hpii24hours

My Boss My Hero [Eng Subs]

2007-01-16T01:12:00.000+08:00

Title: Doosaboo ilchae (My Boss My Hero)
Year Released: 2001
Directed by: Je-gyun Yun
Running time: 98 minutes
Genre: Comedy

Torrent:My Boss My Hero [Eng Subs]

Sex is Zero with English Subs

2007-01-16T01:09:00.000+08:00

Eun Sik is 28 years old and has recently started school at the university. He is a member of the Cha Ryu group and practices with them daily, through painful endurance training. He meets the much younger and gorgeous Eun Hyo, for whom he holds a completely one-sided attraction. Eun Sik's amazingly unlucky, and a host of embarrassing situations happen to him. Through all of this, him and his insanely horny group of friends help make one of the most memorable sex comedies, complete with both hilarious and somewhat dramatic moments.

Torrent:Sex is Zero with English Subs

Dragon Squad

2007-01-16T01:05:00.000+08:00

Dragon Squad is a gun-blazing, thrill-seeking cop thriller busting at the seams with a sexy cast and a stylish visual edge. Taiwanese pop star Vanness Wu, from the boy band F4, stars as Hao, an American Chinese cop who teams up with Shawn Yu's Hong Kong detective Lok, former undercover agent Suet (Eva Huang from Kung Fu Hustle), Chinese super sniper Lu (Xia Yu) and former British operative James (Lawrence Chou) to take down a seriously evil bad guy. However, when he gets rescued by a gang of even less friendly mercenaries, headed up by Colombian Petros (played by American actor Michael Biehn, from Aliens and The Rock) the streets of Hong Kong become a shooting gallery as the two sides engage in all-out war.

Co-starring Simon Yam, Sammo Hung and Maggie Q, Dragon Squad dazzles with its combination of knowing style and high octane action, including an incredible twenty minute gun fight where the two sides square off in an alley way. From director Daniel Lee, who previously worked with Vanness on Star Runner, Dragon Squad succeeds as old-fashioned Saturday night fun, the likes of which appears all too rarely in Hong Kong these days.

Torrent:Dragon.Squad.2005.DVDRip

D-Day (Korean)

2007-01-14T18:26:00.000+08:00

Roommates Yoo-jin, Eun-soo, Bo-ram, and Da-young are cramming for a college entrance exam. It’s difficult for them to adapt to the stifling atmosphere of the women’s lodging institute – and to get along with each other due to their differing personalities. Yoo-jin has the most difficulty with the stuffy institute life; she begins to have visions of events that took place at the institute in the past – like the tragic fire that occurred years ago. Yoo-jin gradually becomes consumed with fear, and the relationship among the four intimate friends begins to suffer.

Genre: Horror
Also Known As:
D-day - Eoneunnal kabjagi cheotbeonjjae iyagi (South Korea) (complete title)
Roommates: 4 Horror Tales (International: English title) (informal title)
Runtime: 95 min
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Subtitles: English

Torrent Download

D-Day.2006.DVDRip.XViD-XCALiBER

Diary: Wishful Thinking, Mon seung (Chinese Horror Movie)

2007-01-14T18:24:00.000+08:00

Sometimes when you’re being derivative good things transpire, and that in itself can deliver a more shocking revelation than all the cheesy FX and predictable chillers put together.

This is what happens with The Diary, a foray once more into the Pang Brothers breech with their entourage of Thai filmmakers and knack for intelligent gore. After the disappointing Recycle set the prolific siblings back a bit, it’s pleasant to see them back in moderately satisfying form with a short yet titillating release timed nicely for the Halloween season.

On the surface, The Diary seems like it’s bound for also-ran perdition, hinting just a slight too much at working that tired old The Eye magic one time too many. Even its main star, Charlene Choi, puts on a spectacular Angelica Lee imitation to the point where at the onset of proceedings wary viewers will be tempted to give up and call it a write off.

Do not: perseverance here is a bona fide virtue, and The Diary has going for it more than meets, well, the eye. Ironically, those very fears of this effort descending into a realm of rip-off fiascoes save it from a fate worse than celluloid death. As soon as one thinks they’ve seen it before, which they have in many ways, The Diary comes charging through to twist those well-worn elements and throw our own jaded sights right back at us. [Source: IMDB]

Cast: Charlene Choi, Isabella Leong, Shawn Yue
Director: Peng Shun (Oxide PANG Chun)
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Also Known As: Diary, Wishful Thinking
Runtime: Hong Kong: 85 min
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese
Subtitles: English

Torrent Download:

Diary.2006 DVDRip.XviD ESPiSE.torrent

Love Me Not: Sarang-ttawin piryo-eopseo (Korean Movie)

2007-01-14T18:20:00.000+08:00

Julian has lived off with the money he lures from his rich female customers. But now he faces usurious debts from a hasty expansion of his business, and he will be killed unless he clears the debt in one month. The only way to save himself is to pretend to be the long-lost brother of an heiress and kill her to get her huge fortune. Min, the blind heiress, cold-hearted like Julian, slowly opens herself to him, and he, too, falls for her. But Julian has to pay his creditor and what makes it worse for him is that the illness that took Min’s eyesight relapsed, threatening her life. [Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr]

Genre: Romance
Cast: Sung-ho Choi, Ku Jin, Sang-geon Jo, Ju-hyuk Kim, Gi-yeong Lee, Geun-yeong Mun, Hyun-jin Seo, Ji-Won To
Also Known As: Love Me Not
Runtime: South Korea:119 min
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Subtitles: English

Download Torrent

Love.Me.Not DVDRip.XviD

USB Special System Storage 1.00

2007-01-14T18:15:00.000+08:00

BOOSTER is back like a vertebrate with a new creation, USB Special System Storage. Essentially it allows you to directly mount PSP system data and/or system devices (i.e. UMD drive) as a USB storage device on your PC.

Currently it supports:

1. UMD ISO9660 image.
2. System memory and some registers.
3. lflash(NANDflashROM) parition image.
4. lflash(NANDflashROM) direct. (FAT12 direct file access)

It is mounted as read-only except in normal mode. So rest assure flashROM and system data is safely protected in case of accidental mouse clicks. ;)

It is also recommended you use UMDGen or DAEMON Tools to access the UMD files. UMDGen rules, check that out here.

Download: USB Special System Storage v1.00

Thanks for the heads up everyone!

PSP7800 v1.0.1: Atari 7800 Emulator

2007-01-14T18:14:00.000+08:00

A little of this, and a little of that, and we have another retro-fitted emulator for the PSP. Today ZX-81 has ported Greg Stanton’s Atari 7800 emulator. PSP7800 is ported from ProSystem running on Windows.

v1.0.1, unfortunately, does not include sound or fit screen mode. But we all know ZX-81, so those features should be available in the near future.

Great job ZX!

Download: PSP7800 v1.0.1

- source: ZX-81’s web site

3.02 PSX Emulator on 3.03 OE

2007-01-14T18:10:00.000+08:00

I personally have yet to experience any problems with 3.03 OE POPS (PSX emulation) but if you are, or have, this may be the solution for you. Dark_AleX has shared his method for using the 3.02 PSX emulator on 3.03 OE.

Instructions:

* Copy seplugins to the root of your memory stick.
* Using some of the latest psardumpers, extract the 3.02 firmware with the option of the button X.
* Once done, copy the following files from /F0/kd to /seplugins/pops302: meaudio.prx, mesg_led.prx, pops.prx and popsman.prx.
* Enter in recovery menu, and enable pops302ld.prx plugin if you want to load 3.02 emulator.
* Run the game. It will run with 3.02 psx emulator.
* Whenever you want to use again the 3.03 emulator, just disable the plugin from recovery menu.

Straight forward? Good.

Known problems (quoted from the readme):

During tests i tried castlevania sotn compressed. During the game i noticed anormal high activity
in the memory stick (note: the fact that the prx’s are in memory stick is not related to this issue, since they are quickly loaded to ram). It didn’t happen with the game not compressed (and it doesn’t happen in 3.03 compressed). I don’t know if this issue affects other games. In such a case, it may be a problem of the mixing of modules, or maybe just a 3.02 problem. If you experience that problem, you may want to use uncompressed games if it slowdowns the game.

