I do have a fat PS2. (Version 4 with GT3 bundle). The PSP is noisier. Maybe it's because it's closer to the hears, but it kind of reminds me of my old 4x CD-Rom drive. It's not like an airplane taking off, but more like "seek" sounds. It constantly loads and is hella noisy doing it.

One of the main reason of the slim was to cure the slow load time, so maybe the UMD drive is quieter.

Wynter wrote:

So you musta been playing a lot of Xbox in Japan, eh?

Not that I know. I did logged on once or twice on hotmail, maybe that's the reason.
_________________

tabana wrote:

I do have a fat PS2. (Version 4 with GT3 bundle). The PSP is noisier. Maybe it's because it's closer to the hears, but it kind of reminds me of my old 4x CD-Rom drive. It's not like an airplane taking off, but more like "seek" sounds. It constantly loads and is hella noisy doing it. One of the main reason of the slim was to cure the slow load time, so maybe the UMD drive is quieter.

Thanks for the info tabana.
Hmm. I'm gonna go and see if I can find any comparisons on the net between the noisiness of the PSP versions.
Maybe they did reduce it with the slimline one - have you heard a slimline PS2? MUCH quieter than the fat one.

@ everyone - have you seen Condemned 2? It looks TERRIFYING.

On a Japan-specific note:

Anyone else here played Persona 3, as well as any game in the SMT series? I started out with Nocturne, and haven't looked back. Not much of an FF guy, but definitely in with monster fusion and fighting deities. And Persona 4 is already in development in Japan, as far as I'm aware. Not sure if the level of attachment Japan has with the series is the same as what they have for either Dragon Quest or FF...

As for PS3/Xbox 360...

Which one has more good games out now? Don't have either one, but plan on getting a PS3 eventually... Bluray player at that, and I'm thinking the better Japanese game developers will eventually develop more games there, anyways...

omgomgomg! I'm 93% done Enchanted Arms! Just the last long haul now.
_________________

FarOutFreak wrote:

On a Japan-specific note: Anyone else here played Persona 3, as well as any game in the SMT series? I started out with Nocturne, and haven't looked back. Not much of an FF guy, but definitely in with monster fusion and fighting deities. And Persona 4 is already in development in Japan, as far as I'm aware. Not sure if the level of attachment Japan has with the series is the same as what they have for either Dragon Quest or FF...

I've played SMT. Nocturne was so long ago that I barely remember it and I played to many jRPG since. I still remember a bit on Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2.

Digital Devil Saga doesn't have monster fusion as Nocturne though. Only the character can transform into demons but they can't recruit or upgrade monsters. If you have played Nocturne, check out DDS1 secret uber boss.

You might want to try Shadow Hearts series. The hero can fuse into "demons" as well and he fought a deity in Shadow Hearts 1, earning him the nickname Godkiller in Shadow Hearts: Covenent. In Covenant and From the New World, there are 2 playable characters that can transform instead of 1.

I especially love Shadow Hearts: Covenant.

If you want demon Recruiting... well for now, off the top of my head, I can only think of sRPG by NIS. Disgaea for example. Cute chibi demon instead of big burly and mean demon though.

I don't like action jRPG though.

I've almost completed the last quest before I become Arch-Mage, and I'm exhausted. Those Necromancers are big meanies.

I got the official Oblivion guide (I am totally obsessed - it's official), and it's great reading. Lots of nice screenshots, too.

I spent part of the time away playing my mate's PSP - he has Medievil.
It's actually quite a humorous game, and it sure kept me occupied for quite a few hours

Anime Dad wrote:

I spent part of the time away playing my mate's PSP - he has Medievil. It's actually quite a humorous game, and it sure kept me occupied for quite a few hours

*purses lips* Well! Didn't you see my earlier question - how did you find the noise factor of the PSP? I'm canvassing opinion, see.
I also need to know whether it was the slimline version or not.

Keps wrote:

*purses lips* Well! Didn't you see my earlier question - how did you find the noise factor of the PSP? I'm canvassing opinion, see. I also need to know whether it was the slimline version or not.

Oops. sorry, k-chan

No, it was an original. Actually, he had 2 - both originals. His brother-in-law gave him one, which was not only an original, but one of the first released, because it had the 1.52 firmware. I didn't notice any noise coming from the thing, but that could be because my hearing ain't what it used to be (too many years playing in loud rock bands )

FarOutFreak wrote:

As for PS3/Xbox 360... Which one has more good games out now? Don't have either one, but plan on getting a PS3 eventually... Bluray player at that, and I'm thinking the better Japanese game developers will eventually develop more games there, anyways...

So far most good games are on the 360 or both consoles. If you're a big fan of Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid or Gran Turismo, get a PS3.

Until now, most games were a little more better on the 360, because it's easier to develop. As time go, yes, the PS3 might get better, because the programmers will know the machine more. If you like Japanese imports, the PS3 is better too. Almost no 360 consoles are sold in Japan. The 360 as better online gaming. If you love that, it's a must. Nothing beats xbox live.
_________________

Anime Dad wrote:

Oops. sorry, k-chan No, it was an original. Actually, he had 2 - both originals. His brother-in-law gave him one, which was not only an original, but one of the first released, because it had the 1.52 firmware. I didn't notice any noise coming from the thing, but that could be because my hearing ain't what it used to be (too many years playing in loud rock bands )

Thanks AD. I saw this last night, but it was late and I had a headache, so I went to bed.
Firmware - PSPs need updates? I know I have to download firmware updates for PS3....I didn't know PSP had them.
I'm sorry to hear (no pun intended) about your hearing problems. I never knew you were a rocker! You dark horse.

