But it costs $19.99. Ouch. Is this Sony's attempt to compete? I don't have a PSP, though, and never played played the original. Maybe it's worth it, but that seems like a lot to pay for a download game you can't resell.
It's not quite an attempt to compete. Sony has said that Patapon 2 is being used as a test-case to see if a download-only premium game would work in the market. They're selling boxes at retail that don't contain a disc, but a download code instead. If the trial is successful, they might do the same with other PSP titles.
I don't think they're trying to compete, they just want to test DL games. 19.99 is actually cheap for a game this amazing.
There is a rumor floating around (a strong rumor, too) that a new PSP is in the works, possibly to be revealed this E3, that does not have a UMD slot, but will work entirely on downloaded software. As such, Patapon 2 is a likely test case for the market, to see if people are willing to purchase games this way. Patapon 1 was great, I'm considering picking up 2 myself.
*sighs Mobile market =/= portable game system market blah blah blah, broken record, etc., etc., etc. Well, there's two reasons for Sony going this route: 1. UMD is a failure. It added unnecessary cost to the hardware of the unit, and in doing so jacked up the MSRP ensuring that Sony would NEVER beat the DS. $149.99 or so is the "sweet spot" price for portable game systems. Sony failed to meet that price, and a large part of that was UMD. Ironically, it's the same type of thing that they pulled with PS3 and Blu Ray, and we all know how well that worked out for them. 2. Piracy is a big issue with PSP. Maybe Sony believes they can curtail piracy further by going the DD route, in which case they can tie up software updates meant to curtail piracy much faster.
"Fever~!" @Spiffyone: I agree. UMD movies are a big failure too, I hear they're dirt-cheap nowadays. Now, if Sony wants me to purchase any of their downloadable games and content, I think they should work on getting those bloody PSN cards in stores. Where I live, we have never seen any, and as such, I am unable to purchase any games or content from the PS Store. I don't have a credit card and don't want one, but now I am basically unable to give Sony my money when there is actual good content to be had on the PSN. Frustrating, to say the least. Yes, I do know they also have Patapon 2 on shelves in a non-disc format. I'm just rambling, sorry.
Just install CFW on your PSP and download it from the net for free! Just kidding Piracy is not only affecting the PSP but for almost any console, which is kinda sad for the developers.
PSP-3001 model can't be modded yet. I do agree that piracy killed the PSP. Sure there's piracy on the DS, Wii and Xbox 360 but they have enough legitimate customers paying so it doesn't affect sales as much as piracy on the PSP. edit: Patapon is a fun game, well for some. Also downloads for the PSP have been available for awhile on the Playstation Network Store. I access it with my PS3, download the game to the PS3, connect the PSP wirelessly to the PS3 and download the game to the PSP. Or you can download it online and connect the PSP with USB cord. The sell some classic PSX games for download, no FFVII yet though . oh and the .iso filesize for patapon 2 is like 579MB, don't think there are any games that big yet in the app store.
Actually, some iPhone games can clock in at 700MB+ Also, I don't get why I have to pay the same price downloading a game as I do having to actually buy a game package with a voucher code. I mean, Sony doesn't have to pay shipping fees or packaging fees, so why should I have to spend the same amount? Sony is just making more money...I am going to buy the game case with the voucher for sure
Yeah...but very few PSP games are over 500 MB, which kinda strengthens the argument that UMD was just an unnecessary expense. It jacked up the price of the system out of the range of portable game systems "magic" intro price of $149.99. Gotta hit that price or near that price to do anything to Nintendo's dominance in that market.
