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Post by Ex on Aug 2, 2018 11:14:54 GMT -5
The Sony PlayStation Portable debuted in 2004 in the Japanese market, and 2005 in the rest of the world.
What did you think of the PSP when you first saw it, and what do you think about it now? Have you ever owned one, or still own one? What are some of your favorite PSP games and why? Got any memorable moments or experiences to share about this platform? Are there still unplayed PSP games you'd like to try? Care to recommend any hidden gems or imports for the PSP? I'll be back later with my own answers to these questions.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 2, 2018 11:43:05 GMT -5
A deserving thread if there ever was one.
I ended up buying a PSP-2000 years ago. If my fuzzy memories serve, I had planned on hacking the system with Lumines. However, I'm pretty sure I didn't realize I was actually buying that Slim model, so Lumines didn't actually work for said hack. Whoops! Well, I did the next best thing and ordered a Pandora battery. From there, I started ripping most of my PSX library, which is pretty substantial. Being able to play PSX games on the go was really impressive. The screen also impressed at the time, feeling like staring into the sun. Yeah, modern LCDs shame it, but at the time it was a revelation.
I did a lot of NES gaming on there as well, Genesis ran smoothly, and I even did some SNES. SNES, though, tended to be less than optimal, capping off at 30 FPS in most cases. Playable, but more akin to playing on my old Pentium back in the day.
Oh, right, real PSP games! I'd probably go with a couple of titles as my favorites: Ys Seven was a blast from start to finish, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles may be the best value on the system, Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time pulls off the RPG/RTS hybrid with aplomb, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was a compelling game when you weren't struggling with the controls.
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Post by chibby on Aug 2, 2018 15:57:00 GMT -5
I don't think I've posted on any of the handheld threads here, and that's because I generally don't game on the go. I've played the odd game on my smart phone here and there, but I've only entered the world of intelligent devices about a year ago so even then it's pretty rare. I'm not sure I can pin point exactly why it is. I know, for example, I get carsick pretty easily. I also feel like if I'm out and about I need to be more alert to my surroundings and can't really focus on a gaming experience (which means I lose some of the immersion that I'm looking for). I think I'm also sort of self conscious about being the adult who brings his gameboy to things. So ultimately I do most of my gaming at home, and when I'm at home, there doesn't seem like much reason not to play something full screen. I think that's part of why I haven't finished an emulated version of Earthbound yet. When I'm out, I don't feel like I'm getting the most out of the experience, when I'm in, I'm playing MGS or what have you. For this reason, I've never owned, or really even played with a PsP. I suppose I could have posted in the DS thread about playing New Super Mario Bros (I also played Pokemon HeartGold, but that's currently still too new), but I didn't want to be the "Hey Do You Guys Remember Mario?" Guy. Again, that is.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 2, 2018 16:12:03 GMT -5
Handhelds are excellent for playing in bed. That's what I do mostly with mine before hitting the sack.
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 2, 2018 16:36:01 GMT -5
I bought one for... I don't remember. But I've played and beaten Final Fantasy II, IV Complete Edition, and the Gradius Collection. I find the d-pad to be insanely bad. I also have Valkyrie Profile but couldn't get into it on the dinky screen at the time. Been boxed up ever since.
Me and handhelds in a nutshell (but I like my 3DS lately).
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Post by Sarge on Aug 2, 2018 16:41:27 GMT -5
Which model do you have? The PSP-2000 has a pretty good d-pad. The original, not so much.
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 2, 2018 17:24:07 GMT -5
1001, heh. Think I hacked it too... then did nothing further with it.
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Post by toei on Aug 2, 2018 18:26:38 GMT -5
I hate to repeat myself, but Growlanser IV (Wayfarers of Time) is really that good. It's the main reason I don't regret buying a PSP. If the PS2 version had actually come out in English I wouldn't care half as much about the system.
I'm the only person in the world who liked Astonishia Story. It's a port of mid-90s Korean PC RPG that was something of a hit there, and it feels like a crude, slightly broken SNES RPG with an half-assed translation and a weird sense of humor. It's a tradtional RPG, but the battle system is like a mini-SRPG (think LiveALive). The reviews were savage, but I was glad I bought it. Crimson Gem Saga was hyped as this massively improved sequel, but it was hot generic garbage.
I've played quite a bit of shovelware on that system. I had more money at the time, and bought games like it was nothing. Ever heard of Adventures to Go? It's exactly as lame as it sounds.
Half-Minute Hero and ClaDun were both pretty hyped at the time. Both are nice, though I prefer the first. For those not familiar, the idea is to condense a bunch of RPGs into a 30-second time frame (though you can reset that clock, so some might last a few minutes). Battles have you run through enemies like Ys but in side-view, you level up all the time, and there's even little towns and dungeons. Really clever little game, though I never got around to the fan-translated sequel. ClaDun was just a quirky real-time dungeon-crawler / roguelike.
I know I played a bunch more, but a lot of it was just ports or forgettable stuff like Brave Story. Jeanne D'Arc did nothing special, but it was a solid SRPG. I'm sure I'll think of more.
I liked the system itself, though. I thought it was a slick portable with a nice, big screen. The D-Pad was bad, though.
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Post by Ex on Aug 2, 2018 18:34:38 GMT -5
I plan to do a lengthy post here tomorrow, but for now I want to touch on something Chibby said. chibbyI know that portables are inherently meant to be "portable", as in played on the go, out and about. However, I've hardly ever used any of my portables in that fashion. And I've been into portable gaming since my first Game Boy in 1989. Even when I was a kid back then, I didn't take my Game Boy out of the house. I don't fancy having expensive gaming equipment getting stolen or lost, or damaged due to unforeseen real life occurrences. So why would you want to play portables if you're not using them portably? Well firstly; exclusives. Every major handheld has its own exclusives, and often very good exclusives at that. In tandem portable gaming exclusives are usually designed to be played in short sessions (even RPGs allow quick saving at the very least). So that's good for when you're in the house, but only have say twenty minutes to play a game (let's say you're waiting on your wife to get home). With a console game, twenty minutes is hardly worth booting the system and TV up for. But a portable allows you to quickly jump in the game, make some progress, save, and be done. Lastly, I really enjoy curling up in an out of the way recliner, or in my bed, or (in proper weather) sitting on a porch swing, and enjoying a portable game. Portables don't require you to be shackled to the couch, I love that freedom. Doubly so if someone else wants to use the main TV; you still get to do some gaming. All that said; yes I very rarely take a handheld out of the house. I have a beat up ol' DS Lite I use specifically for that purpose (and only play it in hotel rooms at night while on business trips). Otherwise I use my smartphone for legit-portable gaming, because yeah as a 39 year old adult male, I can play games on that smartphone and not look like a total man-child. At least until all the baby boomers and gen-x'rs die, at which point we can all play our portables out in the open, and no one will judge us the worse for it. Except I'll be dead by then I guess? Oh well. Not too distant generations will have that luxury. If portable gaming is even still a thing by then.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 2, 2018 19:40:15 GMT -5
I have busted out the 3DS on a plane, but feel really odd doing so. I'm sure I was being judged. (I also did so back when I went to England ten years ago, except it was a PSP, and I didn't even care, given how long that flight was and the fact that the in-flight entertainment went down 30 minutes in.)
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