Now here’s a strange one - a handheld-to-home console port. Rockstar’s must-have PSP title Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is coming to PlayStation 2, and will be available at a knock-down MSRP of $19.99 in North America on June 6 and for €29.99 /£19.99 in Europe on June 9.
The press release we've just received informs us that, “Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories offers PlayStation 2 owners a big screen experience of the same story line and missions, featuring the interactive open environments, innovative gameplay, superb voice talent and diverse music that are the hallmarks of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.”
Speaking to Rockstar Games earlier today, SPOnG was informed that the porting duties on the title have been taken care of by the game’s original development team at Rockstar Leeds. As ever, the guys were unable to give us any more concrete details on the game at this point.
The PSP title has the honour of being the all time number one-selling PSP game. SPOnG patiently awaits further details on the game from our contacts at Rockstar. More than anything, we want to know what - if anything - is new or different about the title. Surely it can’t be merely a straight PSP to PS2 port? Even though it’s being released at a bargain price, SPOnG expects that the game will have to have been improved in some way – so hopefully we’ll get something a little more than just some tarted-up graphics and improved frame-rate and loading times.
Whatever, if you haven’t yet played the best PSP game on the market and don’t have a PSP, then it’s good news either way. Watch this space for details.
The press release we've just received informs us that, “Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories offers PlayStation 2 owners a big screen experience of the same story line and missions, featuring the interactive open environments, innovative gameplay, superb voice talent and diverse music that are the hallmarks of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.”
Speaking to Rockstar Games earlier today, SPOnG was informed that the porting duties on the title have been taken care of by the game’s original development team at Rockstar Leeds. As ever, the guys were unable to give us any more concrete details on the game at this point.
The PSP title has the honour of being the all time number one-selling PSP game. SPOnG patiently awaits further details on the game from our contacts at Rockstar. More than anything, we want to know what - if anything - is new or different about the title. Surely it can’t be merely a straight PSP to PS2 port? Even though it’s being released at a bargain price, SPOnG expects that the game will have to have been improved in some way – so hopefully we’ll get something a little more than just some tarted-up graphics and improved frame-rate and loading times.
Whatever, if you haven’t yet played the best PSP game on the market and don’t have a PSP, then it’s good news either way. Watch this space for details.
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Comments
majin dboy 19 Apr 2006 11:49
1/13
marketing and gaming sluts
merciless_james 19 Apr 2006 14:45
2/13
So there goes the only gaming reason to own a PSP.......
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kid_77 19 Apr 2006 15:00
3/13
merciless_james wrote:
So there goes the only gaming reason to own a PSP.......
Oh, please. I hate to rely on the "... and here's a list why!", but if you want decent exclusives:
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Gradius Portable
Me and My Katamari
Exit
Wipeout Pure
Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble
crs117 19 Apr 2006 15:24
4/13
kid_77 wrote:
merciless_james wrote:
So there goes the only gaming reason to own a PSP.......
Oh, please. I hate to rely on the "... and here's a list why!", but if you want decent exclusives:
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Gradius Portable
Me and My Katamari
Exit
Wipeout Pure
Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble
Oh and dont forget the best reason to own a psp...all of the incredible $20 umd movies.
I am going out to buy one today.
kid_77 19 Apr 2006 15:40
5/13
crs117 wrote:
Oh and dont forget the best reason to own a psp...all of the incredible $20 umd movies.
I am going out to buy one today.
I am going out to buy one today.
Pay attention at the back.
Why are you going on about movies? Only a bottomless-pocketed cretin would pay good money for UMDs.
merciless_james said "gaming wise" there are no decent exclusives after GTA, to which I offered some examples of why I disagree.
crs117 19 Apr 2006 17:36
6/13
kid_77 wrote:
Why are you going on about movies? Only a bottomless-pocketed cretin would pay good money for UMDs.
Obviously you missed the humor in my statement...frankly that there really is no good reason to own the, sleek looking but pales in comparison to the nintendo DS in actual real world offerings, psp.
When the ds lite comes out you can start the funeral bells for the psp in the states. People in the US love slick looking hardware (which accounts for most of psp's sales alone), and the DS lite has it in spades.
kid_77 19 Apr 2006 17:47
7/13
crs117 wrote:
Obviously you missed the humor in my statement...
Well, I could see what you were trying to do: a "LOL" side-swipe at the failing and expensive UMD movie format. THAT I won't argue with, as you'll gather from my last post...
But I WILL argue the PSP has a decent current (and upcoming) roster of games. Care to offer an opinion on this, the original subject, which I was hoping to eke out of you in your last post?
crs117 19 Apr 2006 18:04
8/13
kid_77 wrote:
crs117 wrote:
Obviously you missed the humor in my statement...
Well, I could see what you were trying to do: a "LOL" side-swipe at the failing and expensive UMD movie format. THAT I won't argue with, as you'll gather from my last post...
But I WILL argue the PSP has a decent current (and upcoming) roster of games. Care to offer an opinion on this, the original subject, which I was hoping to eke out of you in your last post?
Nothing besides the fact that the psp gta game is the main game that most psp owners have appreciated owning the psp for and now its not a psp exclusive anymore thus killing the motivation to purchase the psp. I dont care how many psp games you list as either being fun or what not...this was really the only mainstream killer title.
