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Get Loco: LocoRoco Newsletter
May 13th, 2007 Volume 2, Issue 1
Please visit our blog: http://locoroco.wordpress.com
Comments? Questions?: contactlocoroco@gmail.com
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Welcome! It's
been awhile since our last newsletter, but we're very confident that you'll
like this edition. Get Loco has been transformed from a small blog to a large blog with
numerous affiliates and thousands of views thanks to the popularity of LocoRoco. We're hoping that you'll enjoy this
feature-packed edition with numerous columns that speculate, analyze, and
inform:
- News of the Month- All of the late breaking, developing, and
important news stories are reported. This month: God of War PSP Confirmation,
PSP A No-Show at GDC, Numerous LocoRoco
Projects in the books.
- What We're Blogging-
We chat about our newfound
success and why we think so many people like our blog.
- [EDITORIAL] What the PSP is Missing (littlevish)- Beyond Loco administrator and founder littlevish uncovers what he thinks the Playstation Portable is missing.
- [THE MONTHLY CORNER] Peripheral Madness (Brandon Spencer)- PSPGN-administrator Brandon Spencer
explores what SONY needs to do to make good peripherals.
- [COMMENTARY] Shooting Blanks (locoroco)- Why SONY can't win the handheld race and
why advertising is to blame.
- [FEATURE] Muy Loco (littlevish and locoroco)- LocoRoco
custom level-designer speaks about his inspirations in making new levels
and his plans for the future.
- [REVIEW] Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon
Review (TCLCloud)- PSP117 founder and PSP-expert TCLCloud has
a review for the latest Harvest Moon game.
- Meet Our Affiliates- Meet our affiliates and get to know them!
- Epilogue and Special Thanks!
Thanks for viewing and
enjoy! See you next month!
Sincerely,
locoroco.
Administrator, Blogger, and Founder of Get Loco::LocoRoco
Blog
Administrator, Founder of Get Loco::LocoRoco
Newsletter
Moderator of Beyond Loco (Get Loco
Forums)/Contributor to PSP Gaming Network
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News of the Month
LocoRoco: Making News New Demo Commemorates Platinum Status in Japan SCEJ released a new
LocoRoco demo that has some interesting new
features. It's most definitely something to check out! Don't
Despair!; Platinum Status is Here... LocoRoco went platinum
in the UK and in Japan along with many others. LocoRoco
Developer Answers Fans Questions LocoRoco
developer Gregg Tavares
answered user-submitted questions at Get Loco's
affiliate Beyond Loco and he had some very interesting things to say. Don't forget;
visit our official forums at Beyond Loco! New Cheat Codes Revealed by Tavares Himself Tavares revealed
some new and interesting cheat codes that are easy to use on his blog... Also, our podcast/For
Your Consideration has returned.
PSP:
Making News New Demos
Finally Avaliable SONY has thankfully ramped up demo production and
brought some exciting and dull demos to download in the recent months--MGS:
Portable Ops Multiplayer, DJ Max Portable 2, MLB
07: The Show, NBA
07, Lumines 2, and Syphon Filter. Download them and enjoy!
God of War PSP Title Named "Chains of Olympus" Ready at Dawn made magazine covers once they announced a God of
War PSP edition, and it finally has a name:
Chains of Olympus. Don't miss the trailer
and information.
The game has been tapped for a November 2007 release. WipEout
Pure Sequel Ahead Studio Liverpool made
history with a "digital distribution" system that provided extra
content for the hit futuristic racer, WipEout
Pure. Now they're making history AGAIN with WipEout
Pulse, the sequel
that's supposed to improve
everything from the last game and add online multiplayer. It's supposed to
arrive later this year. PaRappa
the Rapper heading to US SCEA
dated
PaRappa the Rapper for this July; the PSOne port was sent to Japan last December. SONY Sending Downloadable
Content to PSP SONY will finally create
a digital distribution-network to provide both movies and games in the
distant future--it looks hopeful. Killzone
Infrastructure Coming, But Not Now Delays and more delays have
prevented the Killzone: Liberation infrastrucuture patch from heading to territories; even
though a Command Center opened
recently, it's still MIA. Yet, a gaming site says May 21st could be the date.
