Sony To Drop PSP Digital Comic Service...

The Sony PSP Digital Comic Service is to be dropped just seventeen months after its initial launch. According to a message on the Official Playstation Blog, which warned users that the latest comic update would also be the last.

Playstation Store director, Grace Chen, claimed that the Digital Comic Service would no longer feature any new comics after the 6th of July 2011, but was quick to add that users could: "continue to download any of the over 4000 existing comics from the comic store as usual..." [sourced from:http://us.playstationcomics.com/main/blog/weekly-update-060711.html]

Just to confirm, although it has been announced that Sony intends to 'drop' the service, (which would seems to suggest that the service is to cease,) the truth is that the PSP digital comics that are already in the store will remain unchanged and can still be downloaded as normal, but there will be NO MORE NEW STOCK of comics after the above date.

 However, the playstation blog also mentioned that the Digital Comic Service would continue on other Sony products, although no specific details were given at this point.

 Mini Gamers is saddened by the news, but we are also left wondering whether there might be plans to move the Digital Comic Service to the newest Sony handheld, the PS Vita, which is set to debut in December 2011.

Keep checking in with the Mini Gamers blog for more news on this subject as it happens.

Game On: Educational Video Games As A Tool For Learning...

Since the dawn of the home video game era in the late '70s and early '80s , there has been much bad press concerning young children's exposure to violent games, and the possibility that video games might turn children into  'zombies', who are incapable of thinking and behaving outside of their chosen virtual environments.

However, a  recent speech given by the British Secretary for Education, Mr. Michael Gove, could be about to change the reputation of videogames forever.

Michael Gove

Speaking to The Royal Society last week about the future of education, Mr. Gove praised educational videogames as a tool for learning.

In particular, Mr. Gove highlighted the work of british-born mathematician, Marcus du Sautoy, who has developed videogames in order to teach many advanced aspects of mathematics to young schoolchildren.

Mr. Gove said: "When children need to solve equations in order to get more ammo to shoot the aliens, it is amazing how quickly they can learn. I am sure that this field of educational games has huge potential for maths and science teaching."   

[sourced from: http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches/a00191729/michael-gove-speaks-to-the-royal-society-on-maths-and-science]

Of course, it has to be said that educational videogames are nothing new. The Nintendo DS has many educational titles aimed at young gamers and adults alike.

Nevertheless, Mr. Gove's speech is an indication that the general perception of videogames may at last be changing, and that the value of videogames as an educational tool is now being recognised outside of the gaming community.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

What do you think of Michael Gove's comments?

Do you agree that videogames should be used as a tool in the classroom?

Let us know what you think of this issue by leaving a comment in the comment's box below. We'd love to hear your thoughts.



PSP News: Last Chance To Claim Your Free Games...

There is now only one day left for Playstation Network users to claim their two free games from the PSN store.

The two free games offer is actually part of a wider 'Welcome Back' package which was offered by the online network store after a malicious system hack forced all Sony online services to close for several weeks.

 Handheld Gamers have been offered a choice of two games from the following PSP titles:


LittleBigPlanet

Guide your own customised sackboy/sackgirl character around several environments, unlock extra content such as stickers and even create your own levels to display online.

ModNation Racers

Customise your own 'Mod' character, design your racing kart and tracks and then race around until your heart's content. Use various collected weapons against your opponents, including UFOs, electricity, and gunge amongst others.

Alternatively, play through the game's STORY MODE as 'Tag', a young Mod who wants to be the best racer on the ModNation Racing circuit. 

Pursuit Force

Leap from vehicle to vehicle in a series of challenging high-speed chases.

Killzone Liberation

Now you can battle against the fearsome Helghast in the palm of your hand. 

So, if you haven't yet played any of these games, now is your chance to own some of the most popular titles to ever grace the PSP for FREE!!!

But you will have to hurry as the offer expires on the 3rd July 2011.

If you wish to know more about Sony's Welcome Back offers, please click HERE


Resident Evil Mercenaries: 'One-Save' Feature Does Not Mean 'Play Once', Explains Capcom...

It has been a difficult week for the guys at Capcom. Since news about the perma-save/one save only feature included in their Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D game for the Nintendo 3DS became public knowledge, they have been busy trying to persuade the gaming community that the fact the game's save data cannot be reset does not affect the overall replay value of the game. Are they right?

