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[Ponn]

I'm not sure, honestly. The game is a really long dungeon crawler with a crapload of powers to level and extras to collect. It's total X-Men fan service. But for some reason, sitting in front of the tv with it was never that great. Carrying it around and doing some leveling however has been extremely gratifying. And it's packed with even more content and missions on PSP, so it's like this never ending quest to collect powers and loot that are done pretty well. I guess the setting or genre were just right for the PSP and me.

QFT

No loss of graphics, extra content, still has online and pretty great for just pickup and play then sleep mode. Better then my goddamn lock up fest console version. I have this very strong feeling dungeon crawlers and SRPG's are going to be a huge hit on the PSP.

 

[djtiesto]

Lumines still has to be my fav... awesome music and visuals and classic pick up and play gameplay. Can't wait for Every Extend Extra!

Still haven't tried Legend of Heroes yet (put that on my Xmas list)...

 

[.hacked]

No more cry!

 

[Piepz]

Lumines

 

[Beowvlf]

Lumines
Wipeout Pure
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
GTA: LCS
Metal Gear Acid

Still really want to try SOCOM, LoH, KoP, Tokobot and PoP: Revelations.

 

[Kiriku]

I tried to get into x-men 2, but the loading times destroyed much of the enjoyment for me. The really annoying thing is the frequency of them though, there's loading just about everywhere which really got to me. it's a bit of a shame since the game is pretty fun otherwise.
Posting this from my PSP btw.

 

[Ponn]

I tried to get into x-men 2, but the loading times destroyed much of the enjoyment for me. The really annoying thing is the frequency of them though, there's loading just about everywhere which really got to me. it's a bit of a shame since the game is pretty fun otherwise.
Posting this from my PSP btw.

Loading would be my only complaint about that game too. It wasn't inherit to just the PSP version though, the PS2 had pretty close to same load times. I would start to just throw away items to avoid having to "Blink portal" back to base to sell stuff off.

 

[CurlySaysX]

Although ihaven't played it for a long time because i lost all my saves (40 hours worth), Wipeout pure is my favourite psp game.
Once i decide to get a replacement memory stick i will sink my teeth into the game again.

 

[Tamashii]

I haven't actually owned a PSP for several months now, but when I had one I'd have to say my favorite game on it was... Ridge Racer. Man, that game was so fucking fun.

 

[Y2Kev]

Got Prince of Persia. The opening scene looks AMAZING on the PSP screen. That's as far as I am.

Got Fireteam Bravo too. I caved on Legend of Heroes at the last minute cause I am 20 combined hours into two other RPGs right now. I want Tokobot bad. Need to dig up spare change.

 

[Nick]

The internet.

Maybe photo viewing... I'm not so sure.

 

[Y2Kev]

Okay, new impressions!

The graphics and controls have been surprisingly well translated. Combat feels fluid and less annoying, perhaps because I struggled with the Duke on the Xbox.

The sound...wtf....it sounds compressed and tinny. And the lesbo rock music returns.

STILL, PERSIA ACTION ON MY PSP OMG

 

[MrAngryFace]

So is PoP psp good? come on people.

 

[Y2Kev]

I think I'm the only one who has it.

I've already gotten further in it than I did on the Xbox. I like it a lot. It has some weird sound sync issues at points (cinemas, mainly) and it cuts out to load, but other than that, very well translated.

Interesting thing: very little ghosting. Why does GTA have so much when this game is fast-action in the same vein and it is much better? darker color scheme?

 

[Eric_S]

So none of the framerate issues that where in the official trailer are there?


If so, sale +1

 

[Y2Kev]

So none of the framerate issues that where in the official trailer are there?


If so, sale +1

I am really horrible when it comes to noticing framerate issues, so don't take my positive impressions as a certification of a lack of framerate problems. I never noticed a problem with Perfect Dark until I joined GAF...so...yeah.

I'm sure it is a little choppy in spots. The platforming scenes are are pretty seamless.

 

[Eric_S]

Ah, thanks anyway. I'll just wait a bit longer for more impressions/review before making up my mind then.

 

[Y2Kev]

I'm sure all the reviewers will hate it and I'll look like an idiot, lol. I have no idea how to take a picture of a PSP screen, but I tried.

Sorry about the blur...it's really cool though. I am enjoying the game quite a bit. The short sections that PoP is divided up into make it ideal for portable play.

 

[Lo-Volt]

I've enjoyed all my three PSP games (I'm a slow buyer), but Wip3out Pure edges the others out ever so slightly. The coming addition of AC!D won't change that, I'd imagine.

 

[Mau ®]

Nice to hear smething from PoP PSP

I got some questions Kevbug if thats okay?

