Japan PSP sales of last week: …

 

It was another slow week in the land of Japan. Not many consoles were sold, but it still didn’t tarnish the PSP’s notorious sales streak, as it still beat out every other console in terms of units pushed.

Last week, 39.91% of all sales were PSP sales, which accounted for 89,884 of your favorite Sony console handhelds. Only 64,449 of them were sold this week, but it still represented a solid 38.11% of the console market. Keep in mind that this is two months after the PSP had constantly overtook the Wii and DS in sales. Not too bad, despite how its grasp is slowly, slowly slipping.

• PSP - 64,449
• Wii - 49,047
• DS Lite - 37,404
• PS3 - 9,071
• PS2 - 7,189
• Xbox 360 - 1,947

total = 169,107

DEAL: Crisis Core only $25.99

 

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy has just had a price slash on amazon. The price has just dropped, and is now available under $30 at 25.99. Not a bad price cut at all since the game has just recently been released this year.

Bomberman plus three other PS1 titles blast onto PSN

Four more PS1 classics are hitting the Japanese PSN. The most notable one of the lot is Hudson’s Bomberman. What’s good about this title is that you can pick it up from the Japanese store and you can still play it just fine without any knowledge of the Japanese language. Playing it on the PS3 shouldn’t cause any problems but playing on the PSP means that multi-player won’t be possible.

The other three games include Lord Monarch and Wizard’s Harmony 2 which are both strategy RPGs. The last is Dig-a-Dig Pukka, a digging game. All titles are ¥600 ($5.73) each.

Sport summer

Try out this selection of games to complement a fantastic summer of sport

As summer approaches and the temperature starts to rise, it’s the ideal time to dig out your shorts from the bottom of the wardrobe and settle down in front of some great sports games available from PlayStation.

Football

The European Championships in Austria and Switzerland kicks off this summer and if you’re from one of the countries not lucky enough to make the final 16, you can go for glory by creating your own tournament on UEFA EURO 2008 for PLAYSTATION 3.

Or if you’re attending the big event, be sure to pack your PSP; not only can you play UEFA EURO 2008 and psyche yourself up for the big matches, you can use Remote Play for PSP to access all the digital entertainment on your PS3 system’s hard drive while you’re kicking back in the hotel.

Tennis

The same thing happens every year: thousands of tennis fans turn out at Wimbledon, strawberries and cream in hand, and get rained on. Fortunately, it takes more than drizzle to stop play in SEGA Superstars Tennis on PS3; even a court invasion of zombies from House of the Dead is merely an excuse for target practice.

If you prefer Roddick over Sonic and are looking for realism, Virtua Tennis 3 is the definitive simulation of the sport. Boasting staggeringly realistic graphics, deep gameplay and fun mini-games, it’s as good as being in the stands at centre court, and less likely to give you a sore neck.

Golf

In theory, golf is a great summer sport - a pleasant stroll along manicured fairways, the satisfaction of a perfectly straight drive. However, the reality for most of us is an afternoon spent hacking through long grass with a sand wedge looking for the ball. Tiger Woods doesn’t have that problem, so why not stay home and play as him instead, on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for PS3.

If you fancy some fresh air, go for a walk and take Everybody’s Golf 2 for PSP with you. Its cheerful courses and characters will make you smile, and beneath the sunshine and happiness lies a level of complexity that will have you revisiting courses deep into the winter. Also each shot produces an explosion of light and colour - not even Tiger can do that.

Beijing 2008

As the world’s best athletes continue training for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, gamers are stretching their fingers in preparation for the official game. It will be the first Olympic title on PLAYSTATION 3 and boasts an impressive 38 events, each supporting online multiplayer.

So whether you’re an Olympic athlete, a golf caddy or an armchair pundit, there are plenty of sports games to work up a sweat for this summer, and you don’t even have to leave the house if you don’t want to.

