So, I Got A PSP...
I've never been downright against the PSP, I've just been overly enamored with the DS recently and it's little touch screen and quirky collection of games. Not to mention the fact that a blogger's bank account is a small one and the price tag on the PSP was just a bit out of my price range. Then came the price cut and suddenly it started seeming a bit more appealing, especially with games like God of War: Chains of Olympus, Silent Hill Origins and Parappa the Rappa coming down the pipe.
Well, I finally managed to get my hands on one and I must say I'm very impressed. It's a very sexy little piece of gadgetry and the quality of the screen is off the charts. The menu is easy to navigate and hooking up to the internet is fairly easy. I picked up five different games for it that were recommended by various PSP owners I know: Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Loco Roco, Power Stone Collection and Medievil Resurrection. Each one of them is great in it's own special way for various reasons. Ratchet and Clank's great graphics and Power Stone's nostalgia trip alone are, for me anyway, a reason to own the system. And Loco Roco is, in the words of my dear Tiny Dancer, "Like prozac." However awful you may feel, just play a couple of levels with that infectious music and you are instantly transported your happy place.
Now, this is not to say that the system doesn't have its issues. As anyone who has owned a PSP will tell you the load times can be a bitch. As much as I love playing it, the loads for Power Stone are excruciatingly long. Things seemed have to improved recently though, as the load times for Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters seem rather short in comparison and it's a much more complicated game.
The only other issue I really have is the lack of a large library of games that really capture my interest, but after Sony's Gamer's Day announcements it looks like that is going to change. Twenty-one new PSP games will be coming out over the rest of 2007 and there are more than a few I'll be picking up.
All in all, I'm extremely pleased with the PSP. It's a good, solid system with superb graphics and sound and I look forward to seeing how the system will progress over the next year. If you've been on the fence about picking one up, I would say now is the time. The price cut has made it much more affordable and at $169 it's a great deal for what you get. If you're interested in seeing what the PSP has to offer in the upcoming games department, make the jump to see a list of titles coming out this year. Add this to the list of games that are already available and I can guarantee you'll find enough titles that strike your interest to make the purchase of a PSP well worth your while.
- SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike, SCEA
- Syphon Filter(R): Logan's Shadow, SCEA
- God of War(R): Chains of Olympus, SCEA
- Jeanne D'Arc, SCEA
- NBA '08, SCEA
- Pursuit Force(TM): Extreme Justice, SCEA
- Parappa the Rapper(TM), SCEA
- MLB 07 The Show(TM), SCEA
- Crazy Taxi(TM): Fare Wars, SEGA
- Crush(TM), SEGA
- Castlevania(R)The Dracula X Chronicles(TM), Konami
- Silent Hill Origins, Konami
- Monster Hunter Freedom 2, Capcom
- SWAT(R)Target Liberty(TM), Sierra Vivendi
- Hot Brain(TM), Midway Home Entertainment
- Final Fantasy, Square Enix
- Dungeons and Dragons(R) Tactics, Atari
- Star Wars Battlefront(R): Renegade Squadron(TM), LucasArts
- NARUTO(TM): Ultimate Ninja Heroes(TM), NAMCO BANDAI Games
- Dead Head Fred, D3 Publisher of America
- PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient(TM), D3 Publisher of America
Fruit Brute
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games, Videos on 21 May 2007
· Comments (8)
Other stuff like this: psp, sony
I recently got a PSP also, and I agree with La Fruitus Maximus that the PSP is a sexy beast. I've been enamored with the hardware since the launch, but the library hasn't been that appealing. Then something changed and the games got progressively better. Fortunately you can get some of the older gems pretty cheap now. I would highly recommend Lumines II for puzzle fanatics out there. It's simply a beautiful puzzler and the only falling block puzzle game that doesn't feel at all like a Tetris clone. I'm also having fun with Tokobots, anything involving little robots and I'm sold. The next big title I'm looking forward to is Crush at the end of the month. Damn that looks cool.
Welcome, Fruit Brute. My PSP isn't a replacement for my beloved DS (nor should it be) but it's a sexy little beast in its own right, and has some terrific games. Bring it to the next SF gamer's night!
And i'm with toots - Lumines is addicting as hell.
I enjoy my psp to an extent. There are very few games I would want to play on it, and for the most part the load times make it feel like a console system. Some other games I highly recommend are Loco Roco and Mega Man Powered Up.
i got my psp back in march, though i've had my ds for a year and a half now, and it's certainly got a history to it (not just with a larger library of games) that the psp doesn't have yet. that said, i've purchased five games so far, and each has been terrific in its way.
tiny's right (as usual) about loco roco. while the mechanics of the game are nothing spectacularly new, it's one of the most enjoyable and satisfying games i've played. ditto with me and my katamari. not having two analog sticks took some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it it's terrific.
tekken really showcases the graphical strength of the system, and plays beautifully. ditto metal gear solid.
but the big surprise? sid meier's pirates. get it!
Note to people expecting Silent Hill Origins to be a "must have" title for PSP: Lower expectations now.
A friend of mine worked on the title while it was being worked on by Climax LA. Between strange designer choices and an instance of an interviewed producer talking about features that no one one the team had heard of before (I'm not mentioning which one(s)), this game isn't going to be too hot. Granted, the music will be great (done by long time series composer), I'm not so sure about the game itself. After Konami effectly shutting down the team that worked on it, unless Climax UK works some sort of miracle this is isn't looking too good.
In more related news, the PSP is looking hot right now because of a large amount of good sales. Recently I've picked up Ult. G'n'Gs for $12, Gunpey for $10, MGA2 for $10 and Infected for $5 (all new and sealed). I'm tempted by Target's free Daxter with Core purchase deal. One of these days I'll get around to buying one.
I just picked one up this Friday as well. Up here in Canada EB Games is having a crazyawesomeOMG sale: bring in 8 games, get a PSP for free.
Now is a great time to own a PSP, so the price drop couldn't be at a more convenient time. The library is finally giving us a little bit more to choose from. I almost felt forced to buy the couple of quality titles there were before because they were the only ones around. I'm really excited for some of those upcoming releases!
It seems easy to forget that PSP games are region free, which makes importing Japanese titles that will never see a domestic release all the more accessible. I most recently imported Parodius, Twin Bee, and Salamander Portable for my PSP and would recommend these games to any fan of the shoot'em up genre. Another great Japan only title is the action rpg Princess Crown (developed by Vanilla Ware, the makers of Odin Sphere and Grim Grimoire), which looks phenomenal on the PSP's screen!