- Graphically, do you think the game took a major downgrade from the console versions? Or does it fare well enough?

- The controls. I just don't see something fast paced as PoP on PSP. Is the combat great for the portable experience?

- The camera. How is it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Beowvlf]

It has some weird sound sync issues at points (cinemas, mainly)...

A few posters at GameFaqs were complaining about this pretty hard, going so far as to say it's completely unbearable. Were they overexaggerating?

 

[Y2Kev]

Yes. That's crazy. How can the sound being off a little become unbearable? I mean, maybe if you are an audiophile....

Game is quite fun. The dahaka is chasing me now and I am freaking out. Looks awesome and controls well. RARE ON PSP, BE HAPPY!!

- Graphically, do you think the game took a major downgrade from the console versions? Or does it fare well enough?

- The controls. I just don't see something fast paced as PoP on PSP. Is the combat great for the portable experience?

- The camera. How is it?

It looks VERY good. I would say the models have been simplified and the textures probably lower res, but the architecture is still all there. I am very, very impressed. Best graphics on PSP I think.

Controls are great. The game has done some wonky things at one point or another (Prince does a leap off a wall when I don't recall pressing that combination...), but overall very good. You have to try it. The combat is pretty enjoyable. I hated the combat in SoT and I never really gave it a chance on Xbox (control issues). I like this a lot. The dahaka scenes still work well, so that should tell you how it works.

Camera can be disorienting. When you are hanging from a ledge or whatever, you might need to go into first person mode to see what you need to do. You can do this by using the D-pad left button and then holding L to freelook. Works nicely.

Sound is the only glaring issue. It skips for some reason. Occasional framerate drops but nothing that detracts from the gameplay as I think the platforming is perfect.

 

[kaching]

Thanks for the impression of PoP.

Hard to single out just one favorite game on the PSP but I count myself lucky for stumbling upon a imported copy of Star Soldier at a small game shop for $40.

 

[Pimpbaa]

I wish they did a port of the new PoP instead.

 

[Y2Kev]

I have issues with this game on a conceptual level as opposed to the first...outside of the emo theme, what is with the backtracking?

 

[dark10x]

I wish they did a port of the new PoP instead.

Heh, don't worry, a port is inevitable, no doubt.

I have issues with this game on a conceptual level as opposed to the first...outside of the emo theme, what is with the backtracking?

See, I found this to be a rather appealing aspect of the game (though, some of the early backtracking wasn't particularly engaging). I enjoyed the backtracking in the game quite a bit. It wasn't as enjoyable as, say, what Metroid Prime managed...but it's still a good time. I felt that it tied the game world together.

Still, I know how much people seem to hate backtracking, so yeah, I can understand your complaints.

 

[Y2Kev]

No particular issue with backtracking in general, but I've DONE all these traps and sections, before. You know? It seems like in THIS game it is kind of wasted. Plus, it takes away the opportunity to see more awesome looking environments.

The game is awesome. I'm really enjoying it. Can't wait until the reviews come out and tear it a new one so I just give up games forever.

 

[dark10x]

Oh, it WILL get ripped. People really slammed Warrior Within simply due to the perceived "angst" present in the game (which was nowhere near as bad as people seemed to believe). Of course, the original version was plagued with game killing bugs as well, so some of that heat was deserved. I was unable to finish the game on XBOX due to a bug (I got within the last ten minutes of the game and was unable to proceed due to a portal bug). I'd imagine those things were all fixed on PSP. It's a shame the sound problems are still present, however, as they were quite annoying on XBOX. The worst was when the music would go into this crazy "start/stop" routine as if the game could not decide wheather it really wanted to use a particular song or not. They also often cut the music off in the most abrupt fashion imaginable and sound effects would skip, pop, stutter, and worse. It was an audio nightmare.

 

[Y2Kev]

I only notice some of the issues when I die. For instance, I was playing a level fine...the dark piano theme was playing, nice and dramatic...I die and respawn awhile back with the angry emo rock theme playing. Never heard that theme in that section before. Found that interesting. It doesn't bother me.

Did they add voices or did the Prince normally talk this much? He seems much more like SoT Prince than ANGRY EMO Prince that everyone built him up to me, but then again, you already addressed that. It's not as bad as I had supposed and as I had experienced based on my 20 minutes with this game on Xbox. I miss the interaction between Farrah or however you spell her and the Prince and I miss the monologues that the Prince would have with himself.

The art style isn't that bad, though, but I miss some of the brighter environments.

On the plus side, the Dahaka scenes are AWESOME. Add an element of tension to the game that was really missing from the first. The combat is significantly better than the first. I think the world is a little more complex, too. It doesn't feel so square and empty. Me rikey.

