draw you in, just big white letters in a generic font . They read NEO-GEO. From the second I put my first fifty cents into that machine, I was in love.

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Reporting on anything Madden related isn’t usually our thing but we have no problem breaking tradition when something interesting comes our way. Sony announced today that as of August 12th there will be a new PSP bundle available that includes Madden ‘09, 1 GB memory stick, a download code for Beats, the new and exclusive-to-the-bundle Metallic Blue PSP color and a UMD video “NFL: In Just One Play”.

Here’s the interesting part: as many of you know Dan and I both work for the NFL. What you might not know is what we do for them. Dan’s job involves creating all those official NFL DVDs that you might see in Best Buy or offered by Sports Illustrated. He’s on vacation right now so I just checked with the other fellas in his department and it turns out that he had a hand in creating the UMD that Sony is including in this set. Pretty cool, eh?

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When I was at Sony’s press conference at E3 last year, the announcement of Echochrome was easily a highlight for me. I love games that try something radically different, that aim to provide a new way to think about games. Being a fan of M.C. Escher probably had something to do with it to.

I’m actually glad they went with the digital distribution on this one, I think it would’ve been a strain on the developers to try and pack a bunch of extra junk playmodes and stuff in there to justify a retail price tag. That’s the great thing about DLC, you can make the game you want and sell it for whatever you like. Anyways, Sony has seen fit to release a PS3 and PSP version of Echochrome… and while both are different in puzzles offered, I seriously doubt you’ll find yourself needing both versions. I went with the PSP version because for me a game like this is better on the move than at home in 1080p. Continue Reading »

So I didn’t realize this when I posted the New Releases schedule yesterday, but this SNK collection for the PS2 and PSP has one of my favorite fighting games of all time on it! Playing Samuari Showdown at the student center at Temple University was probably where I spent a full 1/2 of my college career. I LOVED that game. My favorite character by far was Nakoruru who was able to command animals and would use them in her attacks. It was great fun and now that I see it included in the package I’m going to be picking this one up no doubt.

The collection includes a few others worth nothing as well. Baseball Stars 2 is the sequel to the superb NES game, and everyone should know about Metal Slug. Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, King of the Monsters, Magician Lord are all Neo Geo arcade games and do a good job of rounding out the package.

• ART OF FIGHTING - The first game in SNK’s second fighting-game franchise, set in the same universe as FATAL FURY.
• BASEBALL STARS 2 - The sequel to SNK’s popular baseball arcade game.
• BURNING FIGHT - New York detectives battle organized crime in this fighter.
• FATAL FURY - First released in 1991, FATAL FURY introduced the two-plane fighting system.
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS ‘94 - The first game in the popular KING OF FIGHTERS series.
• KING OF THE MONSTERS - In KING OF THE MONSTERS, giant monsters fight for power in epic battles.
• LAST RESORT - A challenging futuristic shooter.
• MAGICIAN LORD - Players help the wizard Elta save his homeworld in this platformer.
• METAL SLUG - Known for its humor and fast- moving gameplay, this run-and-gun side-scroller was the first in the popular series.
• NEO TURF MASTERS - A golf game which debuted in the arcades in 1996.
• SAMURAI SHODOWN - Set in the 18th century, SAMURAI SHODOWN features bladed-weapon combat and an international cast of characters.
• SENGOKU - In SENGOKU, players face off against undead feudal Japanese armies.
• SHOCK TROOPERS - In this run-and-gun adventure, players save a scientist and his granddaughter from the Bloody Scorpions.
• SUPER SIDEKICKS 3 - A soccer game featuring teams from all over the world.
• TOP HUNTER - Bounty hunters protect colonists from space pirates in this futuristic action game.
• WORLD HEROES - This classic fighter pits players against historical figures in a tournament enabled by time travel.

Those of you who listen to the bitcast may know that I recently dipped my wick in the little bit of Sony golf love known as Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. Hot on the heels of their PS3 release, SCEA has announced Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 for the PlayStation Portable. Considering the love Dan has spouted for the original PSP title on the ‘cast (now available for download for the low low price of $10.99) I think I may have to pick this one up.

The long-running Wipeout racing series has its roots deep in the history of the PlayStation. Its first incarnation was a slightly dodgy affair that held the promise of 3D antigravity racing, and despite a number of problems it went on to become a hit as the first non-Japanese PlayStation game. Wipeout 2097, or Wipeout XL as it was known in North America, was an amazing upgrade that fulfilled the promise and became what is still widely considered a watershed game. After a number of sequels, and a strangely weak showing on the PS2 with Wipeout Fusion, the series seemed to have gone on hiatus for a number of years. And then when the PSP launched in March 2005, like a fiery vodka-and-Red-Bull-fuelled techno phoenix, Wipeout Pure appeared, and it was the very best version of Wipeout ever made.

The series has never been known for radical departures in gameplay. After the fanfare following XL, the designers were probably loathe to mess with what was widely considered a Very Good Thing. Thus the franchise has become the epitome of iterative game design. Each Wipeout is essentially the same thing: futuristic antigravity racing with rapid-fire combat and an edgy, electronica-fused atmosphere. What you historically got in new versions has been a mix of further refinements to craft handling, weapon tweaking, and track design. This is what made Pure special; for the series, it was the evolutionary equivalent of a shark. An absurdly optimized killing machine, nearly perfect in form and consequently at an impasse. Nothing more could really be done with the franchise in the way of gameplay without adding new base capabilities to the hardware that had become feasible in the post-PS2 days. Namely, online multiplayer.

So when I tell you that Wipeout Pulse is the ridiculously polished, online-capable, super-tweaked version of Wipeout Pure, I want you to understand where I am coming from. It is a game that has been in the works, in some form or another, for 13 years. It is probably the finest handheld racing game ever made by the hand of man. And I say this with all due reverence to the Burnouts, Ridge Racers, and Mario Carts of the world. Those are fine games. But this is Wipeout.

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Sorry we missed last week folks. Let’s blame it on a hangover or new found religion or my dog eating it or something. Either way, we’re all set for more DLC goodness this week.

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