Hot Brain is the PSP's "Brain Age" This
brain-game brings you into a whole new adventure. Enjoy!
Square Enix Party 2007 Crisis Core Dated in Japan The
much-anticipated original Final Fantasy-game will make its debut
September 13th, 2007 in Japan. A release date has not been set for neither the Americas, Europe, or Oceania. ...And Did We Mention it Looks
Spectacular? One in-game screenshot was enough to make us want to
faint; graphics look stellar--and critics love
it! Mysterious "Dissidia" also
headed to PSP Square Enix wants to make sure that the PSP is
not forgotten. New screens
of this mysterious brawler-like game
look amazing; no release information for territories other than Japan, though. More news here!
Also: Did you
miss Previewrama? Check out the amazing
game-previewing event here!
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What
We're Blogging
It's
hard to imagine that in a
matter of months your blog could become very
successful. That's the kind of story that people tell when they hear of my blog. Not only are we one of the fastest growing blogs in the community, but we've accumulated nearly
30,000 views in total. I was very excited to look at our numbers every day
and see improvements and good increases. I've only heard good news for the
past few months and that has been wonderful. Being able to run a podcast, newsletter, and a blog
all at the same time has been a lot harder than many people could imagine it,
but for the most part, I've pulled it off. Both the podcast
and newsletter were big afterthoughts, and if it wasn't for a few
contributors, I probably would've been doing it all by myself.
I think that the response my blog has gotten in the
cyberspace community has been an aweful event in my
life. But, it makes me wonder exactly why people like my blog
so much. I believe it starts with the game at first and fans wanting to find
out more information about it. That's exactly what it started with. Either
some type of charm or some type of benefit that the readers saw brought them
to my site again and I gained many faithful readers who simultaneously
subscribed to my blog's growing RSS feed. This was
a great period of time.
I also think that my idea to create both a podcast
and newsletter helped my chances. It really shows how great of a game LocoRoco is. Despite somewhat tepid sales, the critical
acclaim of this game and high publicization of it
helped our blog to succeed as well. I think our big
break of loyalty came when more demos started hitting (mostly the
holiday-themed ones) and people realized our blog.
My final theory is that I update too often for my own good. I am always
making small or large changes to the blog to keep it
fresh--users never like when they come to a website out of their way to see
the same old things. Not only do I update the blog,
but I also update the designs and I personally feel that many people
appreciate that.
I suppose nobody will ever know why so many people are interested in my blog, but I can guess, right?
--locoroco.
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Editorial: What the PSP is Missing
By: littlevish, Admin and Founder of Beyond Loco
The PSP is the most powerful portable
gaming device on the market today. Not only that,
it plays your favorite music, videos and can surf the web. So the question
is: why don't people buy the PSP? The PSP easily has more potential, better
graphics, and more capability than the Nintendo DS, so why is it that the DS sells
incredibly well while the PSP continues to sit on the shelves?
The
answer is complicated, and tends to vary from person to person. Some people
are angry that Sony continues to attempt to demolish the homebrew scene,
while others are frustrated with the lack of useful
software updates, or even just the common misconception that the PSP has no
good games.
The
PSP has been steadily improving with hit games such as Socom Fireteam Bravo 2,
Medal of Honor: Heroes, multiple Grand Theft Auto games, and Burnout Dominator, along with the recently announced God
of War. And of course there is the long awaited Final Fantasy Crisis Core is
also going to sell some PSP's in the
near future. While those are all great games, none of those are PSP
exclusive. The PSP has a solid lineup of games. The
thing is, the PSP
seems to lack some originality. PS2 ports easily outnumber the amount of
original games on the PSP, and in my opinion, that is where the problem lies.
(Socom FTB, GTA
aren't exactly ports, but they are not games
exclusive to the PSP platform). Ask a non-PSP owner to name some PSP games.
