Rating: 8 Out of 10

Crash Bandicoot is a very cool game. You play as Crash, a marsupial, who has to rescue his girlfriend from the evil clutches of Dr. Neo Cortex and his gang. There are great graphics, audio, lots of objects to collcet, plenty of secrets and challenges, and great character design. The bad news is that it's not totally 3d and it has some frustrating moments.

Crash Bandicoot Cheat Codes

After a quiet word in the ear of Vivendi's UK PR gentleman, the games that are safe are as follows (although you already know this): Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Prototype, Ice Age 3 and one other yet to be announced.

This means yay for me because I can't wait for Prototype. The mystery "other title yet to be announced" gives us hope. Having Ghostbusters, Brutal Legend and World in Conflict: Soviet Assault) hanging in the air just now hopefully one of these will make the cut (please, please, please be Brutal Legend).

In the meantime we should say our fond farewells to Sierra for years of adventuring fun with the likes of King's Quest, Space Quest and the classic Willy Beamish. Don't forget to say thanks for publishing a little game called Half-Life.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart, se juego con los acelerometros y la pantalla tactil, esta ultima para saltar o derrapar.

Esta disponible en la App Store por un precio de 7,99 €.

Una imagen:

BEST-
Enigmo- tons of fun
Monkey Ball- impressive graphics and gameplay
Crash bandicoot- great use of the accelerometer
Spinner- awesome
Banner Free-Fun to make banners(Who wants to make a belt buckle that will hold the iPhone-Don't steal my idea and not give me some credit or advertising)
Bubbles-Just plain fun
Facebook-Works great
Phone Saber-Is very responsive to movement
Remote-I can control everyone at my works iTunes and upset them. So much fun.
Scratch-Its a very cool concept, mixing songs with a record to scratch sounds over it. I want to be able to scratch the actual song.
Tap Tap- One Player and Two player! Pretty fun
Aurora Feint- Great gameplay(although I stink at it) and AWESOME soundtrack

WORST:
Twitterriffic- horrible laggy display
Maze- boring
Wordpress- please fix the side view so I can type faster
To be quite honest I just deleted several apps I found useless and at this moment I'm too tired to search them out and let you know which one's they are

Has anyone else noticed that Crash Bandicoot and Daxter (from the Jak games) - both created by Naughty Dog - are essentially the same design?

Of course, plagiarism in gaming is very common nowadays. But as the world becomes an altogether more competitive place, even real Welsh people are resorting to stealing identities from fictional characters. Below features our very own Radio Phil, of Sakuranbo and Radio Phil fame.

Sickening.

Other Stuff:

• Top Gear is about to start. Yay!
• Wordpress isn't playing nice with uploading images at the moment. Thus, I've had to trust the handling of the above, highly confidential images to an outside source. I do hope they don't leave them on a train.

Probably unrelated posts:

• Jet
• Fake boobs or jellyfish?

I have been playing Crash Bandicoot games since the first one on Playstation many years ago in 1996, the first few sequels didn't change that much apart from the location and how Neo Cortex planned to eradicate that pesky Bandicoot!

This was a good thing in my eyes as there was nothing wrong with how it was.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

There were then a few spin-off type Crash games such as Crash Tag Team Racing and Crash Bash etc but the first Next Gen Crash game came in 2001, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, unfortunately this game didn't really improve on the series which upset many fans.

2004 came and Crash Twinsanity was released, this came with an unusual twist to the series, the fact that you had to work with your arch enemy to progress through the game. This in my opinion was the saviour to the series!

Now onto the game in question, Crash of the Titans.

This game takes you back to its routes, back to working your way through set areas breaking boxes collecting Wumpa fruit and collecting as much Mojo orbs as you can to upgrade your character.

But don't fret, in no way is this iteration a dud in the series of Crash!

Just like the original classics you work your way through various worlds starting off where you and your sister live. The levels seem huge but you can't go everywhere. One of the first things that I discovered was the initial lack of Crash's classic spin attack, you only have a punch attack at the beginning but as you collect vast amounts of glowing blue Mojo orbs you will soon find that your Bandicoot skills will start to level up, and more attack moves are open to you. There's more skill needed to pull of some of the attacks, for example the classic spin attack I mentioned earlier isn't just a simple button press anymore, now you have to build it up by rotating the left analogue stick and pressing the correct button, but don't do this for too long though otherwise Crash will get dizzy and become vulnerable to attacks. Continuing on the levelling up aspect this is very subtle, as you collect Mojo things such as your health bar will increase and combination moves will be available, a pop-up will appear on screen detailing these new moves.