Download:
PSAR Dumper
3.02 FW Update
3.02 PSX Emulator for 3.03 OE

Thanks DazSH.

- source: lan.st

Jabra BT250v Bluetooth Headset with Vibrating Alert

2007-01-14T18:04:00.000+08:00

A single button gives you control of your phone up to 30 feet away - voice dialing, call answer/end, redial and call transfer are all just a touch of a button away
Select vibrating call alert and incoming calls are signaled to you silently
Features call transfer, last number redial and voice activated dialing
Unidirectional microphone reduces background noise while amplifying your voice to provide great sound quality
Freedom to use your mobile phone up to 30 feet away

Good for Nokia N Series phone with no vibrate feature.

The Grudge 2 (Horror Movie)

2007-01-14T00:21:00.000+08:00

In Tokyo, a young woman is exposed to the same mysterious curse that afflicted her sister. The supernatural force, which fills a person with rage before spreading to its next victim, brings together a group of previously unrelated people who attempt to unlock its secret to save their lives. [Source: Yahoo Movies]

Set within two years after the first film and between two countries. Karen’s sister, Audrey, been affected by the supernatural curse, and trying to find the origin of it in order to find a way to free herself. But what has this quest got to do with the families who are living in Chicago, a photojournalist from Hong Kong,and the three schoolgirls from Tokyo’s International High School? [Source: IMDB]

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, Arielle Kebbel, Teresa Palmer, Jennifer Beals
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Genre: Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality.
Runtime: 92 min
Country: USA
Language: English / Japanese
Release info: DVDRIP XVID

Torrent Download:

The.Grudge.2 DVDRip.XviD PosTX..torrent

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Horror Thriller Movie)

2007-01-14T00:19:00.000+08:00

On one last road trip before they’re sent to serve in Vietnam, two friends (Handley and Bomer) and their girlfriends (Baird and Brewster) get into an accident that calls their local sheriff (Ermey) to the scene. Thus begins a terrifying experience where the teens are taken to a secluded house of horrors, where a young, would-be killer is being nurtured.

It’s 1969. The conflict in Viet Nam has exploded to immeasurable proportions, and 18-year-old Dean Hill’s number is up. Dean’s brother Eric, who has already seen his share of combat, plans to take Dean to enlist in his beloved Marine Corps in hopes of keeping an eye on him rather than letting him take his chances at the local induction center. But Dean plans to confront Eric about dodging the draft after the boys and their respective girlfriends, Bailey and Chrissie, head across Texas for a final fling of serious fun. Soon after their journey begins, the foursome are spooked by a menacing pair of bikers, Holden and his girlfriend, Alex. When Alex chases the group’s jeep, propelling them into a serious accident, Chrissie is thrown from the vehicle. As Alex attempts to rob the injured trio, Sherriff Hoyt arrives and turns the tables on their would-be assassin. While Chrissie hides in the nearby brush, she watches as the sheriff kills Alex in and then taunts her friends before ordering them into the back of the patrol car. Unbeknownst to Chrissie, Hoyt is headed to the Hewitt family home where Thomas, who is being groomed to become the terrifying monster known as Leatherface, and the rest of the Hewitt clan await. Chrissie attempts to convince Holden to help her, but he is on a one man rampage to avenge his girlfriend’s death. As Chrissie witnesses the horrors inflicted by the Hewitt family upon the people she loves, she realizes she is their only hope of survival. [Source: Yahoo Movies]

Starring: Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Andrew Bryniarski, R. Lee Ermey, Heather Kafka
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Also Known As: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Origin, Untitled Texas Chainsaw Massacre Prequel
MPAA: Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, language and some sexual content.
Runtime: 91 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Info: UNRATEDD DVDRIP XVID

Torrent Download:

The.Texas.Chainsaw.Massacre The.Beginning UNRATED.XviD.torrent

2007-01-14T00:16:00.000+08:00

Jigsaw kidnaps a doctor to keep him alive while he watches his new apprentice put an unlucky citizen through a brutal test.

Jigsaw has disappeared; and with his new apprentice Amanda–the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police–he has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detectives scramble to locate him, Dr. Lynn Denlon is unaware that she is about to become the latest pawn on his vicious chessboard. One night, after finishing a shift at her hospital, Lynn is kidnapped and taken to an abandoned warehouse where she meets Jigsaw, bedridden and on the verge of death. She is told that she must keep the madman alive for as long as it takes another one of his victims, Jeff, to complete a game of his own. Racing against the ticking clock of Jigsaw’s own heartbeat, Lynn and Jeff struggle to make it through each of their vicious tests, unaware that he has a much bigger plan for both of them.
[Source: Yahoo Movies]
Genre: Crime / Horror / Thriller
Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Bahar Soomekh, Angus MacFadyen, Dina Meyer
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
MPAA: Rated R for strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity and language.
Runtime: 107 min / USA:113 min / Canada:107 min (original release)
Country: USA
Language: Dutch / English
Release Info: UNRATED DVDRIP XVID

Torrent Download:

Saw.III.3.UNRATED DVDRip.XviD DiAMOND.torrent

Happy Feet (Penguins Animation Comedy Movie)

2007-01-14T00:13:00.000+08:00

Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!

In the great nation of Emperor Penguins, deep in Antarctica, you’re nobody unless you can sing–which is unfortunate for Mumble, who is the worst singer in the world. He is born dancing to his own tune–tap dancing. Though Mumble’s mom, Norma Jean, thinks this little habit is cute, his dad, Memphis, says it “just ain’t penguin.” Besides, they both know that, without a Heartsong, Mumble may never find true love. As fate would have it, his one friend, Gloria, happens to be the best singer around. Mumble and Gloria have a connection from the moment they hatch, but she struggles with his strange “hippity- hoppity” ways. Mumble is just too different–especially for Noah the Elder, the stern leader of Emperor Land, who ultimately casts him out of the community. Away from home for the first time, Mumble meets a posse of decidedly un-Emperor-like penguins–the Adelie Amigos. Led by Ramon, the Adelies instantly embrace Mumble’s cool dance moves and invite him to party with them. In Adelie Land, Mumble seeks the counsel of Lovelace the Guru, a crazy-feathered Rockhopper penguin who will answer any of life’s questions for the price of a pebble. Together with Lovelace and the Amigos, Mumble sets out across vast landscapes and, after some epic encounters, proves that by being true to yourself, you can make all the difference in the world. [Source: Yahoo Movies]

Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman
Directed by: George Miller, Judy Morris (II), Warren Coleman
MPAA: Rated PG for some mild peril and rude humor.
Runtime: 109 min / USA:108 min
Country: Australia / USA
Language: English
Release Info: XVID DVDSCR

Torrent Download:

Happy.Feet DVDSCR.XviD iMBT.torrent

She’s on Duty: Jambok-geunmu (Korean Movie)

2007-01-14T00:04:00.000+08:00

The film deals with a boisterous undercover female cop who gets sent to an all-girl’s school in order to get close to a criminal in hideout by befriending his teenage daughter. The general set up and the fighting antics of the female cop play close resemblance to Stephen Chow’s classic Fight Back to School.

Take Stephen Chow’s Fight Back to School, re-set it in an all-girl’s school in Korea, and add a sexy female protagonist, and you’ll have some idea of what writer/director Park Kwang-choon (Madeleine)has in store for you in his entertaining action comedy, She’s On Duty! Kim Seon-ah (S Diary, Wet Dreams) plays a female detective who has to go deep undercover as a high schooler in order to thwart a plot by the Japanese Yakuza to traffic teenage girls as sex slaves! Not content to save just the girls from a life of prostitution, Kim’s character even lends a hand in squashing in-school violence, giving a performance that has earned raves from nostalgic audiences longing for the “good ol’ days” of high school. Also featuring performances by Gong Yoo (My Tutor Friend), Nam Sang-mi (Too Beautiful to Lie), and Park Sang-myeon (My Wife is a Gangster), She’s On Duty is one film that goes straight to the head of the class!

