I first heard of Flow from a friend. I was just curious of the game because of the fact that he was like playing “snake” on his PSP. So I decided to try it.

The gameplay is so simple that even my 4-year old kiddo became addicted to it. The game starts on a water-filled space in which you swim and eat organisms to survive. Enemies range from a tiny sperm-like organism to a large and long dragon-like creature. You must get rid of them before they finish you off and break some of your glowing appendages. Each level has a red and blue orb which acts as your entry and exit points. The blue orb lets you go back to a previous level while the red one lets you go deeper into the game’s few levels.

Flow’s graphics is uncomplicated which makes you so focus on the game that you won’t notice you’re already on the next level. It offers no fussy level details. No colorful and intricate design backgrounds, just a plain sea floor where you can freely swim your way in and out of the levels. As for the audio part of the game, the game lets you somewhat experience meditation while playing. My better-half even said it feels like playing snake while having Yoga.

The only thing that’s keeping the game nice is the multiplayer option. Enabling this would slow the screen and you’d feel like the organisms are not as flow-moving as compared to when you’re the only one playing.

Generally, Flow is a game still worth of your pastime.

Here are some screenshots from the game:

PSP Game Review Submitted by: darwin v.

To all those who have upgraded to 3.90 M33-3 before on or before April 2, if you checked your System Information, you’d be surprised to see that all your System Info has been changed! Not only that, even the date has changed. Instead of showing 4/2 on the date on the top right corner of the screen, it displays 3/33. The XMB waves also move faster than normal. Below is a screenshot from darwin v.’s PSP. Notice that everything has changed into 3s. The System Software is 3.33 m33-3, the nickname is March 33 and Even the mac address has changed to 33:33:33:33:33:33!

I’m sure you guys all freaked out when you saw that. It isn’t a bug or an error. So don’t be afraid and don’t go restoring your PSPs to the previous firmwares. All those 3s are there for one reason, it is to remind you of the anniversary of the M33 Custom Firmware. And I also thought it was DA’s April Fools joke. Dark Alex has sure got good sense of humor.

So if you guys are wondering on how to fix that, all you have to do is restart the PSP after April 2 which means you can just change the date to any day after April 2 and then restart your PSP. But the thing is, you don’t even have to.

Hey guys, due to popular requests, I want you guys and faithful Stylemoers out there to take a look on the next version of this site. It would still be using the same cool icy colors, but it will be much richer in content. I will be needing writers and contributors and if you like to share reviews, or your knowledge about the PSP and the iPod, well go on ahead and send them to fatfingur [at] gmail.com.

Here you go. Here’s a sample screenshot. Feast your eyes on it.

Thanks guys and in the next few weeks the site will be updated to a newer better design.

A few days ago I started playing Patapon. I didn’t really know what to expect as I just knew it was an action game with a lot of music incorporated. So you start out learning how to walk, to do that you press four buttons, 3 squares and 1 circle corresponding to a beat. Each button makes a different sound, square makes a pata sound while cirlce makes a pon sound. So I was about to lose interest but then the patapons started walking, and sang at the same time, so i beat the drum again, they sing along, it was love at first sight. Patapons are cute, bottom line, their singing is so awesome, you can’t get the song out of your head.

As you progress through the game you get more types of units to build your Patapon army, more 4 beat songs to play which allow new moves such as attack, defend, and cast miracles. You start out with spear throwers, but then gain archers, infantry with shields, horse back warriors, and more. You can upgrade their weapons from drops in the levels. The more successful songs you play after another, the higher the combo, and if you get to a combo of 10, the patapons get into fever mode and start attacking like crazy and start playing a more intense song. There are really fun minigames which include playing a trumpet to a tree’s song and playing tunes using a giant’s feet as a xylophone. BTW! You ARE THEIR GOD! They call me Lord Elmo!

The boss battles are really fun, they combine strategy and music to ensure a really fun experience. I recommend this game to anyone, everyone I’ve shown it to loved it, it is a PSP must buy. I personally havn’t completed the game since it is very lengthy, you can spend time hunting and playing minigames to recruit and upgrade units, and the bosses are replayable, everytime with increasing difficulty. This game has a high amount of replay value, it gives you a big bang for your buck.

Here are some screenshots from the game:

Reviewer Score: 8.5/10

This review has been submitted by Dr. Elmo. Dr. Elmo is an 18 year old med school student who listens to rock music, love movies and tv and has been playing the PSP for more than 8 months. What do you think about his review? Let me know in the comments section!

You too can submit your own game review. Just drop me a line at fatfingur [at] gmail [dot] com

I know a lot of you PSP fanboys out there are still wondering how I manage to get those cool screenshots from my PSP. well you can stop wondering now because after this post, you too will be capturing screenshots from your PSP just by pressing the NOTE button. Sounds simple right?

Requirements:

1. A Fat or Slim PSP installed with 3.71 M33 or higher custom firmware. This means it will also work with 3.80 M33 custom firmwares.
2. A USB Cable to enable connection between your computer and your PSP.

