GamesRadar - PSP Previews

MACH - updated look (M.A.C.H.)

Feb 9, 2007

Airplane fans have got it good on PSP right now. Last years release of the suitably impressive Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception certainly proved a hit with fans of all things gravity defying and its about to get better with the imminent appearance of MACH. Thats Modified Air Combat Heroes, to give it its full title - a game that combines the fast-paced, weapon-focused racing of games such as WipEout with traditional aerial dogfighting and a bit of Need for Speed-style vehicle customization ...

Madden NFL 07 impressions (Madden NFL 07)

Jul 27, 2006

The annual evolution of Madden christens "the season" for every would-be athlete, coach, or super fan trapped inside the sweaty cushions of their couches, and Madden NFL 07 is proving no exception. Due to hit stores in August, 07's overhauls to the interface and - more importantly - the running game are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In 07, you'll be able to step up as the lead blocker and crush any oncoming attempt to foil your running game, then meld right back into the light feet ...

Manhunt 2 - hands-on with the game you might never play (Manhunt 2)

Jun 22, 2007

If you spend much time looking at the internet, you already know that Manhunt 2 has been the subject of a lot of controversy of late, getting slapped with an ultra-prohibitive Adults Only rating stateside and being banned outright in most of Europe. As of this writing, it's unknown whether you'll ever get a chance to play through the blood-drenched saga of Dr. Daniel Lamb yourself, and you'll almost certainly never see it in its original, gloriously violent form. But we have, and the things ...

Rockstar reveals Manhunt 2's seedy world (Manhunt 2)

Jun 8, 2007

There's little doubt that Manhunt 2 is going to be another unsettling journey into gaming's darkest alleyways. We've witnessed the brutality that wait in both the Wii and PS2 versions and we can confirm that Rockstar is priming another genuinely disturbing episode for gamers to endure. But the 18-rated gore is only one aspect of creating a truly traumatic ordeal - the world in which the unholy horrors are acted out must provide a suitably bleak setting that will submerge the player fully into ...

Manhunt 2 - first look (Manhunt 2)

Apr 27, 2007

We'll just go ahead and cut to the chase for those of you who've been following the development of Manhunt 2: we've seen the infamous bit where a guy gets his testicles and one of his vertebrae removed by a pair of wire cutters, and yes, it's nasty. Not as nasty as the scene playing out in your head right now - the actual gore is limited to spraying blood and horrible fleshy wrenching noises - but nasty nonetheless. We've also seen a pen broken off in a man's throat, a sex-hotel receptionist ...

Me & My Katamari (Me & My Katamari)

Feb 22, 2006

When a game becomes a series, no matter how damn cool it was the first time around, it's bound to get stale. The faster it happens, the worse its chances. That's the challenge facing the Katamari Damacy series right now. Its third installment in two years is set to hit the PSP, and that's the main hook: the new game is simply exciting by virtue of being portable. Me & My Katamari follows in the path cleared by its PS2 predecessors, which had you collecting everything from coins and children to ...

Medal of Honor Heroes - solo hands-on (Medal of Honor Heroes)

Oct 20, 2006

Last Friday we took you into the 32-player online massacre that is Medal of Honor Heroes - this week we're fleshing out the solo experience. Right off the bat, we're happy to say it's handling just like its PS2 brothers. All the authentic sound effects and weapon designs you've become accustomed to over the years have made the cut, and the busted European layouts extend off into the distance to immerse you in Nazi-run chaos. Each chunk of the game stars a hero from a previous Medal game. In ...

Medal of Honor Heroes - multiplayer hands-on (Medal of Honor Heroes)

Oct 13, 2006

Everyone's familiar by now with the Medal of Honor series and its extensive attention to detail. The sights, sounds and overall experience of the franchise drown you in authenticity, making it one of the most popular shooters on consoles today. But for this PSP version, the biggest draw isn't the presentation - it's the 32-player, fully online deathmatching, a feat no other PSP game can match today. First, we chose which side to fight for. Do we climb into the Allied forces' trusty paratrooper ...

Medal of Honor Heroes - hands-on (Medal of Honor Heroes)

Sep 8, 2006

That megapublisher Electronic Arts is bringing its Medal of Honor series to the PSP should surprise nobody. What is a little surprising, however, is that the World War II first-person shooter actually plays pretty well on Sony's handheld. Resurrecting three heroes from the series' past, Medal of Honor Heroes will put you through 15 missions in Italy, Holland and the Ardennes, all engineered specifically for the PSP. We recently got a chance to try the game's campaign and Skirmish modes, and we ...

Mega Man: Powered up (Mega Man Powered Up)

Mar 7, 2006

The Mega Man series was once everyone's favorite. Those days are long gone, though. The spinoff series, Battle Network and Mega Man X, have stolen the spotlight. No new plain Jane Mega Man game has been produced in nine years. Rather than put out a sequel, Capcom has done the predictable and elected to make us spend $30 on the first game, circa 1987, all over again. Before you get too pissed off at this apparent cash-grab, know that the company is spending some of its own money this time, ...