Type rest of the post here<

Year: 2005
Director: K.C. Park Kwang-Choon
Cast: Kim Seon-Ah, Gong Yoo, Nam Sang-Mi, Park Sang-Myeon, Kim Kap-Soo
Runtime: South Korea:111 min
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Subtitles: English

Download Torrent

She.Is.On.Duty.2005.DC.DVDRip.XviD-LUXURY

Jabra BT325S: Seamlessly Connect Your Mp3 Player and Cell Phone

2007-01-13T21:09:00.000+08:00

The folks at DigitalTrends take a quick look (video) at the Jabra BT325S, which enables you to receive cell phone calls while listening to your MP3 player on any headphones of your choice. We’ve seen devices like this before, but this is the first we’ve seen come from a major player such as Jabra. The device connects to your phone via Bluetooth and when a call is received the BT325S fades out your music allowing you to answer and speak to the caller via a built-in microphone. The device is water resistant (light sprinkles), expect about 8 hours of talk time, and compatible with any 3.5mm headphone jack.

Apple iTunes Sued

2007-01-13T21:07:00.000+08:00

Apple is once again being sued, but this time for its iTunes store. Apple is accused of creating a monopoly because users can’t transfer the iTunes Store’s music and video to any other device but the iPod. The suit was filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California on Dec. 20. Apple was denied its motion to dismiss the case.

iTunes Facing Lawsuit [MediaPost]

Three Things the Wii Needs for Success

2007-01-13T20:53:00.000+08:00

January 12,2007 - Nintendo executives must be patting themselves on the back right now; they essentially shut down any and all naysayers of their innovative, and sometimes overly ambitious, ideas and products. According to recent reports, the Wii sold 1.1 million units in the U.S. from its November 19 launch through the end of 2006. That’s quite an impressive number which beats out the PS3’s 687,300 units with its November 17 release date. But does this mean the Wii will win out in the long run? Or perhaps it’s just beginner's luck. The latter is doubtful, though the former isn’t exactly a guarantee. Here are three things, however, that would undoubtedly aid in the Wii’s overall success. To most these few pointers will appear to be common sense; but you’d be surprised to see how poorly Nintendo has been able to capitalize on these very simple concepts.

1) For Pete’s Sake, Get Some Third Party Support

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is one of the few games that is coming out in the Wii's near-future.

Although the Wii’s launch lineup was a pinch better than the PS3’s, it wasn’t the best we’ve ever seen. Well, how many launches are spectacular, for that matter? The point is, even though the Wii had an alright launch lineup, how will it do further down the road when the PS3 and Xbox 360 are sweeping up all of the third party publishers? The PS3 may seem a bit shaky right now, but don’t be fooled, as soon as its third party cavalry comes through in about mid-2007, it will be at the top of its game. The Xbox 360 is probably at that middle ground. It’s not bad by any means, but its support isn’t nearly as extensive as Sony’s. So where does that leave Nintendo? Well it’s anyone’s guess, but it could leave them begging for scraps at the edge of the table.

There were a fair amount of third party games in the lineup, including Red Steel, Call of Duty 3, and Trauma Center: Second Opinion. But what’s on the horizon for the console? Bust-A-Move: Bash and Sonic and the Secret Rings? True, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is coming out soon, but outside of those three, there’s really nothing on the radar for the Wii until March, according to Gamestop. With only three titles coming out between now and then, you can officially say that of the games coming out, one-third of them are first party titles. What’s going on here? This has been a plague of Nintendo’s consoles since the N64, and it’s about time they break it. Although the Wii is the wildest thing Nintendo has ever created, and they have totally differentiated themselves from their competition, they may have separated themselves too much. Third party publishers may be looking at the Wii with uncertainty, but considering these numbers, they should be clamoring to jump on board and help Nintendo climb above the competition.

2) The Internet is a Series of Tubes
So maybe Ted Stevens has nothing to do with Nintendo, but the fact still remains that the Japanese gaming giant needs to finally jump on board the phenomenon that is the internet. And I mean make a real effort, not some half-assed attempt. Sure they “plan” to offer more online support, but a Wii optimized Opera browser, weather reports, and a small handful of online ready titles isn’t something I would consider solid online support in the face of Sony’s PlayStation Network; let alone Xbox Live. Nintendo really needs to create a plan for an online strategy. The fact is, online play augments the game’s longevity, and adds more possibilities for developers to toy with. I’m sorry, but I really don’t need a Mario Party 8; but if you’re going to shove it down my throat, at least give me online multiplayer.

A lot of games would be better off with online support. Wii Sports was basically a demonstration game, but do you realize how much fun it would be to play online? It’s not like there would be a lack of players to compete against. Let’s be real: 1.1 million people bought the system last year in the U.S. alone. There would be a huge amount of people to test your tennis skills against. Or how about a game of bowling? Imagine taking Cooking Mama: Cook Off online against another aspiring virtual chef. I’m thinking Bravo’s Top Chef-sponsored Cooking Mama competitions. It’s almost become standard for games to incorporate some form of multiplayer, and with the numbers Nintendo is pushing, they have the installed base to support it.

3) How Many Times Can I Swing a Sword?

Cooking Mama: Cook Off is all you need to pretend to be an at-home mom cooking for a family. Who doesn't want to fry some sausage patties?

This isn’t so much of an immediate problem as it is a future concern. What does the future hold for sword-wielding adventures and gun-toting exploits? The concern has been risen that emulating the same real life tasks from game to game will eventually get old. Essentially what Nintendo has on their hands is a gimmick. Don’t get me wrong now--it’s a great gimmick and one that I think will last...if utilized properly. So far they haven’t run into any issues with variety. I can cook, play football, drive a truck, shoot a gun, and cut open a patient--what more can I ask for? The problem lies with the flood of mediocre games that come out offering the same exact features of titles before it. Unless publishers in the future push the limits of innovation, as the console itself did, it will simply grow stagnant and there really won’t be much to write home about.

This is a possible concern that Nintendo will have to address alone. Setting up stricter guidelines for third party publishers to follow in order to receive Nintendo’s blessings would only hurt them. At the same time, if they're going to rehash, they need to perfect their re-creations.

No one really knows how Nintendo will fair in the long run. The success they have been reveling in could be consumer infatuation, or they could have genuinely captured the hearts of gamers, children, and parents across the globe. Whatever it is, the fact remains that they sold 1.1 million units in the U.S. alone last year and 989,118 units in Japan. Certainly, those figures raise at least one eyebrow. Nintendo has done a good job appealing to the public, and if they can maintain that craze for the rest of the console’s lifespan, then they should be set. We very well could see the return of an entirely revitalized Nintendo.

Story Of Solar Power

2007-01-13T20:49:00.000+08:00

People capture only a tiny fraction of the energy the sun produces every day--1/10,000 of its output, according to NASA. Solar panels on your roof can cut down your power consumption. But even with government incentives, they typically take years to make up the initial upfront cost. What about small-scale solar? Can the sunlight on your windowsill make a dent in your energy bill and help the planet?

The answer is yes. There are several solar-powered electronic rechargers for your cell phone, iPod or laptop. And for the culinary-curious, solar ovens can replace polluting charcoal briquets on the barbeque. That's not to mention solar fans, lights, radios and backpacks.

Solar Style sells a couple of solar chargers. It offers a $55.99 kit that includes adapters to different cell phones but also works with digital cameras, game machines and digital music players. A full charge in the sun--either indoor or outdoor--takes between six and eight hours. A charge from an outlet takes four to five hours.

Credit: Solar Style

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Forbidden Siren

2007-01-13T14:38:00.000+08:00

Genre: Horror
Starring: Yui Ichikawa, Reo Morimoto, Naoki Tanaka, Hiroshi Abe
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Rating: PG
Year Made: 2006

Based on Sony's PS2 cult classic game .

As reported in 1976, the inhabitants of a solitary island of Yamajima were once annihilated except for a crazy man who shouted a mysterious warning:"When you hear the siren, never go out".

Thirty years later, Yuki Amamoto goes to the island with her father, a freelance reporter and her little brother who suffers from neurological disorders. The islanders were not very friendly towards them.

Her neighbour gives her the same strange warning:"When you hear the siren, never go out". This is the beginning of a series of mysterious incidents...Gradually, Yuki loses her trust in the people around her. She is determined to protect her brother from the unknown peril that seems to be surrounding them.

When the siren begins to roar, the severed bits of mystery begin to assemble together to reveal the truth of the 1976 massacre and finally unravel the mystery of the siren...

