Real news from the virtual world:
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND: Last year’s holiday season was pretty rough for fans of the PlayStation Portable, with only a handful of games vying for space under the Christmas tree. The dearth of new products left many wondering if Sony’s handheld system was on its way out.
Not so fast, says John Koller, Sony’s director of hardware marketing. The company sold more PSPs in 2008 than ever before, up about 31 percent from 2007. Turns out, Sony was just gearing up to make 2009 “the year of PSP,” Koller says.
About 16 months ago, he says, “We talked with each of our internal developers and looked at all of our franchises and asked: How can you create them for PSP?” The results announced so far include “Resistance: Retribution,” “MotorStorm Arctic Edge” and a portable version of “LittleBigPlanet.”
Other publishers are getting in on the act, with PSP editions of MTV Games’ “Rock Band” and Activision’s “Assassin’s Creed” in the pipeline. Koller says PSP owners can expect a “40 to 50 percent increase in software this year, with a lot more announcements” by summer including some “very large franchises.”
As for persistent rumors of a disk drive-free PSP2, Koller says he has nothing to report. He says the Universal Media Disc, Sony’s mini-disc format, will continue, although “we are encouraging digital distribution” so players can download more games from the online PlayStation Store.
COME TOGETHER: Part of Sony’s strategy is to figure out ways to connect the PSP and PS3 versions of its big franchises. For example, owners of the PS3 game “Resistance 2” can use it to “infect” the PSP title “Resistance: Retribution,” giving the lead character the powerful yet deadly Chimeran virus, opening up secret areas and putting the two stories together.
“Retribution” developer Bend Studios also had to deal with the challenge of scaling down the “Resistance” epic to a smaller platform. First, says John Garvin, Bend’s director of product development, “I insisted on an easy mode. Portable players don’t like to die repeatedly.”
Second, “Resistance: Retribution” has “a liberal checkpoint system with smaller playable chunks,” Garvin says. “You might not have 45 minutes to play through a level,” so the goal is to make it easier to pick up where you left off.
WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS: With all due respect to Activision’s “Guitar Hero: Metallica,” the most eagerly anticipated rhythm game of 2009 is MTV’s “The Beatles: Rock Band.” The new British invasion begins Sept. 9, and the pricing is interesting: $60 for the software, $100 for standalone guitars and $250 for a “premium bundle.”
That last package will include new hardware modeled on the instruments played by the Fab Four. Of course, you’ll still be able to use your old “Rock Band” instruments on this “journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendary career.”
NEW IN STORES: Capcom’s ghastly bioterror threat infects a new continent, Africa, in “Resident Evil 5” (for the Xbox 360, PS3). ... Sega delivers its twisted, kill-or-be-killed game show “MadWorld” to the Wii.
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Sony’s PSP push; the Beatles set a date
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Pymatuning Valley student may be petite, but she has big goals as she prepares mission trip to South Africa
Courage, selflessness, sacrifice: words to define a hero. They define a person who has a certain quality of mind that allows him or her to overcome adversity, a person who is willing to forfeit something valued for something of greater claim. A hero is someone noted for feats of courage and nobility of purpose. At Pymatuning Valley, Ami Turner fits that definition well.
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Ss. John & Paul celebrates prom with 'Masquerade' theme
Ss. John and Paul High School was filled with excitement for this year’s prom. The dance took place May 15 at Martini’s Restaurant.
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Graduation on the horizon for seniors, retirement for four Geneva educators
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GRA lacrosse team a big hit
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Crash dramatization gives students a shocking view of what could happen if they make a wrong decision
Broken glass, the smell of blood, pain- induced moans and cries for help. As you approach, you see the results of an automobile accident and see the victims, teen-agers who have just recently left their senior prom. As sirens become louder, you realize the magnitude of the situation and witness such bright futures end early because of one bad decision. This scenario is one that every parent is afraid of on prom night. This is where Officer Tim Blon and the rest of the Jefferson Emergency Services come in to help ease the fears that haunt many parents on the night of prom – a drunk driving car crash simulation for Jefferson Area High School students.
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Powder Puff games fun year-end event for Grand Valley
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As the school year nears an end, Edgewood's calendar is packed with awards ceremonies, class of 2010 graduation
As the school year comes to a conclusion, the final parent teacher conferences are held, prom occurs, the band and choir perform, awards are given and seniors are realizing their achievements.
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LEAP growing in popularity as force for promoting a positive atmosphere
Lakeside High School has been busy with balancing education and activities to keep students involved. Lakeside Encouraging Acceptance Promoting Peace, an organization that was formed in December 2009, represents a positive atmosphere at LHS and in the community.
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Grand Splendor, trip to Washington is the finale for seniors at SRCA
As the 2009-2010 school year comes to an end, South Ridge Christian Academy is as busy as ever. The next event on the calendar is Grand Splendor.
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Vocational school welcomes hundreds of future students, parents at orientation
“Back to school” might seem like a weird statement seeing how we are just about done with the school year, but on April 20 students from across the county turned out at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School to look at the facilities and meet with teachers and school officials. People began arriving before the event’s official starting time of 6:30 p.m.; more than 500 people attended during the evening.
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