The basis of this game is that Neo Cortex and his Niece Nina have converted all of the fluffy nice animals into giant Titans, as you progress through the game you can 'Jack' these Titans and use their special skills to your advantage, such as if there's a giant wall or huge wooden door to get through chances are there will be a Titan nearby with an appropriate skill that will be able to break said wall or door down to progress though the level. You will have to defeat these Titans first to knock them out before Jacking them, at first this is fairly easy but later in the game you will have to face bigger or much stronger enemies and have to use more skill in knocking them out, this can be frustrating at times as you may die and have to start again from the last checkpoint but eventually you will find their weaknesses and find that certain combinations work better than others.
I have to admit I was a little bit frustrated by the fact that some watery parts were safe to walk on, or in, and some weren't. The level you start on has a section of water with a waterfall running into it and you wont die going into it, in fact it encourages you to as there are some Mojo orbs clearly visible by the waterfall. Just try taking a dip in any other stretch of water and you will find yourself at the last checkpoint.

To look at Crash of the Titans is definitely a graphical improvement from Crash Twinsanity, but at the same time it doesn't appear to push the Xbox 360 for what it can really do. To me I personally don't mind because Crash Bandicoot has a certain style to it which I think would be spoiled if Crash was made to look too realistic. You will also find that meeting certain requirements will net you some nifty level artwork as well as some funky costumes to play the game in. Most of the costumes are based around the Titans you fight and some are based on Neo's minions too.

Visually I have experienced minor tearing but nothing to cry about, the graphics are crisp and clean and the extremely subtle motion blur on Crash's movements look good. And for those of you wanting to know what this game has been tested on? Well we at Splurge played this game on both a 19" widescreen PC monitor running through VGA and a Standard Def 26" flat/widescreen TV running through true-Scart, (its also been played on a small 14" SDTV too).

Crash of the Titans is a definite must buy for all you die hard Crash fans out there, I certainly wasn't disappointed with it and its one game I will be playing again. I am a completest so getting all those costumes and artwork are a must for me.

Looks neat, but it's still not a gaming platform by any means.

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[TUAW]- Polarbit makes Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D for the iPhone.

Derrière un titre qui ne marque pas les esprits se cache pourtant un jeu d'action/aventure d'envergure, il s'agit du nouveau bébé du studio Naughty Dog! Il est le digne héritier des patrimoines Crash Bandicoot et Jak and Daxter sortis sur Playstation puis Playstation 2. Pour les petits gars de Santa Monica nouvelle console de jeu rime avec nouvelle franchise et compte tenu des capacités de la Playstation 3 c'est un ambitieux projet qui a vu le jour.

Prenant en référence des oeuvres comme Indiana Jones au cinéma et Tomb Raider au jeu vidéo c'est à travers l'amazonie et le pacifique, dans la peau de Nathan Drake chasseur de trésor à ses heures perdues que le joueur poursuit la piste d'un butin explorée quelques centaines d'années plus tôt par son ancêtre Francis Drake. Pour lui compliquer la vie… euh la lui faciliter… notre principal protagoniste sera accompagné de la belle Elena Fischer journaliste de métier. Elle sera un réel appui dans notre quête semée d'embuches et de… pirates. Eh oui, la vie serait trop belle si l'on avait qu'à se baisser pour ramasser l'or des conquistadors espagnols.

Le jeu alterne donc tout au long de sa progression phases d'exploration et combats. Si l'ensemble demeure au final assez répétitif dans les actions à accomplir, quelles actions! Le rythme est soutenu et les différents chapitres très dynamiques. Escalades sur des parois à plusieurs mètres du sol, au dessus de la mer, sauts périlleux sur des corniches, fusillades entre les bancs d'une vieille église, combats à mains nues, course poursuite en jeep, remontée de rivière en jet-ski! Les poussées d'adrénaline sont incessantes et le gameplay est parfaitement maîtrisé! C'est un grand souffle de relâchement qui s'échappe lorsque le jeu touche à sa fin au bout d'une dizaine d'heures et c'est pourtant avec une certaine peine que l'on pose la manette tant celui-ci est plaisant.

Uncharted : Drake's Fortune ne déçoit pas, il est le parfait exemple de ce dont la génération de console actuelle est capable. La technique est excellente avec un rendu visuel exceptionnel, une animation des personnages au poil, une bande son extra, s'adaptant à l'action. Le scénario certes déjà vu (bien qu'il se permette un petit écart dans la dernière partie) est bien distillé et entretenu par des QTE et cut-scenes très réussies. Les personnages sont intéressants et attachants, mention spéciale à l'excellent doublage VF mettant réellement en valeur le parcours de l'histoire et l'immersion du joueur dans la peau de Nathan. Je n'ai d'ailleurs pu m'empêcher de sourire nombre de fois aux pitreries de ce dernier.

Pas original dans la forme, répétitif et court dans son déroulement la Playstation 3 tient pourtant son Blockbuster : finition et maîtrise, impressionnant pour les yeux et les oreilles, jouabilité aux petits oignons, action intense! À posséder pour tous les propriétaires de la machine de Sony et au moins à tester pour tous les autres.

