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6½ Years Later: The PSP Appreciation & Software Recommendation Thread

N

Nocturnowl

Member
Valkyria Chronicles 2 got me to buy the console, I wasn't disappointed. A damn shame that the apparently superior VC3 still shows no signs of making its way over from Japan.

Mega Man powered up's stage creator is so freaking good, I can't do anything with LBP but Mega Man makes things simple enough that you can easily dive in and start creating, hours of fun, in fact I think i'll go play some of my stages later.

And obligatory Monster Hunter mention.

Now if anyone wants to lend me a hand here....
With all these mentions of Tactics Ogre, how long would you people say it takes for the game to click? I played for around 2 hours and felt absolutely overwhelmed, it's put me off heading back. Same deal with P3P, except i'm not overwhelmed by mechanics i'm just kind of directionless, I made it through the first month at any rate.
 
C

ctrayne

Member
captmcblack said:
What is the deal with this Legend of Heroes business?

I always thought that series was a generic RPG series, so I never played any of them on PSP. This latest one, Trails in the Sky, is apparently a big deal around here. Why is it so especially good?
Click to expand...
It's a long story...short version is, LOH has always been a venerable series in Japan-land and were PC-only for ages. The PSP ports that you know as 1-3 are horrific remakes by Bandai with terribad translation, and are actually III, IV and V in the series. The PC games are much better.

Trails in the Sky and its two sequels were also PC only until the PSP ports. The difference is that Falcom ported them in-house and they are true to the PC versions. It's not that Trails in the Sky is better than the others, it's just been treated well. Falcom has since dropped PC support. :(
 
G

Gentleman Jack

Member
P3P breezes by if you're not overly concerned about a one-round max S.Link run. It's not a stressful game unless you've got completionist OCD.
 
C

ctrayne

Member
Professor Beef said:
What is Tactics Ogre, exactly?I've never seen footage of it, and only recently have I even heard about it.
Click to expand...
Only one of the finest SRPGs ever made, and the template from which FF Tactics was formed from. :) Came out in '96 or so, PSP version is a lavish remake.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
Gentleman Jack said:
P3P breezes by if you're not overly concerned about a one-round max S.Link run. It's not a stressful game unless you've got completionist OCD.
Click to expand...
Fortunately I don't have a completionist streak, guess I'll just keep on going with whatever it is i'm supposed to be doing
 
B

backlot

Member
I've gotta say my favorites were Peace Walker, Half-Minute Hero, Patapon and Tactics Ogre. Thinking back about it now, the PSP really did have some great games.
 
P

plainr_

Member
Day one adopter here. Never once regret owning a PSP. Disappointed by its control limitations but overall it was a great system.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Linkzg said:
Not about emulation, but I wouldn't mind knowing which games benefit from using a faster clock speed on CFW. Some games have dramatic improvements at 333 vs 222. If we want to keep it all official, that's fine too. Outrun 2, posted above, is an example of a game that benefits from the increase. I appreciated how some games used 333, or in the case of Kingdom Hearts, had the option to use it at the expense of battery life.
Click to expand...
Yes, this is probably my 3rd fave thing about CFW behind convenience and much faster loading.
Helps a lot of titles that had performance issues.
 
C

C-Jo

Member
I got a PSP at launch and basically fell off until 2011. I think the Vita hype made me go back and appreciate everything the PSP had to offer.

At the moment, I'm catching up on Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, God Eater Burst, Persona 2 & ZHP. PSP games are dirt cheap these days, so I have a pretty considerable backlog.

As for my favorite, I think that's probably Crisis Core at this point.
 
H

Hours Left

Member
The PSP is RPG heaven. It would be crime for any RPG fan not to have one.

Just in the past year we've gotten so many good games (Trails in the Sky being my favorite), and there are still more to come.
 
