Agent X

What's a "correlary"? Is it something like a corollary?

@Ncrdrg They have already confirmed backward compatibility with downloadable PSP games.

Much like others have said, I see this as confirmation that they want the original PSP to stick around in order to satisfy the low end of the market, while the NGP tackles the high end. This is really no different than most other generational console transitions of the past (Atari 2600 to Atari 5200, NES to SNES, PS1 to PS2, etc.), where the predecessor system remains on the market for at least a year or two (sometimes longer), but is repositioned as a low end model. Even though PSP's market share in North America isn't that great, they at least still have something, and shouldn't completely surrender that segment of the market to Nintendo. This will keep fans happy, and make them want to move up to NGP when the time is right.

@shard765

Good comment, although I'm still curious about something. Even though you said "Chillingo only signs games to the iOS platforms", there was a PlayStation.Blog post from August 25 by Chillingo's head of publishing announcing Angry Birds for PlayStation Minis (PSP and PS3).

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/08/25/minis-angry-birds-is-visually-optimized-for-the-pspgo/

So, in light of that, it would appear Chillingo had some level of involvement with this PS Minis version of the game. This would be contrary to Mr. Vesterbacka's comment that his company's relationship with Chillingo never went past the iOS versions of the game

Was Rovio developing this version internally which Chillingo would have in turn published, or did Chillingo license it and oversee its development as well as publishing? Also, would this deal with EA have any impact on the future availability of this game on PS Minis and possibly whatever Nintendo platform (WiiWare or DSiWare) they were planning to release it on as well?

This is an interesting dilemma.

On one hand, if Sony employs a heavy-handed approach and requires developers to price their PSP Minis offerings competitively with their counterparts on iPhone and iPod Touch, then PSP owners would benefit immediately, but developers (and some industry watchdogs on the sidelines) will scream that the people at Sony are control freaks and are being restrictive on market freedoms.

On the other hand, if Sony maintains a hands-off approach for pricing, then developers will continue to price PSP Minis considerably higher than their iPhone games, simply because "they can" and there's no incentive to drop the price.

At this early stage, the hunch might be that Sony would be better off requiring competitive pricing with iPhone, as sales of these games on PSP will be quite low if people know they can get the content elsewhere for cheaper. However, in the long term the hands-off approach is preferable, as we can hope that some smart (and not-so-greedy) developer can cook up an original PSP Mini that is a high-quality "must have" game and also has a very low price. If there are a few great, cheap Minis on the store racking up high sales, then this would encourage other less successful developers to price their games competitively and/or raise their quality.

Winning 10 ranked matches in a row isn't that difficult at this early stage if you're even moderately good with one or two characters. Try to get it now, while the game is fresh and everyone's still learning the ropes.

It's true. Anything that was added into the original game as a result of the Cagney or Bikes updates is not necessary to earn the platinum trophy. This is means timed challenges, online Road Rage, online Marked Man, and anything to do with bikes. I have people on my friends list who are missing a couple of the bike trophies and still managed to earn the platinum.

Inviting someone into an online game is easy, as long as you have at least one buddy who has the game. The Mugshot/Smugshot one is a bit harder, only because you need to have a camera hooked up. It doesn't need to be the PlayStation Eye, either--the old EyeToy from PS2 works as well (which is what I used to get the trophy). If you have a friend who has a PS Eye or EyeToy, you could borrow his camera, play online for a bit (even with random people), and let someone perform a Takedown on you so it snaps the Mugshot.

BTW, I just noticed they added the trophies for the upcoming Party Pack. As with the other add-on packs, these don't appear to be required for platinum.

I'm happy to hear that Castlevania will finally be appearing on PSP--and what a grand entrance!

I've seen some people complain that these are merely remakes and not entirely new games, but I've never had the opportunity to play Dracula X: Rondo of Blood before (as it was never released in the US). For me and many others, this is a new game. The inclusion of Symphony of the Night makes this package even sweeter.

Pursuit Force for PSP was a great game, offering up some attractive graphics, plenty of scenarios, and a good amount of challenge. I completed the original game (the US version) and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I'm happy to learn that Sony decided to produce a sequel.

It's nice to know that the PS2 will be treated to the action this time around as well as the PSP. The fast action of the original game was very well suited to short-burst portable play, but this style of game would work well on a home console as well. It's too good of a game to be confined to a single platform--let's hear it choice!

PSP has quite an amount of good games for it now. On top of that, they have a rather diverse selection, with something to offer just about everyone. The prices of the games are starting to come down nicely, and the availability of Greatest Hits games at under $20 means that it's easy for new PSP owners to get caught up and build a solid starting library without breaking the bank.

The PSP game lineup of 2006 was the best single year of software releases I have ever seen for any handheld system as far as game quality is concerned. Let's hope that 2007 is even better!

Lemmings on PS3 is great! The gameplay is somewhat like the first Lemmings game, but with a few new gameplay twists. All of the levels are completely new, and there are even online scoreboards where you can see how you compare to other players. Like MENO said, it's fun to try to improve your best times.

I had only paid $2.99 to download it. I expected to pay $5.99 (as IGN originally reported), and it is surely be worth that price anyway, but at $2.99 it is one of the greatest gaming bargains of the year. Anyone with an online-enabled PS3 really ought to try it!

I haven't tried Go! Sudoku yet, but I'll probably give that a whirl as well.

The low prices for these downloadable games (compared to typical prices for downloadable games on other consoles' online services) makes these games much more attractive as impulse purchases. I hope to see more great deals like this in the future.