Now I have the distinct feeling I'm out-growing gaming, but because I'm feeling all nostalgic - here are my top 5 games of all time. Not necessarily the games I believe to be the best, but those that had the biggest impact.

5. Crash Bandicoot 3 (PS1) - The original was the first game I ever owned for my PlayStation - but this one is the best in the series. Great variety of levels, great bosses, and an idiotic and instantly lovable main character. And how could I not include the game that provided the quote that inspired this blog?

More after the jump...

4. Wii Sports (Wii) - ZOMFG! Casual gamer alarm! This game won the hearts of people all over the world and mine also. Sure, it's limited and lacks depth - but it's addictive and brilliant.

3. Pokemon Blue (GB) - Still haven't caught them all. Even after all the sequels, this one is still my favourite - the original Pokemon were so much cooler than the 1000s we have today. Interesting fact: I got through most of this game (on my first go) concentrating only on training up Blastoise. But after struggling past the Elite Four, I always lost to my rival.

2. Hotel Dusk (DS) - Brilliant story, interesting characters. I'm a sucker for a good point-and-click game, and this is one of the best. The only flaw? It lacks replay value - I'm hoping for a sequel.

1. Metal Gear Solid (PS1) - My favourite game of all time. Ridiculous storyline that completely sucks you in, the greatest bosses ever and some of the best quirks I've ever seen in a game (yes, I do like Castlevania.... whatddya mean I'm poor in combat?!). This is what every other stealth game wants to be.

Honourable Mentions:

42 All-Time Classics, Brain Training, Prince Of Persia (original), Space Invaders, Virtual Cop 2, FFIX, Tony Hawk's Pro Skateboarding/Pro Skater 2/4/Underground, Devil May Cry, Spyro 2, Timesplitters Future Perfect, Dragon Warrior Monsters, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Wii, Crazy Taxi, WarioWare Touched... expect more to be added as I think of them!

So, what are your all time favourite games?

I think that was a great benefit of commuting into work on a bus: I got to read books and listen to music. Well, I suppose they were two great benefits: reading books, listening to music and not worrying about sitting in traffic. Ah, it's getting a bit Spanish Inquisitiony here...

One other benefit was that some of the bus drivers were very pleasant, some were great characters and some were all three. One such was an Asian bus driver. I never got to know his name but then I didn't really need to. I called him Sir Crash.

He always had a smile for all his passengers and was just a generally friendly kind of chap. It was his smile that earned him the name Crash. He raised his eyebrows in a way extremely reminiscent of Crash Bandicoot. The way he got his honorific title was probably not company policy and might have got him in serious trouble. He saw me walking up my road one morning to catch the bus and stopped his bus to let me on. He was on a roundabout at the time and held up traffic until I'd got on. Thereafter I referred to him as Sir Crash because he was a gentleman to do it. He stopped on the roundabout a couple of times and held traffic up on the dual carriageway once or twice to let me on. In a way, there was a danger that he could have lived up to the name Crash in more ways than one if he hadn't been careful. Fortunately, he didn't cause any crashes when I was on the bus (or running for it).

He did have an altercation with a taxi driver once. I was sat on the bus, reading my book and minding my own business when I noticed something was going on. We were stopped at a red light and I think there was some shouting and swearing - something like that - and Sir Crash pulled the bus out and round in front of the offending vehicle: a taxi. He hemmed him in and got out. So did the taxi driver. I don't know what he said but he took the taxi's number down and the taxi driver swung for him, at which point, Sir Crash got back into the bus and carried on his journey as if nothing had happened. However, at the bus station, he asked us all if we would be witnesses for him. I gladly agreed and gave him my work number.

I got a call later that day from an ex-policeman, who was now working in the taxi licensing department. I told him what I'd seen and hoped the taxi driver got in real trouble. I liked Sir Crash.

I think he was moved onto another bus route after a while because I stopped seeing him. Occasionally, I'd be waiting at the Bus Station, head in a book and miles away, and someone would tap me on the shoulder. I'd look up and there would be my favourite Asian bus driver, smiling and raising his eyebrows, just like Crash Bandicoot. These meetings got rarer and rarer and then my company moved offices and I had to start driving to work.

I now read a book a year, if I'm lucky. I can listen to my favourite music on the CD player in my car, if I want to, but I seem to listen to Radio 4 more than anything else. I hardly ever catch a bus nowadays and it's always a treat if I do, although I still think the fares are a rip off. I never see Sir Crash at all. I wouldn't go so far as to say I miss him but I did enjoy being a passenger on his bus and I hope Stagecoach treat him well nowadays.

Click en la imagen para acceder al artículo

Si bien la saga había caído en desgracia y aparentaba estar muerta, ‘Crash Team Racing’ fue una vergüenza si lo comparamos con los ‘Crash Bandicoot’ originales, las manos expertas en reanimar cadáveres de Sierra parecen querer volver a insuflarle vida. Esperemos que lo consigan, por que Crash se merece un retorno espectacular.

