The great thing about multi-platform releases is that gamers have the option of playing a game on one of many possible systems. The difficulty is choosing which system to get a blockbuster game for. We faced this problem with the recently released LEGO Indiana Jones, which is available for both the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, as well as every current home console. Unable to decide between the two portable options, we decided to get both — and report back here on which version we liked best. It is difficult to choose a clear winner, because both handheld consoles handle the game well, and each version has its own particular strengths and weaknesses. If you are still on the fence about which one to buy, read on for the specific details and our verdict on each release.

The DS Version

Players who opt for the DS version are in for a slightly different gameplay experience. Unlike the console and PSP versions, Lego Indiana Jones on the DS makes a few sacrifices in image quality and level size, but brings new features to the table. At many points in the game, players must use the “wind” feature of the microphone to activate certain platforms and puzzles. DS owners with friends can still play in cooperative multiplayer mode over local wifi. The DS version also features touch functionality, although this is somewhat unnecessary and redundant since the same input can be achieved by pressing one of the face buttons. The DS version also predictably adds some touch-screen minigames not found on any other system.

Graphically, the game can not compare to the PSP and console versions, but it delivers a strong performance nonetheless: levels are filled with colorful textures and player characters are clearly distinguishable, even on the small screen. The framerate is also noticeably better than last year’s Lego Star Wars. The only really substantial difference is that the DS version cuts back the total number of levels in the game, leaving out some of the content found on other systems, while still retaining the overall spirit and fun of the franchise.

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After a few months of slim pickings it is once again a very strong month for PSP releases in North America. We have a couple of high-quality movie tie-ins, a sure-fire adventure hit from Sony and a rapid twitch shooter in the vein of Lumines. It is difficult to choose a favorite among the upcoming titles, but there is definitely something for nearly every taste coming up in the next 30 days.

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures — June 3: Sure, the new Indiana Jones movie was a bit of a let down, but this video game adaptation of the first films won’t disappoint. All of the insanity and fun of LEGO combined with the excellent gameplay that Travelers Tales are known for, in a portable package.

Secret Agent Clank — June 17: The next blockbuster action/adventure title for the PSP revisits the underdog sidekick theme to find out what kind of damage Clank can do when Ratchet is locked up for crimes he didn’t commit. All signs point to this being a quality release.

Space Invaders Extreme — June 17: The DS is not the only system receiving the retro arcade treatment from Square Enix this month. Space Invaders Extreme on the PSP loses touch input, but gains a graphical upgrade. Having more in common with Lumines than a typical arcade shooter, we predict that this title could be a smash hit on the Sony portable.

Naruto Ultimate Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress — June 24: We know there are some anime fans out there looking forward to this release from Namco/Bandai.

WALL-E — June 24: This game adaptation of the Disney-Pixar film will put players in control of a trash collecting robot through a variety of environmental puzzles and obstacle courses.

April NPD numbers are in, giving us both hardware and software sales data for all consoles and handhelds. On one hand, the Nintendo DS came in second (we don’t need to tell you which family-oriented console took 1st, do we?). The DS sold roughly 415 thousand units, but suffered a considerable fall compared to the 698 thousand systems sold during March. The PSP did its part, too, claiming 3rd spot and selling 193 thousand units, although suffering a drop of about 104 thousand systems from the previous month. The PSP outsold the Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2, and overall hardware sales dropped considerably. On the software department, only two handheld games made it to the top ten; Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness, claiming spots 7 and 8 with 202,000 copies sold each. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and God of War: Chains of Olympus didn’t manage to stay on the software list during April; and where’s Patapon?

As of writing, worldwide DS and PSP sales are:

Nintendo DS: 72 million

Sony PSP: 34 million

As a side note, I’m glad to say that I contributed to PSP hardware sales this past April, with my sleek and shiny Piano Black PSP Slim.

Thanks: [PSP Fanboy]

Like the annoying party guest who takes a big, slobbering bite of celery before submerging it back in the bowl of dip, Sony seems to be getting greedy with its game releases. Not content with the massively successful sales numbers for hit titles Daxter and Wipeout Pulse on the PSP, the company announced to a French gaming website that it will be releasing the games once more on the PS2 for those who missed the handheld versions. The games will reportedly be hitting the home platform as early as this summer.

