The Sony PSP has been home to a lot more great games in the past year than its console siblings, and this month is no exception. Here’s our guide, not to an admin job search, but to the best of the best this month:
Yggdra Union – Atlus
An Atlus RPG classic already on the DS, this game receives a complete makeover for its PSP release. Available September 16.
Yup! That’s the only one we’re recommending. Remember, our job is to help you spend wisely, not prolifically.
Rachet and Clank has been a popular franchise throughout the life of the PlayStation 2, and even now extending into the PlayStation 3 era; but Secret Agent Clank is a solo outing on Sony’s handheld platform for the platform hero, and it’s an entertaining, if mildly predictable outing.
In the game, Clank’s pal Rachet has been framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and the driving force of the plot is for Clank to overcome the enemies and obstacles in the way of clearing his friend’s good name and overcoming the enemy who did it all.
From action to stealth to puzzle-solving, Secret Agent Clank offers a variety of levels and gameplay styles for folks to enjoy as the action plays out. It’s an enticing recipe. Unfortunately, the game is held back by shoddy design.
In what way? Well, my wife, who poured in more time than I did, found the auto-save scheme to be very frustrating; the game operates on a series of checkpoints as you play through, and although there is a pause-menu option that allows you to play anywhere, even if you save between checkpoints, the save will only put you back to the last checkpoint you passed.
Then why even have a “save anywhere” option, if it’s not going to work that way? Stupid.
Also, the graphics were pretty much boilerplate stuff with an uninspired color scheme that stays the same a bit too much and tends to blend together, making the levels seem too much the same and lacking in any real variety.
In the end, Secret Agent Clank has some enjoyable gameplay variety, but its overall appeal is held back by its flaws. Only play this one if you’re a Rachet and Clank fanatic.
Sometimes writing about cartoon sports videogames can be about as fun as taknig a strong dose of herbal acne treatment; it’s not enjoyable and convinces no one. You either like cartoonish sports titles or you’re over the age of six.
The one exception is the Hot Shots Golf franchise, which seems to have found just the right mix of serious golf sim and cartoon antics to remain interesting to older gamers who love real sports, not “kiddie stuff.”
I recently reviewed Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds for PS3 and really enjoyed the game; it’s a keeper. Now, after over two years of playing Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee on PSP to death and back again, the sequel is out: Open Tee 2 has a good mix of old familiar coarses updated since their last appearance, as well as plenty of new courses.
Look for a full review soon.
Sony continues to treat US gamers to limited-edition PSPs, a first for the company so reluctant to do so in the US in the PSone and PS2 era. The latest is a metallic blue PSP bundle that will come with Madden NFL 09 for PSP, a couple other items and a 1 GB memory stick duo, all for only $199.
While the crowd that hangs around the weight room waiting to work on their ellipticals may or may not be big videogame fans, nearly everyone plays Madden NFL, and the metallic blue PSP is another eye-catcher.
My only hesitation is that Madden NFL has never played close to console-like on the PSP, so while it’s a nice idea, excuse me if I hold on to my silver PSP Slim a while longer. Besides, a PSP Slim is a PSP slim; if you lack one, this is a great one to get, but it’s not worth dumping your existing PSP Slim over, since the only difference is the limited edition case color.
Sony recently announced their main titles set to release across the PS2, PSP and PS3 channels in the second half of the year, and I must admit that while there are some predictable headline grabbers, like the sequel to Resistance and Killzone, as well as the predictable NBA titles, I have to suggest that the most intriguing titles to me are none of those.
Instead, one of the two Sony first-party titles I’m most looking forward to is Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 for the PSP. A game that belongs in nearly everyone’s golf bags, the first title is still a favorite that I pick up regularly for a couple hours at a stretch, and yet I’m more than ready for a second dose.
But the most overlooked game could end up being Siren 2: Blood Curse. Although the original PS2 title had its gameplay mechanic problems, it delivered solid chills and the sequel, to be sold exclusively via the PlayStation Network store, promised to be just as blood-curdling. Count me interested!
Like so many of the games that have rounded out the world of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core is a prequel to the classic PSone RPG. Much like the cell phone game that captivated Japan, Crisis Core is a game that tells the story before the story we all know and love to replay every five years or so.
Unlike many of the other Final Fantasy VII-inspired spinoffs, though, this one does not focus on the main cast of FFVII, but on Zack, a new main protagonist. Through the telling of his story, we are filled in on the backstories of Sephiroth and Aerith, as well as being introduced to Genesis and Angeal. Of course, other faces familiar to FFVII fans make appearances, as well, the most important of which is, of course, Cloud Strife.