M

mollipen

Member
Amir0x said:
4. Ridge Racers 1/2 - Interchangeable, but settle for 2 if you get it. This is the last real perfect Ridge game. Ridge Racer 6/7 were good but in my opinion just not as focused as these titles. Also, the framerate isn't 30fps trash.
Click to expand...

I am baffled by how you can say "interchangeable" for this. RR2 has everything RR1 has PLUS the rest of the tracks from the eras those games cover. RR1 is literally half the game RR2 is, and absolutely no way you should pick RR1 if you're choosing between the two.
 
N

Napalm_Frank

Member
Birth By Sleep is perhaps my favourite PSP game, followed by Peace Walker, Dissidia and its sequel, Tactics Ogre and Crisis Core.

But what makes PSP most awesome portable in the universe is PS1 classics. I just looooove how I can start playing some of my favourite games from the platform anywhere I want and sleep mode makes them even better :3. I also use it as my main MP3 player.

I have owned 3x3000 and planning to buy E1000 when it is released. Too bad Sony has yet to give any info on release date and its supposed to be out real soon >_<.
 
N

Nekobo

Member
My History with the system:

Got it at launch as a gift, since my birthday was four days after.

I bought a PSP-3000 from HUELEN10 (hope you're well, where ever you are now) in 2010 when I figured it was time to upgrade. Now it's primarily my Phantasy Star Portable 2 machine and I use it to play the free PSP minis I've gotten from PSN Plus.

Earlier this year I bought a White PSP Go for $100. I mostly use it when I'm on the go (no pun intended) because it fits perfectly in my pocket. Sometimes I connect it to my TV and DS3 and play certain games like Persona 3 Portable console style.


Favorite games:
Lumines, MGS Peace Walker, Phantasy Star Portable 2, Persona 3 Portable, Puzzle Quest, Gitaroo Man, DJ Max Portable Clazziquai, and the Bleach Heat the Soul series.

My backlog: Persona 2 Innocent Sin, Trails in the Sky, Ys Oath in Felghana, Valkyria Chronicles 2, Tactics Ogre.

Looking forward to: Fate/EXTRA, Corpse Party, Black Rock Shooter, Grand Knights History, Chrono Cross.

Still has a bit of life left!
 
G

Grimmy

Banned
Oooohhh my favorite topic!

HISTORY

I got my PSP-2000 quite late in the game - in August of 2007. Had been wanting one for a while since I was travelling so much that home consoles no longer made sense. My previous handheld was the GBA (first version) - a travesty of a machine which I think set my near-sightness back several degrees. It was so awful I was quite angry with Nintendo, despite the very good GBA library (never bothered upgraded alas).

Anyhow, the first game I bought?
939771_88696_front.jpg


And it was godly. Still by fat the best platformer on the system. I was completely blown away by the graphics and music. And luckily since it's the "Kai" version, the game was much more forgiving.

Other favorites on the PSP:

2ykzuzc.jpg

Ys: The Oath in Felghana

tacticsogre.jpg

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

zxtv9y.jpg

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

bleach.jpg

Bleach: Soul Carnival

hmh.png

Half-Minute Hero

hotshotstennis.jpg

Hot Shots Tennis

crisiscore.jpg

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (haters be dammned)

talesofeternia.jpg

Tales of Eternia

jeanne-darc-psp.jpg

Jeanne d'Arc

ghostofsparta.png

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

GradiusPortable.jpg

Gradius Portable

twinbee.jpg

Twinbee Portable

star_soldier_collection.jpg

Star Soldier Collection

capcom-classics-collection-reloaded.jpg

Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded

tengai.jpg

Far East of Eden: The 4th Apocalypse
 
mistuhcahlos

mistuhcahlos

Member
I got my first PSP on launch day a few days before I got married. It was my last completely selfish gaming purchase. Outside of the brutal software droughts and the lack of a decent first person shooter, it has surpassed my expectations. I have about 115 games that I've purchased on umd or psn. The best game on the system for me is Valkyria Chronicles 2, but easily my favorite perk of owning a PSP is the amount of great fighters I can play on the go now. Tekken, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, King of Fighters, Samurai Showdown, Guilty Gear, Darkstalkers, Blazblue, Dissidia and Gladiator Begins. Soul Calibur was something I never in my life thought I would be able to play on a portable, when it was announced, I cried.
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
Takao said:
what are you talking about
who are you talking to
Click to expand...
Amir0x's post suggests RR2 on PSP is 60fps, not '30fps trash' like RR7. I thought my reply would be directly under the other poster replying to him. I apologize.
 
