Sony’s UMD Passport program allows users to play PSP games on Vita

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Brian Bishop

Sony realizes those tiny, tiny discs you have that you use in your PSP shouldn’t become obsolete when the Vita comes out. The company has announced a “UMD Passport” service in Japan, which basically allows PSP owners to play their PSP games on their Vita… for a nominal fee.

A similar system was considered when the PSP Go was released, but now it appears that players will be able to swap their UMD discs for digital downloads. The system works when a user downloads an app to their PSP called “UMD Registration Application.” Then, they put a UMD into the system, it will connect to the PSN, allowing them to purchase the game for what Sony says is “a reasonable price.” Then, when the Vita launches in Japan on the 17th of December, the PSP games can be transferred over to Sony’s newest handheld.

Currently, there are a whole slew of companies offering their games up for transfer (currently 200 titles from 40 publishers) with transfer prices ranging from 100 yen ($1.29) to 2400 yen ($31.00). Some of the titles confirmed to be available for transfer are Persona 3 Portable (for 1500 yen), Guilty Gear: Judgement (for 500 yen) and Gran Turismo (for 1300 yen).

[Source: Kotaku]

Posted in News, PSP, Vita |

Black Friday Game Deals 2011: Best Buy

Posted on November 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

Black Friday is exactly two weeks away (November 25, mark your calendars) and retailers have continued to release their annual Black Friday sales circulars.

Today, Best Buy has published their list of Black Friday deals and it includes many of the same titles Walmart is advertising including Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, FIFA Soccer 12, Forza Motorsport 4, and Gears of War 3, all for $29.99 apiece. Also be on the lookout for $30 deals for Rage, Madden NFL 12, and X-Men Destiny.

As for console deals, Best Buy has a PS3 160GB bundle for $200 and an Xbox 360 250GB bundle for the same price. Hit the jump for the full details on those deals and all the rest of Best Buy’s sale-priced games.

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Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

The Madden Curse Strikes Back: A Midseason Report on All 32 Cover Finalists

Posted on November 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

The 2011 NFL season is only at the halfway point and the Madden Cover Curse has already claimed another victim. Fans selected Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis as the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete, and while some joked about the curse at the time, few gave it much thought as the lockout consumed all NFL news. But here we are: the lockout is over and it’s safe to say that few players have been victimized by the curse like Hillis has.

The running back has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and he has already been ruled out for this weekend’s upcoming game against the St. Louis Rams. Hillis also missed the Browns’ week three game against the Dolphins with a serious strep throat infection. Some reports say he lost as much as ten pounds in a single week.

As if these injuries weren’t bad enough, Hillis has only had one breakout game the entire season. In week two, against the Colts, Hillis ran for 94 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-19 Browns win. He even managed to catch four passes as well. It’s a disturbing return to form for the Madden Cover Curse, which spared Vince Young, Brett Favre, Larry Fitzgerald, and Drew Brees in recent years. Troy Polamalu (who shared the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Fitzgerald) was the last victim of the curse, missing 11 games in 2009.

But what about the other 32 players that Hillis defeated in EA’s single-elimination tournament to select the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete? Have they been cursed by association? All told, seven players besides Hillis have succumbed to the Madden Cover Curse, even though they were never on the cover! Two more are currently nursing injuries and may join their ranks.

I’m not sure if I believe in curses and superstitions. But the Madden Cover Curse has affected nine of the 13 cover athletes chosen since John Madden gave up his spot on the box, and while a regression to the mean is to be expected for the top players of the previous season, the curse seems to go beyond that. I’m sure some statistics grad student could create an interesting paper out of the percentage of NFL players that suffer a statline reduction from season to season. But until then, this study is the best we have.

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Game of Thrones action RPG in the works for 2012 release

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Winter is coming. But fear not, for this Winter you’ll be able to experience an action RPG based on the “Game of Thrones” television series with a story created by George R.R. Martin himself. Developed by Cyanide Studios and published by Atlus, Game of Thrones will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in early 2012.