El caso es que ha sido anunciado oficialmente ‘Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant’, que enmarca el retorno de nuestro marsupial mutante favorito. Una vez más tendremos que enfrentarnos al malévolo Dr. Neo Cortex, que esta vez utiliza un dispositivo que mediante mensajes de texto lava el cerebro a toda criatura viviente y, como no, recae sobre el héroe saltimbanqui el honor de detenerlo.

Volverán las plataformas, la velocidad y además se añadirán zonas más grandes para la exploración. Nuevas habilidades y poderes, como el de capturar las habilidades de los enemigos y usarlas contra ellos. Se incluirá un modo cooperativo en el que un segundo jugador podrá controlar a Co-Co, la hermana de Crash. La cosa pinta bien, pero ahora el jarro de agua fría.

Se está desarrollando para casi todas las plataformas, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP y Nintendo DS. Stop. ¿Y la versión para PS3? Pues no hay noticias de ella en el horizonte, simplemente no se llevará a cabo. Una lástima ya que Crash llegó a ser considerado casi la mascota de la compañía japonesa.

Quizá algún día, soplen vientos de cambio.

Bored as hell.

I wake up to my brother going, "Wake up, there is a power cut."

First thing I thought was k going back sleepy now.
He threw a "No, I'm not being the only one to suffer"
I was like, "errr, it doesn't bother me. Provided it comes back soon. I can't play my game boy forever and my eyes cant focus on reading at this point in time, just waking up, but gimme 5 minutes and I'll be fine. Go read Harry Potter or something. It'll keep ya occupied for a few hours." But he was already walking away from me. -_- Wutever. Its back now which is jolly good because I was playing Crash Bandicoot and it kept fucking up and it was beginning to piss me off.

Erk made me make a new Last.fm - http://www.last.fm/user/Mnemosynex/ Feel free to add me. I have no friends that. XD English link :3 The one in my blog roll is jp though because I have the site set to Japanese. X3

For no apparent reason, well, that I can see right now, I feel mildly depressed. Which will probably increase throughout the day along with some clue as to why. If I get up like this in the morning, its usually a bad sign. -_- I swear I'm like fucking cursed or something. I know people are all like ¬_¬ when you feel depressed and shit but I get that like 1000 fold. Argh *hides under duvet*

I have not played a Crah Bandicoot game since his third venture on the Playstation 1. I felt the soul of the series was lost once it made the move away from it's on-rails approach that made the game simple but yet unique in the platforming genre.

Maybe that will change in the upcoming game "Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant". It is being built with the Wii in mind first, and the graphics will be scaled up for the 360 version and scaled down for the PS2 version as well as a DS and PSP version of the game coming out at the same time. Following in the footsteps of his last adventure, Crash still has the ability to take control of or ride his defeated enemiest to gain unique powers to use against his foes. Unique to this game will be the option to have your favorite mutant power to use with you at all times, switching to it at will.

Being made for the Wii you can expect some (thankfully) optional Wii remote movement controls for things such as jumping and attacks. Probably the coolest thing about the game is that it has co-op gameplay which allows you to either fight baddies with each of you controlling one character, or you can have someone control movement and one control attacks. If you ask me the former option sounds most fun, I can only imagine frustration coming out of the second option. Hopefuly in the 360 version we will see some online co-op, though it is doubtful. Let us hope that Crash gets a proper chance to appeal back to his original fans of the original series when the game releases this October.

Só uma ressalva... eu gostava mais do nome antigo: Crash: Invasion of the Bandicoot Snatchers (anunciado no fim do ano passado).

Só espero que o game não seja mais do mesmo Crash of the Titans. Mas pelo trailer parece mesmo que vão acrescentar novas coisas.

Pelo que andei pesquisando:

• Novamente o inimigo será o Dr. Cortex, que vai tomar o controle dos mutantes (novamente) e Crash terá que salvar o dia (de novo).
• No novo game Crash não apenas irá controlar os monstros mutantes colocando a máscara do Aka Aka (acho que é esse no nome), como também poderá armazenar seu favorito em um bolso (o loko!), fazer upgrades neles, e utilizar seu poder quando lhe convier. Interessante!
• Parece que haverá mais liberdade em passear pelas fases e mundos do game, que se passará na Ilha Wumpa.
• Modo Co-op está de volta, só que desta vez, o segundo player irá controlar a irmã de Crash Coco. Ela terá uma habilidade exclusiva, chamada até o momento de "treasure hunt" (caçadora de tesouros).
• Crash terá novas habilidades, como subir andar na vertical em penhacos, como é mostrado no vídeo acima. Também terá novo sistema de combate. E ele também poderá cavar pelas fases destravando novos itens ao jogo!
• O game será multiplataforma para todos os consoles atuais (incluindo o ps2) e ganhará também sua versão para os portáteis.