 

Initial information gathered on Tuesday suggested that the perma-save function would also prevent the game from being reset back to the very beginning, meaning that the game could essentially only be played once.

However, Capcom have now begun to set the record straight on exactly how the one-save-only feature would work. According to them, the perma-save feature was added in order to give the game an intrinsically Arcade gaming feel.

According to Capcom sources, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a time-based score attack game, akin to the old 80's-style Arcade games. Players must defeat zombie hoardes in order to rack up an overall high score before the timer runs out.

As such, the game does not feature a traditional campaign mode as offered by most modern shooter games.

However, when asked to comment about whether the fact that the game's data could not be reset or deleted also meant that the game could only be played once, Capcom were quick to offer this statement:

 

"This is not true. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a non-linear experience where there is no set end to the game. It is a score attack game and progression is defined as improving upon previous high scores. Players can replay each mission as many times as they like to continually challenge themselves to improve."

[sourced from: http://www.capcom-unity.com/resident_evil/go/thread/view/7391/27944601/About_the_Save_Data_(Official)]

Capcom also responded to claims that the perma-save feature would affect trade-ins and used copies of the game by saying:

"Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D consists of 30 time-based missions, through which the player unlocks skill upgrades as they progress through the game. Anyone purchasing a copy of the game secondhand would have access to all the missions and skills that the original owner unlocked, in addition to the content that was available to the original user." [ibid.]

Nevertheless, this does not mean that trade-in prices of the game have not been affected since the news about the perma-save went public.

HMV has refused to accept trade-ins of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D when the game becomes available in the UK on Friday, over fears that customers will be disappointed with buying a game that already has all the content unlocked.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D has been dramatically reduced in price in many stores in order to get customers to purchase the game dispite its apparent low resale value.

However, the Electronics Boutique (EB Games) store in Australia has gone one step further and has actually recalled all copies of the game from its stores in protest against the perma-save feature. Speaking to Joystiq.com recently, a representative of the EB Games Facebook Group said:

"We made the tough decision to remove [the game] from sale because we have everybody's best interests in mind, and don't feel its fair that you guys would be paying $60 for what is essentially a one use game."
[Sourced from: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/29/game-retailers-go-back-and-forth-on-resident-evil-mercenaries-3/]

So, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D CAN be played more than once, allbeit with any users' highscore data and previously unlocked bonuses and weapons undeletable, which is fantastic news for those gamers who wanted to purchase the game but were afraid that the game could not be replayed or would offer very little incentive to replay the game.

Nevertheless, the inclusion of the perma-save feature still has some members of the gaming community fuming.

One of the major causes of upset amongst Resident Evil 3DS fans at the moment is that Capcom has essentially removed the right to start the game over from scratch if players wish to, which could be said to deny gamers the feeling of personal ownership over the game.

It also means that any gamer who buys this game second hand will not be able to unlock any content for themselves and will also start the game with the previous owner's highscore in place (until they can beat it), which some gamers argue is very unfair and takes away some of the core enjoyment from the game.

The 'beat your high score' type of game is most definitely reminiscent of the 1980s Arcade games, which is what Capcom claims they are trying to achieve with this game.

Could Capcom's decision to include the perma-save function be seen as a gradualistic move away from the modern campaign mode games, which tend to offer gamers a wider choice within the game and  greater customisation options than Arcade-style games. If so, then what does this mean for the future of videogames as a whole?

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is set to debut in the UK from tomorrow.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Is the use of a Perma-Save acceptable in videogames?

Would you buy this game?

Do you agree that not being able to unlock content in used copies of the game will make Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D less appealing to gamers in the future?

Please leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts on this subject.

UK Videogame Retailers Respond To Resident Evil Perma-Save Information

Yesterday, Mini Gamers brought you the devastating news that Capcom's new Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D [3DS] game has a "ONE SAVE ONLY"feature, which means essentially that game data cannot ever be reset to its original state once the game has been completed.

The perma-save feature means that any used copies of the game are essentially unplayable as there is no way to reset the game back to its original unplayed state at all.

This means that anyone who purchases the game second-hand is essentially buying a permanently used game, as there is no way to restore the game to its original default settings and start the game over from scratch.

Today UK videogame retailers have begun announcing their plans on whether to accept used copies of the game or not.