Keps wrote:

Thanks AD. I saw this last night, but it was late and I had a headache, so I went to bed.

No probs - hope you're feeling better

Quote:

Firmware - PSPs need updates? I know I have to download firmware updates for PS3....I didn't know PSP had them.

Well, you don't "have" to update them, and a lot of people don't. But there is a big community of firmware modifiers/hackers that change the firmware and make a lot of improvements/mods. My son's PSP has a non-standard firmware

Quote:

I'm sorry to hear (no pun intended) about your hearing problems. I never knew you were a rocker! You dark horse.

LOL! Yeah, I still play the bass guitar, but I haven't played regularly for a long time. I have tinnitus, which is a permanent ringing in the ears

Anime Dad wrote:

No probs - hope you're feeling better Smile

I am. Thank you.

Quote:

Well, you don't "have" to update them, and a lot of people don't. But there is a big community of firmware modifiers/hackers that change the firmware and make a lot of improvements/mods. My son's PSP has a non-standard firmware

Oh, I see. I had no idea PSPs could be hacked like other consoles.

Quote:

LOL! Yeah, I still play the bass guitar, but I haven't played regularly for a long time. I have tinnitus, which is a permanent ringing in the ears

Oh, you play guitar *breathes* How wonderful. I'd love to be able to play.

Keps wrote:

You said you put Jdramas on your PSP - how does that work...I mean, are the subtitles readable ok on such a small screen?

I use a program called PSPVideo9 that converts videos into a format and screen size that fits the PSP screen. It's free. The subtitles are not a problem, generally, especially if you convert a video from groups like SARS that tends to use hella large fonts.

FarOutFreak wrote:

Anyone else here played Persona 3, as well as any game in the SMT series? I started out with Nocturne, and haven't looked back. Not much of an FF guy, but definitely in with monster fusion and fighting deities. And Persona 4 is already in development in Japan, as far as I'm aware.

I've played Persona 3. That's the game I logged the most time on in order to beat it. I recently picked up Persona 3: FES mainly for the Aigis episode. I've also enjoyed Digital Devil Saga 1 and, as it happens, beat Digital Devil Saga 2 last night. DDS is a great series, but probably not for the newbie to JRPGs. Great story and challenging battle system, but definitely not forgiving. I managed to get a copy of Nocturne with the soundtrack and am a bit afraid to play it as I hear it's harder than DDS.

Unfortunately, I hear that Persona 4 will still be on the PS2 platform. I was hoping for Demon goodness in a Hi-Def format.

Madoka wrote:

I've played Persona 3. That's the game I logged the most time on in order to beat it. I recently picked up Persona 3: FES mainly for the Aigis episode. I've also enjoyed Digital Devil Saga 1 and, as it happens, beat Digital Devil Saga 2 last night. DDS is a great series, but probably not for the newbie to JRPGs. Great story and challenging battle system, but definitely not forgiving. I managed to get a copy of Nocturne with the soundtrack and am a bit afraid to play it as I hear it's harder than DDS. Unfortunately, I hear that Persona 4 will still be on the PS2 platform. I was hoping for Demon goodness in a Hi-Def format.

Haven't picked up FES, as it'll take a few more days for it to get here. But will definitely be buying it.

They'll probably take their time putting out the SMT iteration for the PS3. And when they finally do, I hope it exceeds everybody's expectations. Persona 4 is still looking classy, though. The color scheme shown in the stills and the short trailers look excellent. Too bad no more Evokers. Could have further riled up the parents with more 'shoot-yourself-in the-head' imagery.

Madoka wrote:

I use a program called PSPVideo9 that converts videos into a format and screen size that fits the PSP screen. It's free. :smile: The subtitles are not a problem, generally, especially if you convert a video from groups like SARS that tends to use hella large fonts.

There's better programs than PSPVideo9 around now. A computer mag I buy has released their own, it converts almost anything to almost anything, including PSP and IPod video formats. If you're interested, I could upload it somewhere for you.

I found that PSPVideo9 makes the file sizes too large.

OT: Finally got through the puzzle section on FFX. On with the story!

i picked up Oblivion for the 360 the other day i had know idea where to start with this game so i bought the guide today.
_________________

Did the same thing. I bought it 2 weeks ago. (The game of the year edition) It's really hard to find. I wanted to play it right away, but I'll have GTAIV tomorrow.

I didn't have the 100+ hours to finish it in 2 weeks and I know I will put it on hold, when I get GTA. All the guides for Oblivion were sold out tho.
_________________

LOL! I've created lil' Oblivion minions. Mwahahahaha!
_________________

I played a little with the PC version at work, 2 years ago, but don't really like PC gaming like I used to. It feels like I'm working. The graphics were really nice tho. Nice HDR.
_________________