See how many they list off that aren't ports of a PS2 game. I bet most of
them won't be able to tell you any exclusive PSP titles. Maybe a hardcore
gamer will know of Lumines
(possibly only because of the XBOX Live arcade game), or maybe they will have
seen Loco Roco.
But
the PSP is missing a unique game. Sure Lumines and Loco
Roco are
unique--they are some of the most original games I have ever played. But the
PSP needs a must-have game. Think about the XBOX.
How many people do you think bought that just for Halo? A great deal of them.
Now how many people do you think bought a PSP to buy Lumines? Not too
many. Back to the DS now--a lot of people are buying the Nintendo DS to play Brain Age, or Nintendogs, and
even Pokémon (which I thought was dead). The thing is, today's portable crowd
isn't necessarily looking for the bloodiest, mature rated shooter.
Ultimately, gamers just want to have fun, and fun is exactly what the Nintendo DS provides.
I
think that a few things could make the PSP competitive with the DS, and
ultimately a popular gaming system.
The
first thing involves what Sony should do with the system itself, not so much
with the games they release. Sony needs to let them
homebrew community in. If you are so worried about illegal activity, close
off some parts of the system and make some development kits, then make the
homebrew games have to go through Sony before they are released. Secondly,
Sony needs to make some updates that actually do
something. First of all, the PS Store needs to come to the PS3. The most
anticipated feature of all time for the PSP was downloadable Playstation One
games. Those came, but require you to have a 60 GB ($600) PS3 to download
these games for about $6. Yeah, right. I'm gonna go buy a
PS3 to buy a $6 game that I could pick up in a bargain bin at my local Gamestop. Yep,
that's what I'm gonna do. And
finally, release the Chotto Shot
camera and GPS in the United States. These things have been doing
decent in Japan, so bring 'em over here for us to enjoy.
Game-wise,
they need a game with a "Wow" factor. I think for some games, Sony
needs to back to it's roots
and come out with some platformers. Sony
needs to bring back Crash, Spyro and some of the other guys. I think some old-school games made
new (not just ported!) would definitely draw in some gamers. Another thing
the PSP could use is a huge online shooter. Sure Socom and
Medal of Honor are great, but Sony needs something to be the Halo or Gears of War of the PSP. And finally, I think they
should just quit focusing their energy on quick ports of PS2 games, and spend
their time and energy making some real, original games.
I
think the PSP can be saved, but it wouldn't surprise me if in two years it is almost dead. I hope this doesn't happen,
but I can see it coming.
--littlevish.
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Monthly Corner: Peripheral Madness
By: Brandon
Spencer, Founder and Blogger for PSPGN
Sony's PlayStation
Portable is the most advanced handheld gaming console ever made. One would
assume that such a capable device would bring a variety of useful accessories
along with it. I would be lying if I said that the PSP doesn't have any cool
peripherals. The problem is that they just aren't very accessible yet.
Sony didn't market the PSP as a gaming device. They declared it an all-in-one
media player. Unfortunately, to use any kind of media, you need memory. And
for memory you have to buy MemorySticks. Certainly,
the new 8GB MemoryStick Duo and the prospective
32GB would satisfy most users' media cravings. However, an 8-gig MemoryStick is hardly worth the $325 that the accessory
demands.
Another exciting peripheral for the PlayStation Portable is the USB camera,
also known as Go! Cam (or Chotto Shot in Japan). The affordable attachment takes video clips,
snaps photos, and records audio. Released in Japan last fall, the camera has finally been given a
European release date of May 16. Unfortunately there has been no word of a US release yet. It's sad that Sony has waited this
long to get the camera out on the market. This is the kind of peripheral that
should have been available from the beginning.
The PSP GPS attachment goes for a fair price of $59.99. However, no one is
sure if the accessory will ever leave the shores of Japan. The GPS unit attaches to the top of the PSP in
the same fashion as the camera. The unit allows for a new world of
possibilities. Imagine switching on your PSP and tracking down other PSP
owners in your area. Or mounting your PlayStation Portable to your car's
dashboard for driving directions. Who knows what else GPS is capable of.