C

Corto

Member
I can't pinpoint a definite favorite game but I have a (not so short) list of favorites:

Patapon: It's almost hypnotic. When you're in "the zone" you start breathing in rhythm with the game... A must!

Jeanne D'Arc: As a SRPG I prefer this to Tactics Ogre because of the more transparent interface. Though TO is also an excellent choice and it's on my shortlist to GOTY.

Valkyria Chronicles II: This series and its original combat system translated really well to the platform. I even finished the PSP game before the PS3 due to the advantage of having it on the go.

God of War (both of them): Ready at Dawn squeezed the system to deliver two of the most beautiful games on the system. And they even included new weapons and some story details that are not on the home consoles versions. Essential on any PSP library.

Lumines: Great puzzle game with great soundtrack. I imagine me playing this for years to come .

N+: Platform on the most basic enjoyable level. When you fail it's so quick loading the level again that it makes it almost impossible to stop at it. You'll have to discipline yourself to stop playing it. Consider yourself warned!

Killzone Liberation and Resistance Retribution: Killzone is the best single player Killzone game (haven't played K3 yet), Resistance is the best TPS game on the system that overcomes really well the shortcomings of the device (no 2nd analogue).

Honorable Mentions:

Ys7
Every Extend Extra
MGS PO, PW, Ac!d
SuperStardust Portable
Dissidia
Gradius Collection
PixelJunk Monsters
Gran Turismo
Warriors Orochi 2 (This one is my PSP game of the moment)
Hot Shots Golf
P3P
 
T

Takao

Banned
StuBurns said:
Amir0x's post suggests RR2 on PSP is 60fps, not '30fps trash' like RR7. I thought my reply would be directly under the other poster replying to him. I apologize.
Click to expand...

Oh, I actually didn't read that post, and thought you were in the wrong thread. Whoops, haha.
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
Takao said:
Oh, I actually didn't read that post, and thought you were in the wrong thread. Whoops, haha.
Click to expand...
It's my fault, I saw there had been replies and couldn't be bothered to edit in the quote.
 
H

Hitoribhoshi

Member
Got a white 1000, sold it to a friend for a 2000. got a pspgo a year ago, I love the shit out of this thing because of bluetooth : dualshock3 support (made a mini arcade stick) and headset with remote control support whick is great for music, podcast etc

I LOVED PORTABLE OPS on this little sucker, great story and visuals :)

also replayed a shitton of psone RPGs on this :D

all of this is why I'm getting vita day one, still a lot of psp games to play via psn download!
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
Professor Beef said:
There's a Tales game on PSP?!
Click to expand...
There's Tales of Eternia but it's PAL only! MWAHAHA! oh hang on, region free console...
Well anyway there may be others aside from Tales of Eternia, I think my friend has some spin off crossover one or something.
 
A

Acosta

Member
I imported mine from Japan, with Ridge Racer, and I will never forget the faces of absolute amazement people had when I played it on public.

Then I have fun memories of being one of the first PSPs on GAF with Custom FW. Making photos of Genesis games working on it was fun. I also have enjoyed a lot the official emulation with the Capcom, Sega and Konami retro compilations.

I have a sad story about loosing one and getting the replacement, all in the same travel. I posted it here some years ago. Actually I keep my Japanese original and CFW Go. Go is probably my favourite handheld ever design wise, and it´s absolutely fantastic for emulation thanks to the great d-pad. I always carry it with me.