According to gaming website VG247, retail giant HMV has now refused to take any used copies of the game in the UK. A representative said that the discision to not accept used copies of the game is to:"avoid any potential customer disappointment for those purchasing a pre-owned version". [sourced from: http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/29/hmv-to-refuse-resident-evil-mercenaries-trade-ins-in-uk/]

It is not all bad news for those UK gamers who still wish to purchase the game though. Both GAME and Gamestation has confirmed to Eurogamer that they do intend to accept and trade-in all used versions of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and sell the game as 'pre-owned' just as with other games.

In the USA, retail giant GameStop has controversially reversed its decision to not accept trade-ins. The store originally planned to refuse trade-ins of the game but have now said that they would resume trade-ins from today.

According to IGN, a representative of the store explained: "GameStop did ask the U.S. store base to stop accepting trades on Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D as we evaluated the save system for the game...Upon further review of the process with our publisher partner, Capcom, GameStop will resume taking trades on the game effective Wednesday, June 29th."

Meanwhile, in Australia, there has been no such turnaround from the Electronics Boutique (EB) stores, who have called for all stocks of the game to be recalled from their outlets.

The gaming community has so far reacted with shock and anger over Capcom's decision to include a permanent save feature into the game. It is unclear how this decision will effect the overall sales figures of the game, but we can guess that the figures are not going to be that great.

The game is set to debut in the UK on Friday.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

What do you think? Is a game that you can only play once in its full state really worth owning even if trade-ins of the game are not affected? Please leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D: Bizzare 'One Save Only' Feature Makes Game Pointless

With only a few days to go until the UK release of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, worrying news has begun to surface on the Internet that the game's 'Save' feature contains a one-save only function - this means that the game's save data cannot be reset at all.

Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D: The game you can only play once in full...

This may not seem like much of a problem until you consider that players may not be able to trade in their copy of the game as the old save data is completely undeletable, and that the game itself can only be played through once and cannot be reset back to its original state, meaning that all unlocked items, highscores, missions and weapons remain completed and cannot be rediscovered or unlocked once the game is completed.

This means that anyone wishing to start the game over from scratch is out of luck. It also means that anyone who purchased a used copy of this game will get diminished gameplay because they will not be able to start the game from its original unplayed state.

The news comes after details of the game's instruction manual became available on several gaming websites such as Tiny Cartridge, amongst others. The screenshot below clearly shows a warning at the bottom of the page, which reads: "Note: Saved data on this software cannot be reset."

The game is undergoing an international release starting this week with Japan and Australia. However, the countries are taking different steps in the wake of the one-save-only news becoming public.

For example, in Japan, gamers are being offered the game at a very low price because of the game's low resale value, whilst (according to Australian Website, Vooks,) EB Games, a popular Australian game retailer, is banning the game from their shelves as they claim that the one-save/perma-save feature will make the game less appealing to gamers in the future.

The game was released yesterday in Australia, but is now embroiled in controversy before it has even hit the shelves, which is likely to affect Capcom's sale figures.

It is very unclear why Capcom would deliberately release a game which can only ever be played through in its entirety once, although some websites are already speculating that this move was intended to slow down second-hand sales of the game.

However, In a recent statement issued to gaming website Giantbomb, Capcom insisted that it did not take the used-game market into account when choosing the one-save feature for the game.

According to Capcom: "Secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision, so we hope that all our consumers will be able to enjoy the entirety of the survival-action experiences that the game does offer." [Sourced from: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/capcom-used-games-not-a-factor-in-resident-evil-the-mercenaries-3d-lacking-data-reset/3430/]

It has to be argued however that Capcom might have proverbially shot themselves in the foot with this decision. The used-game market now accounts for a large proportion of all videogame sales, how is a game which can only be played in its original state one time going to survive against a mass of games which are available for second-hand trade?

The news is likely to anger the gaming community and have a negative impact on any future sales of the game.

Let's just hope that other videogame producers don't all decide to follow Capcom's example or else the thriving videogames market that we have today is unlikely to be around for much longer...

So, what do you think, is a game that you can only fully play once and may not be able to trade-in or swap with friends really worth owning? 

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment in our 'Comments Box' today.

