Sony PSP outsold the Nintendo DS Lite in Japan in March but Wii buyers greatly outnumbered PS3 newbies, according to latest published numbers. A Reuters report confirms this.
Still on PSP, USA Today highly recommends Crisis Core:
As with most Final Fantasy chapters, story is core to the experience. Writers effectively capture the camaraderie between characters, particularly Zack and Cloud, protagonist. Players also get a glimpse at other key figures, including Aerith and Sephiroth.
The presentation sets an epic tone. The computer-generated cut scenes are astonishing, even on the PSP’s small screen. Musical transitions between calm and combat are handled nicely, often flipping from a soothing tune to a vicious riff of heavy guitars. One drawback is the inability to skip cut scenes if you must replay a level.
Combat and exploration work well on the portable. You wander through towns and other landscapes, talking with characters and gathering information. An e-mail system lets you correspond with characters you meet in your journey.
Here’s an interesting and profound confession by a Wii user/addict, first published on the Washington Post. Some excerpts:
Claire was the first person I knew to get a Nintendo Wii console game, two years ago, back when the system was introduced. I did not approve. I was a cranky old video-game naysayer, a person who maintained, firmly, that my own children would not have their creativity thwarted, would not be tempted by the evils of pixel addiction that I believed virtual play on video screens to represent. It gave me something to feel superior about.
Flash-forward to a rainy day last November. I was at a friend’s house, and everyone was Wii bowling, and I picked up the wireless remote – and I threw a strike. It was love, immediate and powerful. It was passion. It was real. I tried Wii tennis and Wii baseball. By the time I got to Wii boxing, well, it was all over.
No, I did not get my children a Wii for Christmas last year. No, I was not waiting in line at Target on a cold Sunday at 6:35 a.m. in the hopes of snagging a Wii for my little girls.
No, I got that Wii for myself.
Also take a look at some DS news updates:
- Guntlet for DS is coming soon
- Zelda remake also in the works
- Now listed: Top DS game titles in UK, based on eBay sales