But Crisis Core is not solely his tale, and the game is the better for it. Allowing us to see the world of Final Fantasy VII from a new perspective opens up entirely new storylines and viewpoints on the characters we do know from previous games.
I was skeptical when I first heard the game was going to boast an action-based battle system, rather than a turn-based one. I’ve long been frustrated with most FFVII follow-ups exactly because they don’t stick closely enough to the formula that made the original game a hit; in this case, however, the new system is more appealing than I anticipated.
Of course, it being an action-based RPG makes the game a natural for my wife, who prefers action-based systems to turn-based ones; that she enjoyed the game didn’t surprise me. What has surprised me is that I’ve enjoyed the game, as well. The shoulder button helps you switch between the types of action you’re taking when you hit “X,” which works quickly and smoothly enough to maintain some sense of turn-based control while delivering the battles in a much more active, real-time presentation.
It helps that the art style is similar to the Final Fantasy VII movie, Advent Children; Zack is drawn as a sleek action hero, missing only the vintage sunglasses to complete the look. The world he inhabits looks better than even the cinemas of the original FFVII. While the main quest takes only 20-30 hours to complete, there are loads of side-missions available that can easily boost playing time up, over and well past 50 hours, which should satisfy most fans. And the visuals come across quite well on the PSP system, though that is no surprise on a SquareEnix game.
While the game is all merely setup for Final Fantasy VII, in the end you’ll still find yourself emotionally satisfied by the tale that you’ve lived through with some beloved characters. Still, the game is not without its weak points.
While fun and appreciated for filling the game’s playing time out, the side-missions are quite spurious and nonessential to the story, making them more of a pesky diversion that one might have hoped for. And the leveling-up system, with it’s one-armed-bandit style of interface, makes character progression seem all too random to be truly satisfying.
Additionally, the game camera is awkward, often positioning itself behind a monster you’re fighting while your character is in front of it, making it quite difficult to move strategically around, dodge attacks or just simply see what’s going on. In fact, if pressed, I’d have to say that the game camera is, without exception, the worst aspect of Crisis Core. Fortunately, these weaknesses are all mostly minor and do not markedly detract from enjoying the game as a whole.
In the end, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is not the dream-sequel most of us have wished for since the credits rolled on FFVII over 10 years ago; it is, however, the first truly satisfying spinoff from that game, and stands heads and shoulders above the many inferior games that have leaked out onto the market bearing the name of this legendary RPG as a subtitle.
Crisis Core probable won’t make most people stop wishing for a true sequel to Final Fantasy VII that retains the classic turn-based battle system and follows up on the post-FFVII events in the lives of the surviving heroes from that game. But in the meantime, Crisis Core is at least the first follow-up title from that original game that is, without a doubt, worth playing… and perhaps even replaying, every five years or so. Time will tell.
It’s ironic … and shocking. It wasn’t that long ago that Sony’s in-house sports development team, previously known as 989 Sports and now just referred to generically as SCEA, was an industry laughing stock. But as the PS2 era wound to a close and the PS3 era dawned, Sony reinvested in reinvigorating their sports game lineup, and the results have been increasingly improved reviews, although none of their games have yet eclipsed the industry big boys, 2K Sports and EA Sports. Until now.
MLB 08 The Show has finally broken through; although it has turned out to be an off-year for 2K Sports “third-party exclusive license” MLB competitor, MLB 08 The Show nevertheless deserves recognition for finally pulling off the unthinkable and besting one of the two main third party sports developers. This year’s Sony baseball sim is just simply better than 2K Sports’ MLB 2K8. How? Let me count the ways as we open the books on MLB 08: The Show.
First is the new, deeper Road to the Show mode, which boasts new advancements, career goals, and position specific situations to play through. No longer restricted to a single season of play, the game allows you to track your players’ career from the rookie leagues on up to the majors, gaining experience and new skills along the way; the mode is basically a baseball RPG, which is a good thing that lends both depth and replay value to the game. To be honest, this is what won me over. I’ve seen similar features in Sony’s basketball franchise, but it is here where the concept has finally come together to create a solid experience in single-player mode, one that is not limited or limiting.
The new progressive batting system is also a welcome innovation; the game rewards players for consistent hitting, but penalizes them for failure, which helps keep the stats realistic and reflects the ups and downs all hitters go through as a 182-game season plays out. There is also a lot more stat-tracking this year, right down to a batter’s history against specific pitchers, which should satisfy the stat fanatics out there.
