We were fortunate enough to attend the Konami press conference as part of our 2011 E3 coverage.

Konami started off by announcing a Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the PS3 and XBOX 360. This collection includes Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 as well as Peace Walker. One of the technologies Konami will be using, called transfarring, allows PS3 users to play Peace Walker on their console then pick up exactly where they left off on their PSP. This will make it so no progress is lost between cross platform titles. Konami will be using this technology moving forward.

We will also be seeing an MGS game for the Nintendo 3DS titles Snake Eater 3D this year and Metal Gear Solid Rising in 2012.

Another collection they announced was the Zone of the Enders HD collection which will be released sometime in 2012 and a portable Silent Hill game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories, will be coming to the PlayStation NGP.

Finally, the audience was teased with a trailer for a Contra game though no specifics were detailed.

Be sure to keep up with Angry Web for full E3 coverage all next week.

Thanks to our writer Joey Menella for covering the event.

Available April 19, 2011 on the Sony PSP.

Late last night Sony finally took the veil off of the new NGP (Next Generation Portable) system and put all rumors to rest. Does it live up to the hype? So far….yes it does.
NGP features:

• Multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display
• Multi-touch pad on the rear of the device
• Dual analog sticks
• Two cameras (front and rear)
• Software titles on small, dedicated flash memory-based cards
• Three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass
• Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity
• PlayStation Network access, including ““LiveArea™”, “Near” and “Activity” log features Trophy Support
• NGP will be able to play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store.

Right up front this system does not do glasses less 3D like the recently unveiled 3DS handheld, but it does rival a Playstation 3 as far as visuals go. A few games early in development were shown off and a triple A title like “Uncharted” led the pack. The demo utilized touch screens on the front of the OLED screen and the back to navigate Nathan Drake from actions like climbing a mountain to finally pulling someone off a cliff. Other games announced included: Killzone, Little Big Planet, Resistance, Metal Gear Solid, Call Of Duty, and Hot Shots Golf. Here are the specs:

Hardware Specs

CPU:
ARM Corte-A9 core (4 core)

GPU:
SGX543MP4+

External Dimensions:
Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)

Screen:
(Touch screen) 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive type)

Rear touch pad:
Multi touch pad (capacitive type)

Cameras:
Front camera, Rear camera

Sound:
Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone

Sensors:
Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer)
Three-axis electronic compass
Location via Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi location service support

Keys/Switches:
PS button
Power button
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
Right stick, Left stick
START button, SELECT button
Volume buttons (+/-)

Wireless Communications:
Mobile network connectivity (3G)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)
(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)

It looks like Sony will be keeping a tight lip on the NGP until this years E3 expo most likely. One thing is for sure, the Nintendo 3DS will have some strong competition this holiday season.

You’ve seen our chinsey video review but now you can own it for yourself! There will be 2 ways to win this contest…1. Create a 1 minute, or less, YouTube video and let us know why you should win it. All videos made will be embedded in this post. Send submissions to Daniel@angryweb.net.

2. Tweet @angryweb to let us know why you are so cool and deserve a copy and be sure to add a link to this page.

There will be 2 winners so make sure you stand out above the rest! Winners will be selected on September 10, 2010.

I’ll be honest, it’s Saturday night and I’m just too damn lazy to write something right now. Here is a mini review/preview of the upcoming Ace Combat: Joint Assault for the PSP. I will be doing a write up for Angry Web shortly but in the mean time, enjoy this bit of game play and cutscene action.

With “The Dark Knight” making a killing in the box office this summer and Batman merchandise flooding the market, it was only natural that the gaming industry would strike while the iron was hot. As a longtime fan of all things Batman, I always get worried when I hear that the Caped Crusader will be making his way onto a gaming console. Fortunately, “LEGO Batman” hit store shelves last week and squashed some of those fears for me.

Within the first minute of the game, Batman enthusiasts will be hit with a sense of nostalgia. Revealing familiar environments recreated in LEGO pieces set to Danny Elfman’s score from Tim Burton’s 1989 version of Batman, fans will feel right at home.

For those who have had the chance to get their hands on “LEGO Star Wars” or “LEGO Indiana Jones”, you will find a very similar style of gameplay. There is not much of a learning curve to the controls and anyone can pretty much join in on the fun without fretting the technicalities of a complex game.

The changes “LEGO Batman” made from prior LEGO titles are what make this game stand out above the rest. Since “LEGO Star Wars” and “LEGO Indiana Jones” were direct translations of the movies that bare their name, it left for predictability. “LEGO Batman” has no direct ties to any existing storyline so it feels like a new adventure all together.

Another major change that can be found in “LEGO Batman” is the utilization of vehicles. Like its predecessors, the game consists of 3 major acts. Each act in “LEGO Batman” has a level devoted to vehicle gameplay that will allow you to take your fight to land, air and sea. It creates a diversity that prevents the gameplay from become redundant and keeps the game interesting from beginning to end.

The only real problem with this game is that it’s not for everybody…wait, yes it is! Anyone from children to adults, hardcore gamers to casual gamers, and Batman fans will enjoy this title. There is a vast cast of characters that Batman fans will be familiar with including almost every popular villain that Batman has ever faced. The game sports an adaptive difficulty that will adjust to the skill level of the gamer so it won’t be too challenging for anyone.

The graphics are good for what the game is trying to accomplish meaning that it is comprised of mostly geometric shapes and nothing too risky. The game looks especially good on the high definition consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but again, you won’t see anything as intricate as rendered facial expressions.

The bottom line is this game is extremely fun. Whether you want to hop on and play tandem with your AI partner or Co-Op with a friend, you are bound to enjoy your time on “LEGO Batman”. It has a ton of unlockables that add replay value to the game and it is priced right at $49.99 USD on the PS3 and Xbox 360, which is $10.00 cheaper than most new releases. I recommend “LEGO Batman” to anyone who is looking to purchase a game for the sole purpose of having fun with one of the most timeless super heroes of our era.

The minimalistic and monochromatic puzzle game “Echochrome” released today on the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PSP. “Echochrome” allows the user to alter perspective in order to get their character to certain spots of the map. There are 56 unique levels for the PS3 and another 56 unique levels for the PSP totaling 112. The plain black and white line art may look boring at first but once you get started the game can actually be quite addicting. The demo is available for both the PS3 and the PSP and the full version is priced at $9.99. You can read PlayStation’s full post about it HERE.

It’s a fun and addictive puzzle game with really elegant and simple graphics. The concept is inspired by the famous MC Escher artwork, which explores infinity, architecture and impossible constructions. In echochrome, you control the camera and perspective on an infinite canvas, guiding a mannequin figure by carefully tilting and turning the level to create a continual pathway, allowing your character to walk safely through the design. Also, there is a Canvas mode, where you will be able to create your own puzzles from scratch and share them with your friends, or even the world! You can still download the demo for free and sharpen your skills before taking on the full version when it is released on Thursday.