As PSP fanatics, we are unhappy with this policy for two reasons. First, it sends a message to potential PSP owners that they can hold off on buying the great handheld system, since most high-profile games like Liberty City Stories and Silent Hill Origins will eventually make it to their PS2 loading trays, often with better controls and graphics. There are more than 100 million PS2 consoles in living rooms around the world, and the availability of the core PSP library on that system must have a depressing effect on portable hardware sales. Secondly, gamers who already own a PSP system might be more likely to hold off on buying new software for the machine, worried (with justification) that the game they want may be released with noticeable improvements within a few short months.

We imagine many of you probably have strong feelings about this, so feel free to register them in the comments below. As PSP owners, how do you feel about the system’s best games being ported to the home console? As potential PS2 owners, are you happy about these additions to the already massive catalogue?

Thanks: [Jeuxvideo]

Sony today announced that the upcoming spinoff title Secret Agent Clank will be headed to store shelves in North America and Europe on June 17. The game is being developed from the ground up for the PSP by High Impact Games. Following in the footsteps of that other massively popular adaptation for the PSP, this title once again allows players to take on the role of underdog sidekick. Switching things up from the console versions, this game has players controlling Clank on a last-ditch mission to save Ratchet from imprisonment. Clank must use his numerous secret agent skills and melee combat moves to dispatch enemies and maneuver through dangerous areas, in a more stealth-based re-imagining of the series.

Based on the success of the previously mentioned Daxter and Size Matters releases on the handheld, we have very high expectations for this game. Be sure to check back with us in June, when we will have more details on this highly-anticipated title, as well as a full review.

Spring is in full bloom, and that means that gamers can come out of hibernation, bring along their favorite handheld, and venture outdoors to greet the sunshine. If you are one of the few people who won’t be glued to Grand Theft Auto IV this month, or if you find you need to catch some fresh air, you may find something to satisfy your gaming tastes on the PSP for the month of May. Technically an April release, the SNK Arcade Classics compilation contains an impressive array of old-school arcade favorites including Metal Slug. Echochrome has a lot of puzzle fans excited for its unique “perspective” on gameplay, and sports fans have an up-to-date roster of teams to look forward in EA’s UEFA Euro 2008.

SNK Classics Volume 1 — April 29: If you haven’t already played (and enjoyed) Metal Slug, you probably aren’t fit to be a gamer. Fans might not realize that SNK crafted some other great titles, however, including Shock Troopers and Top Hunter, available in this compilation.

Iron Man — May 2: Games based on movies which are based on comic books don’t have a strong track record, but in preview videos seen online, Iron Man for the PSP seems to be a competent actioner with ground based fighting and flying levels.

R-Type Command — May 6: Irem strays from the shooter genre to bring a tactical turn-based R-Type to the PSP. You can read more about what to expect from the gameplay in our short preview here.

Echochrome — May 8: In this first-party puzzle title guaranteed to melt your brain, Sony asks you to guide a hapless wanderer through five dimensions of crazy perspective. The creative presentation and unique game design could make this another cult hit on the PSP.

World Championship Cards — May 13: Delyed by a month, this title features 30 different card games. If you are one of those that has to stay away from those addicting poker handhelds you might want to shy away from this one too, for your own health.

UEFA Euro 2008 — May 19: Almost as fun as watching the matches unfold live on TV, you can experience all the thrills of the Euro 2008 soccer tournament with this Electronic Arts release. Go Spain!

We love Atlus Software, the darling publishers of cult favorites like Etrian Odyssey and Odin Sphere in North America. The company recently announced that they will be bringing a localization of Irem’s R-Type Tactics to US shores, under the inspiring new moniker R-Type Command.

Like a number of other PSP titles, this game takes the established space shooter genre in an entirely new direction, veering into turn-based strategy for the first time. On one hand, this is somewhat of a disappointment given the relative lack of solid space SHMUPS on the PSP. On the other hand, no-one can accuse Irem of releasing an uninspired or unoriginal game, since Command has been designed from the bottom up to fit the particular strengths of the PSP platform. Early reviews from Japan suggest that the company has been more or less successful at making this transition from action to strategy gameplay. The notoriousy hard-to-please Famitsu Magazine rated R-type Tactics a solid 31/40 when they reviewed the game back in September.

