PSP Hackers revisited!

Firmware hackers! The main reason I got a PSP was to play roms from the Gameboy Advance and Super Nintendo consoles. Boy was I disappointed when I found out I could not do so out of the box. So for the first few months I began to play a game named Talkman, which teaches multiple asian languages from Chinese to Japanese. Afterwards the only use I had for my PSP was for movies and music, which was not very convinent considering the PSP’s size, so my PSP ended up sitting in a corner. I sat there envying the people who had 1.5 firwares on their PSP bragging about playing the latest Japanese or American games downloaded, games like Final Fantasy Tactics. I decided that since I had a 2.6 firmware I might as well just update to the latest 2.71 since I could play the demo Loco Roco for free. It was great, but Sony did not make any more demos for a long peroid and again my PSP sat.

Then one day as I checked out gamefaqs, which I normally do to find new games that I might have missed, and I learned that that I could now downgrade! Wow, I was so happy, but of course there were risks to downgrading and it would take quite a bit of time to follow all the instructions. I did not care though, I threw aside everything I was doing to downgrade and since the 2.71 downgrader had been out for a few weeks there was an easy downgrader so I mostly had to push X or O. Then, with a little bit of fear, I turned my PSP back on and Yes! I had 1.5! But to be safe I had to go back to 2.o then back to 1.5 to give me a complete 1.5 instead a 1.5 compiled of the hackers data. Then began my days of downloading GBA and SNES games and I lived happily ever after.

Nope! There was more to come. Rumors of a 3.00 firmware was around the corner and it would have the Playstation support that was promised at E3! I was in a pickle, should I upgrade and sacrifice my 1.5 or stay at 1.5 and wait to see what the hacker community would bring. I waited and learned that Sony would only offer PSX games through the PS3 and in limited amounts. I was shocked! I wanted PSX games directly to the PSP and I would pay retail for them! I did not want to have a PS3 yet and I also wanted to play games like Suikoden or Xenogears which may not arrive downloadable for months or years.

So I gave up my dreams of 3.00 until I learned I could have the new 3.03 OE (Open Edition) which would allow me to play PSX games and maintain my roms like 1.5! I updated right away after hearing this from irc. I then got a copy of Xenogears which was ripped with Popstation. Then finally I thought I had the perfect PSP. I’ve flashed it many times and it did not brick, and now it had an anti-brick feature as well as all the 1.5 features and more! Updating to 3.10 OE-A was a little more complicated, but worth it as it will support more PSX games. I was suprised at the speed the PSP hackers like Dark_Alex had gotten these hacks out.

So if you have a PSP sitting around collecting dust I suggest you try to make the most of it with these downgrades/upgrades. Be sure to read about your PSP’s version and motherboard number before updating for your first time. I suggest you learn to do it at gamefaqs and if you do I assure you your PSP will be reborn!

The hackers have recently made BBC news.

 

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My Car! (Retroactive)

I wish my RX-7 had more torque, but the torque is just as invisible as my car right now, so I give you some pictures from this winter. The heavier branches from the tree almost fell on top of it, but luckily it didn’t.

Quicky anime reviews: Ichigo Mashimaro

Cute is the keyword for Ichigo Mashirmaro (Strawberry Marshmallows)! The manga, by Barasui, has more fanservice because it was designed for older male audiences, but this anime was designed for younger female audiences. The story is about 4 elementry school girls and their big sis. Ichimashi is a cute show dealing with everyday adventures and troubles. The show leaves you with a nice feeling and it frees your mind from a little bit of everyday stress.

Link: IchiMashi Characters In Depth

Link: IchiMashi Sounds In Depth

Quicky anime reviews: Kanon 2006

    Kanon 2006 is a remake of an anime based off a game by Key (Air, CLANNAD). This time they have a much larger budget, a story twice as long, and a better studio (Kyoto Animation also known for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Full Metal Panic!) has put great efforts in making this drama a success. The story revolves around a high school student named Yuuichi who returns to a town he had visited 7 years ago. The city has not been forgotten in his mind but critical events he had experienced with several people have long vanished. This was not an isolated event as the people he ends up meeting have also forgotten what happend 7 years ago. The protagonist questions whither this peaceful, snowy city may have caused everyone “amnesia”. Memories are tackled one by one, some in greater lengths than others, with an excellent sound track (taken from the game and reorchestrated). The story and characters do a good job at emitting feelings of heartache to the viewers during tense moments and warmness during happy, cute or funny moments.

The differences between Kanon 2006 and the original Kanon anime, besides the length, is that they decided to keep the original opening song (I’ve – Last Regrets) as well as the ending song. While I do not think the ending song suits this anime well, it is the original song for the game ending so it will make the hardcore fans happy. People will note that the animation is much better (without the Jay Leno chins) and the male lead has improved 10 folds. Besides making witty jokes and being the ultimate macker, he ends up saying things that are really charming and fitting during those special moments. Yuuichi (same actor as Kyon from Haruhi) has much more character and energy this time as do most of the characters that were neglected in the original anime.

Some gripes noted by people are that it has become more “moe” influenced compared to the original game. As the “moe” phenomenom gained popularity, the writers reached out towards these new fans while at the same time tried to please the original fans. Others note that the original writing and dialogue was far superior but eventually admited the remake had done a decent job adopting original content.

Happy Lunar New Year (Retroactive)

A little late (still the 18th!) but and I’m showering anyway, which goes against the New Year’s policy to not shower because it sweeps out luck. I don’t care because this is my year! I won’t see another year of the boar for another 12 years (2019) or another year of the golden boar for another 60 years in 2067.

Quicky anime reviews: Nana

Nana (also meaning seven) is a shoujo series (manga, anime, movie) based on two girls with the same name. Initially it may seem like a show with a lot of girl talk, but it goes beyond that by developing complex relationships that get explored deeply from every character’s point of view. The two Nanas are total opposites and meet by chance on their way to Tokyo and end up living together (room 707) due to circumstances of coincidences. One is following her music career (lead singer for BLAST) the other is chasing after her boyfriend and as their lives blend together, one can begin to relate to their hardships. Away from their homes and in unfamiliar environments, they live for the past while braving the unforgiving future.

The music and voice acting are very well done, not just in the anime but the movie as well. The only gripe I have is the manga’s art being a little too shoujo for my tastes. The show also starts off a little slow in terms of interesting events, but the music (done by Mika Nakashima in the movie) does a good job keeping the new fans interested. Other people have also stressed discontent with the movie for changing two key actors.

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