Forbidden Siren theatrical trailer (streaming Windows Media)
Forbidden Siren teaser trailer (streaming Windows Media)
Forbidden Siren promo video (w/ English narration; streaming Windows Media)
Forbidden Siren official website

Death Note 2: The Last Name

2007-01-13T14:26:00.000+08:00

Rating: PG
Language: Japanese
Genre: Fantasy Thriller
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kenichi Matsuyama, Erika Toda, Shigeki Hosokawa, Shunji Fujimura, Takeshi Kaga

After catching the first part of Death Note, I headed to the cinemas to watch the second part of it. The impression I had was much better when I first watched the first one. Not “elitists” this time round unlike the last time since people knew it was going to be somewhat different from the orginal manga and kept quiet.

Yes! More Misa this time round (I just love her!). The movie was straightforward and it wasn’t hard to understand too. Loads of suspense and thrill since I didn’t read the manga. Having one Death Note was troublesome and this time there’s more than one, be it real or fake. I just like the way their mind works and how they try to outwit each other. The ending was terrific too though they just ended it with only L and Light. No “N” or “M” were introduced.

Check out the sypnosis…

Light joins the task force searching for Kira in an effort to avert suspicion from himself and also, to get rid of L. The mystery deepens as another Death Note with its shinigami, is brought into the human world. A second and third Kira complicates the mystery. Making things even more unpredictable are the ‘Eyes of Death’, given to the second Kira, enabling the owner to know the true identity and lifespan of any person. Who would get hold of the ‘Trump Card’ which would determine the outcome of events? And who will be the Last name?

In the end, I left, feeling satisfied with the movie. Not going to spoil anything here. But trust me, it’s a good watch. <3>

Lumines II

2007-01-13T14:01:00.000+08:00

Tons of content and great music make Lumines II a worthy follow-up to the addictive original.

The Good: New soundtrack still has lots of great quirky tunes, but new licensed tracks make it more accessible to the masses; presentation has been improved; new tutorial mode will help beginners "get" the game.

The Bad: Having music videos playing in the background doesn't work well; gameplay, while still great, hasn't changed at all.

By: Buena Vista Games, Q Entertainment
Genre: Puzzle

Release Date: Nov 6, 2006 (more)
Players: 1-2 (tech info)

Download Lumines II

With all of the prelaunch hype touting the power of the PSP, few would have guessed that the handheld's best game would be a puzzle game; but that's just what happened. Q Entertainment didn't take any chances with the original's formula in the sequel and instead focused on adding more of everything--skins, music, and play modes. Lumines II is a game that feels fresh for the first few hours, but once the newness of the music wears off, it's pretty much the same as Lumines. It's still one of the best puzzle games of the year, but it's hard not to wish that the game played at least somewhat differently.

Having music videos playing in the background just doesn't work.

Anyone who played the original game will easily be able to pick up where they left off, but for those who missed out on the original, here's the gist. Colored boxes that are made up of four smaller squares drop from the top of the screen--they can be one solid color or have another color mixed in. It's your job to spin and move blocks to create a single-colored, two-by-two (or larger) block. The blocks are then erased by a vertical bar called the timeline, which sweeps across the screen from left to right in time with the music. The only "special" piece is a flashing square that when used as part of a completed block erases every like-colored square that's chained to that block. And it's game over when the blocks reach the top of the screen. The basic concept is simple, but there's a fair amount of depth to the game, especially if you're aiming for a high score. Big points are earned by adding like-colored squares onto a box that's set to disappear to make combos. Having only one color on the screen at a time earns you a small bonus, while having a completely empty play field nets you 10,000 extra points. A video tutorial and a series of tips help make the game accessible to newcomers, and a new play history grades your ability and details your progress as well as how many hours you've spent playing.

All of the single-player modes from the original game have returned, and other than time attack, each has received at least a minor facelift. You still unlock skins (new music and pieces) by playing through challenge mode, and as was the case last time, the objective is simply to get the highest score (which is no longer capped at 999,999) and play for as long as possible. Challenge mode has been broken into three classes of escalating difficulty (a fourth challenge unlocks when you beat the first three), but other than having different unlockable skins, there wasn't any noticeable difference in the difficulty from one mode to the next. It can still take hours to finish a game in challenge mode, but there are a number of ways to enjoy Lumines II if you've only got a few minutes to spare.

Mission mode is a series of 50 challenges of escalating difficulty. These timed objectives range from clearing the entire screen in a set number of moves to clearing a certain amount of blocks to filling the entire screen with blocks (it's harder than you think). Mission mode is a nice addition, but the difficulty curve is uneven. You'll breeze through a dozen levels, beating many of them in less than 10 seconds, and then find yourself suddenly stuck. Once you manage to beat the level, it's smooth sailing again--until the next random, superchallenging one. Puzzle mode plays just as it did in the first game, though it has been expanded to include more than 100 puzzles. In puzzle mode, you're shown a picture and given a time limit before your game starts, and you must replicate that pattern in-game. It's both challenging and fun to manipulate the pieces in an effort to make apples, flamingos, airplanes, fountains, snakes, and more. Versus mode returns mostly untouched, though its difficulty appears to have been balanced so that it's friendlier to beginners. In versus CPU mode, the screen is split in half, and whoever clears blocks the fastest gradually gains control of the other part of the screen. The end goal is to take over the entire screen. Duel mode is the same as versus CPU mode, but it's played against another person via ad hoc. Players will need their own copy to play duel mode, but it's possible to send a demo to a friend using the game-sharing feature. You can create custom playlists of skins and even share them wirelessly to another PSP.

But wait, there's more. Budding musicians can create their own beats with the included sequencer. This lets you take the basic elements (drums, guitar, keyboards, bass, and the like) of four songs and create new songs, which can be played during custom skin mode. The interface isn't overly user-friendly, and you're not likely to win any awards for your tunes, but if you're patient, it's possible to make some catchy music that you can share with your friends. And finally, a demo of Q Entertainment's other recent game, Every Extend Extra, is also included on the disc.

Lumines proved that puzzle games don't necessarily have to have a boring presentation, and Lumines II has even more style. Everything from the menus to the customizable heads-up display is sleeker, although the lack of an autosave feature (which was in the original game) is an odd oversight. For the uninitiated, the game collectively refers to the backgrounds, pieces, and music as skins. There are 60 skins in the game, many of which are new, but there are some holdovers from the original. New or old, they all look great, and there are some really cool designs for both the pieces and the backgrounds. Most of the time, the background will be some sort of animated art, but there are also music videos that play in the background during some of the popular licensed songs. You're not really going to have time to watch them while you play, so these videos don't add a whole lot to the presentation. Another reason not to like them is because there's a brief pause in the action each time a music video loads, and though you can't see it, the timeline keeps moving--suddenly appearing in the middle of the screen when the video starts and likely messing up any combo you may have had.

Look familiar? The sequel plays exactly like the original.

With the gameplay and music being woven so deftly together, sound is once again a huge part of the Lumines experience. Hardcore Lumines fans may scoff at the addition of big-name artists to what had been a previously eclectic mix of Japanese artists, but there's no doubt the well-rounded soundtrack will appeal to a larger audience this time around. Gwen Stefani, Black Eyed Peas, Beck, Fatboy Slim, Missy Elliott, The Chemical Brothers, and Hoobastank are a few of the new artists who compose the robust soundtrack. There are a few repeat songs from the original game as well as a new song by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, so the flavor of the soundtrack isn't totally different. All of the songs/skins end and move on to the next song/skin as soon as you've erased enough blocks, but the skins with licensed songs end as soon as the song is over--they don't loop endlessly. As always, moving pieces create their own sounds that mix seamlessly with the background music.

All of the new content and good-as-ever gameplay make Lumines II a great game and one that's easy to recommend if you haven't played the original. There are lots of great songs and a number of ways to keep busy for hours on end. However, the new play modes might not hold much value for veterans of the series, some of whom might also be turned off by the Americanized soundtrack. But even if it doesn't feel particularly fresh, Lumines II is a great game and one of the best games to hit the PSP this year.

By Aaron Thomas, GameSpot

Metal gear solid : Portable ops

2007-01-12T17:09:00.000+08:00

Just what the PSP needed, this latest Metal Gear delivers on all fronts with an excellent story, a deep campaign, and a complete set of multiplayer features.

