Weaving our way through the nether of the Interwebs, we've compiled a list of about two dozen games for the PlayStation Portable that came, saw, and conquered the hearts of PSP gamers worldwide. The best part is, their price tags are near-irresistible. A Greek historian once said, "Nothing is cheap which is superfluous, for what one does not need, is dear at a penny." Too bad ol' Plutarch isn't here to check these bargains for Sony's portable console, because he'd probably make an exception. Find out why after the jump.

Budding game developers out there might be interested in finding out what Infinity Interactive and D3Publisher did to make Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (Xbox 360, PSP, PS3, DS, Wii, PC, Mobile) successful. If that's the case, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Still haven't decided on a gift for that special gamer in your life? You might want to consider picking up a copy of the PSP or DS version of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords or the PSP exclusive Dead Head Fred. D3Publisher of America announced that they have officially dropped the prices of both games down to US$ 19.99.

You can find more information about the price drop and both games in the full article.

Spencer from Siliconera has recently announced some very good news for those who were looking to pick up a copy of Infinity Interactive's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. It seems that the publisher of the game, D3Publisher of America, has heard the cries of those who were having a hard time getting the game.

An e-mail from D3 announced that the shortage problem is over and "anyone with a Puzzle Quest craving" will find copies of it available. This sleeper hit has really captured a lot of players attention with the 150 levels of game play and multi-player support. There has been no word whether the new copies have had the "no abilities" bug fixed. Regardless of that, a lot of people still contend that "it's still a good play."

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords has been out for some time now on both the Playstation Portable (PSP) and the DS. If you've been having a hard time getting this game before, now would be the perfect time to check your local stores to see if they have it in stock.

 

A month after the initial launch of D3 Publisher's puzzle action title for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the Nintendo DS, developers from Infinite Interactive cannot help but admit that they were surprised by Puzzle Quest's success.

Okay, not that they had any doubts as to how cool their game is. They knew they were working on a really good game. But, as Steve Fawkner, CEO and Lead Designer at Infinite Interactive, "What did surprise us though was the lightning quick acceptance and popularity it gained throughout the gaming community within just a few short weeks of launch."

And because it proved to be such a hit, well then, you just can't help but think there will be a sequel to this title, right? Right. As Careen Yap of D3 exclaimed, "Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is considered one of D3's key franchises. Absolutely do not count out the possibility of an amazing sequel to this remarkable game."

So there, just keep enjoying your Puzzle Quest on your PSPs and DS. And if you've finished the entire video game and you find it's still not enough, then just be a little patient and keep your fingers crossed tight for that sequel to get going.

Game developer Infinite Interactive and events coordinator Dissecta will be holding a forum titled "Puzzle Quest: Creating Magic with Infinite Interactive" on April 24, 2007, from 6:30 P.M. to 8 P.M. The event's venue is the Australian Games Innovation Center in Melbourne.

This forum will highlight Infinite Interactive's PSP and DS game, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords where the developers including Steve Fawkner himself will be discussing aspects of the video game, the "rich development heritage" from developing the Warlords series on PC, and the opportunities opened by developing the RPG-puzzle game on Sony's and Nintendo Company Ltd.'s handhelds.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was developed by Engine Software and 1st Playable Productions for the Nintendo DS, while Vicious Cycle Software developed the game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Categorized under Puzzle-RPG and released last March, this game requires players to go off on quests and side missions and, er, solve puzzles to ultimately reach their goal of saving the kingdom of Etheria from evil forces. There are 150 quests, so there's really no possibility of getting bored playing Puzzle Quest.

For ticket rates and other inquiries about the forum, you can visit the Dissecta site by clicking on the Read link.

Penny Arcade has recently published a three-frame comic strip in its site based on their experiences finding a copy of the seemingly rare Puzzle Quest. The comic features Tycho and Gabe talking about the game with a dialogue that pokes fun at killing and games. The character talks in a way similar to a certain public figure infamous in the gaming world.

Need a clue? He's been suing people left and right for violent content in video games which he sees inappropriately rated by electronic media regulatory boards.

On a side note, there's been some buzz with people saying that the game is a little hard to find the past few weeks. Although the game has a PSP version, some gamers prefer the one on the PC because of the display size. Apparently, some don't enjoy the game fully when all the text crowds up in the PSP's screen. Blending RPG and puzzle elements, the game has hit a significant niche in the crowded game market.

Puzzle Quest is also available for the DS and mobile platforms.

There is a bug in the PSP version of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords which was brought up on the Infinity Forums. This bug apparently involves the special abilities of your companions in the game. In a nutshell, their abilities do not work. This bug was confirmed by Steve Fawkner, a developer for Infinite Interactive.

Mr. Fawkner's reaction was rather positive stating that "it doesn't break the storyline at all" and even said that "it really shouldn't affect the gameplay in any significant way".  Then he presented an explanation on why it was difficult to spot:

The difficulty in spotting this bug was more about timing than anything else. I do owe anybody affected an explanation... this is not intended as an excuse... merely an example of how easily these things can happen. With 1-2 days to go until Gold Master, a change was made to the code that caused this problem (it had been working bug free for 8-9 months up until then).

He added that they just forgot about it as they were more preoccupied fixing bigger problems with the game. The playtesters at Sony must have missed it as well because they had no idea that it was supposed to be there.

As for a fix, certain people have been asking for a patch that can be installed on a memory stick to fix this. It has even been suggested that they should have a trade-in scheme to allow those who want a patched UMD to trade in their old one. So far no confirmed fixes have been announced, more on this as we get more information.

Special thanks to Haoyong for the tip!

  

In recent news, D3Publisher of America (D3PA) has announced that Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for the PSP and the Nintendo DS has already shipped and is available now for an MSRP of US$ 29.99. They have tried to incorporate strategy, role-playing elements, and a storyline into a match-three puzzle board setting.

The game is set in the Warlords universe. You are challenged to create, develop, and customize the ultimate hero to save the land of Etheria from the evil Lord Bane. In order to advance, players will battle in turn-based, head-to-head, “match-three” style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes.

Gameplay modes:

• Single-player-play 150 challenging quests against the computer AI
• Instant Action-continuous battles to level-up characters without participating in quests
• Multiplayer-battle live opponents via wireless connectivity on both the PSP system and Nintendo DS

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords has been rated E 10+ (Everyone 10 and older - suggestive themes) by the ESRB. The PSP version was co-developed by Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd. and Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. while the DS version was co-developed by Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd. and 1st Playable Productions, LLC.

 

If you've been wondering how the holy heck D3Publisher's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords' (PSP, NDS) combination of puzzle gameplay with RPG and strategy works out (because trying to imagine it is driving us up the wall), the chance has come with the publisher releasing a demo of the said puzzle-RPG-strategy game.

But it's not an EBOOT, it's not a flashcart, it's not a mailed UMD. It's a demo for the PC.

Not even the Pocket PC. Well, there goes the in-the-pocket, on-the-go testing. But it is a sneak peek at gameplay nonetheless. The Read link below takes you to D3Publisher's website where you can download the 34MB demo and install it to the PC. The game's set for release later in March.