Rumors have been flying around for months now about a PSP2 in the works.
However, I think most gamers would agree that the PSP doesn't really need a
redesign. Most people would just be happy with cheaper MemorySticks
and some cool new peripherals. When will our wishes come true? One can dream…
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Commentary: Shooting Blanks
By: locoroco,
Admin and Founder of Get
Loco:: LocoRoco Blog
Every single gaming blogger--except for
the avid PSP blogs--have criticized SONY recently.
They've come up with two myths: 1) the PS3 can't sell because it's too
expensive and doesn't have any good games and 2) the PSP can't sell well
because it has no good and attractive software. Both are obviously myths. The
PS3 has games like Virtua Fighter 5, Resistance:
Fall of Man, NBA 2K7, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
And that's pretty great considering that most are third-party games--thus
proving that the third-party support is actually there (it's what made the
PS2 a success; ask anybody). The PSP has pretty attractive games like LocoRoco, the GTA-series, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Madden and NBA
Live, and even Ratchet & Clank.
The truth is that SONY's advertising is hurting it,
not these myths. The PSP advertising has been trying to target the teen crowd
since it was first released. It has failed to do so with lame advertising
mottos like "Dude, get your own" and others. They've simply failed
because they do not do the right thing. The PSP fails to advertise any gameplay or any features in games, such as online play,
and it fails to prove that games like GTA and LocoRoco
are clearly hits. They have also failed to reveal that SONY offers tons
of demos free for download, and uses services like TIVO to GO to provide
videos. Without this, many people simply believe myths about the PSP. The
advertising needs to get right in order for the PSP to improve in sales.
Secondly, by targeting the teen audiences with ads that don't captivate the
audience will obviously hurt SONY. Something needs to budge.
Plus, the PS3 advertising is, to put it simply, disturbing. They make no
sense, but SONY has recently gotten something right by showing gameplay and advertising features and capabilities (such
as HD support and even SIXAXIS motion). SONY could even improve
advertisements by creating an "anthem" commercial to advertise all
of the games that are currently on shelves and critically acclaimed.
Advertising is an extremely important part of becoming successful. Ask
Nationwide Insurance and Geico Insurance. With
their catchy and clearly humorous advertisements, they've been able to garner
a load of customers in as little as 15 seconds. You might even want to ask
DELL; Ben Curtis (famous for his dude, you're getting a DELL catchprase) helped the company move many PCs and gain
numerous customers.
Because SONY already has the devices and software, it's time to step up and
go for the gold. It might not happen this year or maybe even next year, but
longevity is key to SONY's
strategy. And advertising will clearly help out that strategy.
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Feature
ˇMuy
Loco!: Q&A with Custom Level Designer
Interviewer:
locoroco of Get
Loco // Interviewee: littlevish of Beyond Loco
I became very interested in the custom level designs
created by littlevish on the Playstation forums and mentioned it on my blog. I didn't expect that such a partnership would come from
this small mention, and when I did contact him, I was a bit giddy. He seemed
as down-to-earth as apple pie and as interested in LocoRoco as I am. Here's this great interview:
Q: How did you first find out about the game LocoRoco?
A:
I saw the demo on the official Playstation site.
I downloaded it, and after playing for 5 minutes or so, my immediate
impression was: "This game stinks." Having a 32 MB card at the
time, I deleted but later re-downloaded it after
reading the hype. I loved it the 2nd time (no idea why the change) and bought
the game the week it came out.
Q:
What attracted you to the game?
A:
I liked the simplicity. You need 3 buttons to play the entire game. The 2D graphics were awesome and different than anything I'd
seen. Plus, I just liked the challenge of finding everything. There really
aren't too many platforming/find
stuff games around any more.
Q:
What sparked you to create custom levels?