STORY UPDATE: Capcom explains the perma-save/one save only feature: http://worldofminigamers.blogspot.com/2011/06/resident-evil-mercenaries-one-save.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MiniGamers+%28Mini+Gamers%29

No 3DS games in the eShop: Why the Nintendo 3DS Shop Will Never Beat The PSN Store...

It is now almost three weeks since Nintendo launched their new eShop service, and a lot of gamers out there are all wondering the same thing: Why are the games on offer all retro Nintendo titles? Why can't I download new Nintendo 3DS games from the eShop as well?

These are two very valid questions, and as yet, there has been no satisfactory answer as to why the actual 3DS games that you can find in the shops are not available to purchase from the eShop as well, but this could be one of the core reasons why the new eShop has not proven to be very popular amongst 3DS fans so far.

Instead of offering a few good 3D games to play and download, the eShop tends to be filled with several 2D retro Gameboy and DSiware titles, which is fine for those gamers who want to play them, but has left several other 3DS users feeling disappointed recently.

A sample of the only 3D game on offer in the eShop at the moment

Don't get us wrong, the Nintendo 3DS eShop is very useful when one is planning which Nintendo 3DS title to buy next. The 'Coming Soon to Shops' section, provides details of several up and coming titles as well as video trailers, which are displayed in full-3D, so that you can really tell how the games will actually look on your 3DS console.

The 'Now in Shops' section is also useful for keeping track of new 3DS game releases as well, as it lists several new titles along with customer reviews, trailers and information, which is very good.

Retro 2D games feature heavily in the eShop

However, it could be said that the 3DS eShop is still lacking in several ways. Nintendo's rival, the Playstation Network Store offers a whole range of new games for its various Playstation consoles, including its PSP handhelds. These games are purchasable and are instantly downloaded onto the console's special Memory Stick.

Frogger would look so much better in 3D, but alas, 2D only...

The Nintendo 3DS has a removable SD card for data and game storage, so it would not be too difficult for Nintendo to offer its own type of 3DS game download service if it wanted to. This would save gamers having to pre-order new games, and would add real value to the 3DS eShop.

Furthermore, Sony's Playstation Network Store also offers its own video rental and download service, so that gamers can get the latest films straight onto their consoles.

Nintendo has recently begun a 3DS TV streaming service in Japan, and has suggested that this type of service might eventually become available throughout Europe via a company called NetFlix, but with no commencement date in place, it seems like this could be a long way off in the future.

So will we ever get 3DS games in the eShop? Nintendo has mentioned that they will be adding playable demos alongside video trailers but they did not say whether they would ever consider adding purchasable 3DS downloads to the eShop.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

Would you like to see downloadable 3DS game titles in the Nintendo eShop, or do you think that the Nintendo eShop is okay just the way it is? What other services do you think Nintendo should provide in the 3DS eShop?

Please feel free to leave us a comment, and let us know your thoughts on this subject. We'd love to hear your opinions.

Nintendo 3DS Game Release Calendar: July 2011- Dec 2011

A list of new 3DS games with potential 2011/2012 North-American release dates has recently come to light on the Internet. The list gives details of upcoming 3DS games along with their currently scheduled North-American release dates.

The leaked Nintendo schedule contains a few titles that already feature in the pre-order sections of many online shops at the moment, but also contains a few interesting titles that we did not know about.

 It has to be said that some of the games shown in the list are North American releases only, and there does not seem to be any UK equivalent release date at all.

How The Calendar Is Arranged:

As Mini Gamers has attempted to modify the 3DS release date list in order to include confirmed UK 3DS release dates as well, you might notice some slight differences between our calendar and the original list. We have tried to make the calendar as easy to follow as possible by implementing the following rules:

•  In order to distinguish between the North-American and UK release dates, we have included either (NA) or (UK) alongside the relevant titles.

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• Where the UK date has been confirmed as being in the same week and/or month as the North-American release of the game, we have only listed the UK release date in order to avoid confusion.
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• Where the North-American release date for a game has been generalised, (ie. FALL 2011) but the scheduled UK release date has been given in full (ie. 07 July 2011), we have given the UK release date only, in order to avoid confusion.
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• Where the release date for a game has been generalised (ie. FALL 2011), and there is no UK release equivalent, we have placed the game title in the most likely month for its release, (ie. Fall = October etc) but we have listed the game as 'FALL 2011 TBC'.