One feature I treasure, as a busy person, is the ability to save your game right in the middle of a ballgame; many sports games do not include this feature, which means either pausing the game and possibly getting caught up in something that causes you to forget the system is on with the game paused, or perhaps quitting and having the play the game over; neither option is particularly appealing and by allowing the user to save their progress in the middle of the game, MLB 08 The Show gets heartfelt gratitude for their consideration of an adult gamer’s schedule. While such a feature will rarely be needed on the pause-friendly PSP, it is a boon to PS2 and PS3 gamers.
Other convenience features include the ability to create a folder called My MLB Music on either the PSP or PS3 versions of the game, and import your favorite MP3s into that folder so they can be played in the game. This is worlds of fun for folks who want to game and hear their own favorite music playing at the same time. The feature, however, is not available for PS2 owners.
The game’s graphics are nothing too world-changing, but they are decent enough to get by with on the PSP and PS3; on the PS2, however, the graphics are starting to look dated. At least MLB 08 The Show on PS3 comes with out-of-the-box compatibility with the upcoming DualShock 3 controllers. Of course, since Sony made both the game and the new controllers, that one was a given.
The fielding controls are the game’s biggest flaw; the controls are as wonky and un-crisp as ever, and certainly make it worth turning on fielding assistance or auto-fielding whenever possible, though that’s not an option, really, in Road to the Show mode. The pitching controls are improved and the batting mildly improved, though, so at least the results on controls vary from position to position. And anyway, I’ve never liked the fielding controls in any baseball game I’ve ever played, so maybe that’s a wash.
In the end, no matter whether you’re playing on PlayStation 2, PSP or PlayStation 3, MLB 08 The Show is good enough that folks who own Xbox 360s and Nintendo Wiis may just start wishing Sony would make their franchise available to platforms other than their own, especially with this season’s surprising drop-off in quality on 2K Sports’ MLB 2K8.
Although most folks will rejoice when I say that the Wild Arms RPG franchise has finally arrived on PSP, hold on to your yippee-ki-yays for a moment, cowboy. The US Old West-themed fantasy series may now have a title on Sony’s handheld platform, but this PSP title is significantly different from the popular series that has done moderately well on PSone and PS2.
That’s because Wild Arms XF, developed as always by Media.Vision and published by XSeed is not your standard turn-based RPG, but has more in common with Final Fantasy Tactics than any previous Wild Arms installment. Given an all-new storyline and cast, Wild Arms XF is a full-on tactics-style RPG with all the benefits and drawbacks thereof.
One benefit is that the title introduces a job system into the Wild Arms universe for the first time; this allows for greater customization and skill acquisition than previous titles, but the trade-off is that the game has no world for you to wander around in and explore; it boasts only two modes – story sequences and battles.
Like FFT, Wild Arms XF doesn’t take it easy on newcomers; you must learn the game system fast or be crushed by superior opponents, some of whom are designed to be avoided at all costs, so pay attention to your actual mission objectives before entering into each new battle.
Of course, none of this is a problem for me; I love tactics RPGs and that makes this chapter of the Wild Arms saga a welcome change of pace. My wife, however, was not so kindly disposed toward the title, complaining that it was too hard too soon in the game, arguing that a game should offer a few more battles before ramping up the challenge level so quickly. (My wife prefers action-based RPGs.)
The story is one typical of the world of Filgaia. The game centers around a brother and sister, Clarissa and Filius, who start out exploring the world outside their home town, but who are eventually caught up into the political struggled of the day. There are hints dropped early on that Clarissa is either an exiled princess who doesn’t remember her past, or is a dead ringer for the dethroned debutante. Things just kind of snowball from there.
Wild Arms XF isn’t a title that breaks tons of new ground or revolutionizes the genre, but it is a game that’s entertaining, challenging, and possesses few flaws that will bug veterans of the tactics RPG genre. It also fits right into the universe established by previous games, and delivers a Filgaia-based game that you can take with you on the go. The only drawbacks are the steep learning curve for genre newcomers, and the fact that the jobs and skills system are a bit thinner than those found in Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lion. Then again, that’s setting the bar pretty high.
Wild Arms XF is one of the sharper-looking entries in this series, benefitting perhaps from the smaller screen the PSP offers. In the end, it all adds up to a niche RPG that will appeal to most fans of the series and fans of tactics RPGs, but likely won’t draw a lot of non-fans into the fold. Definitely a solid entry, though, and a good addition to any PSP-owning RPG lovers library. XSeed is doing all it can to support the title, too; I’m hoping they’ll offer up some logo pens as part of that effort!