A:
I had always wanted to make games but have always
lacked the skill or patience. When I found out about the Loco Editor, I
thought it would be awesome to make my own levels. At first I distributed
them on the Playstation site,
but then I had the idea to create my own site. We
now have over 260 members, many of whom have contributed their own levels to
the site.
Q:
In your opinion, which is your favorite custom level?
A:
Wow. That may be the toughest question yet. I have played almost every level
on my site (except for the European ones which
don't work on the US game) and I like them all in different ways. But if I
had to choose, I think I'd choose Animeniac's "Frustrator." That name is quite fitting. I have spent a couple
of hours trying to beat that level and can't do it.
I can finish but can't get 100%. To my knowledge nobody has gotten everything
on it. If you want to try it out yourself, it's available on my site.
Q:
What games do you own for the PSP besides LocoRoco?
A:
I own a pretty good amount of PSP games, although I
haven't bought many lately. Here's what I have:
Burnout
Dominator
Lumines (2nd favorite behind Loco Roco)
NHL
07
Wipeout
Pure
Ridge
Racer
Exit
Sega
Genesis Collection
Sonic
Rivals
As
you can tell, I'm a pretty big fan of the racing genre.
Q:
Do you use homebrew, and if yes, why?
A:
No, and I never have except for the old 2.80 TIFF homebrew. Unfortunately, at
the time I saw the World Tour Soccer Demo and upgraded to 2.81, oblivious to
the fact that it patched the TIFF exploit AND that there was hex-edited demo available. Never been a homebrewer since
and currently run 3.40. I downloaded it for DVD quality movies but I can't
get them to play, so it's pretty much a bad deal all around.
Q:
What is the biggest improvement, in your opinion, that SONY could make to the PSP?
A:
More games, along with an online store. PS1 downloads from your PSP and PC are a
must.
Q:
Do you think that it's imminent that the PSP receives a redesign very soon?
A:
No, I don't think so. It's not selling well as it is, so I don't think sony puts
their time, energy, and money into a new PSP now. Their focus is still on the
PS3 at this point.
Q:
Would you like to see a LocoRoco sequel, and if
yes, what kind of improvements would you like to see made to the game?
A:
What do you mean, "Would I like to see a Loco Roco
sequel?" Of course! I'm sure we will see one. It has almost been
confirmed by Phil Harrison, and Sony is working on a lot of things Loco Roco (see
Gregg Tavares interview on my site).
I
think there are several improvements to be made.
Not to say the current level editor isn't good, but it could use an overhaul.
I'd like to have more than one predefined map, along with the ability to add
in secret areas, enemies, Mui Mui etc.
Another thing that I would love is for the gamesaves to be
universal. For example, a level created on the European version of the game
will not play on the North American version. Universal gamesaves would be
great. There are some great looking levels out there that I cannot play.
Q:
What do you think of the next-generation video
gaming race that is currently unfolding and are you a fan of the PS3?
A:
I'm not a big fan of the PS3. First of all, it's overpriced. I know, I
know it has a Blu Ray
player which you can't get for under $1000 right now.
So that makes it a bargain, right!?!? No. $600 is too much for a gaming
system, especially when it hardly has any games, let alone exclusive games.
I
don't see myself ever buying a 360, but I do think it will ultimately win out
over the PS3 and Wii. If I ever do purchase a next-gen
system, I will be buying a Nintendo Wii.
Loco
Roco actually
seems like a game that you'd see on a Nintendo system. I would love to see
Loco Roco for the Wii,
although obviously this will never happen as Loco Roco is made
by SCEA.
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Review: Innocent Life: A Futuristic
Harvest Moon
By:
TCLCloud, Founder and Blogger for PSP117
The first Harvest Moon game was released
in 1997 for the SNES. Ten years later, the series has spawned more than 20
games and spin-offs on nearly every console. Now, ten years after its
original release a new spin-off game is coming to the PSP. Now, after playing
the game I can see why it is considered a spin-off but any die hard harvest
Moon fan will know, the core of the game is the same as it has been for
years, run a farm as effectively and efficiently as you can to make the most
profit and achieve the games set goals, whether it be getting married, making
a certain amount of money or in this one, save the island from destruction.