 

[dark10x]

Have you made it to the garden areas yet? Those were quite lovely and featured some very strong lighting. I wonder if the hardcore bloom lighting is still in the PSP edition of the game?

 

[Y2Kev]

Have you made it to the garden areas yet? Those were quite lovely and featured some very strong lighting. I wonder if the hardcore bloom lighting is still in the PSP edition of the game?

Probably not. Not sure if I've passed the Gardens, I don't think so as I don't remember seeing any gardens (hah). I just passed the first "omg no dahaka saw me!!" sequence and now I'm back in the past doing that long sequence to fight the Metal Panties bitch over again.

 

[dark10x]

Oh, I suppose you're not that far yet. The game is suprsingly long, and consider that the PSP version supposedly added a bunch of new areas, you should be busy for a while.

I'll be curious to see if you agree, but I felt that the game became significantly better as you progressed. The first 1/4th of the game was good, but the rest was vastly superior. There are some really kickass areas in there too.

Have you noticed the GOOD music, by the way? A lot of people slammed the soundtrack while ignoring the good tracks. I found that a lot of ambient music used while exploring/platforming was actually really really good.

 

[Rob]

Some questions regarding the PSP..

How is it as an mp3 and video player? I mean compared to, let's say, an ipod video. Is it comparable as far as sound and video quality?

Is it true that the screen scratches very easily? What is the best screen protector for the PSP? I've seen the clear ones that cover the entire PSP. Who makes this and where can I get it?

I've heard all the positive reviews of Luminies, Wipeout Pure, GTA, Burnout, and Ridge Racer. But what about other titles like Darkstalkers, ATV, Metal Gear Acid, etc?

 

[MrAngryFace]

its a great video player, just have to covert your whatever with pspvideo9 or whatever its called, its very painless and it does a great job. I have a couple eps of arrested development on my psp right now

 

[dark10x]

Some questions regarding the PSP..

How is it as an mp3 and video player? I mean compared to, let's say, an ipod video. Is it comparable as far as sound and video quality?

Is it true that the screen scratches very easily? What is the best screen protector for the PSP? I've seen the clear ones that cover the entire PSP. Who makes this and where can I get it?

I've heard all the positive reviews of Luminies, Wipeout Pure, GTA, Burnout, and Ridge Racer. But what about other titles like Darkstalkers, ATV, Metal Gear Acid, etc?

As an MP3 player, it's obviously a bit large...but the actual QUALITY of the playback is actually superior to an iPod. As a video player, however, there isn't even any sort of content. The iPod video makes a shit video player in comparison to the PSP.

The screen does not scratch as easily as you'd think (if you want something that scratches easily...buy an iPod Nano). I do not use screen protection at all with the PSP. Scratches can occur, of course, but I've found that they can only be detected in direct, bright light (which isn't how you'd want to play the thing anyways).

Game wise, as you noted, those are all great games that have received plenty of praise. Metal Gear Acid is fantastic as well (I really enjoyed that one), but it's tough to say on those other two. Never bothered with ATV and I know that Darkstalkers loads slowly from UMD (though playing from a memory stick feels like a cartridge). There are more games to recommend, though! In addition, you've got Hot Shots Golf, Twisted Metal, SOCOM, Tokobot, Virtua Tennis, Kingdom of Paradise (Tenchi no Mon), Prince of Persia, Infected, SSX and plenty of other games on the way. Pursuit Force, Exit, the two Rockman games, Goku Makaimura (G&G), Metal Gear Acid 2, Monster Hunter P, Every Extend Extra, Initial D Street Stage, Valkyrie Profile, Loco Roco, Katamari, and Outrun 2. The future seems to be quite bright, I'd say.

 

[Rob]

As an MP3 player, it's obviously a bit large...but the actual QUALITY of the playback is actually superior to an iPod. As a video player, however, there isn't even any sort of content. The iPod video makes a shit video player in comparison to the PSP.

The screen does not scratch as easily as you'd think (if you want something that scratches easily...buy an iPod Nano). I do not use screen protection at all with the PSP. Scratches can occur, of course, but I've found that they can only be detected in direct, bright light (which isn't how you'd want to play the thing anyways).

Game wise, as you noted, those are all great games that have received plenty of praise. Metal Gear Acid is fantastic as well (I really enjoyed that one), but it's tough to say on those other two. Never bothered with ATV and I know that Darkstalkers loads slowly from UMD (though playing from a memory stick feels like a cartridge). There are more games to recommend, though! In addition, you've got Hot Shots Golf, Twisted Metal, SOCOM, Tokobot, Virtua Tennis, Kingdom of Paradise (Tenchi no Mon), Prince of Persia, Infected, SSX and plenty of other games on the way. Pursuit Force, Exit, the two Rockman games, Goku Makaimura (G&G), Metal Gear Acid 2, Monster Hunter P, Every Extend Extra, Initial D Street Stage, Valkyrie Profile, Loco Roco, Katamari, and Outrun 2. The future seems to be quite bright, I'd say.

