Those JPNs are never satisfied. They complain Sony gives them "the same old crap" (actually not true) then refuse to buy the new, quirky and original stuff when it comes out for the PSP. LocoRoco bombed there too. All in a country where Pokemon Pocket Monsters Diamond / Pearl has done SIX MILLION.

Down to us Yanks and Euros to save the day with this one.

CortezTheKiller

VakeroRokero

Does it operate with a simple ruleset? Yes.

Is that bad? No.

Too many games are big magnum opus pieces nowadays. I want more games like this.

Snake726

@Tyheam: Looking at my clear, around 13 hours if you try to collect a lot of stuff. Now that I know what I am doing, it should only take about 5 hours or less, depending if I want to make my army better.

When this game came out, I was very excitied to play it, and then I realized how much a sham all the marketting is. For as much as they could have done with this game, they ultimately failed to make it one of the system's must-haves. Mostly this is due to the relatively short gameplay- even though I said 13 hours up there, most of that is going back and replaying earlier missions for better stuff. The funnest levels, once you beat the game, aren't replayable- only the boss levels, which get tiresome, and playing the game from the start isn't as fun the second time around. For as much "customization" there is, there really isn't that much- it is funny they stress it so much, but unfortunately they are going to over-hype it and people are going to get dissappointed.

Spoiler free-

Basically you have different units (different range and attack strength), of which you choose different ranks (each with own, very very slight changes in ability), and then you just slap on the most powerful weapons and armor you get. That's it. What upgrading you are personally in charge of takes place on only a single level (ranks), and weapons are arbitrarily awarded during levels that you can't play over (ok, you can get them from bosses, but who wants to fight the same boss 20 times to get weapons for everyone? Hi Moster Hunter players!). Troop formation is a lie; you only choose the units you send into battle, you can't choose where they will be in the large formation. Once you get a comfotable army, you don''t ever need the other units and hardly need to upgrade.

What finally kills this game is that because the formula is so simple, when you finish it you feel empty. I was really hoping that once I finished the last boss I'd have only finished 20% of the game and would have to go to new worlds, but no- you just end. No random mission generator, no easy way to get weapon upgrades (no real point though), shallow customization, not enough levels (23 total), and 5 "minigames" which follow roughly the exact same formula and are tiresome.

Don't get me wrong, the game is fun, it is just too short and hyped for its own good. I guess it is along the idea that it's more of a "casual" game, which totally kills it. Just because a game is "casual" doesn't mean it can't also be fulfilling. US players just be happy that you get to pay half as much as Japan does to play it- $20 is a much better price point.

denki

Come on guys, no good games for the PSP? Daxter, Ratchet and Clank Size Matters, Exit, Crush (one of the best puzzlers ever to grace a handheld), Loco Roco, Lumines, Wipeout, Jeanne D'Arc, Syphon Filter, Tekken, Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, and coming next year God of War, Final Fantasy, Patapon and Secret Agent Clank. That's a pretty good collection right there?

optimusprime

Anyway... Patapon FTW!

zoesch

theblade

Alith

I'm sorry i don't bother conversing with ignorant people such as yourself. Keep trying to justify your trollish/ignorant ways kiddo.

Mpalm.

@Witzbold: Fine fine. I'm not trying to stand up for the prolonged use of an obvious racial slur here. I find this particular kind of thing (cultural heritage in language) really interesting, especially when it reaches logical breaks. JPN is "accepted" abbreviation for Japan, then, but only because at some point jap was decided to be a racial slur? The logic behind it all just falls apart at the seams for me as a bystander. You're basically telling me "our culture demands this of your culture, so accept and respect it". It's the muhammed drawings all over again, which is still a relatively hot topic.

I'm done, but i still think standing in blank-faced defense of the past is one of the energies that are responsible for real societal breakdown.

@Maldron: I'm not justified in ignorance. It's how there's a small town in austria called Fucking, or any number of other cross-culture coincidences that might offend someone. There needs to be a buffer for this exact kind of thing, and i feel Witzbold reacted too strongly.

Also this game looks rad and i'm def picking it up. So hah!

Sunjammer

Glazun

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

finder39

Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB

Go Giants.

ThisCharmingMan

Klappstuhl

@Mpalm.: if it's me you're referring to about trolling sony i should point out i only own a ps3 and psp out of the current gen and love them both, if it's sunjammer i don't think he said anything about sony...