É esperar para ver. Assim que novos vídeos sairem, irei postar aqui. Eu curti o primeiro Crash da nova geração e certamente ireia experimentar este também. (apesar de achar que ele está bem clonado do modelo do primeiro e por isso dificilmente será melhor).

On était quel jour déjà ? Vendredi il me semble, le 25 du mois de janvier 2008 précisément. A moins qu'il s'agisse du Mercredi 23. Bref cela n'a pas d'importance, on était en train de finir le dernier niveau de Crash Bandicoot La vengeance de Cortex avec Marius- ça j'en suis certain.

A ce propos je conseille à tout le monde d'acheter une vieille PS2 et de se procurer Crash Bandicoot PSone et toute la série et vous verrez que vous ne pourrez plus vous passer de ce jeu de plate-forme. Il faut savoir qu'à l'origine je ne joue jamais à la playstation, mais voilà crash bandicoot c'est une addiction un peu comme Boulder Dash sur mon TO16 PC en 1988 ( si Nico m'écoute, je sais qu'il boulderise toujours). En gros, au sens phénoménologique du terme, si tu essayes ce jeu tu l'adoptes et t'as une envie irrreprescible d'y revenir sans cesse pour en finir .

Et Dieu sait que je hais ces connards qui ne lèvent même pas la tête pour dire bonjour lorsqu'ils jouent à PES6,Bref j'aime pas les erreurs de casting -  mais moi j'ai la caution de mon fiston pour jouer à la console et hop là !L'affaire est dans le sac.

 Donc avant de me couper la priorité, j'étais en train de vous dire que nous étions Marius et moi en pleine partie de Crash Crash bandicoooooooooooooooooooot - Mais si tu prononces "Crash"  il faut tout de suite faire le Renard et sautiller avec le pas furtif d'un indien autour du Totem je veux parler de la PS2. "dis papa on joue au Renard ?" Marius appelle ce jeu : Le Renard - car le héros ressemble à un Renard mais c'est un chien en fait. Le quoi tu dis ? Bah on joue à Crash Papa ? " et hop on sautille autour de la console ! Ouais on s'marre.

Eh bah figurez vous qu'à ce moment précis où nous allions entonner le chant sacré du Renard v'la ti pas que :

Driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Hein Quoi ?! Marius et moi on se regarde en renard de faïence.

ah bah oui ! Ah que Driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Qui ose sonner en plein milieu du jeu ?

 Driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Voilà, voilà  j’arrive !

Bonjour Monsieur nous venons vous annoncer l'instauration prochaine du paradis sur terre.

Là je laisse un blanc – suis un peu pris de cour avec ma manette dans les mains. Ils sont deux et ont l’air très sérieux.

Marius :  Papa !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tire pas sur le fil ! 

Bonjour Monsieur nous venons vous annoncer l'instauration prochaine du paradis sur terre.

 - "Bah oui j’ai compris . Laissez moi juste le temps de digérer l’information. Le Paradis sur Terre vous me dîtes ? Rien que ça ? Mais c’est quoi cette histoire, les journaux n’en parlent pas." 

Vous n’êtes pas sans savoir que Satan le Diable domine le monde en ce moment même.

- "J’ai cru comprendre oui"

Mais le Royaume de Dieu va supprimer tous les gouvernements corrompus sur la Terre. Comme vous le savez, la mort résulte du péché d'Adam et l'âme humaine disparaît avec le corps, l'âme étant mortelle bien évidemment. Par conséquent on va tous mourir.

Marius : Papa il raconte quoi le Monsieur ?

- "Non rien des conneries ! Va mettre sur Pause . Ah sympa..et c’est là que vous intervenez ?"

Mais je vous rassure  Les humains qui sont morts avant Haaaaaaaar-Harkma..et là il dérape, sa langue fourche alors il  ravale sa salive et se reprend : Les humains qui sont morts avant Har-Maguédôn ressusciteront – il cherche un peu de compassion dans le regard de son tuteur :  Haaaaaat- Maguédôn  ( le tuteur fait un signe d’approbation ).

- "Ressusciteront oui ..et c’est mon cas ? – je regarde le tuteur l’air de dire non mais t’as pas honte d’infliger ça à ce gosse."

Je ne sais pas, mais si vous faite vœu de pauvreté vous avez une chance de sauver votre âme.

- "Alors là je vous arrête tout de suite mon garçon."

Je lui met la main sur l’épaule

 - "Quand vous parlez de vœu de pauvreté, vous voulez dire que je dois me séparer de tous mes biens ? Mon Audi A3 et la maison que j’ai en crédit sur 20 ans ?"

Le tuteur prend la parole : Monsieur je suis ingénieur en informatique et mon collègue ici présent est apprenti boucher charcutier,nous sacrifions beaucoup nous aussi mais  ce vœu de pauvreté n’est rien à côté de l’enjeu, nous parlons du salut de votre âme là ! Tout cela est très cohérent.

