Whoops, looks like our weekly release calendar for this week was wrong. Fading Shadows, a PSP-exclusive puzzle game, is sneaking into retail stores this week. The surprise announcement doesn't bode well for those that want to actually find and purchase the game -- expect this to be quite the niche title. Also, Gamestop's listing for the game calls it an "exclusive" for the chain, meaning you'll most likely be unable to find it anywhere other than Gamestop. Good luck trying to find it -- it's a charming game, but we wonder if you'll even be able to get your hands on it.

Also read: Fading Shadows hands-on impressions

Wow, Yggdra Union is tough. That's probably the first thing you'll say after getting through a few matches of Atlus' upcoming PSP SRPG. It'll take a few battles to wrap your head around the unique mechanics of the card game, and although the game does an excellent job of holding your hand, don't expect an easy romp, even in the second battle in the game.

Yggdra Union is a tactical card RPG that will test your tactical capabilities through and through -- there's no grinding here to be found. Battles are typically multi-tiered: just when you think you're done with a level, a new set of increasingly difficult reinforcements appear. However, because your character's morale (essentially, their HP) carries over from battle to battle, across every level, each battle is decisive. If you make too many mistakes with one character, you'll notice that they'll be at a serious disadvantage in upcoming battles. And don't think about grinding to level up your characters: you can't. The story moves at such a brisk pace that your success depends solely on your ability to choose the right cards, and decide exactly how to move your characters through the map.

The basics of battle are easy to explain, but the full ramifications won't truly make sense until you get the game in your hands. Before each conflict, players can choose a certain number of cards. Cards will grant players special abilities, but also have important stats like number of spaces players can move, card strength and weapon affinity. Quite possibly the most important thing to pay attention to is the weapon affinity: certain weapons are stronger than others, and these will be one of the primary factors of a battle's success. For example, swords are stronger than axes, but axes are stronger than spears. Spears, on the other hand, are stronger than swords. This circle gets more complicated with the introduction of magic users and archers.

Looks like the 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo is back on sale! Buy.com is selling the PSP-compatible memory card for only $20 -- that's the cheapest we've ever seen it. For many, 4GB offers enough space for music, movies and games. However, we're still keeping an eye on slowly falling 8GB Memory Stick prices. If we see a good 8GB deal, we'll let you know.

The revelation that Agito, the former Final Fantasy XIII cell phone game, was coming to the PSP was a nice revelation for many. Apparently, the developers were tired of waiting for cell phone tech to advance to the level they wanted for Agito. While details are far and few between, the latest issue of Famitsu PS3 (via FinalFantasyXIII.net) says that Agito will use an advanced version of Crisis Core's ATB system. Fans of the PSP-exclusive prequel should be familiar with the real-time battle system. However, unlike Crisis Core, players can look forward to controlling more than one character.

Another bonus is the addition of Infrastructure online play to Agito, a rarity for more Japanese-developed titles. Games with community aspects, such as Monster Hunter Portable and Phantasy Star Portable have oped to use Ad-Hoc multiplayer only. Although that hasn't hindered the popularity of either of these games, players across the Pacific understand that Infrastructure makes online play much more accessible. We approve.

[Thanks, Monkey!]

Wait, Sony. Didn't we come to an agreement? We'd stop buying UMD movies and you'd stop making them. We thought that the introduction of the PSP Video Store at E3 would signal the final "official" death of UMD -- but in a showcase of true unyielding corporate stubborness, Sony still plans on continuing its support for the failed proprietary movie format. According to a report by Video Business, Sony plans on releasing 5-7 movies from various studios each quarter. Each movie would be $10-15, a significantly lower price than when UMD movies first launched on the system years ago.

"We want to provide a legal offering from the studios, ... and it's an easier conversation to have with them now," said John Koller, director of hardware marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America. According to Koller, "there's a lot of positive momentum with the PSP." But, will plans to continue UMD really meet any success? Only time will tell.

[Via Sony Insider]

All great things must come to an end. The PSP, which seemed like an unstoppable hardware selling juggernaut, finally came down from its lofty highs ... down to second place in Japan. In its place? Well, it's the DS ... Seems like the handheld console wars are back! Hold on, while we get some popcorn ...