If you are intrigued by the tactical gameplay challenges of R-type Command, you have nothing to lose by downloading the free demo of the game, which was released today on the Playstation Store. You can grab a copy of the demo, weighing in at 119 MB HERE.

As our loyal readers know, every month here at PVG we keep a running list of the most promising upcoming games on both the PSP and DS. For the first time this month, the unexpected happened: there are absolutely no upcoming games worth getting excited about for the PSP in April. For the record, fanatical PSP owners in North America have a poker sim and a somewhat promising arcade compilation from SNK to look forward to this month (but nothing else!). Granted, the release of blockbuster games God of War and Final Fantasy: Crisis Core last month may help to explain the drought, as publishers are unwilling to go up against — or fall under the shadow of — those two monolithic franchises. However, looking down the pipeline, there are a few potential surprises, but otherwise very little to get genuinely excited about. So, what does this current situation mean? Are we simply in the midst of mid-life doldrums, or does this actually signify the beginning of the end for Sony’s impressive handheld? Instead of the usual rundown of hotly-anticipated games, we have compiled a list of signs that we may be entering the twilight years of the PSP’s existence.

A lack of highly-anticipated games

What PSP games are you most looking forward to as we slowly approach the 2008 holiday season? If you find yourself scratching your head with difficulty trying to come up with a single title, you can understand why this is worrying. Some of our favorite games around the office happen to be the kind of under-appreciated gems that continue to populate the PSP catalogue, so there will be plenty of titles for us to play (and review) this coming year. However, it is less certain whether Joe gamer is as excited as we are about upcoming cult hits like R-Type Command from Atlus, or Atari’s quirky ninja platformer, N+.

Murmurs of a hardware revision/update

There have been unsubstantiated but steady rumors that Sony is considering the release of a new hardware revision, a Sony-Ericsson branded gaming phone, or an entirely brand new handheld. We are not sure what improvements Sony might make in order to breathe new life into the current PSP platform (it already has GPS, for goodness sake) but certainly the prospect of a PSP 2 might make developers reluctant to pour resources into a costly PSP title. If Sony has something new in the works that they are not telling us about, it would help to explain the reaction of developers such as Ready at Dawn, who recently stated that they will not be working on another PSP game any time soon.

Touching is good

Nintendo has a winner on its hands with the DS, and their handheld has handily won in every possible category during the current round of portable console wars. That said, Nintendo’s success in no way diminishes the very real gains made by Sony in the handheld gaming market, which have been significant (it is estimated that Sony has sold 32 million PSP systems worldwide, to Nintendo’s 68 million). With the addition of a third contender, Apple, the field is now dominated by machines that make touch input the primary interface for playing games. That means that important third-party developers are more likely to invest in touch-screen gameplay mechanics for future titles, leaving Sony’s current console out in the cold as we move toward a touchy-feely world.

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An Internet-sleuthing PSP fanboy has found evidence of a possible upcoming revision to the PSP, however we don’t know much about Sony’s plans to update their handheld hardware at the current time. In fact, there is some speculation that the “discovery” of the PSP 3000 label in an online user manual represents nothing more than a miscommunication between Sony and a third-party web developer. So far, the only scrap of evidence, is a tiny GIF image found buried within Sony’s online technical documentation. Nevertheless, the potential existence - no matter how unlikely - of a new PSP revision, has us quite intrigued.

We have already outlined some of our own ideas about improvements we would like to see in a future PSP model, but we are curious to hear what our readers think. Is it too soon to consider yet another PSP revision?

On the tail of Sony’s recently announced 399$ MGS4 PS3 bundle comes another announcement of interest to handheld gaming fans. Those of you who still do not own a PSP (or would like to pick up the new slim model in an attractive color) will soon be able to grab a bundle which will include a special red PSP (pictured) and God of War game disc. In addition, this $199 bundle includes a coupon redeemable for a free download of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the PS Store AND the film Superbad on UMD. The total value of this bundle seems to surpass anything Sony has come up with so far, and we’ve no doubt that this will move serious units for the company this summer.

You know what? I already own 2 PSPs and yet I suspect that I will march right down to Best Buy and grab this when it comes out in June, simply because I have no self control. I know there are a lot of DS fans on this site, and some of you might not yet have a PSP system. I am curious to find out what you think about this new offering… is it tempting?

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