- "Ah ah la belle affaire, t’as pas l’impression de te faire prendre par derrière ? Chez moi on accepte même les transfusions à l’orange sanguine - Tu sais que  pendant ce temps là à Kronenbourg un homme boit de l’eau Hein ! ? Alors la cohérence elle est où hien ?  ! Elle est où la cohérence ?" ( oui je pratique le "tuvoiement")

Et puis là le tuteur fait signe à son disciple de s’en aller. Et ils s’en vont

  Marius : Y’a plus personne papa ?

- "Non j’ai fait fuir Jéopardy et sa clique, je crois qu'on va pouvoir jouer au Renard tranquille"

I got to talk to my Aunt today on GMail Messenger.  We talked about lots of stuffs!  So now I'm going to write a play and then I have to send it to her and then ya.  I have no idea what it's about, but it'll be about something.  I'm not going to be going up to Portland this weekend, so I guess that makes up for not going up there.  Well, not really, but that's okay.  But we talked when I was in fifth period and then in sixth period too.  We talked about video games too.  She has Frogger and Crash Bandicoot.  I am so jealous!!!!!

This weekend is going to be awesome!!!  Because it starts today and then it ends on Sunday-three days....Well, actually even more than that!  Me and my daddy are gonna kick Super Mario 64 ASS!!!!  Ya!  Of course we will.  It's great. 

That's all, me thinks.  Me thinks...........

Other than I got another email from Jason this morning.  It's pretty great.  Really it is.  Other than we never get to talk on messenger, but that's okay, emails are good too. 

The PSP gets no respect. It's perceived as the handheld system for the mainstream; a shiny toy for frat boys to play GTA and watch Adam Sandler movies on. The DS, by contrast, is for the true gamer; it conjures images of pony-tailed Gamestop employees playing Advance Wars as they suffer through the torture of daily life. The actual merits of both systems are often overshadowed by these false images of contrasting demographics, just as they did during the 16 bit console wars.

Detractors of Sony's easily finger-printed portable point out
a lack of original games for the system. And it's true that most of the system's high profile games are simply inferior installments in franchises that started life on home consoles. Why would you want to play scaled down versions of Jak or Ratchet or Metal Gear, when you could be playing fresh new games like Mario, Zelda or Metroid?

Perhaps I applied the sarcasm a bit too thick there, but the point is that the DS gets a lot of undue credit for offering fresh gameplay experiences. For every Ouendan there are fifty Mega Man Battle Networks, and using a stylus to play games that adhere closely to typical game design conventions is hardly what I'd call "fresh." Meanwhile the original games for the PSP, such as Crush, get little recognition, though admittedly they are few in number.

But all this bitching and moaning about fairness aside, the fact remains; if this is a "war" (as people tend to think of it), the DS is clearly winning. The PSP is doing far better than most people would have expected though; nearly three years after it's release, the system is still fighting and making Sony money, and that alone is impressive. But there's no denying that it's getting it's ass kicked; for every PSP sold, Nintendo moves three of their units.

Being an owner of both systems, I have to ask; why is this? Now I'm not saying that the PSP is superior (I feel the two are about equal), but there are a number of ways in which the DS simply can't (or doesn't) compete with it. And do to my undying love of lists, I've assembled five of them for your reading pleasure (or, more likely, your skimming over indifference). Enjoy.

1. Shoot-em-ups

As of this writing, the DS has only a single shmup; Nanostray. The sequel should be releasing within a couple weeks, and there are plans to port Ketsui to the system at a later date, but this is still a relatively meager collection of shooters.

The PSP has significantly more, and Konami is almost single-handedly to thank for that. The venerable developer/publisher has released a large chunk of it's classic shmup output in the form of various series' collections. As a result, almost all of the Gradius, Parodius, Twinbee, and Salamander series are available on the go. Xexex also received it's first home port via one of these compilations (the Salamander pack).

Also available are the (reportedly disappointing) third installment in Psikyo's Sengoku Ace series, as well as Hudson's Star Soldier. Star Soldier is particularly unique in that it actually requires you to hold the PSP sideways. It's slightly unwieldy at first, but the game is good enough to justify a little initial discomfort.

Clearly, 20+ games spread across 6 UMDs easily outclasses the DS's meager (yet fairly solid) selection, and that's not even counting the several great shmups available via...

2. Classic Compilations

I suppose Konami's shmup collections detailed above could just as easily have been put in this category, but whatever. And again, the DS isn't without a showing in this department. Namco, Konami and Atari all have rather run-of-the-mill compilations available for Nintendo's little cash cow, with probably a couple more that I'm not aware of. But again, the PSP rather effortlessly takes the crown in this department.