However, there are distinct differences
between this game and its predecessors. Firstly, the farm you gain possession
of is not from a recently deceased relative. In fact the farm is on the roof
of some ruins! Secondly, you’re not just a teenager who randomly gets given a
farm; you’re a robot, built to man the farm. It sounds strange and that’s
because it is. Traditionally the series has been about running a farm for the
sake of the game and making a lot of money. This time your character is built
to run the farm and solve the islands mysteries in an attempt to save the
island and its inhabitants from an active volcano.
These differences may seem odd for the
type of game this is, a farming simulator but the fact that it expands on an
already successful formula could swing it either way for gamers. Those who
have played previous games could enjoy this more, with a more interesting
story and much more to do than just farming, but at the same time it could be
enjoyed less by those die hard fans who love the series as it is and who were
hoping for a simple port with graphical updates, because this isn’t
that.
In terms of gameplay
you can expect the game to be pretty farm orientated, with crops and animals
being available to grow and raise on the farm.
Sticking to simple farming is an option but adventure is another, but having
to farm and adventure requires good management of your time. Swanning off to the other side of the island will require
you to wake up early and performing farm duties such as watering, harvesting
and feeding before you leave. Adventuring will allow you to access better
items and coloured jewels that affect your fields
in positive ways, such as better retention of water or faster growth. These
jewels also allow more of the ruins you live in to be unlocked and explored.
As you progress you will gain access to new crops throughout the seasons,
different animals and even a quad bike!
Graphics are good, better than any other
portable Harvest Moon game to date and probably better than a few of the
console versions too. I say that they are good, not great for a couple of
reasons. Firstly, there are no amazing cutscenes to
watch and secondly, the game is not about graphics, I mean, how good could
the graphics really be on a farm-sim?
The music is also good. The BGM on your
farm is pleasant and forgettable, which is exactly what you want from a song
when you’re going to be hearing it so much. The sound affects in the game are
also decent, many adding to the immersion of the game.
Scoring:
Graphics: 7/10
Nice solid looking game, no glitches so
far. Some impressive views but mostly a decent looking game throughout.
Sounds: 7/10
Again, nothing amazing but certainly
nothing bad.
Controls: 8/10
Nice and easy to pick up and learn.
Portability: 10/10
You can save at the end of each day,
which can last between 3 minutes or half an hour. So you can for as long or
as short as you like.
Gameplay: 9/10
Highly addictive, super gaming for all
ages with its adventure/RPG/Farming hybrid style.
Total: 41/50 = 82%
A must own for all previous player of
the series and a good introduction to the series for all first time farmers.
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Meet Our Affiliates!
PSPGN is a website devoted to the Playstation
Portable, providing news and homebrew information at every corner. In
addition to blogging, Brandon Spencer also has
tutorials on how to use the PSP and more. You'll love this informative and
fun website. locoroco runs
a weekly column on PSPGN, as well.
PSP117 is a website also devoted to the PSP. It's founder, TCLCloud, runs a portal that has file
downloads galore. In addition, the site runs its own PSP-related forum, has a
section for opinionated blogging from a
"junkie's" perspective, and more. Don't miss this great website!
Beyond Loco is a forum
run by custom level designer littlevish and it has
been run for months now. It includes many of the custom levels littlevish has made himself in addition to guest custom
levels and a full-fledged forum with devoted members. In addition, littlevish has helped and created an official Get Loco
part of the forum. Thanks!

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Thanks yet
again for your contributions to this newsletter. Thanks to you, Get Loco, the
blog has achieved success with nearly 30,000 total
views since I first blogged. This is pretty
impressive considered it was supposed to be a small part-time hobby and it
has now turned into a daily part of my life. I am thankful to everyone that I
have been given the opportunity to run a blog, podcast, and newsletter and find success in each venue. I
am also grateful to all of our contributors; without you, I am nothing.
I hope to see you guys soon!
--locoroco.
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