Actually I want to catch on with the hidden gems of the system. Recently imported ZHP and I want to get into Falcom games with it. I still need to buy Tactics Ogre too, Cladun, Half-Minute Heroes, Badman.. But I will probably wait for getting a Vita before doing so. My Go is for retro gaming and my original PSP it´s fine and dandy, but I'm not a fan of the UMDs and want to try those games on VITA screen

And never forget some of the awesome stuff that the system leaves to us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaIu9ZHadyo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53hwKdwFX8M
 
B

bigkrev

Member
psp_g_bleach2.gif

First (and only) game I have imported in my life. While this game got a ton of sequels, this was the one that came out while I cared about Bleach. Blew my mind at the time as to what a portable fighter could be.

and then....
0961663565.jpg

Probably have put 300 hours into thi
 
V

vall03

Member
Professor Beef said:
There's a Tales game on PSP?!
Click to expand...
theres like 10 Tales game in the PSP including the new upcoming game. Only one got localized in the US (Radiant Mythology) and one for EU (Tales of Eternia) *sigh*
 
N

Netto-kun

Member
Professor Beef said:
There are 10 Tales games on PSP?!
Click to expand...
Fixed.

Phantasia Full Voice
Eternia
Destiny 2
Rebirth
Phantasia Narikiri Dungeon X with Phantasia X Edition
Radiant Mythology
Radiant Mythology 2
Radiant Mythology 3
VS
Tales of the Heroes (upcoming)

Edit: Damn, beaten.
 
T

TheFightingFish

Member
Professor Beef said:
It's like FFTactics? Hmm...
Click to expand...

I actually think it's quite a bit worse compared to FFT, but GAF does seem to love it. Customization of the job system is more obtuse, battles rely too much on whacking boss characters with TP attacks, and new classes start at level one so you have to level them up in the back of battles for hours if you want to use them later in the game. Not a bad game, but I'd put it lower on the SRPG totem pole.
 
T

Tomodachi

Member
I'm adding so many games to my PSP backlog thanks to this thread. I love it.

So underrated. Lost of GREAT games, my favourite one being... uhm, I don't really know, I'll just say I'm playing Tactics Ogre right now and it's blowing me away. It's SO much better than FF Tactics, I hate Squaresoft for toning down Matsuno's stuff.

TheFightingFish said:
I actually think it's quite a bit worse compared to FFT, but GAF does seem to love it. Customization of the job system is more obtuse, battles rely too much on whacking boss characters with TP attacks, and new classes start at level one so you have to level them up in the back of battles for hours if you want to use them later in the game. Not a bad game, but I'd put it lower on the SRPG totem pole.
Click to expand...
It's a lot older tho. And story is so much better without magic stones, crappy ending and the always present "let's save the world!" theme, it makes up for gameplay, imho.
 
Ephemeris

Ephemeris

Member
My fave handheld since the GBA.

Went to the launch party Sony held in NYC, still to this day the best one I've ever been to lol.

Had some square button (Struggled through Patapon) and battery woes (replaced it for MGS5), but it still stayed strong until it was swiped in a burglary earlier this year. First purchase was Ridge Racer, last UMD/non-digital purchase was Peace Walker (100+ hours).

Lots of gems on the system. I still definitely consider it an underrated handheld.
 
