ATC: SONY’s Fighting the Fight (At Least)

All Things Considered is a weekly series, providing the ranting and raving podium for the eager founder and blogger of Get Loco, locoroco. It will cover topics ranging from the gaming industry as a whole to its players.

Here at Beyond Get Loco, we were pretty sure this is the Year of the PSP. 2007’s gotta be. God of War: Chains of Olympus, WipEout Pulse, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, and a couple of other exclusives are coming in addition to a new PSP, and at least for our friends in Europe, a video download service. With everything–including sales–looking up, it’s easy to say that we were right. We’ve had our doubts in between, but critics have nothing on those who truly say that this year will show immense success for SONY’s little machine that can: SONY’s fighting the fight, and doing it extraordinarily.

Team Podcast a Go-Go

Stick around; our team podcast is arriving very soon. We’ll have all the latest details as they arrive.

LocoRoco PS3 Arriving 9/21 in Japan, Much Different

Buu Buu Cocoreccho was announced back in July after E3 as the first of [hopefully] many in the LocoRoco franchise. Kouno and other developers claimed that it would have a different feel, and longtime LocoRoco fans like myself got that impression from the first gameplay video that hit our forums in early August. Now, more news, this time from IGN and from browsing YouTube. IGN confirms that Buu Buu Cocoreccho will arrive September 21st in Japan on the Playstation Network for PS3, and it will be quite different than the first that we’ve come to love. For one, you control a butterfly who wakes sleeping LocoRoco by saying “Boo Boo” and leads them to the finish line. Of course, this adds in more obstacles, but some are worried, including myself, as it almost seems to alienate the original feel of the game. You can judge that for yourself in our VodPod with a new gameplay video. Get Loco will continue to have all of the latest coverage…

Taking a Break…

Hey all, a bit of an update: I’m going to be taking a small break from the blog for a few days. I’ve been blogging straight for the past three months, and it has been a joy. Now, I need a break. When I do come back, you can expect TGS-coverage, perhaps some news on Reviewrama, a few podcasts and maybe that planned team podcast, and a big announcement from Get Loco. We’ll also have a celebration just before we reach the 50,000 total views mark. Stick around because things are heating up.

Go! Service to Bring GPS, Video Downloads, and VoIP to PSP

As if you already hated Europe for getting the new PSP earlier, the PSP camera, and video content via Skytv, you’ll hate them even more now: the Go! moniker (previously used for the Go! Cam, which arrived in Europe earlier this year) will be used to launch the GPS accessory there, a video download service available in early-2008, and the announced VoIP service that European company BT was working on. 3D capabilities and available UMDs will help the European traveler find their way through even the toughest roads, providing a cheap alternative to add-on and in-dash GPS units. The video download service will allow for downloads via PSP and PC, providing Skytv content and other videos. A new on-screen keyboard allowing for easy and innovative typing will ship with the Go! Messenger. Hopefully, we’ll at least see some of this stuff in North America, Australia, and other territories soon enough.

Mkay, so Video Downloads are Coming for Europe, Nowhere Else

Yesiree, that’s right. Our earlier, breaking report about that collaboration between Skytv and SONY to create a video download service for PSP (and evidently, a DVR-system for PS3) is only for Europe, as nothing in America offers video content over the air via subscription. Of course, we hope that something like this happens, as the PSP really needs that video component to actually make its video and audio capabilities worth something other than illegal downloads. Until then, Europe gets something good again faster than the USA (and Japan gets TV, as well). May the ‘insulting America’ rage begin…

[Via Kotaku]

Big Announcement Coming

In case you were wondering, there’s a big announcement coming from Get Loco on the horizon, to be announced sometime around the Tokyo Game Show, so stick around.

Promises Kept (Hopefully): Video Download Service coming at Leipzig

Broken promises have been part of SONY for a while now, so when we hear good things, we usually take them lightly until we actually see something. The recent video download service that SONY has been promised is likely to be revealed at the Leipzig Game Conference. Kotaku confirms this after seeing some rehearsal videos from SONY’s conference showing the sky logo and the PSP logo–sky is a satellite television provider based in the United Kingdom, with quite a few good programs. It’s supposed to be called the ‘Station Launcher’ and I’m hoping that it’s loaded with content. Get Loco will break in with the official news as soon as we get it.

[Via Kotaku]

New SOCOM: Tactical Strike Vid is Sexy

The SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo series helped pioneer the online shooting genre for PSP, and since, we’ve seen a wide variety of shooters flocking to online gameplay: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, and Killzone: Liberation to name a few. SOCOM is branching out for its third edition on the PSP, which also promises online gameplay action, in Tactical Strike, which allows control of four soldiers rather than just one. Its tactical feel also pushes strategic action. Those who were concerned of previous videos that had a tacky robotic voice in place for characters’ dialogue will enjoy this Night Vision gameplay video that has been pushing itself across the net recently. We finally have the vid and it’s available for your viewing pleasure on our VodPod. Enjoy! Click here for the video.

WWWF~ Week of August 12th

What We’re Writing on the Forums is a weekly series showing what our forum community, Beyond Loco, is chatting up on the forums. Join us! Unfortunately, we’ve been unavailable to get back in on the forum action for quite a while now, but that doesn’t mean that nothing is going on. In fact, the forum is bustling with posts and if you haven’t joined yet, we’re asking you to get in on the fun!:

• While you were gone, we switched hosts for bandwidth purposes…
• Bundles, infrastructure, storylines, oh my! Ideas for LocoRoco2
• Previewrama2 might be over, but you can still participate
• guitarplayer’s insane desktops and the rest of ours
• We all agree to disagree about our thoughts on Patapon
• Why I might get a PS3

Now it’s your turn. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!? You’re just a click away from joining our forums and joining in on the fun. Not only do you get access to hundreds of user-created levels, but you also get access to a feature-filled arcade and growing shop, and the ability to compete with others on the thread for Pickories, our own version of money. So, why not join in on the fun? Click here, right now!