Greeting Axeheads!  To start things off this week I would like to wish a Happy belated Canada Day and early Independence Day to all our North American brethren across the EBA community.  With patriotism at an all time high and our countries heritage being at the forefront of this weekend (aside from the drinking and partying of course…) it makes sense that we embrace that heritage and slaughter some rumors the old school way that would make our ancestors proud.  And where pray tell can we do such a thing?  Well the only place on the interweb where rumor murder is legal my friends, EpicBattleAxe.com’s The Rumor KILL!!!

THE RUMOR: SEGA Saturn games are coming to PSN and XBLA

THE SOURCE: Eurogamer

MY TAKE: If last week’s edition was considered “casual” then this week will definitely be labeled “nostalgic” and we start things off with SEGA’s first 3D console the SEGA Saturn.  Now the Saturn, for those too young to know/remember was the runner up to the N64 and PlayStation throughout the course of the 5^th generation of consoles (though in Japan it’s popularity was much higher).  Despite lagging behind the two powerhouses it still had its share of awesome games.  From Virtua Fighter 2 to Burning Rangers to NiGHTS into Dreams and of course the consoles ultimate swan song Panzer Dragoon Saga, the console’s catalog is an extensive one and that’s why it’s been so surprising that these ports haven’t happened yet.  This question has been on SEGA’s mind as well and Yosuke Okunari explained that it’s the console’s obscurity that has caused the ports to be shelved in favor of Genesis and Dreamcast ports.  Still they say they are “thinking” about it so the possibility is not impossible but as we’ve probably all leaned by now, “thinking” and “doing” are two completely different things.

THE VERDICT: SPARE IT!!!

Yes, Saturn titles on our PS3 and/or Xbox 360 would be awesome but I wouldn’t count on it.  The way Okunari was quoted on the article it seems like SEGA is going to stick with just releasing ports of Genesis and Dreamcast games until there is enough demand for Saturn games.  This sadly is probably due to the company labeling the system as a failure, which is probably true only if you compared it to the PlayStation and Nintendo 64.  On its own merits it was a decent system with games worthy of a solid port that would probably sell well on the online marketplaces.  Therefore, I’m not counting the Saturn’s library out because I’m sure at some point we’ll see at least one or two ports from its catalog of games.  It just won’t get the same treatment as the Genesis and Dreamcast.

THE RUMOR: A New Tomb Raider will be released by holiday 2011

THE SOURCE: GameSpot

MY TAKE: This one came as a shock for me because at first I thought it was a typo and they were talking about Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.  However, this has nothing to do with the downloadable isometric game that we’ll be seeing within a couple of months.  This would be a full retail release for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC and instead of continuing the story of Ms. Croft the game would be a reboot and follow a young, inexperienced Lara.  It’s hard to imagine the 14 year old vision of Lara that has started “the talk” from parents to young teens since gamers were pushing her into corners to get the best…uumm…view (for the record, not speaking from experience I swear).  It would be weird to see a new young Lara become the face of female gaming protagonist after all this time.  However, Lara is still an important character in gaming history and cannot be put through the mediocre spin cycle that she’s going through now so maybe a reboot is in the cards.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

Let’s face it guys, Croft really does need another reboot.  By the way I love how this will be the second reboot in less than 5 years for poor Lara, it just shows that Eidos was completely running out of steam with the franchise.  If a reboot is to work this time it can’t be just a new look and all the other game elements stay the same.  A complete, full package, head to toe makeover is needed to breathe some life back into Lara Croft.  Or on second thought…maybe Crystal Dynamics doesn’t even have to go that far and a step back to basic for the franchise could be enough.  The bottom line is what was done in Tomb Raider: Underworld can’t happen again or Croft is doing to fall into obscurity like Sonic and just wallow in her own filth for years to come. For a character that is a true cult icon and the original strong  female video game action hero…that would just be an absolute shame.