SCEA Puts Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack Into Play

Bundle for the Ultimate Sports Fan Includes “Metallic Blue” PSP System, Madden NFL 09, “NFL: In Just One Play” UMD Video, a Voucher to Download Beats and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Print.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced the Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack, a limited-edition bundle launching in August that’s sure to score with fans of EA’s best-selling Madden NFL football franchise, as well as sports enthusiasts of all types. This special bundle ($199.99 MSRP) will feature a limited-edition “Metallic Blue” PSP system with the highly anticipated Madden NFL 09 game; “NFL: In Just One Play” on UMD (Universal Media Disc) Video from Warner Bros.; a PLAYSTATION Network voucher to download Beats* from PLAYSTATION Store (accessible via a PC); and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, for storing photos, music, video and more.

“Sports games are one of the most popular types of games among PSP owners, and it was only natural to make our next PSP Entertainment Pack a sports-themed bundle,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President, Product Marketing, SCEA. “PSP continues to have great momentum in the marketplace. We expect that the Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack will capitalize on this momentum and strengthen PlayStation’s presence in the sports genre.”

“EA SPORTS is extremely excited to partner with SCEA on this bundle,” said Director of Marketing Chris Erb. “Combining the innovation of Madden NFL 09 with the quality of the PSP handheld gives gamers an immersive football experience.”

The Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack will be available on August 12 and includes the following content. The total cost for each of the components, if purchased separately, would be more than $260, which means more than $60 of added value will be delivered to consumers
purchasing this bundle.

• “Metallic Blue” PSP system; this is the only time that this special PSP color will be offered in North America.
• Madden NFL 09: Twenty years as a dynasty of gaming, Madden NFL 09 aims to deliver the most immersive gameplay, the richest online offerings and the most comprehensive feature depth in the history of the franchise. Madden NFL 09 features legendary quarterback Brett Favre as its cover athlete.
• “NFL: In Just One Play” UMD video: Hosted by one of the most colorful and premiere receivers in the game today, Chad Johnson, NFL: In Just One Play features an inside look at some of the X factors in the league. NFL: In Just One Play, the first UMD video from NFL Films, combines sound, action and interviews to showcase some of the NFL’s most exciting players including Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, Braylon Edwards, Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie, Ed Reed and more.
• Beats PLAYSTATION Network voucher: Download the PLAYSTATION Network exclusive title, Beats*, to your Memory Stick PRO Duo with the included voucher. Beats is a new and exciting way to interact with your music collection on your PSP system. It breathes life in to your music by using a beat tracking technology to create gameplay from any song the player supplies. The title is currently available on PLAYSTATION Store (http://store.playstation.com).
• 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo – Store your photos, music, videos, and game saves.

SCEA will support the Madden NFL 09 bundle with an integrated marketing campaign, including dedicated TV, online, and outdoor advertising; direct mail and e-mail; public relations support; and targeted event and mobile promotions. The PSP Core Pack will still be offered on an ongoing basis.

Consumers continue to adopt the PSP system as their portable entertainment device of choice, thanks to the growing availability of content. With a library totaling more than 375 games, thousands of Internet radio stations** and more than 460 feature films, TV programs, and videos from major studios and record labels, consumers have no shortage of choices when it comes to content for their PSP systems.

*Memory Stick PRO Duo and PLAYSTATION Network registration are required. User responsible for all applicable Internet fees. Voucher expires February 28, 2009.

**The number of available Internet radio stations varies depending on the condition of the service providers.

Aussie Game Releases (May 26)

What’s on shelves this week?

Australia, May 25, 2008 - The expression ‘calm before the storm’ definitely comes to mind at this time of year. An eerie silence has settled across the gaming landscape, with only the likes of SingStar Party Hits, Monster Jam and Silent Hill Origins to tide us over before things get moving again.
See below for the oh-so-exciting list of releases for the week. Oh, and as per normal please bear in mind that release dates can and do change, so if you desperately need to know about the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (communicated via puzzle) this week and the game doesn’t come out - don’t blame us.

DS

• May 28 – Monster Jam
• May 29 – High School Musical 2: Work This Out
• May 30 - 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
• May 30 - Luxor: Pharaohs Challenge

Wii

• May 28 – Monster Jam

PS2

• May 28 - Monster Jam
• May 29 - SingStar Party Hits
• May 30 - 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
• May 30 - Luxor: Pharaohs Challenge
• May 30 - Silent Hill Origins

PSP

• May 30 - 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
• May 30 - Luxor: Pharaohs Challenge
• May 30 - Platypus
• May 30 - Super Collapse! 3

PC

• May 28 - Monster Jam

Xbox 360

• May 28 - Monster Jam

More Monster Hunter 2nd G DLC!

