Previewrama2 Wrap-Up

This week has been a boatload of serious kickass fun! Previewrama2 went off with a bang, and in five days, you’ve seen five previews loaded with screenies, analysis, gameplay videos and trailers, and rumorage.

• Previewrama2: Sonic Rivals 2
• Previewrama2: Echochrome
• Previewrama2: Patapon
• Previewrama2: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
• Previewrama2: Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (Readers Choice)
• Where Are They Now?: God of War: Chains of Olympus

AND THAT’S NOT IT! Continuing throughout next week, we have our remaining coverage of the big events with…

• Where Are They Now?: WipEout Pulse
• Where Are They Now?: LocoRoco2
• Where Are They Now?: Crisis Core
• Where Are They Now?: The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion
• “The Previewrama2 Aftermath”: Podcast #19
• Reviewrama Deats

Thanks a bunch and see you all then!

Previewrama2: Readers Choice

Previewrama2 :: Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP)
Release Date :: October 2007

You casted your votes and now the envelope, please! In a record tight vote, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, which ships to PSP in October, won our readers choice vote and is your winner. Following the immensely successful Star Wars Battlefront II, which made its way to PSP and became one of the PSP’s best sellers, the follow-up promises a continuation of the series by using the PSP’s top-notch graphical capabilities and make use of the powerful online gameplay. SONY even has enough hope in the success of this game that they are pushing a special-edition Ceramic White PSP with Darth Vader on the back with this game’s launch. It’s clear that this isn’t just a sequel; it’s a whole new ballgame.

Previewrama2: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

Previewrama2 :: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)
Release Date :: Quarter 4 2007

For this year of two thousand and seven to become the Year of the PSP, there needs to be an extreme level of exclusive titles. And if everything goes well, we’ll see a whole bunch of them this year. One of them is perhaps the biggest to longtime gamers: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles brings the lost chapter of the veteran series (Rondo of Blood), which was never released in the United States, to PSP and our favorite handheld only. This exclusive is major, as the Castlevania series has become extremely dominant on sales charts in past years. And from what we can see now, the game looks excellently executed.

Previewrama2: Patapon

Previewrama2 :: Patapon (PSP)
Release Date :: Late 2007-Mid 2008

When Get Loco was liveblogging SONY’s long, but interesting press conference, we didn’t expect to hear anything of the latest LocoRoco-like game, but fortunately, we did. Patapon can be summed up in a few words: a brawny, 2D side-scrolling RTS that uses rhythm aspects. Though it doesn’t seem like LocoRoco thanks to an increased amount of violence, the game’s non-stop humor and colorful graphics shows that SONY is up to trying new things, and that can only be good.

Previewrama2: Where Are They Now?

In case you were wondering, all 5 games previewed during the first Previewrama still haven’t come out in stores. Though sad and terrifying, many of these games are quickly approaching their release dates and others are still undecided. On the forums all this week during Previewrama2, you can expect “Where are They Now?” which will take an unscripted look at the games we previewed before and how development is going. Don’t miss it!

Previewrama2: Echochrome

Previewrama2 :: Echochrome (PSP)
Release Date :: Spring 2008

After the LocoRoco craze died down a bit (before resurrecting thanks to sequels), the world of Nintendy fanboys started ratting on SONY because of an overwhelming lack of original games, which wasn’t so far from the truth. This year at E3, though, there is nothing but unique games, and one of the highlights was Echochrome, which will be one of the first games to debut on both PSP and PS3 via the Playstation Network. Instead of your heroine being someone with extraordinary powers, a shady man in a dark suit holding a futuristic weapon, or an Italian man wearing a red jumpsuit, you’re looking at a mannequin in one of the most simplest games ever made in the industry.

Previewrama2: Sonic Rivals 2

Previewrama2 :: Sonic Rivals 2 (PSP)
Release Date :: November 2007 [tentative]

Sonic’s first entry onto the PSP came last year in the format of Sonic Rivals, a fast-paced racing game attempting to appeal to both nostalgic Sonic fans and newcomers who simply wanted a great game. What we found was a beautiful game with a few costly flaws, but in the end, the game surpassed my expectations and it still has longevity to this day. SEGA recently confirmed Sonic Rivals 2, and the developer, Backbone Entertainment, has promised to add more characters and levels, all the while increasing multiplayer support and adding new trading cards. So the big question is, why did it make Previewrama and why should you buy it?

Previewrama2: What You NEED to Know

The blog has been unimaginably dry here this week so far, but with good intentions. Beyond Get Loco is getting ready for its busiest month yet–Previewrama2, our biggest and most popular event, in which in one week, we preview 5 games in 5 days, premieres next Monday, August 6th, 2007. Here’s our list of your need to know events to get ready:

• 4 games will be editor choices, selected by the editors
• 1 choice will be a viewers choice, as selected by you (keep those e-mails, poll results, and comments coming); voting ends August 4th
• Beyond Get Loco will have supplements to Previewrama2 featuring “Where Are They Now?” which will be a supplement to each day’s preview; written on the forums, profiling games previewed during our first session and their development so far.
• Previewrama2 will preview ONE non-PSP game on Thursday, August 9th, 2007.
• Beyond Get Loco will release a few details about Reviewrama, including a tentative release date, in which the editors will have 5 hawt reviews for you, including non-PSP games.
• Beyond Get Loco will release a podcast Sunday, August 12th, 2007, featuring some post-analysis from Previewrama2.

So be there for the big events, all kicking off August 6th, 2007!

Your Chance to Be Apart of Previewrama2!

What games would you like to see previewed during Previewrama2? Be there for the big event, August 6th when we kick off 5 days worth of previews. Here’s how it works: for the first four days of Previewrama2, we will preview games we pick and for the last day, we will have a ‘Viewers Choice’ pick: one pick from your votes in this poll. So, vote carefully and cautiously as the winning game will be previewed and the other four won’t!

Here’s how your vote:

• Post the number listed NEXT to the choices listed below in our comment box
• E-mail us: contactlocoroco [AT] gmail dot com
• Recommended: Vote on the forums here; you MUST be a member

And the choices are…

• (1) Syphon’s Filter: Logan’s Shadow
• (2) Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
• (3) Monster Hunter Freedom 2
• (4) SOCOM: Tactical Strike
• (5) SWAT: Target Liberty

Voting ends August 4th! Stick around to see the game you wanted to be previewed August 10th, 2007.

Thank you,
–The Beyond Get Loco Team.

Yes! Oui! Si! Previewrama2 Coming This August!

Enough crying about wanting Previewrama to return; it will return this August thanks to popular demand! August 6th will begin Previewrama, aiming to preview the hawtest games on the horizon. Last time, it was Crisis Core, Oblivion Travels, Chains of Olympus, WipEout Pulse, and our favorite: a LocoRoco sequel! But this time, where will we go for our BIGGER THAN EVER Previewrama. You surely don’t want to miss this big event, so mark your calendars and get ready, because Previewrama2 is on its way!