THE RUMOR: The PSP will have NeoGeo support

THE SOURCE: Shacknews

MY TAKE: I wasn’t lying about the nostalgia – it’s coming in bucket this week.  The latest PSP firmware (v6.30) was  recently released and one of the changes allows the user to sort the PSP‘s folder for installed games by types, of which reportedly includes PSP, Minis, PSone, PCEngine and NEOGEO.  Now, this isn’t a new rumor as way back in March Kotaku noticed ESRB ratings for NeoGeo titles sneaking around but this is definitely the most compelling evidence.  Without any major announcement for the system at E3 minus some good looking games the PSP is looking really weak compared to the 3DS.  Some gamers may be asking why this is a big deal and why I would even bother making this news?  Well, lucky for me I don’t have to explain it to you, instead I will let Keith Apicary explain for me.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

Why would Sony put in a folder for NeoGeo if they have no intention of having NeoGeo titles on the PSP?  They obviously wouldn’t, so it’s safe to say it’s going to happen.  When will it happen?  Probably soon since the firmware is now out for organizing it so it needs something to organize.  Is there anything else to talk about regarding this rumor?  Not really, it’s happening so we might as well just start creating our NeoGeo wishlists.  Now, here’s what I find strange about this.  With Nintendo basically owning E3 with its portable device the 3DS, why wouldn’t Sony at least show this as something new that the PSP is doing.  I mean while Nintendo was changing the portable space forever all Sony did was twiddle its thumbs the entire show.  Really lame on their part.  Oh well, I guess their banking on the NeoGeo games to rake in the cash or maybe they have something else up their sleeve.  Read on below to see what I’m talking about.

THE RUMOR: PSP 4000 is due out this year

THE SOURCE: Giantbomb

MY TAKE: It’s funny; these rumors would never have gotten started in the first place if the PSP Go had not been a complete and utter bust.  But as we know, the Go didn’t really “go” anywhere with its focus on download only games and hasn’t caught on yet.  Fear not though PSP fans, if this rumor is true then the guys at Sony have learned from their mistakes and are looking to release ANOTHER iteration of the original PSP by the end of this year.  Yep, not a PSP 2 or anything groundbreaking like that but another…freakin’….version of the over 5 year old system that has not come close to toppling Nintendo.  Why would they even bother?  Well Geo seems to think they will bother because they’re the ones who have the currently nonexistent portable console pegged for 2010.  Should we believe the information from this retailer or should be bury this one along with Geo’s reputation if this is proved false?  Let’s see below.

THE VERDICT: KILL IT!!!

I think it’s safe to say that if a PSP 4000 was going to be hitting store shelves this year Sony would have tipped their hand about it at E3.  Now that the 3DS has wowed everyone and has shown the true potential that portable gaming has, it would be very tough for Sony to come in now and show off a new version of the original PSP.  Even if it was at a show like TGS or Gamescom the impact would be diminished considerably with people knowing the 3DS is out there.  Basically two things happened at E3 this year:  the 3DS stole the show and the PSP didn’t show.  That has created a big hole for Sony to try and climb out of with the PSP and it may be one that they can’t recover from.

THE FINAL SAY

Okay, I’ve gotten flack before for being hard on the PSP and so my final say is to make my stance on the PSP clear.  I like the PSP, I really do.  It’s currently the most powerful handheld on the market and really was the first portable gaming system to show you can truly have the console experience in your pocket.  What I hate and rip on the most is what Sony is doing to the PSP.  Maybe they were overambitious with what they wanted the system to do or it could be they can’t decide on an identity for the thing but the bottom line is Sony has constantly and consistently screwed the pooch on the PSP.  From it being overpriced to having too many iterations with minor improvements to their insane stubbornness to not have a second analog stick – every decision Sony has made with the PSP has turned around and screwed the system over in a brand new way.  So what does Sony need to do?  Simply put they need the PSP 2.  They say they’re not thinking about it but I know they are.  If Sony came back at Nintendo with the PSP experience under their belts and released a new, reasonably priced system with insane processing power and two analog sticks I think they could shorten the gap.

So that’s my stance, love me or hate me for it that’s your call.  Speaking of love and hate if you think my predictions and analysis are dead on accurate or way off the mark then let all of us know by telling us if you think these rumors should be BELIEVED, SPARED or KILLED!!! Until next week when EpicBattleAxe.com’s The Rumor KILL will be preparing the chopping block for more juicy rumors.  Hasta la vista Axeheads!