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

OT79

Waka in Japan

Just curious. You know.

Krytha

TheAmericnDream

If a culture considers a word derogatory, and you know it, and you use it anyway, you're an ass. Explaining why you're justified in your ignorance is a bad move - don't do it.

Maldron

Witzbold

Ignorant and trolls sony... who would have guessed.

Mpalm.

NotoriousJnX

Pardon my ignorance, but when i see the word "jap" i think "it's short for japanese". If i'm supposed to somehow transport myself back in time and into a WWII US mindset that was applied much like the European "Jerry" for germans every time i see a logical short for "Japanese". I don't know. I don't feel the urgency, particularly not to the point of threatening to ban for it.

As a complete sidenote, I don't think the parallel to "nigger" is accurate either honestly. It's not like africans dive bombed the american coast. At war, it's basically mandatory to speak of the opposition in derogatory terms.

Anyway i'm getting in way over my head here. I just think some words carry more historical heft than others.

Sunjammer

resetbutton

Maybe video games do desensitize us to violence?

Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB

[Disclaimer: I decline all responsibility in the event that any harm should come to blablabla...]

Antiterra

spot778

Stormrider

"Jap is a term originally used as an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese." Today it is regarded as an ethnic slur, though English speaking countries differ in the degree they consider the term offensive. Japanese Americans have come to find the term controversial or offensive, even when used as an abbreviation.[1] In the past, Jap was not considered primarily offensive; however, after the events of World War II, the term became derogatory.[2]"

We should all make an effort to be a bit more culturally sensitive.

ThisCharmingMan

I love the concept of this game and am addicted to videos of it being played, but I can't bring myself to buy a PSP. What do I DO?!

Krytha

Tyheam

sadkermit - soon to be banned for standing up to the ummm nazi.

@Sunjammer

I think jap was just a derogatory term used during the second world war. It's all in the history I think. Although jap version is an innocent shortform to just save yourself from typing it all out.

robbo_the_hood

Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB

Sunjammer

It's actually kind of like the word "nigger". By itself, the word has no actual dark meaning or connotation. It's because a negative use and connotation were placed upon it by racist individuals.

Just like the N-Word, Jap is still a sensitive term form many Japanese people.

Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB

Enlighten me, i'm genuinely curious, and i'm probably ignorant. It's not like he said they're busy playing the "ching chong version" or some other such outrageousness.

Sunjammer

Antiterra

Aflack: Likes slushies

brello

I'm glad to see another interesting game being added to my PSP collection. I'm looking up at my shelf now, eyeballing a nice spot between Crush and Loco Roco. Or perhaps between Pursuit Force and PQ2? Lumines and Syphon Filter Dark Mirror? Or right on top of Daxter? Or wedged between any of the many other games I own for it right now?

Oh who am I kidding? The PSP doesn't have any games, right? Whatever.

Techknow

htd

Agreed, it's like I've been saying all along: how many games do people have to buy in order to kill a nazi or a terrosrist before they realize its the same damn thing? I mean come on, army games (especially WWII) have been so played out there's nothing new anymore.

Then again the whole space marine thing is getting played out too, it's like there's no creativity in that genre anymore.

Sparx

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

bouzane

Moving on...

I agree with your crap to gem point. I guess what I am trying to get at is "We" the game players and consumers have the ability to shape the market. Case in point, I give you the Wii. If we speak loud enough, spend our dollars wise enough we will get less crap and more gems. It is simple enough really in theory, yet seems so hard in practice for some.

-EDGE-

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

Saint Anima

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

I was more refering to people (gamers in general) who keep snapping up the derivitive crap that keeps coming out, instead of supporting games like this regardless of the system they are on. But I hear what your saying.

On an aside can we try to refrain from using the word "Jap" (though I'm sure you meant nothing by it).

-EDGE-

and no i'm not trolling, just pointing out the attach rate situation, which if i'm not much mistaken will kill the already destined to be poor sales of a non-traditional game. confused as to where trolling came from.

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

You do realize that the PSP is region free right? Or are you just trying to troll?

Witzbold

superfrogsavestokyo

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

noliferuin (PSN+XBL)

-EDGE-

Belain

Pombar

Between this, Echochrome, and LBP the creativity bug is hard at work

Sparx

Witzbold

MoeB

ME86

Krellie

Witzbold