Daxter has been an incredible success for us, especially considering it was our very first game as a company.

Ru Weerasuriya, Ready at Dawn co-founder, dropped me a line to let me know that his studio has put two eBay auctions up to hlp raise money for Child's Play.

The studio managed to get their hand on one of the last Daxter PSP Entertainment packs around and then had everyone at Ready at Dawn Studios. As if the cool autographed, hard-t0-find PSP weren't enough, the Ready at Dawn folks are throwing in an autographed piece of original production art from the game.

All proceeds go to Child's Play. Hit up the link for the U.S. auction, and check out Ready at Dawn's other auction if you live in Europe.

Ready at Dawn eBay Auction

If you've been holding out for a Playstation Portable 2000 now's the day to hit up your local retailer. The limited-edition Daxter PSP Entertainment Pack just went on sale for $200. The pack includes a "Ice Silver" PSP2K, a copy of Daxter; Family Guy — The Freakin' Sweet Collection on UMD and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo.

"PSP sales have soared since we introduced the $169.99 price point in April, and that momentum will only continue with the launch of the newly designed PSP, which has generated strong interest among consumers since we announced it at E3," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "With our growing software library, which includes more than 140 new releases in the pipeline this fiscal year, the PSP platform is poised for significant growth. The Daxter Entertainment Pack offers a great opportunity for consumers to jump in to PlayStation(R) Portable experience with content that demonstrates the multi-functionality of the system, all for a great value."

SCEA is also rolling out three accessories for the new PSP today:

— Component AV Cable for video out, approximately 8.2 feet long ($19.99 MSRP)
— AV Cable for video out, approximately 8.2 feet long ($19.99 MSRP)
— Headphones with Remote Control ($29.99 MSRP)

If Daxter and Family Guy aren't your thing you should hold off until later this month with the PSP2K goes on sale solo for $170. Or you could wait till next month to grab up he Star Wars Battlefront edition of the new slederized PSP for $200.

If you're too lazy to look for yourself, here's a link to Best Buy.

Sony Limited Edition PSP Daxter Entertainment Pack [Best Buy]

As we reported yesterday, Sony has officially dropped the price of the Playstation Pportable Core Pack today.

The PSP will now sell for $169.99. And in a very smart move, SCEA also dropped the price of two of the better PSP games, adding both Daxter and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror to the PSP Greatest Hits collection, making them both about $20 each. That, is three good reasons to buy a PSP.

"We have always been passionate about making great entertainment accessible to everyone, and the new price for PSP, as well as the continued growth of the 'Greatest Hits' library, reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting and expanding the PSP community," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We are pleased that we are able to engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP's lifecycle, allowing more individuals to experience PSP for the first time. In particular, we have recently seen a steady rise in the number of teens adopting PSP as their primary handheld entertainment system, and we expect the new price will accelerate that trend."

The press release goes on to say that gamers should expect new titles from the God of War, Ratchet & Clank, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs and Syphon Filter franchises.

"Ready At Dawn couldn't be more pleased with our success bringing Daxter to the PSP platform last year, and now we have another opportunity to blow away expectations of what a developer can accomplish on a portable when Kratos hits the 'small screen' in God of War," said Didier Malenfant, co-founder and president, Ready At Dawn Studios. "PSP is an ideal platform for us to work on because we have a high level of freedom to be creative, and we can deliver gameplay experiences that rival ones you'd get from a computer entertainment system."

The press release goes on to point out that SWAT, Monster Hunter Freedom 2, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles and Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology are all headed to the PSP this year.

It all sounds good... until they hit my sore subject: Media.

"SCEA also continues to evaluate expanding PSP's entertainment options as more and more PSP owners use their system for watching movies, playing music, and viewing photos. SCEA remains committed to driving the development and distribution of entertainment content for PSP.

OMG, how can they still be evaluating a major function of their handheld more than two years after it launched? How! HOW! I actually sort of went off on the PSP development guy that was at the Sony Blogger Congress at GDC this year when he said something like this.

I can't remember exactly what I said, but it was something like: You guys keep saying the same thing, when the hell is it going to actually happen?

No answer, really.

