Does it still suck?

October 10, 2007 2:21 PM

I sold my Playstation Portable a few months after I bought it, which was a few months after release, due to the incredible lack of decent games for it. Has the situation changed any?

The main reason I'm asking this question is that I'd dearly love to play Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSP, only I don't want to invest in a system if that's the only thing for it that will be any good. I could care less about UMDs or using it as a crazy web browser or anything - how good are the GAMES?

(For reference, I checked through Future Shop's listing and there were only a few "meh" titles, but I'd be willing to bet that they're only stocking and/or advertising the most recent ones. Older "classics" are probably not listed.)

Bonus points: Give me some examples and why!

posted by Imperfect to sports, hobbies, & recreation (17 comments total)

Look at and read the reviews on psp.ign.com.
posted by mphuie at 2:29 PM on October 10, 2007

Metacritic: all PSP games sorted by review score.
posted by Nelson at 2:37 PM on October 10, 2007

Short answer: Relative to the DS, no.

Has the situation improved? Of course. If graphics aren't your number one concern, however, I wouldn't considering going back. There is a GBA has a FF:Tactics (that you can play on the DS) and there's one coming out for the DS pretty soon.
posted by JakeLL at 2:39 PM on October 10, 2007

Lumines and Hot Shots Golf alone makes the system worth owning IMO.

With the new PSP Slim, you may be able to get a used PSP on the cheap. Going with an older model means older, hackable firmware.

Flashing the firmware to an "open edition" lets you run ISOs off your memory stick. I have a 4GB stick with anywhere from 5 to 15 games on it, depending on ISO size - GTA, for example, is nearly 1.5GB
posted by porn in the woods at 2:43 PM on October 10, 2007

No. Although, there are some really neat things you can do with PSPs with older firmware and emulators. I have played more NES games on my PSP than I have played PSP games.
posted by jeversol at 2:49 PM on October 10, 2007

I owned a DS, sold it, got a PSP. Sold my PSP, got a DS Lite. IMHO, there's nothing on the PSP that is MUST-PLAY.

I'd only advise anyone to get a PSP if they're into the hacking aspect of it.
posted by gnutron at 2:55 PM on October 10, 2007

There are a few great games and a load of crap. Lego Starwars II, for example, is enormous fun, but it's available on every system in the world.
posted by The Bellman at 3:48 PM on October 10, 2007

I really like Medal of Honor, Loco Roco, Battlefront II, Socom, &c. So, yeah, there's some good stuff on there, but you'd be well served to go browse the titles at your local EB. I made a pledge to never spend more than $20 for a game, and I've been able to stick easily to that by buying used/ebay games. YMMV, but the PSP is perfect for my purposes (short gaming stints now and again, the odd on-line game with my brother, knocking some aliens out just before bed, like that).
posted by Pecinpah at 3:58 PM on October 10, 2007

Lumines and Loco Roco are the two that I have liked for it. Pretty dismal selection.
posted by aubilenon at 7:01 PM on October 10, 2007

Wow, kind of telling that #2 and #3 best games on that list were #1 and #2 back when I first owned my PSP.

Saved from a shite purchase, I guess. DS Lite for me!

Thanks, guys.
posted by Imperfect at 8:06 PM on October 10, 2007

I would add Wipeout to the list of PSP-exclusive must-play games. Must-play, that is, on a borrowed PSP or at a friend's house, because the rest of the catalog is pretty lacklustre.
posted by kandinski at 8:39 PM on October 10, 2007

I had a PSP, and hardly played it because there just weren't any decent games. I sold it and got a DS. Now I have tons of awesome games and I play it all the time.

Glad to hear you're doing the same thing!
posted by robcorr at 9:47 PM on October 10, 2007

I bought a PSP (secondhand) because I started collecting Aliens and Predator stuff and that includes four movies for the PSP.

Since getting it I also grabbed Wipeout Pure, which is pretty sweet. I am a huge fan of the series though, so your mileage may vary.

There is an upcoming PSP exclusive I'm quite interested in: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. I can't imagine the game will be a much better game than the movie will be a movie, but I don't mind a bit of B grade fun on occasion.
posted by krisjohn at 10:16 PM on October 10, 2007

The PES/Winning Eleven for the PSP is decent. It's never going to be as good as, say, the PS2 version, but I'm a Pro Evo junkie so it's enough to make the system worthwhile for me. The newer one has transfers which were missing from the first one.

Ratchet & Clank is not bad. Controls are a little wonky, but if you can get over that it, it's great.

If you like rpgs, both Jeanne D'Arc and Brave Story both got pretty good reviews recently from rpgwatch.

There's a god of war on the way, which looks like it will be amazing.
posted by juv3nal at 12:42 AM on October 11, 2007

btw the GBA/NES/MAME/Neo Geo emulation is pretty much flawless.
posted by juv3nal at 12:44 AM on October 11, 2007

Personally I found the DS games to be too much like cheap cellphone games. Very very repetitive, dull, and yes, shoddy graphics.

The PSP I find more engrossing, and can play on it for much longer before getting bored. I'm loving Worms 2 at the moment, and Killzone. The Warriors is a whole ton of fun too.
posted by lemonfridge at 6:27 AM on October 11, 2007

I own both, and I love my PSP much more than the DS. I have a custom firmware, though and have an extensive library of NES, SNES, SMS, Genesis, and GBA games. But the library of PSP games has improved quite a bit in the last year or two. That metacritic lists a very large number of game 70 and above. Awesome.
posted by lyam at 8:09 AM on October 11, 2007