The Good: Excellent, thought-provoking story capably reveals much more about Snake; complex, open-ended gameplay has been updated to best suit a portable game; fully featured multiplayer options include game sharing, online play, and more; excellent presentation, including superb graphics, sound, music, and speech; high replay value.

The Bad: It's missing MGS3's incredible 3D cutscenes, full speech, and blood effects; complicated control scheme has a steep learning curve.

By: Konami, Kojima Productions
Genre: Modern Action Adventure

Release Date: Dec 5, 2006 (more)
Players: 1-6; 6 Online (tech info)

Download metal gear solid : portable ops

The story alone makes Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops required playing material for fans of Kojima Productions' long-running, memorable stealth action series. This isn't called Metal Gear Solid 4, but this PlayStation Portable game is a direct continuation of the moving, thought-provoking storyline presented in 2004's MGS3: Snake Eater, and in turn, it sheds new light on some of the mysteries of the previous games in the series. That's the good news; the better news is that Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops also takes the series in some interesting, new directions from a gameplay standpoint. This game has it all, featuring not only a great, open-ended solo campaign, but also some extensive multiplayer options and plenty of other surprises. Complicated controls and a storyline that doesn't waste much time on exposition mean Portable Ops will take a while for inexperienced players to get into, and even though it's amazing how much of the visual detail the series is known for got crammed into this game, fans will note that this isn't as lavish of a production as the games in the series proper. But this is still an all-around outstanding experience, especially since you can play it on the go.

Snake is back, and this time, he's uncharacteristically going to have to make himself a lot of new friends.

Portable Ops takes place in 1970, some years after the profound events of Metal Gear Solid 3, and it chronicles another important chapter in the life of the legendary soldier called Snake, also known as Big Boss. A soldier through and through, Snake's latest assignment takes him to a secret Soviet base in South America, and at the beginning of the game, he's captured and detained there...by members of his own former FOX unit. He escapes with the help of a young Green Beret named Roy Campbell, and they decide to work together to put a stop to what's shaping up to be a very bad situation between American forces and rogue Soviet militants. Snake and Campbell soon agree that they can't succeed in this situation on their own, and they begin recruiting some of the enemy soldiers to their cause. As the story unravels, Snake will meet up with some faces from his blood-soaked past and discover the true nature of what's happening in that South American base. Snake is an already likable, complex character and winds up all the more so at the end of this game.

Much like the story in MGS3, the story in Portable Ops sometimes grows dense with double-crossing and second-guessing and breaks into some philosophical discourse on the meaning of loyalty. It's heady stuff, but at the same time, it's presented in an over-the-top way that makes it exciting rather than ponderous. Of further note, the main villains of this story are much more compelling than those of MGS3; they're intriguing, memorable characters, some of the best bad guys this series has ever seen. Unlike previous games in the series, though, the major story sequences in Portable Ops are presented with animated comic book panels, rather than in full 3D. These cutscenes don't have quite the same cinematic flair as those of MGS3, and the mostly black-and-white ink artwork is stylistically much different from the way the rest of the game looks. However, this format really works, and it helps make the key story sequences of Portable Ops about as dramatic as those of MGS3 before it. There are plenty of major plot sequences in the game, but overall, there's a much better balance between gameplay and storyline here as compared with previous games in the series. It takes roughly 15 hours to finish the story the first time through, and while you'll be left with plenty of plot to think about, you'll have spent most of that time undertaking various sneaking missions.

Outstanding visuals and a captivating story will entice you to press through this game's challenging campaign.

When it comes down to controlling the action--doing things like shooting, sneaking, and fighting hand-to-hand--Portable Ops borrows heavily from MGS3 and MGS2 before it. Fans of the series can expect much of the same type of behavior from the enemy artificial intelligence, as well as many of the moves and abilities they've already seen before. You can still flatten your back against walls and peek around corners, execute a powerful forward dive, fire a bunch of authentic firearms either from a third-person or first-person viewpoint, and crawl through narrow passageways to escape enemy patrols. However, some gameplay tweaks are in here to help make this game more playable using the PSP's controls. Of particular note, Portable Ops uses the third-person camera perspective introduced in this year's MGS3: Subsistence, so you can move the camera angle around your character using the D pad, or quickly reset the perspective by tapping the left shoulder button. Also, there's a nice, new radar system that tracks nearby enemies based on how much sound they're making; it lets you know when foes are near without giving away their location. Thankfully, the "survival" gameplay elements of MGS3, which forced you to spend a bunch of time in menu screens rather than in action while curing deep wounds and eating weird food, have been cut from this game. The typical mission in Portable Ops is a short, instant-action affair.

Though the underlying gameplay is familiar, the overarching structure of this game is very different from what's been done before in Metal Gear Solid. Early on, Snake and Campbell establish a mobile base, and at this point you're introduced to the game's strategic layer. You see a tactical map containing all of the known regions of the South American base, and from here, you're able to deploy to any of these regions in any order at any time. Meanwhile, a key new gameplay component has you recruiting more and more soldiers to your cause, whom you can then assign to spy on particular territories, serve in the medical ward to help heal your injured troops, or join your technical team that creates new items for you from time to time.

Of course, you could also assign them to your sneaking team. Another big change in Portable Ops is that you can now play as many other characters besides Snake. Each character is rated differently using different weapons and skills, and some have unique special abilities. In practice, though, everybody pretty much plays alike, so it's a bit of a shame that you don't get to use a whole bunch of different moves depending on the character. This is still an interesting addition to the gameplay, though, as it lets you bring multiple characters into each mission, whom you then control one at a time--the others lie in wait in inconspicuous cardboard boxes (what else?). Also, certain uniformed soldiers can blend right in with their former friends, letting you mosey right into enemy territory.

The new strategic layer dividing up all of the different missions takes some getting used to, but introduces a lot of interesting gameplay elements.

The first time you capture an enemy soldier, the process is convincingly detailed in a cutscene, in which Snake, a famous and charismatic soldier, earns the loyalty and respect of the enemy combatant. From that point, what happens to your enemies to make them join you after capture is implied, but to capture enemies in the first place, you must knock them unconscious and dump them in the back of your truck. Simple! It's an oddly unsettling, surprisingly fun collection minigame of sorts, and it'll compel you to use nonlethal force most of the time, since you'll ideally need literally dozens of soldiers to join you. Your ranks will mostly consist of former enemy grunts, but it's possible to get stronger, special characters to join you through various means. Since the squads you amass during the single-player game are the very same characters you'll take online for multiplayer, there's plenty of good reason to go into different mission areas just to kidnap and convert some of the locals.

The missions themselves tend to be simple and straightforward, often requiring little more than reaching a particular destination. While few of the missions stand out as being memorable, their brevity is mostly to the game's credit, since having a large number of bite-sized missions makes a great fit for a portable game. The story proceeds as your spies recover reports of key information or locations, so you'll gradually unlock more and more places to go. The routine stealth action missions, which commonly pit you against some rather intelligent but fairly predictable enemy guards, are sometimes interrupted by a key story mission of some sort, as well as the occasional boss fight. The boss fights in Portable Ops aren't quite as puzzle-driven in nature as those of some of the past Metal Gear Solid games, instead boiling down to some pure shoot-outs against some very tough foes. At the normal difficulty setting (an easy setting and an unlockable "extreme" setting are also available), some of these boss fights can be very, very tough, requiring patience and strategy. The story will compel you to figure out how to succeed.

If you've played Metal Gear Solid 3, you'll be able to dive right into Portable Ops.

The open-ended structure of Portable Ops is mostly well thought out and gives this game a different feel from past MGS installments. However, some aspects of it, such as how most soldiers look and play identically, aren't fully baked. There's a pretty high level of abstraction involved in assigning spies to territories and things like that, and your spies are never in any danger of being caught. In fact, the entire tactical map is highly abstract, so you never get a cohesive sense of being in a South American military base, nor do you get an impression that all of the enemies throughout the levels have anything to do besides walk back and forth, wondering when Snake's going to drop in. Nevertheless, there's so much interesting gameplay and depth to explore that suspending your disbelief around these types of issues shouldn't be difficult.