The other big question is when is the PSP 2.0 coming out. Come on Sony, there's nothing wrong with releasing improved models shortly after you release the original. Just look at Nintendo, they screwed all of those DS fat owners over and no one seemed to care. Brian Crecente

God of War nearly confirmed [PSPfanboy]

Ready At Dawn Studios did PSP owners a huge favorite when they not only made a cool game called Daxter, but also injected that title with short load times. President of Co-founder Didier Malenfant talked with game site QJ.net about the company's plans. He says:

I think people were quite shocked to see what we pulled off on the PSP so far and our next game is already lightyears away from what Daxter achieved in terms of performance.

And to top that off, the company has developed its own rendering engine called "Ready At Dawn Engine." My personal selfish requests: hurry it up with that new, better-than-Daxter game and please get that quick-load engine in the hands of every PSP developer. STAT! Brian Ashcraft

More Here [QJ.net] via British Gaming Blog

I'm not sure what squirrels having sex with a skunk has to do with Daxter, but Sony managed to work that... motif... into their latest commercial for the Playstation Portables next big thing: Daxter. I think someone at Sony is smoking crack.

Sony PSP - Daxter [Boardsmag, thanks Erik]

Sony Playstation PSP Game Spots

I played through the Daxter demo for the Playstation Portable over the weekend. The demo included two levels, one that shows off the basic gameplay of the upcoming title and another called the dream level, which is just weird.

Daxter is sort of a hybrid between a 3D platformer and your basic adventure game. You control Daxter, of course, who is armed with what looks to be an electric fly swatter, I kid you not, and a bug sprayer. While this doesn't sound like the makings of a great game, I found the unique control and play mechanics to be quite fun.

You have to work your way through the levels killing off bugs and maneuvering over chasms. The bug killing is typically quite easy, you just swat the creepy crawlies a few times and they die or you stun them with bug spray and then swat. The thing that really makes this game worth playing is its unique platforming system.

Instead of just jumping from one ledge to the next, you have to make use of your bug sprayer to help you float. At the peak of your jump you press the bug spray button and Daxter straddles the thing and drifts across the screen on puffs of green bug spray. This only works for a few second unless you can drift into a glowing green ball that refills the canister and gives you a few more seconds of float time.

And to make matters more complicated, if you drift into a flame, the bug spray ignites and pops you higher up in the air. The end result is a platformer without the platforms.

In essence you have to figure out the timing and paths to take through the air to make it over chasms. On the demo level, it was pretty straightforward to cross a chasm, but finding these bonus eggs, that took some effort. For the eggs you ended up having to plot a rather intricate course, from glowing green balls to open flames, to gather them all.

While on the ground you can also ignite your bug spray, turning the bug sprayer into a flame thrower. This is helpful for taking out the really big bugs and to clear your path of cobwebs.

All in all, the demo level really made me want to buy the game. The dream level, well, like I said, was weird.

In the dream level Daxter assumes the role of the ass-kicking hero he's always wanted to be in a dream.

The level is deliberately set up to look like something out of The Matrix, with Daxter waving on hordes of bad guys and then dispensing them with bullet-time kicks and machine-gun punches. Unfortunately, this is all done by pressing whatever button lights up on the screen at the right moment. There is no movement, just button pushing.

A fun looking Simon Says knock-off, but nothing more.

After beating the levels, a screen pops up explaining some of the other features that will be included in the full game including being able to control vehicles and create your own bugs for WiFi duels with other gamers. No word if it will be online or in-person WiFi.
All in all, I was surprisingly taken with Daxter. It looks like it's shaping up to make the list of PSP must-haves.

PURSUIT FORCE(TM)
Developed by BigBig Studios, Ltd., Pursuit Force for the PSP system brings Hollywood-style movie action to life by delivering high-speed vehicle chases and thrilling shootouts, all in the quest for justice. In Pursuit Force, players take the role of a young rookie police officer, responsible for tracking down and thwarting five criminal gangs in and around Capital City. Pursuit Force presents a variety of gameplay elements for each criminal case, including collect and follow assignments, high-speed pursuit, on-foot action, and aerial attacks. Featuring an innovative gameplay mechanic where players can jump from vehicle to vehicle at speeds of more than 150 MPH, Pursuit Force keeps the action moving seamlessly. Players will hang perilously as they battle with enemy gangs and attempt to commandeer a number of vehicles. Players will skirt along city highways and dusty tracks in speeding cars, bikes, SUVs, and buses, and high-powered speedboats are available for chases through metropolitan waterways and scenic, canyon-lined rivers.
Available March 2006 — Rated T

