We're down to the last leg of our 25 excellent PSP games at a bargain price series and we're bringing you a variety of titles. We've included a turn-based tactical strategy title, a rhythm strategy title, a dose of portable Grand Theft Auto, some undead head-swapping, and some good old cute golf. Interested? Check out the full article.

When Field Commander for PSP hit the battlefront, we were bombarded with reviews from online gaming sites. Hey, a reviewer at QJ gave it a big fat 8. The game garnered an average review score of 81% over at GameRankings.com. But what comes after reviews? Well, what else, but a review of the reviews. That's right! It's something out of the ordinary, but interesting nonetheless. Next Generation has given Field Commander producer Clint Worley a chance to respond to specific game review comments and criticisms made by IGN, Gamespot, EGM, GamesRadar, etc. It's a great way to better understand why the game turned out to be a huge hit (or a big embarrassment, depending on who's reviewing).

Worley commented on both the positive and negative reviews and offered some explanations on some of the issues on 3D design and the game causing the PSP to mysteriously crash and reboot. He's not denying that the crash really happened but he says that the team hasn't been able to duplicate it internally.

On the division issue, Worley admits it's an actual bug that made it out in final version. It's one of those things that got away from the internal testing department. He said, "It is a situation that doesn’t happen frequently but we do admit that it can happen and when it does the player will be in a situation where he either has to press the HOME button or reset the system." He hopes that the oversight will not negatively impact the players impressions of Field Commander.

While GamePro's 3.5 out of 5 rating may not be a low score, GamePro made a less than positive remark: "But in the process of making Field Commander appeal to a more hardcore audience, Sony Online Entertainment also made the game far blander than it should be. Unit design is purely uninspired and the story and accompanying dialogue are as trite as the next game.”

Worley has this to say, "I actually think the larger problem we had was the visual scale of the game. Since it is a strategy game we wanted to show the players as much of the battlefield as possible. That meant pulling out the camera. Outside of the technical issues of simply displaying more, we ran into a unique visual problem. Now the units, terrain and buildings all seemed to have less detail since they were further away from the camera. We were able to help the situation by pulling the camera in closer during battle but the combat was quick and didn’t really sell the personality of the units. We also found that the majority of the players in our focus groups played without the combat animations on."

Reviewing videogames for a living is most certainly not a bad gig, I can think of plenty worse things to do, like being a stick of deodorant, or a toilet brush... or a Jack Thompson. It does suck however if the games are crappy, so it's was a huge relief when I came to the realisation that Field Commander is most certainly not a crappy game, far from it, like a pipin' hot glazed donut on a cold Boston winter day, there's lots to love.

       

Read the full review of Field Commander and find out if this is one to add to your collection, after the jump!

Field Commander for the PSP has already been released, but maybe you are contemplating on whether to get it or not. Well, maybe we can help you with that crucial decision you have to make. Here are some of the game's screens ready for your viewing pleasure!

If you are not that familiar with Field Commander, it is actually a military turn-based strategy game for PSP. You play as a Field Commander working for the Global Defense League, an independent agency established by the Allied Nations to defend the world against covert organizations whose goals include terrorism, genocide, and global domination.

Your main enemy is particular organization named Shadow Hold, an evil terrorist group with evil aims such as inciting wars, illicit arms deals and global domination. This game enables you to command land, skies and sea, it has 30 different missions that will test just your every strategic move that will include 15 army divisions and 11 commanding officers.

   

 

This looks like a busy week for the PSP this week as five new games and three new movies are hitting the console. The games coming out this week are FIFA World Cup 2006, Field Commander, Lemmings, Monster Hunter Freedom and Puzzle Challenge: Crosswords & More! The UMD movies that are being released this week are 'Donnie Darko', 'Ikki-Tousen Vol. 1: Legendary Fighter' and 'The Boondock Saints'.

FIFA World Cup 2006 is the update to FIFA 2006, but this time focusing on the World Cup tournament. Field Commander is a turn-based strategy game that features 3D environments and 15 army divisions. Lemmings is the newest version of the popular puzzle strategy franchise. Monster Hunter Freedom is based on the Monster Hunter G game for the PlayStation 2 but made to be portable. Puzzle Challenge: Crosswords & More! is made up of crosswords, code breakers, puzzles with cryptic clues, diamond shaped puzzles, backwards puzzles and word searches all packed up in a UMD disk.

'Donnie Darko' is a story of a average misguided teen who is told one night that the world will end in 28 days and time travel fits in there somewhere as well. 'Ikki-Tousen' is an anime series that tells the story of a war between Fighters, a group of high school students destined to battle until one emerges as the Ikki Tousen. 'The Boondock Saints' is a movie about two Irish brothers who wind up taking out a couple of Boston's mafia members.

So go ahead and check out some of the new releases if you need something new to play on your PSP this week.

