Dave, I keep seeing your site pop up on Google for Sony PSP searches, but I haven’t yet been able to figure out: do you own one of these units? If so, what games do you think are the very best ones to buy? There aren’t a ton out yet, but each one is so darn expensive…
Okay, true confession: I haven’t yet bought an actual Sony Playstation Portable, uh, PSP, yet, but I’m darn close to buying one, even to the point of being over at EB Games in another browser window with a shopping cart holding:
- PSP Value Pack
- Sandisk Memory Stick Pro Duo 256MB
- Ridge Racer
- Get Connected: USB Link Cable Set
Why? Because first off, lots of people coming here to Ask Dave Taylor are PSP fanatics – I get a surprising number of questions about the PSP, particularly about connectivity, MP3 playback, movies, etc – and secondly because, well, I deserve a chance to play with spiffo new geektoys once in a while, right? 🙂
But buying into the PSP world is rather intimidating too, with each UMD movie costing $20-$35 and games averaging about $40-$50 per unit. Buying a game, even from eBay, then realizing it’s not a match with your own gaming style and preferences can be darn expensive. Which stinks. Worse, trying out a game in a store for 90 seconds isn’t a very good way to find out if it has the ability to engage you long-term, and all the old favorites I used to play on my Nintendo Gameboy like Pipe Dream are long-gone from the scene.
Fortunately, a bit of surfing led me to the site Metacritic.com, which has a great premise: they aggregate published and user-submitted reviews to give you a quick sense of the overall community opinion on specific games, DVDs, books, etc. One of the few sites I’ve stumbled into that I’ve bookmarked for later visits. Brilliant!
According to Metacritic’s PSP Game Scores page, the top five games for the Sony PSP are:
- WipEout Pure (and am I missing something with this bizarre capitalized “E” in the middle of the game?)
- Lumines
- Ridge Racer
- Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix
- Twisted Metal: Head-On
WipEout Pure is a racing game that takes place in the future, with zero gravity hovercars, spiffo weapons, aggressive combat and so on. Gamespy says: “For racing fans who want a perfect mix of compelling gameplay, unequalled excellence of presentation, and a few sore thumbs, WipEout Pure will not disappoint.” For me, though, I don’t really like the combat thing so much, so I’ll skip this popular title.
Lumines sounds very cool, though, a puzzle game that’s described by Modojo in lyric terms: “Like waves crashing onto a white sandy beach, it’s a spectacular elemental fusion that lulls you into a zen-like state, a type of serenity that relaxes your body as well as your mind as you peacefully walk its shores. An artistic achievement and a must buy, Lumines is therapy for the soul.” How can you not like that? Well, I dunno. This is one I want to try out before I buy it…
Ridge Racer is the one that’s made it into my shopping cart, it’s the top rated car racing game, a genre that seems to be tailor made for the form factor and processor capabilities of the Sony PSP. And, heck, it’s more fun to crash a virtual car than a real car, isn’t it? Here’s what Deeko says: “To call Ridge Racers on the PSP a satisfying game would be a lie. The entire experience is euphoric, a game that is beyond satisfying and is quite easily one of the finest racers on a handheld to date.”
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix is yet another successful game in the long line of Hawk games. I gotta mention here that Tony’s not only an amazing skateboarder, but he’s demonstrating his awesome business savvy as he continues to grow into one of the most valuable franchises in sports history. Way to go, Tony! This particular game is about … skateboarding. Here’s how Next Level Gaming describes it: “The graphics in THUG 2 Remix are incredible for a handheld system. It looks almost identical to the PS2 version with only a few drawbacks that are barely noticeable. With the great graphics, the game also sports a very solid framerate and smooth gameplay.” Not my cup of tea.
Finally, Twisted Metal: Head On even has a title that’s sure to repel people older than eighteen, at least in my opinion, and is all about multi-player combat in cars. Yeah, I know, I made the comment earlier about crashing a virtual car being more fun than crashing a real one, but I don’t mean that I want to get into the demolition derby business. Anyway, here’s what GameZone says: “Head-On is the first top-of-the-line multiplayer game designed for a handheld. It’s vehicular combat at its finest. It’s satisfying, but will leave you hungry for another bite.” Me? I’ll skip this first bite.
There are clearly lots of games and movies for the Sony PSP, some that I don’t yet have on my radar screen as I’m just about to take the plunge (where’s the Pacman game series anyway? Or Tetris? Those boring classics are darn nice to have, in my opinion), but it’s a brave new world of handheld gaming.
So, dear reader, if you have a Sony PSP, what games are you finding the very best, most compelling and most addictive? For that matter, what games did you find just stunk and were a complete and frustrating rip-off?
And if you think this means that Ask Dave Taylor will be featuring a lot more PSP help and information, you’d be right! Stay tuned, gamers!
is it possible to browse internet without using a memory card ? And which memory stick is best for psp
also get a memory card at lease 4 gigs, mine is 4 and Ive got Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories,Patapon 2, n+, Phantasy Star Portable (highly reccomended, Super Collapse 3, and Puzzle Bobble Pocket. I have 861mb free still. To mod it Im pretty sure you need an unbricker.
pls i need 2 download psp games without paying anything..just want 2 know if its possible thanx
Hi guys Can any one tel me wer i can get th latest Sony PSP in chennai & wats th rate of th same!!!
There’s a game with Pacman and other classics (Ms. Pacman, digdug, Mappy, Xevious, Galaga, etc. as well as remakes of some of the old classics)! It’s called ‘Namco Museum Battle Collection’. Some of the 3D games for PSP give me vertigo, but the Namco collection I can play for hours and hours and hours!… maybe it’s because I’m old.
Hey, if any of you guys or if your still looking for more games to play, might I recommend Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions? its such a great game and has the best story line I have seen.
Update: I definitely have a PSP and have used it for hundreds of hours. I have lots of games — and have bought and sold games used. 🙂
This was fairly well written for somebody that doesn’t have a PSP. There are many more wholesome and updated articles out there.
Plus, Pacman and Tetris are more of Nintendo titles and will never really be realeased on the PSP. Well, unless you grab one of the horrible Pacman spin-offs that are currently out on Sony systems.
If you want up to date ratings on games, I would recommend 1up.com or ign.com and search for top rated games by system.
The PSP is a good handheld system, both the PSP and the DS have their own strengths. The new 2001 version PSP is a tremendous upgrade over the 1001 model in almost everyway, no matter what anybody else says.
Plus, if you are a God of War fan, look for the upcomming Red version PSP that will be bundled with God of War: Chains of Olympus.
I think Lumines is only popular because it is needed to downgrade some firmwares
how do you watch videos online on the psp
Metal Gear Solid : Portable OPS
Killzone Liberation
I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO DOWNLOAD PSP GAMES WITHOUT PAYING ANYTHINH.ALSO AFTER WHEN I PUT GAME ON MY PSP IT SAYS THAT I CAN’T OPENIT BECAUSE DOWNLOADED GAME IS NOT GOOD.I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
hi dave, i was wondering if you need wireless router to play against other people on their psp. most sites say you dont but when i try it in game sharing it says a connection error has occured the connection to the network has been dropped. please help me. thanks
Hey, i was also wonderin, since alot of more games have came out, could ya make a new list of “top-ranked games” for the PSP. If you did, that would be awesome, and i’d appreciate it.
Hey, im 13 years old, and I recently bought a PSP. I was browsin the web for info on which game I should get, and this site helped alot, so thanks.
WipEout pure rocks u rock u are the smartes guy rer
Hi,
Its is a nice article. Can i link it in my website?
http://sonypsp.tamilar.org
Thanks.