Mercury Meltdown hands-on (Mercury Meltdown)

Jun 29, 2006

After a few hours of playing Mercury Meltdown, the sequel to last year's roly-polly action puzzler Archer Maclean's Mercury, we had to continually remind ourselves that PSPs cost $250, and it is therefore unwise to shatter them into tiny pieces with hammers. Not because the game is bad; far from it, as tilting precarious aerial platforms to guide a blob of liquid metal around is surprisingly addictive. No, it's because every time that blob drifts slightly over an edge, a chunk of it falls off, ...

Metal Gear Acid 2 (Metal Gear Acid 2)

Feb 28, 2006

By turning the sneaking action of Metal Gear Solid into a card-based strategy game, Metal Gear Acid instantly became the most divisive title on the PSP. Its strategy approach was interesting, sure, but even those who ended up enjoying its odd new direction often got frustrated with the slow pace, endless text tutorials and conspicuous lack of neck-snapping. Strategy-haters probably won't be much happier with Metal Gear Acid 2 when it hits on March 28. But thanks to a few sweeping changes, the ...

Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel (Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel)

May 26, 2006

Ever since the series hit the big time in 1998, we've gotten used to multi-year waits between Metal Gear games. But thanks to the PSP, the series is blowing up. Between the two strategic Metal Gear Acid games, and the upcoming Snake Eater sequel Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, there's already plenty to choose from. But you don't want to forget about Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel. It tells the story of the original Metal Gear Solid through stunning, traditional artwork. Perhaps even ...

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - single-player hands-on (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops)

Nov 22, 2006

In a few short weeks, PSP owners will get their first real Metal Gear Solid game for the handheld; not a turn-based, card-filled strategy game, but an honest-to-God stealth actioner that mimics the gameplay from the PS2 games. We've previewed Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops before, but until now, we've only seen its multiplayer deathmatch mode in action - which is great, don't get us wrong, but it's not the adventure we've been craving. Now that we've gotten our first crack at Portable Ops' ...

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - updated hands-on (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops)

Sep 23, 2006

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops looks a little different every time we see it. However, the time we spent with it during a tournament at the Tokyo Game Show is the biggest leap forward since we first saw the game at E3 in May. Like our previous sessions with the game, this one focused only on the Metal Gear Online-style multiplayer, and it was in the same trench-filled level we explored every other time we've played. But it was a little bigger and more explorable this time, with open doors ...

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - updated hands-on (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops)

Aug 24, 2006

A little bit of the mystery surrounding Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops has fallen away, because we've got new screens, a brand new trailer and - best of all - new details on the handheld sequel to PS2's smash hit Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. To check the trailer - which offers up new plot and gameplay elements, graphic-novel-style cinematics and the first good look at the game's non-robotic Ninja - hit the Movies tab above. Just be sure to come back, because you're going to want to know the ...

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - hands-on (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops)

May 15, 2006

As E3 was winding down on Friday, GamesRadar got a chance to try out Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops in a special closed-door session. While we arrived too late to play the game against series creator Hideo Kojima, we did get a chance to run through a couple rounds of the game's multiplayer deathmatch mode. It wasn't the epic team-based action we were shown in the trailer, but it did give us a taste of things to ...

Miami Vice The Game (Miami Vice: The Game)

Jul 17, 2006

Monday 17 July 2006 Miami Vice opens with an option screen that says as much about gaming's potential for wish fulfilment in four words as you could in 40,000: 'Please Select: Crockett/Tubbs'. Rebellion has taken the deftness for source material it showed with Rogue Trooper and applied it to Michael Mann's series (and now film) with a fizz of neon and a flare of cocktail-pink sunsets. Much less mechanical than you might expect of a handheld movie tie-in, Miami Vice is nonetheless a ...

Miami Vice hands-on (Miami Vice: The Game)

Jul 14, 2006

When we booted up our preview copy of Miami Vice, we expected it to be another run-of-the-mill third-person shooter based on a big summer movie. What we didn't expect was a game that plays so much like Resident Evil 4 that we half-expected some chainsaw-wielding lunatic to leap out and decapitate us. Miami Vice - due July 18 - emulates RE4's trademark behind-the-shoulder view and zoom-in-to-aim mechanic almost perfectly. But where RE4 was a fairly deep action-adventure, Miami Vice is a ...

Micro Machines V4 (Micro Machines v4)

Mar 10, 2006

There are a few evergreen, childhood memories that most of us share. Burning G.I Joes with a magnifying glass, taking Barbie and Ken for a cruise right off the edge of the kitchen table ... all fine ways to kill an afternoon. But buried in that same backyard of nostalgia are the miniature cars, trucks and hotrods of Micro Machines, a toy line that has offered some of the simplest pick-up-and-play racing games of all time. This June, they're back with even more. In true arcade fashion, anyone ...