With the release of the portable PlayStation Vita upon us, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my favorite games on the original PSP. I actually did a blog like this once before, a couple of years ago. When the PSP Go first came out, I thought that was the end of the PSP, but I was dead wrong and Sony’s first handheld had a couple of good years left. So I was glad I was mistaken that time! But with the Vita, I think it’s safe to do the ‘best of PSP’ blog now.

I might get a Vita eventually, just not right now. There are not TOO many games for it that interests me yet, but I’m sure there will be soon. I mean, there is a Katamari game for it! Plus I haven’t done a lot of research on the system yet. Maybe you folks can fill me on the Vita in the comments section! But now let’s give the PSP one last hurrah, as it was one of the few handhelds that was able to truly compete with the Nintendo portable behemoth (aside from the Neo Geo Pocket Color, but that’s more of a personal taste thing).

Cary’s Top Picks

First I wanted to pick the best of the best. The list of games in this first section are my top favorites.

Loco Roco 1 & 2

You know how Sony could’ve made me buy a Vita instantly? Loco Roco 3. I think the Loco Roco games are my number one favorites on the PSP. I like to say they’re the best games Nintendo never made. It’s the perfect gaming fit for my tastes and personality. Simple to play, cute and happy, and not too hard, but not too easy either. And a little quirky, too. If you want a good idea of the kinds of games I like, Loco Roco is a good way to learn that.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

Rather than copy another fighter, Square-Enix made this crossover brawler their own, as it plays like a cross between Kingdom Hearts and a Dragon Ball Z game. But it has plenty of RPG elements and classic FF characters I enjoy. Not to mention fantastic music and graphics. I played the first one to death, so when the ‘sequel’ 012 duodecim came out, I didn’t think I’d play it as much. But I did anyway. That’s how good it is!

FF4 Complete Collection

Final Fantasy IV has been remade more times than any other FF game I think. But the PSP version is one of the best, as it improves the game in RIGHT ways, adds the extras from the GBA version, plus the whole After Years sequel and more! Since FF4 was really the game to first get me into RPGs, I have a lot of respect for it. Even if FF6 is my favorite.

Gurumin

This was a hard to find PSP game, but if you see it, get it! It’s a 3-D action platformer that’s like a mix between Monsters Inc. and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. And since it was made by Falcom, it’s a little like Ys, too. You play as a young girl who discovers a monster village that only she can see. She uses a drill weapon to save the friendly monsters from destructive evil forces. Very fun.

Half Minute Hero

This is a really creative game. It’s styled to look like an 8- or 16-bit RPG, but you have to finish the quest in 30 seconds! How do you do that? You’ll just have to play the game for yourself! Actually, even though it looks like an RPG, it’s really a cleverly disguised action game. You can download a version of it on Xbox LIVE, but I haven’t tried that one yet. But the PSP one is fantastic enough. And some of the music was done by Yuzo Koshiro!

Work Time Fun

The box spells this game with the abbreviation of Work Time Fun, but I wanted to spell it out since I don’t like to use Internet abbreviations like “LOL” and such. Work Time Fun was a very quirky WarioWare clone where you played crazy mini-games to earn money to buy even weirder unlockables. Like a Ramen Timer where a cute lady in a swimsuit would talk to you about ramen while a timer ticked down! Such a crazy game, I loved it!

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

I’m not the biggest Kingdom Hearts fan in the world. I don’t care about the story or characters, but I do still enjoy playing the games because it’s fun to tromp around Disney themed worlds beating up bad guys. Birth By Sleep added some fun gameplay tweaks with three characters to play as. The blue-haired girl was my favorite.

Mega Man Powered Up

Capcom took the original Mega Man and made it even cuter. You could also play as each of the bosses and download other playable characters like Proto Man and Roll (with different outfits). All for no cost, too. That would’ve been good enough on its own (at least for me), but then they went and let you DESIGN your own levels and share them with others. It’s like LittleBig Mega Man. It’s actually one of the first games that I got into the online play a lot. You know that Mega Man Universe game that got cancelled? That was the closest thing to a Powered Up sequel that we might’ve gotten. Too bad.

Ys Seven

I hate using the phrase “on crack” but Ys Seven is like SNES Secret of Mana on crack. Not only is this one of my top favorite PSP games, it’s my favorite Ys title, too! Gameplay is fun and full of action, the storyline is interesting yet not too complicated, and the music is fantastic. It has a SNES feel to it, too, even though it has 3-D graphics. So that’s why I like it. Falcom and XSEED brought over a couple of other Ys games as well, like Books 1 & 2 and Oath in Felghana. They were fun, but not as good as Ys Seven!

Honorable Mentions

And here are some PSP games that I enjoyed, but they’re not my favorites. But they’re worth mentioning for a few tidbits here and there anyway!