Metal Slug Anthology, Sega Genesis Collection, Namco's mandatory "Museum" collection, Power Stone Collection (admittedly just two games), EA Replay Collection (yuck), and two volumes of Capcom Classics make for a pretty potent selection of classics. SNK is also planning a new release featuring a wide variety of their own underplayed classics. Again, I'm probably missing a few; I didn't exactly do a ton of research here.

3. Racing Games

To me, this category is a biggie. Now I'm not saying that the DS doesn't have any racing games. There are plenty, and by numbers alone, the two systems are about equal in this department. But here's the thing; almost all of the DS racers suck in a major way. Of course there's Mario Kart, and for many gamers it's the only racing series that matters, but for serious fans of the genre, the DS isn't the greenest pasture for handheld speed-seeking. As a matter of fact, it's more of a desert full of sun bleached bones.

In keeping with this pointless analogy, the PSP is a lush rain forest. Big name titles like Ridge Racer, Burnout, WipeOut and even Outrun have all made absolutely outstanding showings on the system. The racing genre, much like the FPS, depends heavily on state of the art graphics and physics to convey a sense of realism. The DS unfortunately doesn't have the horsepower (pun intended) to do the genre justice. Which brings us to our next category...

4. Graphics

Sure looks aren't everything, but they're certainly something. And while the DS can handle 2-D beautifully, it really struggles with polygons. It can handle them, sure, and a talented developer can make them look decent enough (especially if they're viewed from a distance), but it's quite rare for a game that doesn't have the word "Mario" in the title to have attractive 3-D. Usually the graphics have that "early Playstation 1" look about them, which is about as mean an insult as I can imagine.

The difference between the two systems is best illustrated by a direct comparison. The following two games share the same name, but let's see if you can figure out which one is Ridge Racer, and which is Riiiiidge Racer!

Can you tell the difference?

5. Multimedia Capabilities

"But it's all about the games" I hear you chortle as you read this. True, it is all about the games when you want to play a game, but when you'd prefer to listen to some tunes, the DS is as handy as a foot. It's true that these features aren't very useful for those who play their handhelds in the comfort of their own home, but for anyone who actually uses their portable system portably, these features are borderline essential.

Movie playback is the most lauded of these features, yet it's probably the one you're least likely to utilize. Sure, it's a nice option, but UMDs are pretty large critters, so it's unlikely that you'll opt to take a movie along with you in lieu of a game. You can put movies directly on your memory card, but it requires some monkeying around to convert your flicks into a form the PSP will recognize (the rare and obscure mp4).

Every bit as important as the music capabilities are the image viewing options. I'm sure by now you've noticed the sassy young tenderoni to the right. Well let me tell you, on a lengthy road trip, or during your week at Uncle Jeb's farm, she and her ilk are much better company than Pac-man or Sonic could ever hope to be. Not only can you align your pictures to display vertically (as I've shown in the example), but you can zoom in quite a lot. In the case of Little Danni there, I can zoom in to such an extent that I can see individual goosebumps on her thigh. But I fear that this is becoming irreparably creepy, so let's move on, shall we?

Games can also be downloaded. At the PSP Connect store, full PS1 games (only 1st and 2nd party titles so far) can be downloaded and played straight off the memory card (albeit for a price). While most of these games have aged horribly, it's rather handy to have old standbys like Hot Shots Golf or Crash Bandicoot available without having to lug around any more bulky UMDs.

And of course there's a thriving homebrew and emulation scene going on behind the scenes, but I'm restricting this article to features that don't require any hacking or modding. Needless to say though, with a little technical know-how, the PSP can do just about anything short of washing windows.

So if you went through this list and still aren't convinced, the PSP might not be the system for you. Not necessarily though. The above list is more a checklist of my own personal preferences than anything even bordering on definitive. The system has other advantages too, though they fall outside my area of expertise. SRPGs are well represented. The web browser is reportedly very functional. Playing the system in public is slightly less humiliating than it's competition (no frantic blowing, for one thing). And it's certainly a respectable option for those who just want a portable movie player (though you'll need a pair of headphones).

Overall, it's a very good system that has withstood some very stiff competition from Nintendo's little juggernaut. Sure it might not have 2,037 new releases a month, but I'd wager to say that there are more than enough excellent games available to justify a purchase.

Back to the list, I'm sure I'll miss a couple, so friends please help me out. Add those you might recall. ( This one's not in any particular order. I'm just putting them up as I get to remember them )

1. Anything in the color violet, lilac or purple- this applies to almost everything from clothes, bags, umbrellas, decor, eye makeup, electric fans and coffee mugs. A color fit for royalty, a color fit for my princess.

2. Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep- This one's contributed by Sam. She had asked her mom to fill up her diary with her list of favorite things just last July. I often kidded Mariel that I myself kinda look like Brad. She cringed a lot. I saw however a lot of Meryl's "sympathetic" eyes in her. Mariel was best described as one who's very soft-hearted.