Instructions:

1. Download the screencapture pack I’ve prepared to anywhere on your computer.
2. Unzip the file you’ve downloaded.
3. Connect your PSP to your PC using a USB Cable. Check if you have already the seplugins folder on the root of your memory stick. If you don’t have it yet then proceed to step 4. If you do already have it then proceed to step 5.
4. Do this only if you don’t have the seplugins folder yet. Copy the seplugins folder from your computer to the root of your memory stick.
5. If you did step 4 then skip this step. You only have to follow this step if you already have an existing seplugins folder. Copy screenshotbmp.prx from the seplugins on your computer to the seplugins folder on the root of your memory stick. Now go to the seplugins on your memory stick. If you have vsh.txt already present, you have to open the file and edit it. Open it in Notepad or any text editor and add these code in a new line: ms0:/seplugins/screenshotbmp.prx
   Check if you also have pops.txt and game.txt present on your seplugins folder in your memory stick. If you have it then do the same routine, edit it and paste that line of code in a new line. Otherwise you can just grab the game.txt and pops.txt from the file you’ve downloaded.
6. Disconnect your PSP from your computer. Now open the recovery menu. How? Turn off your PSP then turn it on again while pressing the R button. On your recovery menu, go to Plugins and enable all the screenshotbmp.prx plugins. Exit the recovery menu.
7. Try it on your XMB. Press the note button. You will know the screenshot plugin is working when an inverse color of your screen will sweep from the bottom to the top. The screenshot will be saved on your PICTURES folder on your memory stick and you can also view it by going to Photo > memory stick on your PSP.

If you have any questions or reactions about this guide, you can use the comment form below. The screenshot plugin was programmed by TyRaNID and ported by Weltall to the M33 custom firmwares.

Now I’m gonna teach you how to change the look of your PSP’s XMB theme in a few very easy steps even your grandma can do it. But first here are the requirements:

• A PSP with a firmware of 3.71 (Official) or 3.71 M33.
• You need themes. You can download them here.
• USB Cable

If you’ve met the requirements then it’s time for you to follow my simple instructions.

1. Extract the Zip file you’ve just downloaded anywhere on your computer.
2. Connect your PSP to your computer and then copy the THEME folder to ms0:/PSP/
3. Got to your XMB menu. Go to Settings > Theme Settings > Theme. You can now choose any theme you want. Press Apply and Accept.
4. Done. Congratulations on your new theme.

Here are some theme screenshots from my PSP.

Wipeout Theme

Original Theme

Choosing Themes. Cookie Theme Preview

Cookie. Yum!

Classy Pink for girls and a few boys.

Lemmings Theme

Pursuit Force Theme

I’ve been very busy these days that I barely touch the PSP except when I’m listening to music and when I’m choosing tracks. Have you already heard about the new, ‘ahem’ , PSP? It’s not actually the PSP2 we were hearing about but it’s just a modification of the old PSP. They made it lighter, thinner and they removed the infrared port. Why the heck did SONY do that?

Anyway, I’ve got a new game called Hot Brain. It’s more than just a puzzle game. It’s a series of puzzles that makes your brain really hot, literally - well kinda. It’s got a nice and simple intro movie featuring the character Professor Warmer. The intro explains the theory about the temperature of the brain getting warmer when it’s working on a speedy series of Puzzles. The game is a creation of Midway, who also has other educational game titles on the Nintendo DS.

The game has five categories: Logic, Math, Memory, Language and Concentration. Each category has 3 different sub categories. You can either start by choosing the practice mode or you can go ahead and take the test right away. On the Practice mode, you can either try on of the 3 subcategories and master each. By taking the test, it will be a series of puzzles in 5 different categories. The questions are random so no set of questions are repeated, The results of the test are recorded on a daily basis and it provides a graph of your improvement. Hot Brain is really fun and educational. I suggest this game for all types of PSP gamers out there. And yeah, the game requires SONY’s 3.40 firmware. It works on the 3.40 OE though. This game is the reason why I’ve upgraded my 3.03 OE-C to 3.40 OE-A. Will there be 3.50 OE? Not without Dark Alex.

Here are some screenshots for you to enjoy.

Professor Warmer will get your brain warmed up!

At the end of every test, your brain temperature is shown. My brain was red hot after I took this shot.

This is an example logic question. Now do you know the answer? Hint: It’s square.

The graph above shows your daily improvements. I play this game once a day.

This is the main menu. And yeah there’s a multiplayer function where you can play with your PSP buddies.

This past weekend, I loaded my Playstation Portable with Crush, a new mind boggling puzzle game from SEGA. The game lets you switch the game environment from 2D to 3D or vice-versa. It’s actually the key to solving the hard puzzles and reaching places. The game also features camera view switching and when used with the dimension toggling makes it easier to solve the puzzles. The goal here is to collect as many blue and red spheres to open the doorway to the next area. You can also collect jigsaw puzzles and trophies to unlock game extras like character sketches and trophy levels which are timed and really hard to beat. (more…)

I’m really not into fighting games but one game has really caught my attention: Dragonball Z: Shin Budokai. I love the Dragonball Z cartoon series. In fact it’s one of my favorite anime when I was young. I mean who doesn’t love Goku?

The game has great polygonal cartoon graphics which you will love. The characters are colorful and I love the background. For the gameplay, you can choose between the story mode and the arcade mode. Or you can hone your skills on the training mode. I have finished until chapter 5 of the Dragon Road with the help of Robert. There are a lot of unlockable characters like Gogeta and the super Saiyan versions of Goku, Vegeta and the other characters. (more…)

Released on April 1, 2007, yeah April Fool’s Day, Prince of Persia: Rival Swords is one hell of a game PSP hardcore gamers must have! It’s from Ubisoft and yeah it’s got great graphics and a nice gameplay. I just had this game this morning but I wasn’t able to try it right away. I had to go to work so I had to wait until I get home to play it. Well it’s not that I couldn’t play during breaks but I guess 15 minute breaks is not enough time to mingle with the PSP. So I waited until I got home so I could try out this awesome game. (more…)