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• Where a game has two separate release dates (ie. the same game is released in different months of the year) we have listed the game twice in its respective release month and used the (NA) and (UK) symbols to differientiate between the two versions.

It is impossible for Mini Gamers to list all the various pre-releases, so we have ommitted some of the games which have already been highly publicised, but there were a few 'surprise' titles that piqued our interest, which we felt were definitely worth a mention.

 Here we summerise the most interesting new 3DS pre-releases, along with their planned release dates. Please note, however, that all release dates are approximate, and may therefore be subject to change.

3DS GAMES July-Dec 2011

 JULY

Resident Evil: The  Mercenaries 3D July. 1 (UK)

Dream Trigger 3D July. 15 (UK)

MAHJONG CUB3D™ July. 19 (NA only)

AUGUST

Cave Story 3D Aug. 9 (NA)

Shin Megami Tensei® :Devil Survivor Overclocked™ Aug. 23 (NA only)

 

PAC-MAN® & GALAGA® DIMENSIONS Aug. 26 (UK)

James Noir's Hollywood Crimes™ Aug. 30 (NA)

 

Driver® Renegade Aug. 30 (NA)

 

Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights SUMMER 2011 (NA)

SEPTEMBER

DualPen Sports Sept. 2 (UK)

Driver® Renegade Sept. 2 (UK)

Face Racers Photo Finish Sept. 2 (NA only)

                                        

StarFox 64 Sept. 11 (UK)

FIFA Soccer 3D Sept. 30 (UK) 

OCTOBER

Thor: God of Thunder FALL (NA), TBC (UK)

Captain America: Super Soldier FALL (NA), TBC (UK)

FIFA Soccer 12 FALL (NA)

 

Tetris 3D OCTOBER (NA - TBC)

The Hidden Oct. 4 (NA ONLY)

WRC: World Rally Championship Oct. 7 (UK)

 

Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic Oct. 11 (NA ONLY)

 

Pet Zombies Oct. 11 (NA ONLY)

Imagine® Fashion Designer Oct. 11 (NA ONLY)


Order Up! Oct. 14 (UK)



Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Oct. 14 (UK)



The Sims™ 3 Pets Oct. 21 (UK)



Adventures of TinTin: The Secret of the Unicorn Oct. 21 (UK)

Cute Puppies Oct. 25 (NA ONLY)

 

Horses 3D Oct. 25 (NA ONLY)

NCIS (working title) Oct. 25 (NA ONLY)

Imagine® Babyz 3D Oct. 25 (NA ONLY)

Michael Jackson The Experience Oct. 25 (NA)

Dr. Lutrec and the Forgotten Knights Oct. 28 (UK)

James Noir's Hollywood Crimes™ Oct. 28 (UK)

 

NOVEMBER

Raving Rabbids® 5 (working title) Nov.1 (NA ONLY)

One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP Nov. 1 (UK)

Disney's Magical Star (3DS) Nov. 1 (UK)

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 Nov. 4 (UK)

Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D Nov. 4 (UK)

Reel Bass Fishing 3D Nov. 4 (UK)

 

Cooking Mama 4 Nov. 11 (UK)

Farm (working title) Nov. 15 (NA ONLY)

Sonic Generations Nov. 15 (NA), TBC (UK)

Need For Speed: The Run Nov. 18 (UK)

 

Tales of the Abyss Nov. 18 (UK)

Cave Story Nov. 25 (UK)

DECEMBER

Resident Evil: Revelations Dec. 2 (UK)

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater Dec. 2. (UK)

Gundam Dec. 2 (UK)

Super Mario 3D Dec. 2 (UK)

Luigi's Mansion 2 Dec. 2 (UK)

Mario Kart 3D Holiday (NA), TBC (UK)

 

There you have it, several new 3DS games, which will apparently be released by the end of the year. We were pleased that  popular games such as FIFA Soccer 3D and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 made the list, as well as many more besides.  

 As always, it is impossible to give accurate release dates as they tend to change so often, but we are hopeful that the information presented here is correct at the time of publication.

We have also used a reputable retailer for the scheduled UK dates (where listed), so we are confident that these dates are as accurate as possible. If you would like to read the original list, please click HERE.

Remember to check in with the Mini Gamers blogsite regularly for updated news about these games as it happens.