Yesterday at the 2004 Game Developer’s Conference in San Jose, CA, Digital Eclipse's Chris Charla unveiled the company's forthcoming Death Jr, the PSP exclusive most likely to be one of the machine’s launch titles. Actual details of the game were pretty scarce but the in-game footage on show did give a good indication of what we can expect from the highly anticipated portable, further supporting Sony's claims of PS2-quality software.
The game takes the form of your average 3D platform adventure, with players taking control of a little grim reaper as he fulfils his usual quota of exploration and combat-based objectives. Speaking of the machine's power, Charla addressed, "Polygon for polygon, PSP has more power than PS2." This is clearly evident from the footage, which appeared comfortably on a par with the latter machine's first-generation offerings. Visual effects were in abundance, with dancing flame effects showering the screen, tracers accentuating the hero's weapon motion, and some impressive lighting further enhancing the game's eerie mood.
Speaking about development issues, Charla stated that, "A huge number of effects that are given to you in software on PS2 are available in hardware on PSP", before going on to add that the company had its first PSP title up and running within two man-weeks, and a PS2 port functioning within four - good news for developers and gamers alike.
We'll be sure to bring you further details as they emerge. In the meantime, check out these images.