P

Professor Beef

Banned
vall03 said:
theres like 10 Tales game in the PSP including the new upcoming game. Only one got localized in the US (Radiant Mythology) and one for EU (Tales of Eternia) *sigh*
Click to expand...
I will have to search for those two then. Any chance that they're on the PSN store? I'm already bracing myself for disappointment.
Boney said:
Hmm is not the reaction

more like

hell yes!
Click to expand...
I will "HMM" if I want to, thank you very much. Besides, I meant it in a good--
TheFightingFish said:
I actually think it's quite a bit worse compared to FFT, but GAF does seem to love it. Customization of the job system is more obtuse, battles rely too much on whacking boss characters with TP attacks, and new classes start at level one so you have to level them up in the back of battles for hours if you want to use them later in the game. Not a bad game, but I'd put it lower on the SRPG totem pole.
Click to expand...
Hmm. :|
 
C

ctrayne

Member
TheFightingFish said:
I actually think it's quite a bit worse compared to FFT, but GAF does seem to love it. Customization of the job system is more obtuse, battles rely too much on whacking boss characters with TP attacks, and new classes start at level one so you have to level them up in the back of battles for hours if you want to use them later in the game. Not a bad game, but I'd put it lower on the SRPG totem pole.
Click to expand...
It does a lot of things better than FFT, too, though, especially in terms of usability, clean UI, framerate, and the brilliant way they handle splits in the story path without making you replay it. The story is also leagues ahead of FFT IMHO, as is the artwork, but that's a little more subjective I guess. Plus, even though classes start at level 1, the entire class level is raised, so you never have to re-level a new recruit to have a decent fighter.

Solution: play them both!
 
L

Lindsay

Dot Hacked
I got my PSP in November 2009 so its only almost 2 years later for me! I had wanted one for a long time but the price was much to high. I settled for $140. Its a pretty good system but I still find it kinda oddly shaped with how wide it is. Going from it to my DSL an back just feels strange!

[x] .hack//Link (100+ hours)
[x] Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
[-] Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show (came with the system)
[x] Lunar Silver Star Harmony Premium Edition
[x] Mega Man Powered Up
[x] Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker (traded-in)
[-] ModNation Racers (PSN freebie)
[x] Phantasy Star Portable (100+ hours)
[x] Phantasy Star Portable 2 (100+ hours)
[-] Pursuit Force (PSN freebie)
[] Shin Megami Tensei Persona
[x] Star Ocean: First Departure
[] The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
[x] Ys Seven

My list of games for it isn't terribly long though many of the games themselves are! Not counting freebies I've beaten almost all of 'em so far. I always have a hard time thinking of games I'm still missing for it but I know theres prolly a bunch. Considering importing BoF III from the UK cause I still regret never buying it for the PS way back when. It sure has an rpg heavy lineup! 7 outta my 33 DS games are rpgs whereas 9 outta my 11 PSP games are rpgs.

I was hyped when Sony announced PSP remasters 4 months ago but nothings really come of that so far. GOW, Peace Walker, and MHP3 are the only ones announced/released that I know of. I thought I could stop buying PSP games for the PSP buuuut that was only a dream huh?
 
T

tetrisgrammaton

Member
System was pretty much a disappointment for me all around. Mega Man Powered Up was sweet– not worth buying a console for however. I should have played the Ys games, but felt indifferent. I'm at the point where I just can't get excited for typical Japan RPG presentation.
 
C

ctrayne

Member
tetrisgrammaton said:
I'm at the point where I just can't get excited for typical Japan RPG presentation.
Click to expand...
I can understand that sentiment. I'm drawn to the more refined look of Tactics Ogre than Falcom's stuff, even though I used to be a huge Ys fan.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
I am quite tempted to post a pic of my PSP game library, but my library is quite large and probably won't fit in the pic or on my bed/floor. :lol. On that note, PSP games can be pretty cheap, especially on Boxing Day.

Reposting from the PSP/DS farewell thread:
Dark Schala said:
...My PSP-2000 was a Christmas present. [And] to be honest, I think both systems [the PSP and DS] complement each other very well.