In addition to a story supervised by Martin, the Game of Thrones game will also feature the actors (and their likenesses) from the acclaimed HBO series. So what will players be getting themselves into with this latest adventure in Westeros? Here’s what Atlus had to say:

In this 30-plus hour action RPG, players will enter the gritty and medieval fantasy world of Westeros. As one of two original characters with disparate motivations, both former soldiers of Robert’s Rebellion, players will forge alliances and wage battles as they play a pivotal role in the ongoing war for power of the Seven Kingdoms. Their journey will span numerous quests, during which they will interact with many characters and make key decisions that impact the realm.

Standing before the majesty and bitter isolation of the Wall or walking through the streets and alleys of King’s Landing, players will not simply pass by locations and characters integral to the series; they will explore and interact with them, meeting and learning about the people and history that defines them and their importance. Key decisions and major events will have meaningful impact on Westeros, allowing the player to witness how the game world evolves over time based on their actions or inactions. Moreover, Game of Thrones introduces an innovative “active slowdown tactical combat engine” in which combat mirrors the series’ thoughtful approach to war and politics: fighting slows but never stops entirely, forcing the player to make quick, pressured choices before their enemy strikes again.

Atlus has launched the official website for Game of Thrones: The Game at GameOfThrones-TheGame.com. There’s not much there right now, but as they say, Winter is coming.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: November 10, 2011 – Who wants a Zelda-themed t-shirt?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Wow. Not only do we have some deals today, but we’ve also got two Zelda-themed t-shirts! Feast or famine, people. Feast. Or. Famine.

Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Atlus’ MAHJONG CUB3D (yes, that’s really how it’s spelled). This DS game is on sale today for just $18.99. Also added to the weekly deals are:

Aaaand today we have two awesome Zelda-themed t-shirts! The first is from Ript, and it’s called “Tri-Caution:”

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360 |

MLB 12: The Show announced for PS3, Vita with Adrian Gonzalez on the cover

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

2K Sports took their licks with a Major League Baseball 2K12 announcement earlier this week and now Sony gets their turn at the plate with a MLB 12: The Show announcement. The consolemaker’s annual baseball franchise will be coming to the PS3 and Vita on March 6, 2012.

MLB 12: The Show for the PS3 will feature Move functionality as well as a 3D display option. The Vita version will sport “all of the core gameplay features found in the PS3 version providing a big league experience that players can take with them on road, anytime, anywhere.” Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will appear on the cover of both versions.

“I feel very humbled to be chosen for the cover of MLB 12 The Show,” said Gonzalez. “I think most sports fans would agree it’s a dream come true to be immortalized as the cover athlete for a video game so I jumped at the chance to work with a leading franchise like The Show. It’s truly a great honor.”

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins was the most recent cover athlete for the series, appearing on the box of both MLB 11: The Show and MLB 10: The Show.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged

Jak & Daxter Collection confirmed by Sony

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sony seems determined to bring every classic PS2 game to the PS3 in a shiny, new HD edition. And the latest franchise to get the call is Naughty Dog’s platforming opus, Jak & Daxter.

After appearing on the website of the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (Germany’s answer to the ESRB), Sony told IGN that the Jak & Daxter Collection is in development for the PS3 and that they’ll “have more news to share shortly.”

Six games in the Jak & Daxter series have been released for the PS2 and PSP since Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy first appeared on the PS2 in 2001. The game’s European title is Jak & Daxter Trilogy, so I think that gives us a pretty good idea which games will be inlcuded in the Jak & Daxter Collection.

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Gotham City Impostors set for January 10 release

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced that Gotham City Impostors, their multiplayer Batman/Joker first person shooter that doesn’t feature Batman or The Joker, will be added to the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC download services on January 10, 2012.

Not only that, but the publisher has released a new screenshot (on your left, click it to enlarge) and confirmed that the Gotham City Impostors open beta will begin in December (sign up now at GothamCityImpostors.com).

You might say we’re all getting a wonderful toy this Christmas.

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