While many may be ranting on how much cash Sony is planning to tag its upcoming next-gen console PS3, it's still worth noting that this company has provided us quality (well most of the time) games such as Untold Legends, and consoles such as PS2 and of course the PSP. Judging from Field Commander's gameplay video we have here, I won't be surprised if gaming fans started giving SOE more 'love'.

SOE seems to be 'riding' on the title's wide array of weaponry (36 gears, 11 officers, and 15 military units to be exact) to reel in the gamers' interest. The video showed numerous heads-up battles between different types of units ranging from soldiers, tanks, missile launchers, hovercrafts etc - it's downright awesome I tell you. It also gave us a glimpse of how the actual 'Field Commander' (the gamer) will give out his orders.

Although PSP hasn't been exactly a great venue for turn-based strategy games, Field Commander might just turn out to be a great one. With its tactically-challenging game modes namely Single Player Campaign (where the gamer becomes a Field Commander for the Allied Nations); Transmission Mode (more strategy-based); and Infrastracture (where player will have the option to play against other field commanders all over the world), every normal person can easily get hooked.

Field Commander will hit videostore's racks on May 22. Hey, with all the daily threats we're facing, this may only be the time where wars can actually be a good thing.

Download: [Field Commander Official Movie]

There aren't a great many turn-based strategy games for the PSP platform, but Sony's new release, Field Commander promises to be a good one.

FC features different modes of play. Single Player Campaign, where one becomes a Field Commander for the Allied Nations, combating the Shadow Nation's campaign of terrorism and illegal arms shipments to rogue states. This mode features 30 different missions though a variety of realistic 3d environments.

One can also compete against one or more other players, either by sharing the device, or with someone nearby, using "ad-hoc" mode. Sony will also have a "matchmaking" service, where gamers can log on and find  potential opponents to play against. In Transmission Mode, one will be able to spend some time developing a strategy before sending their turn off to their competitor.

There will also be the option to play against other field commanders all over the world via "Infrastructure" or "Transmission" modes, customizing and sharing their missions with others. Although designed for the PSP, Sony will offer online support for the game. Official release is not scheduled until 22 May, but in the meantime, you can also play a sample of the game at the official website.

With 36 units, 11 officers, 15 units and a wide range of tactics, Field Commander should keep PSP gamers quite busy and happy for a long time to come.

Sony Online Entertainment have announced a new contest heralding the release of Field Commander for the PSP. The contest is not open to everyone, however, and is only extended to those in the armed forces currently (and actively) serving overseas far away from their home. Luckily, Sony will also allow submissions from relatives and loved ones of the avid gamers who may not have the time (or means) to send submissions.

The contest is simple, and the prizes are well worth the sub-250 words that must be typed. To enter, simply take 10 minutes out of your day, and write a short essay (of no more than 250 words) including your current role in the military, where you are stationed, and what your gaming habits include.

What's the loot you ask? From the tons of submissions they receive, there will be a total of 5 winners, each fitted out with a $500 gift certificate to Sonystyle.com, and 2 copies of the following PSP games: Field Commander, Untold Legends Brotherhood of the Blade, Untold Legends The Warrior's Code, GripShift and Frantix, and 2 spiffy Field Commander t-shirts.

The contest will start this May 10th and end on May 20th (Armed Forces Day), with Field Commander releasing on May 23rd. Send your entries to [FieldCommanderPromo_at_soe.sony.com]. More details on this contest can be found [here].

I used to write posts about upcoming titles weekly, then I ask myself, why do I have to write them weekly, when I can post the upcoming titles for the whole month?! So here it goes (although a part of me is saying no, because that’ll mean less posts – and less cash), the whole list of upcoming titles for PSP this month:

PSPanatics can start wielding baseball bats with Major League Baseball 2K6 this April 13. The latest version packs realistic movement system, flashback replays, and the player morale mode that highlights the game’s drama. It will also have the first full Franchise mode for long-term play and adds a new Home Run Derby Career Mode.

More titles after the jump.

Once again 2 of the most anticipated PSP games are set to be delayed, Monster Hunter Freedom and Field Commander have both been put back to late May. Field Commander is set to be released on May 22nd and Monster Hunter Freedom is slated for release on May 23rd, it could be another expensive month for PSP owners.

Field Commander is a turn based war strategy title that has online play with rankings and a leader board, the feature of being able to play 2 players on 1 PSP and even creating and uploading new maps. There is also a 'Transmission' mode where one player sets up the game and another joins and you can take your turn whenever you want, like a play by mail type of game meaning you both do not have to be online at the same time to play each other. You just log in download the other users turn and then take yours and upload it again.

Monster Hunter Freedom is a portable version of the monster slaying PS2 title created by Capcom, the new portable version includes new missions, additional features and other content specifically designed for the PSP. The game features single player campaigns as well as co-op multiplayer missions locally via ad-hoc. Its rumoured that the delay in the release of this title was to add Infrastructure like the Japanese version, but I cannot see that happening and I think Capcom are adding that to the sequel which is already in the works.