SYPHON FILTER(R): DARK MIRROR
From the development team of the critically acclaimed Syphon Filter(R) franchise, comes their first project exclusive to the PSP system, set to deliver an intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Gamers assume the identity of Gabe Logan, a highly-trained Precision Strike Operative, commanding a black box United States Agency that legally doesn't exist. As Gabe, players will have to strategize quickly, as he is responsible to infiltrate, recon and execute decisively. Once inserted, Logan is his own authority — making life-and-death decisions, quickly choosing his course of action. An immersive single-player experience also delivering an evolving online multiplayer experience, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror features melee attacks, target lock, precision aiming, target and vision enhancements, enhanced artificial intelligence (AI), and high-tech weaponry. Gamers can choose between difficulty modes that monitor and adjust skill level, multiple unique online maps using both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure connectivity, and four types of gameplay modes in multiplayer.
Available March 2006 — Not Yet Rated

MLB(R) 06 THE SHOW
As the longest running officially licensed baseball franchise on
PlayStation platforms and already widely considered the most authentic baseball simulation available, MLB(R) 06 The Show picks up where last year's game left off and pitches the complete portable package for the PSP system. Gamers can play their entire career "on the road." An all-new Career Mode allows baseball fans to create a player and attempt to land a spot on the roster of their favorite team based on their abilities, while an updated Season Mode, now tracking multiple seasons, lets users take their team and make a run for consecutive rings. An all-new Rivalry Mode allows players to set up and maintain multi-game rivalries, while tracking stats for the life of the rivalry, and the Historical Greats option allows core baseball fans to go up against baseball's heroes of yesteryear. Sports fanatics can now stay up-to-date with news with an all-new online news service, providing users with MLB updates on current events from around the league or their favorite team.
Available March 1, 2006 — Rated E

DAXTER(TM)
After years of standing in Jak's shadow, Daxter finally gets his turn in the spotlight as he stars in his very own self-titled game. An all-new adventure platformer made exclusively for the PSP, Daxter is centered around the world of the famous orange ottsel made popular in the multi-million unit-selling Jak and Daxter franchise. As the first title developed by Santa Ana-based Ready At Dawn Studios, Daxter will push the popular Jak and Daxter world in new directions through the eyes of Daxter as it completes the Jak and Daxter story and allow players to find out how Daxter became a hero, freeing Jak at the beginning of Jak II(TM). Daxter, on his own in an unfamiliar place, realizes that being small and furry won't help his chances of survival or saving Jak, so he takes on a job as a pest exterminator — a job in high demand due to a mysterious metalbug invasion. His new job enables him to explore parts of Haven City in an effort to collect the clues that will lead him to Jak ... but Daxter soon discovers more excitement than he bargained for.
Available March 2006 — Not Yet Rated

NEOPETS: PETPET ADVENTURES(TM) THE WAND OF WISHING(TM)
Neopets: Petpet Adventures - The Wand of Wishing is an action/role playing game exclusively for the PSP system. Developed and created by Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. and Neopets Inc., Neopets: Petpet Adventures - The Wand of Wishing brings a hidden Petpet world of Petaria to life in 3D for the first time. Players move through the game using characters they create from among four popular Petpet species and, utilizing the wireless Ad-Hoc mode, can compete head-to-head in the Battledome using their characters from the single-player game. In their search to overcome evil and recover the fabled Wand of Wishing, players will discover more than 100 unique characters and enemies, as well as have the opportunity to collect and use over 800 items. With more than 30 million registered users worldwide accessing the site in 11 languages simultaneously, Neopets.com is the fastest growing youth-oriented website in the world. Neopets.com is consistently ranked among the top 10 stickiest sites on the Internet, generating more than seven billion page views worldwide per month.
Available February 28, 2006 — Rated E

APE ESCAPE(R) ACADEMY
Created by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, Ape Escape Academy delivers a whole new twist while retaining the fun and frenetic flavor of the Ape Escape series. Specter has failed over and over again in his attempts at taking over the world, all because of a few inept monkeys. To rectify his problem, he decides to form the Ape Escape Academy, where he will serve as principal and train the monkeys so that he can help improve their behavior. In a collection of more than 40 diverse mini-games that make up the academy, players can work their way through six school years by winning each mini-game. Combining the franchise's trademark personality, excellent visuals and featuring ad hoc wireless functionality, Ape Escape Academy will offer an engaging experience to players.
Available January 17, 2006 — Rated E10+