So i said it...start the mourning...psp is getting ready to start dying in the states.
merciless_james 19 Apr 2006 18:29
9/13
Those games you listed kid_77, a quick look at Gamerankings.com reveals that none of them are in the top 250, and none have averaged over 90%, infact Me and My Katamari is ranked at 1607th and Exit at 1152nd. So hardly a list of decent games then.
kid_77 19 Apr 2006 18:58
10/13
I only said decent, not earth-shatteringly-magnificent, like Ocarina of Time or RE4... and you'll forgive me for taking Gameranking.com with a pinch of salt:
- 'NFL 2K1' 9th best game ever?
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape 47th?
- Reviews submitted by 'Kenston High School'?
Animal Crossing: Wild World is only 399th! The only other game to have consumed that many hours of my life in the last 5 years is Halo 2, and it WILL overtake it.
You Ninty fanboys will have to try harder if I'm to stop looking forward to Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins and Gran Turismo Mobile.
- 'NFL 2K1' 9th best game ever?
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape 47th?
- Reviews submitted by 'Kenston High School'?
Animal Crossing: Wild World is only 399th! The only other game to have consumed that many hours of my life in the last 5 years is Halo 2, and it WILL overtake it.
You Ninty fanboys will have to try harder if I'm to stop looking forward to Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins and Gran Turismo Mobile.
realvictory 19 Apr 2006 23:26
11/13
Then again, "decent" is the key word. A PSP costing say £150 does what that makes it seem necessary when I already have a PS2?
Also, Sony kind of say that it's basically a portable PS2 as well. However, even if you can play the same game on both, using the same save data, you still have to buy both copies of the game, which hardly makes sense.
I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the PSP as such, but I already have a Playstation 2, and it seems a bit of an expensive way to play the same games, but on the bus. If the games are the same, they might as well have made it read PS2 discs in the first place. It's like the Playstation brand of games, except not compatible with the other Playstation consoles; but it feels like it should be compatible, because it's the same games, and the same brand.
On the other hand, they could either make more original games, or just make better games for the PSP.
Also, Sony kind of say that it's basically a portable PS2 as well. However, even if you can play the same game on both, using the same save data, you still have to buy both copies of the game, which hardly makes sense.
I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the PSP as such, but I already have a Playstation 2, and it seems a bit of an expensive way to play the same games, but on the bus. If the games are the same, they might as well have made it read PS2 discs in the first place. It's like the Playstation brand of games, except not compatible with the other Playstation consoles; but it feels like it should be compatible, because it's the same games, and the same brand.
On the other hand, they could either make more original games, or just make better games for the PSP.
warbaby 21 Apr 2006 03:51
12/13
The day will be fondly remembered as the day greed killed the PSP... Rockstar goes for profits rather than supporting the PSP. If they gave a shat about the PSP they would left it as an exclusive title. I always find the PSP as a drifter, better than a handheld unit, not quite as good as a console... and we are left with intermediate looking and playing games... (not always the case).
I could care less what happens, I go where the games are. DS seems to be stripping my wallet currently...
I could care less what happens, I go where the games are. DS seems to be stripping my wallet currently...
realvictory 21 Apr 2006 18:43
13/13
No, I do think that the PSP has the potential to replace the PS2, with the same level of quality; it's just that it doesn't have everything it needs to be able to do it - if it played PS2 games and connected to a PS2 or TV, I think that would be an improvement.
Obviously, it's portable, not a living room thing, but it's trying to base its success on the success of the PS2, in my opinion, so why not make it more connectible/compatible?
What it doesn't have, that is the main factor that made the PS2 (Playstation brand) a success, is the range of games. Fair enough, they could make "versions" of PS2 games for it, but then its potential is still limited by the number of games it actually has.
Once they start porting games between it and the PS2, people who own neither may as well get a PS2, and people who already own a PS2 might as well buy the PS2 ports instead. If they're going to make the same games on both, just make it play PS2 games. Then people might not buy it if they own a PS2, but it makes it an accessory as opposed to a more expensive alternative. Let's face it - are people really going to buy two copies of the same game because they own both? I don't think they will.
The problem is now, that more games will become ports, and because people already own a PS2, it will stop them having a reason to buy a PSP. The way Nintendo did it was much more sensible - two different games that interact between versions.
Obviously, it's portable, not a living room thing, but it's trying to base its success on the success of the PS2, in my opinion, so why not make it more connectible/compatible?
What it doesn't have, that is the main factor that made the PS2 (Playstation brand) a success, is the range of games. Fair enough, they could make "versions" of PS2 games for it, but then its potential is still limited by the number of games it actually has.
Once they start porting games between it and the PS2, people who own neither may as well get a PS2, and people who already own a PS2 might as well buy the PS2 ports instead. If they're going to make the same games on both, just make it play PS2 games. Then people might not buy it if they own a PS2, but it makes it an accessory as opposed to a more expensive alternative. Let's face it - are people really going to buy two copies of the same game because they own both? I don't think they will.
The problem is now, that more games will become ports, and because people already own a PS2, it will stop them having a reason to buy a PSP. The way Nintendo did it was much more sensible - two different games that interact between versions.