Activision Hits

It’s basically a port of the Activision 2600 collection on the PS2, but that was one of the best classic collections out there, so having an on the go version is worth it.

Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament

I loved the PS2 Steambot Chronicles game. It was like a Japanese version of Rockstar’s sandbox titles. Very imaginative, too, as it’s set in a world where people drove around Model T’s AND bipedal mechs. The PSP version is like Steambot Lite, as it focuses only on battles, but it’s still fun. One interesting note is that they made a Blokus PSP game that had Steambot characters in it, and they even brought that game to the US! Yeah I only got it since I’m such a Steambot Chronicles nut.

Capcom Classics Collection Remixed and Reloaded

These are actually two games with a bunch of Capcom arcade classics on each one. They were also on PS2. If you love Capcom’s classics, you should give these a chance.

Gradius Collection

Even though they are ridiculously hard, the Gradius games are some of my favorite shooters. They may be tough, but they’re also usually fair. You’ll get a little better, and a little further each time you play. This collection has the first four games, plus Gaiden. Too bad the other Konami collections didn’t make it here.

HOT Pxl

It’s a WarioWare clone, and not near as good, but I did enjoy the games based on Atari classics.

Lemmings

I’m actually a big Lemmings fan. I’ve played all the games in the series except for The Adventures of Lomax (see, I am a fan). The PSP version isn’t as good (or maybe I ODed on the PC and SNES games), but I still had to get it since, yeah, I’m a fan.

Lunar Silver Star Harmony

It’s a remake of an older RPG, but I know a good RPG when I play one. I should beat it someday I guess.

Me & My Katamari

Because of the lack of dual analog controls, this Katamari game isn’t as good. But I was still impressed they got the look of the PS2 game on a handheld (or maybe I’m just easily impressed). They did do some things with this one that I did like, though, such as the 8-bit mini-game you get to play at the end credits (which has been a tradition since).

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X

Not as good as Powered Up, but this remake of Mega Man X is still pretty fun, and adds neat extras like being able to play as Vile, plus an unlockable 30 minute Mega Man X cartoon that’s actually kind of good!

Namco Museum Battle Collection

What can I say? I love Namco games and arcade collections. This one had some classics that hadn’t been on a Museum before then, plus some neat remakes.

Pac-Man World Rally

It’s a shameless Mario Kart clone, but I have to give the PSP version props for adding a few extra characters, like Mr. Driller and Mappy. I wonder if the makers of the game took my advice.

Pangya Fantasy Golf

It’s based on the popular online golf game. If I were into online PC games, I’d definitely play this one! The game is a little tough, but the characters are super cute!

Patapon

This combination of music/rhythm and battle action was certainly creative. But unfortunately it got boring and too hard after a while. Never played the sequels, but I still have respect for the game.

Ridge Racer

It’s kind of the same old Ridge Racer, but it sure did look nice on the PSP. Plus it was the first RR game to add nitrous. I wish I would’ve picked up the Japan and Europe only sequel when I had the chance!

PSP Imports

Another thing I liked about the PSP is that since it was region free, I could import games for it! So we’ll conclude with some of my favorite imported games. Anyone know if the Vita is region-free, too? (I kind of doubt it)

Taiko no Tatsujin games

If you read my last blog about music and rhythm games, you’ll know the Taiko Drum Master games are my favorite in that genre. So I’m glad the PSP is region free so I could import all three of them! Sure it’s not as much fun with just buttons, but I enjoyed it anyway!

Parodius, Twinbee, and Salamander Collections

Remember when I said that it was too bad that Konami’s other collections never came to the US? Well here they are. I don’t know why they didn’t bring them over, as they are very import friendly. Even the menus are in English! Parodius is a silly series of Gradius parodies, Twinbee is another silly shooter series, and Salamander is the Life Force Gradius spinoff series.

Star Soldier

On the GameCube in Japan, Hudson remade a few of their classics like Bonk, Adventure Island, and Star Soldier. They put Star Soldier on the PSP, too, and I got a great deal on the import. It was on sale for 10 bucks when Fry’s used to carry PSP imports. Not bad, I say!

Taito Collection

Actually I think they did bring this one to the US, but I got the import even cheaper at Fry’s. I love Taito’s arcade classics and they even put in some fun remakes on this collection.

Darius Burst?

I put a question mark at the end of this one because I haven’t imported it yet. But I love the Darius shooter series and always wanted to import this latest one. But I held back because importing games is expensive, and Taito has a tendency to port their remakes to consoles. But they never did with this one. I wonder with the Vita out, if the price went down on the import? Or maybe it’s higher now?

Farewell, PSP!

And that’s all I feel like talking about the PSP. It was a great six or seven years! In the comments section, tell me your favorite PSP games, and what you think of my picks! –Cary

Tags: Misc