• World Snooker Challenge 2007 (PSP)
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I wrote a review a while ago about the 2005 version of World Snooker Challenge, giving it a respectable 80% score.

I mentioned at the time that the 2007 version had been released when I got hold of a copy of the 2005 version, and that I wasn’t sure what the 2007 version would offer above and beyond the 2005 release.

Having then got well and truely sucked into playing World Snooker Challenge 2005, I decided to purchase the new version, to see if they had made any improvements and addressed any of the shortcomings of the original.

First impressions are that the game has undergone a mild interface transformation within the menu system, but the underlying options are pretty similar to the 2005 offering.

Jumping straight into a tournament and its clear that some things haven;t changed, such as the structure of the competitions, with limited retries available before you are moved onto the next match.

If you have played the 2005 version, you will notice that the colour of the table is darker, with some effective overhead lighting effects to make the game have a real snooker hall feel. The previous version made it look like you were playing under floodlights.

Gameplay wise, the biggest addition is a shaded circle that hints at where the cue ball will finally rest, should you not hit any balls other than your intended target. This works well, and allows you to fine tune your shot to get the cue ball where you want it. The more power you use, the less accurate the prediction of the final resting place.

Control is as before, with the right shoulder button being used as a shift key to allow you to move the cue ball when its in the D, reset the cue angle, and reset the amount of spin. Power is controlled via the X button, with the up and down buttons adjusting the power. Tapping the X again takes the shot. You acn adjust the power and then go back to fine tuning your shot angle by simply pressing the O button.

In the 2005 version, I quite often took shots using the analogu control, with the 2007 version I’ve abandoned that in favour of the power adjustment control using the up and down arrows. This allows more accuracy in the shot.

Animation within the game is quite good, with the players taking natural looking stances when taking a shot. This sometimes doesn’t work, and the player can end up looking like they are standing at a right angle to the table. Also, sometimes the cue appears to float above the cue ball when a shot is taken. Its a small niggle, but can grate at times.

Overall, this is a more polished game than the first, if only for the excellent shot prediction circle feature. AGain, I’d only recommend it to anyone who enjoys playing snooker, and who enjoys the finesse the game requires. This is a game that rewards practice and commitment.

PocketGamer has got an interview with Paul Mottram, the senior prodcuer for the upcoming PSP game, Crush.

It makes interesting reading, and I particularly like the fact that they came up with the idea for Crush over a pint in the lcoal pub (surely the best places for ideas to be nurtured).

Ed Daly (Kuju Brighton’s studio head) and I thought it would be great to mix 2D and 3D gameplay within a game, using perspective and orthographic views to allow a player to move around a world in a completely new and original way.

I’m not sure what they were drinking, but it certainly seems to have got their creative juices flowing, and Crush looks to be another PSP game that will get people talking about the Sony handheld, a little like LocoRoco did when it first arrived.

Check out the PocketGamer (linked at top) site for the full interview.

Sony’s PSP firmware upgrade 3.10 has been out less than a day, and already the C+D team have managed to get it decrypted. PSPUpdates have got the details on this feat.

What does this mean to you? Well, the first stage of being able to create either a custom firmware (Dark_AleX) or a DevHook (Booster) based on the latest firmware, it first needs to be decrypted, meaning that the firmware is no longer encoded in a way that makes it unreadable.

The firmware being decrypted so quickly means that it won’t take too long for a new custom firmware to be made based around firmware 3.10.

While I applaud the endeavours of anyone trying to free the PSP from its firmware shackles, I’m begining to think the ongoing battle between Sony and the underground developers is going to end in tears before too long, with potentially some Cease and Desist orders being served.

I guess the question is whether the continual circumvention of Sony’s firmware security features harming the PSP, its games sales, and the attitudes of the game developers who may feel that its not worth working on PSP games due to the high likelyhood of piracy?

I’m not suggesting that the only reason for custom firmware versions and DevHook is game piracy, but it does play a part of it, and its not good for the PSP or the general PSP scene. I would hate to see the PSP’s life end prematurely because there are no game developers left with any faith in the system.