Nintendo DS - 60,434
PSP - 58,501
Wii - 38,506
Xbox 360 - 24,962
PlayStation 3 - 9,673
PlayStation 2 - 8,503

Also shaking up the charts this week: the Xbox 360 outsells the PS3. Did something contaminate the Japanese water supply? There's so much drama this week!

[Image Source]

The first Dungeon Maker game didn't make too big a splash here in the States, but that's not stopping UFO Interactive from releasing its sequel here in the States. As always, this sequel is bigger, better and more badass with over 700 items, 90 quests, and 150 different monsters.

The Dungeon Maker series is rather unique as it has players create their own dungeons ... and then fight in them. This time around, you can even swap dungeons with a friend. However, we're more curious about the story: will it be as ridiculous as the first iteration's?

[Thanks, R.H.!]

It may not be exactly indicative of the content featured in the upcoming US version of DJ MAX Fever, but Korean site Ruliweb has some excellent audio and video samples from the upcoming DJ MAX arcade game, Technika Arcade. The various audio files will have you getting a feel for this unique Korean rhythm game.

[Thanks, James!]

Atlus' upcoming Yggdra Union is revamping the cult classic GBA SRPG for Sony's handheld. For those that can't wait for some more card-battling action, we heed you to pre-order the game at Gamestop. As usual, Atlus has cooked up another cool pre-order gift. This time, Yggdra Union comes with a free soundtrack CD which contains 56 tracks of music from the game. For those that were already interested in picking up the unique SRPG, this is certainly a nice bonus.

The PSP-3001 is real, folks. The next generation follow-up to the current PSP-2000 series system was discovered on the FCC website. Problem? We don't see anything particularly new about it ... yet. Unfortunately, many of the more interesting details about the system are still unavailable for public access. Expect to see more info coming out of Sony about this next PSP revision in the coming weeks.

[Via Engadget]

Wait, what's that in the mail? Our very own copy of DJ Max Fever? ZOMG! The incredibly popular Korean music game is finally coming Stateside. The gameplay should be familiar to those that have played a Beatmania game: you must press buttons that correspond with falling notes. However, DJ Max is known for its notorious difficulty. Beware!

DJ Max Fever is a mix of the two DJ Max Portable games released in Asia so far. With over 100 songs, five difficulty levels, Network Battle Mode, and an unlockable gallery of music videos, soundtracks and images, this looks like a winning addition to the PSP library. Even more surprising, it's coming out soon: November 11th.

How much would you pay for a Blue PSP and a copy of Madden 09? You would pay $10,000, wouldn't you? But wait! Circuit City is offering a great deal! Pre-order now and you'll get the system, the game, a 1GB Memory Stick, a UMD movie and a download for beats -- all for only $200. You save $9,800!

Hilarious copy error, Circuit City. Please don't change it.

[Via CAG]

One of our longtime readers, Brian B., recently attempted to purchase the PSP camera, Chotto Shot. However, when he attempted to purchase the product, he got a strange, foreboding message from the retailer. "Due to a safety issue and high defect rate, we are issuing a product recall to anyone who has purchased a PSP Chotto Shot Camera after July 1st, 2008. Even though these units have been tested, we have been getting reports that some of these units have been running extremely hot, and have emitted a burning smell from the unit. An already dangerous and unfortunate situation, this could lead to the even more serious event of a fire starting from the unit."

According to the retailer, "the manufacturer is already aware of the problem." Considering the camera is not available in America, we cannot contact a SCEA representative to comment on this problem. However, a look at both import sites Play-Asia and NCSX show that the PSP camera is currently not in stock.

PSU members had a chance to show off their artistic side by crafting some posters for the PSP-exclusive Secret Agent Clank. The developers at High Impact and Sony took a look at their creations, and chose their favorite ones. The best entries were bundled into a Fan Pack, which includes all sorts of avatars, PSP themes and wallpapers for fans to enjoy.

Coming in October, NIS America's upcoming release of Mana-Khemia looks to bring some very standard JRPG fare to the PSP. It's been a while since a traditional RPG has arrived on PSP, especially so shortly after a Japanese release. We're keeping an eye out on this one, if only because there are so few games to actually look out for in the immediate future.

[Via PSPHyper]