There's also that whole multiplayer mode, remember that? From the main menu, you can jump into a six-player ad hoc versus game, and there's a game-sharing option if you'd like to start a quick deathmatch with some friends using just one copy of the game. You can also trade comrades with other Portable Ops players. The real meat of the multiplayer experience is somewhat buried within the tactical map interface, though. If you've played Metal Gear Online as part of MGS3: Subsistence, you'll know what to expect, but it's remarkable to play a fully featured online shooter such as this in a portable format. The control scheme translates quite well to a multiplayer mode, though again, this really isn't much of a pick-up-and-play game; so perhaps the reason the online mode is nestled within the campaign is because by the time you can get to it, you'll have already learned the controls to some extent.

There are plenty of multiplayer options here to keep you busy for a long time.

Not all of the multiplayer modes from Subsistence are in here, as multiplayer is limited to deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag. You have a basic auto-aim ability with your weapons, but by manually aiming from a first-person viewpoint, you can instantly kill opponents with a shot to the head. Besides a whole bunch of guns, you'll get to use grenades, mines, and even those incredibly distracting dirty magazines in battle, and online performance was mostly smooth and stable during our tests on live servers. Interestingly, you get to choose between either "virtual" online battles or "real" online battles, and in the latter, any of your characters that are killed will indeed be gone afterwards; but whoever killed them may then keep them, sort of like racing for pink slips. Except in a race for pink slips, you can't wave a white flag to give up and live to fight another day--you do have that option here. At any rate, since it's based on a tried-and-true concept, the online multiplayer portion of Portable Ops is quite impressive, though the fairly complex controls and quick, brutal rounds will naturally attract a hardcore subset of MGS players. So don't expect anything less than ruthless competition.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops gets even weirder by featuring a mode called cyber-survival, which is basically a simulated online strategy game. You can deploy squads of your comrades to go online and fight against other squads, and depending on your squad's statistics and how you've arranged and outfitted your four characters, they'll fare better or worse. You can earn new recruits through this process and through some other quirky means, such as scanning for nearby wireless access points, or even using the PSP's GPS device, which is sold in Japan. These types of extras give the game some of that unmistakable Metal Gear Solid personality.

This ought to help make the wait for Metal Gear Solid 4 a whole lot more comfortable.

Portable Ops looks and sounds fantastic, especially for a portable game. A lot of the environments are pretty basic, but the character models are really impressive, especially for Snake, with his shiny, new sneaking suit. Bloodthirsty MGS fans may be disappointed by the lack of blood in this game, which is noticeably absent after MGS3's somewhat gruesome throat-slashing moves. This game is still rated M for Mature, but apart from some stylized violence in some of the cinematic cutscenes, it's not clear why. The Metal Gear Solid series is renowned for the quality of its presentation, and Portable Ops lives up to this high standard. Likewise, the audio is excellent, particularly the cinematic musical score that sounds straight out of a spy thriller. The many original compositions are right on par with the excellent music from MGS3. David Hayter reprises his role as the voice actor for Snake and once again puts in a strong performance, with that affected low growl of his. The voices for some of the villains are even better, and help give these characters their distinct personalities.

Ever since 2001's stupefying Metal Gear Solid 2, this series has strived to be more coherent in its storytelling without sacrificing the sheer detail and convoluted tone that MGS is known for. At the same time, the gameplay has continued to become more and more freeform, letting you choose how best to approach a tactical situation rather than forcing you to figure it out through trial and error. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops features some great new ideas along these lines, along with a story that will have fans of the series talking for months. Though clearly best suited for Metal Gear Solid fans, it's one of the best, most ambitious games to date for the PSP.

WTF

2007-01-12T01:46:00.000+08:00

Work Time Fun is ridiculous and there's nothing else quite like it. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking for something insane and Japanese, you'll probably love it.

The Good: Unique take on the minigame collection game.

The Bad: Some games are better suited for earning fast money than others.

By: D3, SCEI
Genre: Puzzle

Release Date: Oct 17, 2006 (more)
Players: 1-2 (tech info)

Work Time Fun hates you. And to prove the depths of its hatred, it's going to make you perform the most menial minigame tasks ever put on a disc. Oh, and your reward for completing those tasks? How about more tasks and a bunch of meaningless trinkets? Sound good? That's the crazy part. Work Time Fun shouldn't be any good, yet it all works. With its heavy dose of Japanese eccentricity and an English translation that manages to preserve most of the chaos, Work Time Fun is a unique package that isn't for everyone. But like Katamari Damacy, Work Time Fun is a game that you wouldn't have expected to leave the Japanese market. This game is weird and completely crazy, and if that's your thing, you should pick it up.

Collecting a paycheck has never been quite this crazy.

The concept behind Work Time Fun is that you're a temp worker, taking on various jobs by visiting a placement office. You're offered four different jobs each time you view the placement menu, so you start the game with four of the 40 games unlocked. You earn money by completing the games successfully. From there, you take your money to the vending area, where a bunch of capsule machines await. There are different machines here to use. The cheapest machine dispenses goods for $1 while the most expensive machine dispenses goods for $50 a turn. Out of the capsule machines come more games, a set of crazy "tools" that you can mess around with, and a ton of useless trinkets that you'd expect to get out of a capsule machine, such as superhero-shaped erasers, bouncy balls, vegetable-shaped magnets, and Dracula teeth. You can view a list of the trinkets you've unlocked and view a few often-clever sentences about each item. The catch is that different items only come out of certain machines, so there's no guarantee that you will get a new item with each spin of the machine's knob. So you need to work harder and earn more money to buy more items, so you can work harder, and so on, until you realize that you've spent two weeks of your life playing nothing but the pen-capping job and then stop playing all together.

The game's jobs are pretty good. One of the starting four is called pendemonium, which puts you on an assembly line where you need to put the caps on pens. Occasionally, the pens are flipped, so you'll have to flip them around before capping them and moving them on down the line. It never ends. There are no winners in pendemonium. You quit when you simply can't take it anymore, collect your paycheck, and move on to the next job. Most of the other jobs, though, aren't quite as open-ended. Chick-sorting has you sorting baby chicks for 10 minutes into three different bins: male, female, and heaven (which is where you toss the blue, motionless dead chicks that come your way). Baseball superstar puts you on the field while a skeleton wearing some sort of cowboy hat hits balls to you. You must catch and feed these balls to the first baseman, who is a skeleton wearing a crown. Oh, and the whole thing looks and sounds a lot like the Namco/Tengen classic NES game RBI Baseball. In the different games, you'll get to guess the phone numbers of girls for money; collect mushrooms while moving across a busy street that's pretty reminiscent of Freeway for the 2600; drive full speed directly at a cliff and try to brake just before falling off; take down an order from four hungry diners who can't make up their minds; and much, much more. There are also a few multiplayer jobs that you can play wirelessly. Although a couple of the jobs are really similar, there's a wide variety of insane stuff to do in Work Time Fun. And the way you unlock the jobs means that you're always interested in continuing forward--just to see the next crazy thing you might unlock. But you can make unlocking new things easier because the game doesn't save until after you go back to the main menu after unlocking things. So if you spend all your money and don't get anything new, you can just shut the game off, turn it back on, and try all over again.

The tools menu has a few nongame items that you can mess around with also. One of them puts a pair of eyes on the PSP screen, so you can hold the PSP up to your face and make it look like you've got crazy eyes. Another item provides your Chinese horoscope. The most useful and most ridiculous of the bunch is the ramen timer. You can set it to count three, four, or five minutes, depending on how long you need to cook ramen. While you wait, you'll see a series of videos that feature a man or a woman in a bikini. The man flexes his muscles and proclaims that ramen got him all buffed. The woman asks you if your chopsticks are ready and plays with a ball. Then she says, "Squares are bigger than circles, you know?" These videos have been dubbed into English from the original Japanese versions, but the English dubbing definitely maintains a high level of craziness.

You won't find a more accurate representation of working at a temp agency. OK, that might be a lie.