I got a PSP-2000 in 2007, when Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was released... so that was the game I requested a PSP for, in addition to Crisis Core. After a while, I started to alternate between bringing my PSP and DS to school, but lately I've noticed that I'm bringing my PSP more and more because of all the fantastic JRPGs available for it both locally and internationally (ie: imports). A lot of PSP games worked out pretty well for multiplayer with my friends from university, so I enjoyed it quite a bit. I also recall that, as a little girl, my parents always wanted me to go out with them when I was in the middle of a PS1 game. I always used to grumble that I couldn't take the game with me, but now... for some select PS1 games... I can with my PSP. I even found out a few of my classmates were huge FF fans when they caught me playing FFVII after it was released on PSN. :lol

The handhelds re-energized my passion for gaming. I didn't really play much in high school because I was so busy with a lot of stuff so I quit gaming for a while. The handhelds brought me back into the fold, and I noticed how convenient they were. I commuted to Toronto every day to go to school, so they really helped in making my commute less boring. Not to mention that being in possession of a ... PSP with Peace Walker with you can spark some co-op missions. The two handhelds helped me forge a few new friendships, basically. Both handhelds are havens for JRPGs, so they're typically my systems of choice.

My friends and I had a fantastic time importing games and lending them to each other for both systems as well. I can carry [my PSP] in my purse, or in my backpack, and just pull it out whenever I want to play something.
Click to expand...

A few of my favourites (I have way more, but here's just a few of them):

Genso Suikoden I+II

bICsn.jpg



Tales of Rebirth

i4xIF.jpg



Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X

VXUF6.jpg
87SVm.jpg



Crimson Gem Saga

uHzXM.jpg
Dq9UV.jpg



Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

pydmt.jpg



Patapon Series

wsnNf.jpg



Lumines Series

9fzDQ.jpg



The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

CT1E2.jpg
rANWz.jpg



Valkyria Chronicles II

jrXsd.jpg



Ys: The Oath in Felghana

s9Zvh.jpg



Half-Minute Hero

lKfV9.jpg



Brave Story: New Traveler


8zMeA.jpg



Last Ranker

vsNoI.jpg



Metal Gear Ac!d

3fLxa.jpg



PSP certainly isn't dead for me yet. There are still a lot of games I want to import for it (and buy locally; thanks Aksys and XSEED! <3). Now if Atlus can bring over Growlanser IV: Over Reloaded, I'll be happy. (It won't happen.)
 
G

ghibli99

Member
My PSP's been in hiding for at least a year, but I have to say, I dumped a crapload of time into DJ Max Portable. That's one of my favorite music games, period.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
shidoshi said:
I am baffled by how you can say "interchangeable" for this. RR2 has everything RR1 has PLUS the rest of the tracks from the eras those games cover. RR1 is literally half the game RR2 is, and absolutely no way you should pick RR1 if you're choosing between the two.
Click to expand...

It's just that they're mechanically so similar, and they both have so much pure Ridge content, that if you buy one you're most certainly assured to understand the quality of the other. The other is just "more" of the same, in other words. As a practical reason you should obviously get RR2 if you're on the market, of course.

StuBurns said:
Amir0x's post suggests RR2 on PSP is 60fps, not '30fps trash' like RR7. I thought my reply would be directly under the other poster replying to him. I apologize.
Click to expand...

i didn't mean to imply that at all. I was specifically thinking of the shitty Ridge Racer 3DS when I was making of my comment. I can see how in the sentence right after my comment about RR7/6 that one would think I was referring to that.
 
W

wastedyears

Member
PSP is easily my favorite handheld system. So many excellent games. A friend of mine bought one for me (with Disgaea: AoD) a few years ago when I was about to have surgery on my back and then had to lie on my back for six weeks after the surgery, moving as little as possible. So for me, the PSP was pretty much a lifesaver.
Favorite games, in no particular order:

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (best handheld game I've ever played!)
Jeanne D'Arc
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
FF Tactics War of the Lions
Persona 3 Portable
Disgaea:Afternoon of Darkness
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Castlevania: Darcula X Chronicles
Darkstalkers Chronicles
Field Commander
Metal Gear Acid 2
Tekken: Dark Resurrection
Pixlejunk Monsters Deluxe
Valkyria Chronicles 2
 
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