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Has Sony released the sexiest handheld yet? lain Davidson checks out the latest in gaming tech.
en. perhaps 15 minutes after you first pick up a PSP. you forget you
are holding it. The shape of it melts into your hand. your eyes stop
wandering off the screen. and you become engrossed in whatever game you are playing. All the millions of dollars and years of work Sony ploughed into the design and manufacture of this handheld miracle and all it takes is a quarter of an hour for that to vanish. Which is strange because up to that point the PSP experience is all kick-your-ass. gawping idiot. ‘c’mere and see this!” amazement.
You won’t believe the screen. Looking at pictures in a magazine won‘t help you. Drawing the dimensions on a piece of paper won‘t help you. Only witnessing it in the plastic. holding it betwixt your hands. and playing with it conveys the majesty of this little marvel. It has a refresh rate faster than your telly and colours as vibrant as the make—up on a footballer‘s wife. It feels as big as a cinema screen and getting lost in it is easy whether in your bed. on a bus or sitting on the loo. All of this is up until it fades away. of course.
Because the PSP has been designed to be invisible. And it is a design that works. The buttons are all in the right places. The weight is not too heavy yet reassurineg solid. Even the texture is accepted and forgotten by your brain. much like your favourite underwear. You don't feel it because you trust it.
But what can you do with it? Well. the disc system the PSP uses allows movies, as well as a variety of other media. to be played. There is a pretty impressive line-up of A-list releases scheduled and for any long tedious trip this could be a godsend. However. the PSP will be judged on its games. Which is fortunate because even the launch titles are lovely indeed.
Beside the likes of Wipeout: Pure and Archer Macme '5' Mercury there is Everybody '3‘ Golf, a perennial favourite of the non-geeky golfer. Or for the equally sporty there is World Tour Soccer or World Snooker Championship. Puzzle fans can enjoy the excellent Lumines or the cartoon silliness of Ape
Academy. Colin MacRae, F1. MediEvil. Untold Legends and Need for
Speed all beg for your attention too. None of these titles would disgrace an older machine but for a first day roster it is amazing. The only problem is how to afford them all, both financially and temporally. There’s many a bus ride needed to get the most out of that list.
Ultimately the PSP is a brain-washing machine. While you swiftly forget it rests in your hands, you also forget the past. Can it only have been such a short time ago that we played Pokemon on black and white screens and marvelled at the 3D effects on the PlayStation? The PSP wipes those memories clean. This is the future and you won‘t even know it.
Sony PSP is available from electronics retailers, RRP £179.
PLAY
Reviews
PSP WIPEOUT: PURE (Sony) 00000
It is terribly, terribly difficult to describe how lovely Wr'peout: Pure feels in your hands without giggling like a naughty schoolboy. Elucidating on how responsive it is. how pleasing the sense of movement is and how much fun it is to invite your friends round for a session of head-to-head joy. all while being mindful of the word 'handheld'. makes avoiding the double entendre almost impossible.
But let's try. Wipeout: Pure is nearly perfect. The PSP screen handles the breakneck anti-gray speed with ease. rarely punishing yOu for crawling behind your reflexes. Both familiar and fresh, rewarding both new blood and old hands. Pure's biggest achievement is smashing the drudgery of repetitive handheld genres. It's not a strategy game. It's not a virtual card game. It's a balls-Out chunk of adrenaline-pumping madness that should keep even the most attention-deficient person occupied. And if that isn't worth choking
the chicken over then nothing is. (lain Davidson)
PSP
ARCHER MACLEAN’S MERCURY (Ignition) 0000.
Archer MacLean '3 Mercury is a rare treat. While it is immediately playable. with the simplest of simple premises and a control system that a fingerless monkey could master. it is challenging. engaging and feels like a brand new idea. All you do is guide a drop of mercury round a maze. That‘s it. But so precise and believable is the animation that the fluid dynamics of a lump of molten metal become both your friend and enemy.
Lateral thinking helps. particularly in later levels when the mercurial blob must be split. with each new globule providing its own challenge. The
mazes are carefully crafted and their gradual progression is beautifully judged. The transition. from early levels that tease yOur fingers to the later leviathans that utterly destroy y0ur brain. borders on perfect. A new idea that features old-school challenge on the latest
&
machine? Thanks Archer. (lain Davidson)
PSP
TONY HAWK’S UNDERGROUND 2: REMIX (Activision) 0000
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It is surprising how little Sony has relied on familiar brands for the launch of its PSP. Most of the titles are new. and a few are fresh takes on Old favourites. while THUG2.‘ Rem/x is really the closest to a traditional conversion on the launch list. And even then it is not too bad. The worst aspect is the lack of exactness displayed by its older brothers. This makes linking those all- important. and patently ridiculous. combos together something of a challenge of blind repetition rather than hand-to-eye skill.
But the levels are all present and though the screen struggles once in a little while. the action is fluid and enjoyable. It might not be the best of the launch titles but it is hard to fault the execution of THUG2.‘ Remix and. as the console matures. let's hope fast. involving. vibrant action games such as this become a mainstay.
(lain Davidson)
CELEB
There are so many celebs out there for whom the bell has tolled. And here's a website for you to check up on some of your favourites of yesteryear. and see just what happened when the fame ran out for Transvision Vamp. the Thompson Twins or the cast of Rentaghost. www.thebubbleburst.co.uk
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Some lovely graphics here to while away the hours. whether you're up for creating new species of bugs or watching butterflies flit across y0ur cyber screen. All are crisp. clean and beautifully designed in their free roaming AI with some delightful touches of interaction. www.adrianlafond.com
8—2? Sop 200:") THE LIST 101