With Monster Hunter still the new hot item in Japan, dlc content for the title is only getting more and more hits everyday. Just recently on May 23rd a new Monster Hunter DLC pack was released which allowed players to dress up in chef like clothing and battle a pair of Dosfango which are wild boars. Sounds like good entertainment to me. If you have the hot PSP title and wish to add more juicy content in, be sure to get a hold of this new dlc content.

New Metallic Blue PSP coming this August

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced a new bundle coming out August 12, 2008. The bundle includes Madden NFL 09, an UMD video of “NFL: In just one play”, a voucher to download “Beats” from the PlayStation Store, a 1 GB Memory Stick Duo, and obviously a PSP. But this PSP is special, it is a Metallic Blue PSP (pictured below) which will only be available with this bundle. This deal is very good. You get Madden, a 1 Gig memory stick, “beats” from the PlayStation store, and an UMD video. All for only thirty bucks higher than the MSRP of a core PSP.

New social focus for PSP with GPS and keyboard peripherals

Sony senior marketing manager, John Koller, revealed during a Wedbush Morgan conference panel on casual gaming today that they want to make the PSP less of a “PlayStation Personal” and more of a “PlayStation Social.” To support this new social focus, Sony will be releasing the GPS peripheral and PSP keyboard (which is coming in the next 12 months). Koller gave an example use of the GPS: “a player could know where their friends were, and someone with a copy of Madden could find another friend with the same game and bring the two together.”
Asked whether recent peripherals released in Japan would make it to the U.S., Koller reiterated the the GPS would soon be coming to the states and would parlay well into gaming with explorable 3D city applications, a “better experience than you get on portable GPS systems.”

In general, Koller said Sony was focusing on how to differ the PSP’s usage from other devices, giving gamers much more “snack sized content,” and said the GPS peripheral “really speak to where we see PSP going.”

UEFA EURO 2008 FROM EA AVAILABLE IN STORES NOW

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that UEFA EURO 2008™, the only officially licensed videogame of the real-world championship, is available in stores now throughout North America.

UEFA EURO 2008 is a more accessible, faster paced, and more responsive version of the market-leading EA SPORTS™ soccer engine – with all of the teams and official stadiums that will be part of UEFA EURO 2008™. Take one of 52 European national teams to glory from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the championship tournament. A new game mode called Captain Your Country will enable gamers to put themselves on the pitch, earn the captaincy of their team, and truly inspire their country to glory. Gamers will be able to celebrate their success on-field through user-controlled celebrations that will add to the pageantry and atmosphere of the event.

With UEFA EURO 2008 now available in stores throughout North America, gamers can log on at www.easportsfootball.com to track their results against rivals from around the world in the Battle of the Nations online game mode featured in UEFA EURO 2008. Battle of the Nations is a daily competition where users represent their country online against rival nations in a quest for continental supremacy. A groundbreaking points system means that, while linked to the EA servers, every performance in UEFA EURO 2008 is rated, recorded and uploaded and ratings all count towards player and nation Leaderboards. Gamers can play as any team against any opposition and still gain points for their selected country with bigger upsets netting increased status points.

The new EA SPORTS soccer website www.easportsfootball.com is set to become the premier global destination for EA SPORTS soccer fans on the web where they can interact with and be a part of the world’s leading soccer gaming community. Users will be able to track statistics, get insight into features on all EA SPORTS soccer games, upload videos, join groups, and participate in tournaments and online leagues with soccer fans from all over the world for all EA SPORTS soccer games. Developed in five different languages the soccer gaming destination will be updated with new content, videos and features regularly so fans are encouraged to visit often to keep up-to-date on their favorite EA SPORTS soccer videogames.

UEFA EURO 2008 is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. It is in stores now throughout North America on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, and the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. UEFA EURO 2008 is rated “E” for everyone by the ESRB.

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