The game was originally released as Baito Hell 2000 in Japan, and beyond the English translation of the menus, game names, and help text, the game is largely intact. If you didn't play the heck out of the Japanese version, you wouldn't notice the difference, but a few of the game's parodies have been softened. The crossing-guard game that has you counting humans as they cross the street shows a face at the bottom of the screen that looks a lot like the guy from Doom. But in the US version of the game, he's wearing glasses. The cliff-racing game had a character that sort of looked like a long-nosed Mario. That character's not in the US version at all. Instead, one character is the horse from the Japanese version, and the other character is that same horse but with antlers. None of the stuff in the Japanese version seemed like it was so blatant that it could result in a lawsuit, so the changes seem weird. But again, they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. The one thing that's noticeably missing from the US game is the leaderboard option. The Japanese version had a password-based system that you could use on the game's Web site to post your score. Now we'll never get to know who the pen-capping leader is in the US.

The game's visual style is all over the place because each game looks almost totally different from the others. Some of them use photos of actual people. Others look little better than an Atari 2600 game. The audio, similarly, is all over the place. All told, the presentation is really great. It's cohesive because it lacks cohesion...or something, and it adds to the chaos quite nicely.

It's worth restating that Work Time Fun isn't for everyone. Some people aren't going to get why a pen-capping minigame is funny, or why you'd want to spend hours trying to unlock a minigame that's a shameless rip-off of Lunar Lander. But if you're looking for something different, you can't get much more different than Work Time Fun.

The Sims 2: Pets

2007-01-12T01:23:00.000+08:00

The Sims 2: Pets for the PSP might have been a decent port of the console versions, if it would've just stopped loading for a second.

The Good: Improved AI offers a mostly authentic Sims experience on consoles; pets add an interesting new dimension to the game.

The Bad: Jarring load times constantly disrupt the game experience; pet management is difficult to schedule into a regular sim's day; limited neighborhood size and only one downtown lot.

Download The Sims 2: Pets

The Sims series started on the PC as a popular and difficult-to-describe strategy game that let you control the lives of little computer people in the houses you built for them, as they loved, grew old, had families, and occasionally used the potty. Seven years, several different game platforms, and numerous editions later, the series has become known for offering zany humor, colorful graphics, a gibberish language that its "sim" characters speak (known as "simlish"), and cheerful music. However, the console versions of the Sims games never quite stacked up to the PC version, mainly because the console games tended to focus on collection-based minigames and unlocking hidden items. Also, they never seemed to capture the autonomous, unpredictable artificial intelligence that powered those happy little sims in the PC versions. However, The Sims 2: Pets for the PlayStation Portable is a full-featured port of the console versions of the same game with most of the content intact, including better AI for its sim characters. Unfortunately, it's difficult to enjoy because the game constantly stops dead in its tracks with load times.

The PSP version of the game offers several breeds of pets and customization options. You just have to sit through the load times to see each one.

The PSP version of Pets offers two primary types of pets: cats and dogs. This version offers dozens of different breeds of cats and dogs, as well as customization options to choose size, age, different ear types, and fur color patterns. And you can be one of those awful, awful people who dress up their pets with an entire wardrobe, including hats, sunglasses, neckerchiefs, and shirts. That's in addition to your pet's personality, such as whether your pet is friendly or aloof, neat or messy, or quick to learn new tricks or a bit slower on the draw.

That's because pets essentially function like limited people in the game. You can't take direct control of dogs or cats, but you can teach them new skills (pet tricks) by spending virtual hours (which equates to several minutes of real time) of your day until they learn how to sit, shake hands, and roll over, similar to how you can improve your sims' marketability by spending virtual hours repeatedly training at skills like charisma, repair, and cleaning. You can use interactions with them to fulfill your sims' social needs (so yes, you can play as a "crazy cat lady" who associates only with her housecats), just like you can with live-in family members. The PSP version of the game, like the other console versions, doesn't let you send your pets to work to earn money--instead, it offers a single downtown area focused entirely on pets and lets you earn "pet points" to spend on chew toys, doggie treats, and other animal accessories. Spending pet points also unlocks the game's many hidden items and social interactions.

Dogs and cats can also interact with each other and, based on the personality you've given them, they may get into fights with the neighbors' pets, or they may get friendly with them. In the meantime, if you happen to care about your house's property value, your dogs and cats are always works in progress, since you must constantly catch even the best-behaved pets in the act of destroying furniture, digging up the yard, or relieving themselves in the house so that you can scold them--which teaches them not to do such things. Patterning your pets' behavior is surprisingly time-consuming and not always convenient--if you want to have a well-behaved pet, you have to always keep an eye on it and constantly drop what you're doing to dash over and scold or praise it--and once you get there, actually giving your pet that feedback takes a little while. It also seems to take quite some time before constant scolding or praising even sinks in with the brightest pets...and if you decide to have any of your sims take a job, that just means less time for your sims to spend together teaching your pets.

This is the main issue with the way cats and dogs work in the game--trying to create the perfect pet, or even a decent one, is difficult to schedule in the bustling world of The Sims 2, where your sims are also trying to make it in the working world themselves, build up their own skill points, pursue their wants and life goals, and take care of their own personal needs for food, rest, and social interaction. While the PSP version doesn't offer the complexity that the PC game's many expansion packs do, you'll probably still have trouble keeping up with the conflicting needs of both your sims and pets, which are both demanding and require separate blocks of time in any given virtual day. However, if you're a console owner and haven't had a chance to try out the PC version of The Sims 2, Pets will give you a pretty good sense of what you've been missing. The game includes improved artificial intelligence over the 2005 console version of The Sims 2 (though you'll still find occasional glitches with characters getting stuck on geometry or having pathfinding problems around simple obstacles), as well as The Sims 2's want- and aspiration-based gameplay, so you could just as easily put your pets in the background and focus primarily on character interactions. The PSP version of Pets only offers a single neighborhood with multiple houses and only a single downtown lot, presumably due to technical constraints; but if that's all you're after, you'll find it here.

Otherwise, the game offers most of the same music soundtrack and audio effects of the console versions of The Sims 2: Pets--upbeat instrumentals, the expressive gibberish language that human characters use, and a number of realistic cat and dog sounds that work just fine. The game offers only one out-of-home "lot" (an out-of-home area that sims can visit by calling a cab in other games), the downtown area where all the pet stores are. These all look just fine and seem to fit in very well with the colorful, though perhaps not cutting-edge look and feel of the console versions of The Sims 2. If you've played the console versions of the game, it's hard not to notice how the PSP game's characters and pets look jaggier, but considering the technical limitations of the PSP, it's a fine-looking game. The PSP also uses a smart camera control feature that makes use of the analog nub and triggers to give you almost of the perspective controls of the console versions, including the ability to play the game in "classic mode," using a cursor to highlight objects and characters to interact with.

The Sims 2: Pets for PSP could've been a solid port of a decent Sims game, except that it won't stop constantly loading.

Unfortunately, the PSP version of the game suffers from constant load times of three to four seconds. These load times not only happen whenever your sims enter a new area, but also frequently happen when you try to open up a new menu or interact with just about anything in the game--your pets, other characters, and your furniture. For instance, customizing your characters and pets is one of the activities most Sims players greatly enjoy, but paging through various hairstyles, clothing outfits, dog and cat breeds, and fur textures takes much longer than it should. And in terms of gameplay, once you've created your family of characters and pets, The Sims is all about interaction. The only way to accomplish anything in the game is to cook food, talk to people, play with pets, and so on. Like in other games, in Pets, your sims and their animal friends still have various needs, or "motives," such as hunger, fatigue, and social contact, that need to be filled up before they drain away totally, so you can't simply sit still--you have to go out and do things, and more often than not, interacting with nearly anything in the game causes the game to come to a full stop as the game loads up. The constant load times really disrupt the experience and will test the patience of anyone who isn't a diehard Sims fan. Also, for whatever reason, the PSP version of the game offers no multiplayer modes at all, though the single-player game is pretty substantial and the multiplayer options for most of the Sims console games have never been all that compelling anyway.

The PSP version of The Sims 2: Pets offers a pretty complete port of the console versions of the game, which featured enhanced artificial intelligence (which is a good thing) and pet training and socializing that were difficult and time-consuming to manage (which is a bad thing). Still, Pets might have been a good way to take much of the gameplay of The Sims 2 on the go, if it weren't for its constant load times right in the middle of the game. It's a shame that this technical issue brings down what would otherwise be a solid portable Sims game.

Custom Firmware 3.03 OE-B Released!