3. Leather Bags- She was famous for having impeccably matched bags with her attire. She asked me to get her some during trips abroad. Laptop bags, leisure bags, handbags, she's got it all. I'd say she had enough to match Imelda's collection. (Sorry Mariel just kidding)

4. Shoes of all shapes- Of course what good are nice bags without nice shoes. Mariel made frequent trips to CMG et al and always had an eye for coming sale events. She can write a book about this. I must admit she's got taste and the best legs and feet in the world to boot. I swear.

5. Clothes, clothes, clothes- Clothes were her passion too. She was once considering to put up a boutique that catered to children's clothes. She's got talent and the knowledge for this. I know she would have done very well.

6. Spaghetti, T-bone steak, Nuts, Tibuk- tibok, Mango and Pomelo- Food glorious food. I must explain, tibuk- tibok is the kapampangan version of maja blanca, a pudding- like dessert made with carabao's milk. And also spaghetti is best from Pancake House and T- bone at medium well. "Mangan naka".

7. Floral- scented perfumes- The "flavor of the month" was Estee Lauder's Pleasures Intense eau de parfum spray for women. It's website described it as "seductive, extremely lush floral, with low notes of vanilla and maple". Of course Mariel shared the love by getting me a matching Pleasures Intense for men. Lately however, I'll find myself spraying a bit of her fave scent just to trigger memories. Oh Mommy, I miss you so.

8. Literature, Poetry- She liked Shakespearean sonnets, Jeffrey Archer despite his bad political choices and just about any printed matter. She taught Sam the value of reading books, and that's why she does very well in school. Of course, this is also probably the reason why Mariel wrote well. Please check out "In Mariel's Words" category in this blog for examples of this.

9.Text and Email jokes- She had a good sense of humor (not like me). She sent me txt jokes on my mobile phone and email jokes too. She sent one to me the day before we went to the hospital. It was about being married and stuff. That one stays in my Inbox forever.

10. Leg and Foot Massages- I gave her these as often as I can, to relax her or put her to sleep. I wish I had done more.

11. Home Decorating and Crafts- She was truly amazing at this work. I had mentioned before how well she had ran our household. She kept a spotlessly clean and beautiful home that is truly worthy of  a place in "Homes and Gardens". She had a knack for eclectic matchings and was fearless with colors and prints. She also did a couple of papier tole art that will always be part of our bedroom.

12. Sinatra, Broadway, Classical music- Ol' Blue eyes rules. Sinatra was always on heavy CD rotation. Mariel loved the romantic era. That's why she applauded when Rod Stewart made the wise "move" and Buble etc. She also had complete Broadway original cast recordings of all the great ones. She had the biggest influence on Sam's musical theater leanings and abilities.

13. Fresh Flowers- I could never devote enough space for her love of flowers. Stargazers, Tulips, Mums, Roses that made her day. Now I had set up a crusade to always honor her love for God's beautiful creations.

14. Children and Cute babies- Mariel loved children and children loved her back. I was really amazed at how she was always the favorite of her little nieces and nephews. She connected with them in a genuine way and was often rewarded with sincere hugs and kisses.

15. Lifestyle Channel, Wolfgang Puck, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Project Runway- Mariel spent time relaxing keeping the cable on the Lifestyle Channel. After all beautiful things are her dedication. She may love a little bit of the "tsismis" in some of the reality shows too. Who doesn't?

16. CSI- Crime Scene Investigation, the series was her absolute TV favorite. She even got the DVDs before they hit Metrowalk. Las Vegas was tops, then New York and Miami. She however could not stand usual trite remarks written for the lead actor in the LV episodes.

17. Soft pillows and snuggling on cold December mornings- Look I love them too. But Mariel just loved being in bed with us on cold mornings talking of our dreams for Sam. I miss this a lot, she was my anchor and my compass. I still feel lost today.

18. Crash Bandicoot, Tetris and Super Mario- Even before I met her Mariel was already the Super Mario champion of Mandaluyong. When she was heavy with Sam, she spent hours on end mastering PlayStation's Crash Bandicoot. Which she actually did. Mariel excelled in anything she puts her mind into.

19. Jewelry- Who would not want some diamonds. Unfortunately, I gave her teeny- weeny ones for our "wedding engagement". Pearls too were her love. She wore them almost daily at work. She always told me that she was "collecting" these for Sam. She told me this two weeks before she passed away. Her most precious one however, was our simple gold wedding band which was never off her till the last. That says a lot to me.

20. 9- ball pool and Efren "Bata" Reyes- One would have never thought this. She never played the game but loved following Efren's battles on ESPN. It again showed that side of her that loved to cheer for the underdog. She was always all heart.

( I will end tonight with Efren's youtube clip of one of his "magical" pool shots that Mariel and I had watched so many times. I'm sure Mariel's watching now. I love you Mommy, Good Night. )