14 DAY TRIAL // When various Sony executives claimed that 2009 would be the best year for the PlayStation Portable gaming console, a lot of critics thought that this was just typical marketing talk and that if two or three must-have titles appeared for the small handheld then that would be enough.
But now, as almost four months have passed since the beginning of 2009, Sony's portable device has already racked up a big number of high-end titles, ranging from the already released Resistance: Retribution, to the pirated X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the programmed-to-arrive LittleBigPlanet or MotorStorm.
Now, two more high-end franchises have announced that they will be arriving to the PlayStation Portable in the following months, in the form of SoulCalibur and Tekken. These two very popular fighting series will see their most recent iterations appear on the PSP, as SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny, a twist on the SoulCalibur IV title, and Tekken 6, which will be the newest release in the fighting series.
SoulCalibur will arrive in summer and promises to bring more than 20 fighters from SoulCalibur IV, all enriched with new tricks and up for any customization if the player decides they need it. Besides the normal Arcade, Versus and Survival modes of play, beginners will be happy to see that Namco Bandai is adding a Single player campaign, with more than 80 missions designed to teach new players how to maneuver the big number of characters. Sadly though, Star Wars' Yoda and Darth Vader won't appear in this release, as they did in the full-fledged release.
Tekken 6 on the other hand will appear on the PSP at the same time as on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms, promising to be filled with extra content like stages, items and an ad-hoc multiplayer mode that will make use of the PSP's wireless capabilities.
“A must-have for Tekken aficionados, Tekken 6 sees the return of many familiar faces as well as new characters to create the largest line-up the series has ever seen,” a Namco Bandai release reads. “With a growing roster of fighters, each equipped with their own deadly techniques, martial art moves, and attack combinations, Tekken 6 will be the best 'King of Iron Fist Tournament' yet. Adding to the already rich gaming experience, a deeper character customization feature will only enhance the incredible fighting intensity as players go mano-y-mano.”
It definitely looks like the PSP will have a very big year in 2009, and people who haven't bought one now have a lot of reasons to do so. Look forward to details about the two titles in the near future.