2007-01-12T01:20:00.001+08:00

Dark_AleX releasing custom firmware updates like they’re going out of style! Yup, that’s right, another earth-shattering update from the man himself — 3.03 Open Edition Revision B (OE-B)!

3.03 OE-B changes:

Patched the firmware to allow decrypted mp4-AVC videos to play at 480×272 resolution.
pic0.png was not shown in psp isos. Fixed.
The speed functions were not dummied after setting the speed. This could cause the few games that set the cpu speed not to run at the selected speed in the recovery menu.
Changed the structure of the program to have more free ram in game mode. sysmemp.prx removed, systemctrl.prx splitted into systemctrl.prx and vshctrl.prx.

Note: due to the inclusion of pic0.png, the iso cache has changed slightly; as a consequence you will notice a slowdown the first time you access game menu after this update, just as if you have modified the iso folder.

Instructions regarding AVC @ 480×272, docmaker changes, and everything else is detailed inside readme.txt.

Only execute this update from 3.03 OE-A or 3.03 OE-A’ (A2)

Download: 3.03 OE-B Update

My spidey senses are tingling — something tells me X-Flash V18j is near. ;)

- source: lan.st

X-Flash V18i Released

2007-01-12T01:19:00.001+08:00

Art’s X-Flash, the homebrew app which enables various firmware hacks — game boot videos, fonts, XMB menu labels, icons, etc… — now supports 3.03 OE-A2!

V18i changes:

Added support for Dark_AleX firmware version 3.03 OE-A’ (also known as 3.03 OE-A2).
Removed support for the original 3.03 OE-A release since the second 3.03 OE release features were mainly
bug fixes for the first.

That’s it, that’s all.

Download: X-Flash V18i

- custom game boots -
- custom boot sounds -
- custom fonts -
- custom XMB icons -
- custom backgrounds -

- source: Official X-Flash Board

pSPC Beta 1 — a PSP Calendar and More…

2007-01-12T01:15:00.000+08:00

Introducing Reefbarman and PSP Super Portable Calendar (pSPC). pSPC is on the path to becoming a personal organizer for your PSP. It’s intended to help manage your day-to-day life while on the go; much like other hand held devices available on the market.

At the moment Beta 1 features an interactive calendar supporting:

* Dynamic Calendar Generation
* Current Date and Time Display
* Today marked on Calendar
* Calendar Navigation
* Customizable Backgrounds

I know it’s not much considering pSPC is in the early stages of development, but the future looks promising:

* Day by Day notes
* Text input
* Reminders & intergrated XMB Reminders system
* Picture Drawing
* Phone & Address Book
* To Do Lists
* Budget Calculator
* Customizable Themes

Usage:

Use the D-Pad to navigate the calendars

Select the Month at the top and press Left or Right to access more months and years

Press Home to exit

Current Selected item is green, and todays date is marked on calendar in orange.

To customize backgrounds, place custom images in /data/gfx/bg/

Images have to be in format bgJan.png, bgFeb.png, bgMar.png etc…..

If you have ideas or feedback, you can find Reefbarman’s contact info in “ReadMe.txt.” Personally I’d like to see synchronization with iCal. :)

Download: pSPC Beta 1

Custom xmbIcon Packager (in English)

2007-01-12T01:13:00.000+08:00

Not very long ago kgsws released an XMB Icon Converter tool, but I was clueless; as I’m sure many of you were in the same boat. Until now, that is! caliFrag has provided a complete English translation of kgsws’ work. Now quickly & easily learn how to customize your XMB icons.

Changes for the translated version:

* Hexed bmp2mig.exe and join.exe: Translated to English.
* Renamed zac.dat and kon.dat to hdr.dat and ftr.dat respectively.
* Support for multiple firmwares with one batch file.
* Added advanced error handling procedures to the batch file.

Icon requirements:

64×64 pixels
8 bit color/256 colors

Now isn’t that easy? You can use X-Flash V18h to flash “topmenu_plugin.rco” back to your PSP.

Download: Custom xmbIcon Packager (includes custom icon sets)

- source: caliFrag @ qj

To Use:
Extract “xmbPackager” folder to desired installation directory. (Your choice)
Copy your icons to the “icons” folder.
1.bmp - Settings Icon
2.bmp - Photo Icon
3.bmp - Music Icon
4.bmp - Video Icon
5.bmp - Game Icon
6.bmp - Network Icon (N/A for FW1.50 users.)

Execute “start.cmd” by double clicking.

Program will prompt you to enter your firmware version:
(A) 1.50
(B) 2.50
(C) 3.02

Enter A, B or C and press the Enter key.

The batch file will execute much in the same fashion as kgsws’s.
All messages will be displayed on the screen. (in English)

Custom Firmware 3.03 OE-A’ (A2) Released

2007-01-12T01:11:00.000+08:00

3.03 Open Edition Revision A’ has been released by Dark_AleX. It includes a few fixes and CPU clock speed selection for UMDs and ISOs. Only execute this update from 3.03 OE-A and you’re ready to roll.

Download: 3.03 OE-A’ Update

Thanks for the countless emails everyone. ;)

- source: dark-alex.org

3.03 OE-A’ (OE-A2) changes:

Added cpu clock selection for umd/iso games. (not for vsh yet)
Fixed various bugs regarding the recovery menu, one of them made “rare text” appear when entering in plugins if pops plugins existed, the other one caused a crash when pressing triangle.
Fixed a small part of code in umd emulation that was not multithread safe.

3.03 Open Edition Revision A Released

2007-01-12T01:04:00.000+08:00

Update: If you “bricked” your PSP as a result from using the Easy Installer, there is indeed a fix to recover your precious unit — don’t worry/stress. Download the fix RIGHT HERE!

1. open recovery mode (hold down R while booting your PSP)
2. Start USB
3. Use the application above and follow the instructions
4. Select the third option on the PSPs Recovery menu
5. Boot a fresh working PSP

~Maniac~ sends his sincerest apologizes, I as well.

Download:
3.03 OE-A
3.03 FW Update EBOOT
1.50 FW Update EBOOT
Easy 3.03 OE-A Installer

Update: Here come the Easy Installers. ~Maniac~, from KLmSoftware, was kind enough to provide this one — grab it below (it’s the correct one with recovery menu). Run it and you’ll be on the right track.

You’ve been anticipating the arrival and now it’s here! PSP hacker extraordinaire, Dark_AleX, has released yet another custom firmware revision — 3.03 Open Edition (OE) Revision A!

Changes from 3.02 OE-B to 3.03 OE-A:

* Change from firmware 3.02 to 3.03
* Added support for compression in psx isos (look at popstation documentation for more details).
* Added support for decrypted document.dat (psx games manual) (look at docmaker documentation for more details).
* Fixed a bug regarding free region: a stupid bug caused it not to work at all. Now it should work, although it has not been tested due to lack of umd’s of different regions between the testers and me.
* Some generic bug fixes in the code.
* Re-added the sdk.
* Fixed some bugs that could cause the brick of korean/chinese/taiwan/singapure psp when restoring default settings. To prevent this, the region of those psp’s are faked to japanese when fake region is disabled. For same reason, korean region is removed from fake region.
* Added australia/new zeland and russia to the regions to be faked.

The installation is similar to 3.02 OE-A:

1. Copy oeupdatemaker and oeupdatemaker% to /PSP/GAME if you are in firmware 1.50, or to /PSP/GAME150 if you are in 2.71 SE or 3.02 OE.
2. Get the 1.50 and 3.03 Sony updates, and put them in the oeupdatemaker folder with the names 150.PBP and 303.PBP.
3. Run oeupdatemaker. It will generate the dxar file DATA.DXAR, which has the following hashes:
MD5: 03186D46D2F1B0ACD923098BEBC87281
SHA1: 3C80833A970EEA16A94D74DAFF6220889A9CEE4A
4. Copy 303oeflasher and 303oeflasher% to /PSP/GAME if you are in 1.50, or to /PSP/GAME150 if you are in 2.71 SE or 3.02 OE.
5. Move the DATA.DXAR file to the 303oeflasher directory.
6. Run the program. When it finishes, it will ask you to re-init the psp. When you do that, you will be in 3.03 OE-A.

- discussion thread - | - help thread -

- source: Dark_AleX

Thanks DazSH :)