Wow, thanks for the info man!

Hey, since you can have mp3 music on your memory sticks. Can you play PSP games with custom soundtracks?? Now THAT would be cool!

 

[dark10x]

Wow, thanks for the info man!

Hey, since you can have mp3 music on your memory sticks. Can you play PSP games with custom soundtracks?? Now THAT would be cool!

That is possible with a select few games, but unfortunately, it's not a full blown dealy. GTA supports custom soundtrack playback, I know that much. There are a number of games where you can actually replace their soundtracks with your own tunes...but that requires you to rip the UMD and play from a memstick (which you won't be able to do unless you have a 1.50 unit). Disappointing for sure.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Wow, thanks for the info man!

Hey, since you can have mp3 music on your memory sticks. Can you play PSP games with custom soundtracks?? Now THAT would be cool!

Just GTA LCA riight now, and you have to convert the MP3s first.

I'm going to have to disagree with dark on the iPod comparison; the iPod sounds better.

 

[dark10x]

You're one of the first people I've heard make the claim that the iPod sounds better. If anything, the difference would be so minor that one would not notice it 99% of the time. However, I swear I recall someone testing various things (like signal to noise ratio) and determining that the PSP produced higher quality output. Really, this doesn't matter. From a functionality standpoint, iPod is the king. PSP's MP3 playback really only comes in handy if you have your PSP with you...and decide to switch over to music or something.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Wow, thanks for the info man

Don't forget to tell him that 4 out of 5 PSP's have at least two stuck pixels and the others have a coupla dead ones.

These defects are not noticible in game though;
they are only noticible after you spend damn near three hundred bucks on a toy comprised entirely of a screen, and then look at it.

 

[MrAngryFace]

My PSP has 0 dead pixels, I treat it like GOD

 

[qirex]

My heart says Wipeout Pure [see username] but my actual playtime says Hot Shots Golf. I don't know what it is about golf games on portable systems, they just work.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Ok, but how many stuck ones?

 

[slidewinder]

Mine (US launch) has zero stuck and zero dead. I've checked with a magnifying glass on different color .jpg backgrounds, even. It's flawless, so they're out there.

Sounds like you've already tried exchanging. Why not call Sony and bitch, making sure they know you want a perfect screen? Like you said, you shouldn't lay down $300 and then get something that bugs you constantly.

Re: the topic, my favorite is still Wipeout Pure. Old by GAF standards, but the DLC has kept it on my radar for a long time, and it's just a really great game to begin with. I'm half tempted to import the Euro version for those crazy tracks.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Sounds like you've already tried exchanging. Why not call Sony and bitch, making sure they know you want a perfect screen?

Why in the world should I trust that Sony will get out the jpegs and magnifying glasses to ensure that my fourthththththth! has no defects?

Also, in each unit I've used so far, more defects have appeared in the days following purchase or exchange than were first visisble. It's a problem with the technology, not specifically Sony's fault.

 

[Guileless]

Launch-release of SOCOM: Lumines was my favorite game.
Release of SOCOM-present: SOCOM is my favorite game. I haven't gotten to the point of playing with a headset in public, though. :lol

 

[oldschoolpinball]

guilty gear

 

[Rob]

How good is Darkstalkers?!? I love this series.

Also, does anyone know if Namco is planning on PSP versions of Ace Combat or Tekken?

What ever happened to the PSP version of Gran Turismo?? I thought that would've been out by now.

 

[Beowvlf]

As an MP3 player, it's obviously a bit large...but the actual QUALITY of the playback is actually superior to an iPod.

Amen to that. ATRAC3Plus >>>>>> MP3. I can fit almost 3-4x as many songs in the same amount of space with ATRAC3Plus and the sound quality is still just as good, if not better. It's gotten to the point where unless I'm snagging MP3's off torrents, I totally avoid that antiquated codec; it sucks, and if iPod owners realized how many more songs they'd be able to fit on their 2, 4, 20 and 40GB drives with ATRAC3Plus, they'd demand Apple support it. 128kb MP3's off of iTunes? No way in hell would I spend my cash on that.

 

[Danj]

I totally avoid that antiquated codec; it sucks, and if iPod owners realized how many more songs they'd be able to fit on their 2, 4, 20 and 40GB drives with ATRAC3Plus, they'd demand Apple support it. 128kb MP3's off of iTunes? No way in hell would I spend my cash on that.

iTunes uses AAC, though, which is better than MP3. Incidentally, with recent firmware releases the PSP supports AAC.