When I heard the God of War franchise was moving from PS2 to the PSP for the Chains of Olympus chapter, I was skeptical at first. Sure, the PSP needs a solid action-adventure title as much as any other platform, but one of the main appeals of God of War as a series has been its larger than life sense of scale. How could the title maintain that appeal on the PSP’s rather smaller screen?
Well, I needn’t have worried. The game still looks sharp on the handheld platform and offers plenty of oversized opponents appropriate to the lineage of the series. Even my wife was impressed with the look of the game on the small screen; it was loaded with detail that only a few other PSP titles have come close to achieving and that makes the game a really fine showcase for the PSP platform.
Not a simple port, God of War: Chains of Olympus is an all-new adventure that serves as a prequel to the first God of War title released on PS2. Developed by SCEA-Santa Monica and Ready At Dawn Studios, the game allows up to five difficulty levels, although the last two have to be unlocked. The game casts you as Kratos in a situation where the gods have been rendered powerless, leaving Kratos with only one choice: he must square off against the most vicious of demonic creatures from Greek mythology. Gamers get to choose between saving his soul or the ancient world from imminent and total destruction, which affects the way the game ends.
The only main complaint with GoW:COO is the typical one; it’s relatively short length. My wife beat the game in under 10 hours and from what I’ve heard and read, some people might be able to even trim that down to under eight hours. While the action is fresh and fast, the load times sometimes get a bit cumbersome and slow down the pace just a bit. The battle system is relatively easy to master and immediately familiar to any fan of the series; and it’s been adapted well enough that you don’t often feel the loss of extra control options.
Despite the minor gripes, though, the game is everything you expect from a God of War title, with all the M-rated content, huge monsters and epic storyline most gamers can handle, and packed with enough action and drama that most folks will be left wanting more. While the extra difficulty levels are appreciated, it’s hard to get much more than one replay out of the game, as there are only two options in the storyline path that can be taken. It might have been more replayable if there was a slightly different storyline for each difficulty level, though that’s probably hoping for too much.
In the end, GoW:COO delivers the goods with surprising effectiveness on the PSP. With some of the best graphics available on any game currently released for the platform, as well as just under 10 hours of playing time, God of War: Chains of Olympus is one title most PSP owners will end up being embarrassed not to own – so go buy it already and avoid the blushing humiliation.
Anyone who has a bulk cable package that includes the Cartoon Network, and knows what the words Adult Swim really mean, will be familiar with Harvey Birdman, the TV series. An Alex Toth/Space Ghost-inspired character, Birdman is a former superhero turned attorney, and through this character Capcom supplies the PS2 and Sony’s PSP with their answer to the popular Phoenix Wright games hosted on the Nintendo DS.
Like the Phoenix Wright games, you play an attorney, gathering evidence, interviewing folks and then trying to present a winning case when the trial commences. Capcom should know their stuff, too, since they make both Phoenix Wright and Harvey Birdman. You’ll find similar pacing, a similar process of getting so many times to choose the wrong argument before you lose your case, and the same story of general game flow.
That said, the two games bear little resemblance to one another in actual execution. On the one hand, while the Phoenix Wright games are extremely retro in their look, the cases you are given to solve are long, involved and challenging, but fully entertaining. By contrast, Harvey Birdman looks great on PS2 and on PSP, with smooth animation that makes it look like you’re watching an episode of the TV show, but the cases are far simpler, less complex and shorter, although still fairly entertaining.
Of course, while Phoenix Wright is a solid mix of drama and light comedy, Birdman is pure comedy with a satiristic bent. Most of the five cases included in the game may seem vaguely familiar, usually because so many elements are send-ups of certain elements of current pop culture. The humor is largely pun-oriented, with a hint of naughtiness thrown in, just like the Adult Swim toon.
Although it’s nice to have an attorney sim on a Sony platform – especially to help ease the wait between new Phoenix Wright titles – Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law is nowhere near as satisfying as one might hope. With shorter, less challenging cases, it’s a good thing this isn’t a full-priced title, or one could come away from the experience feeling perhaps a bit cheated. As it stands, Harvey Birdman performs relatively the same on both PSP and PS2, but seems a better fit to the PSP library, personally. It’s a tidy snack until the next Phoenix Wright game comes out, but don’t expect it to be a full meal.
Fans of the niche-genre of tactics-style RPGs usually have a short list of favorites. Typically, at the top of this list is either Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre, depending on which game they discovered first. Both games were developed by Quest, just before Square bought them out and absorbed their development team into their own. Quest is the developer that gave the modern Tactics-style RPG its defining characteristics and identity.
Second or third on the list for most fans of this subgenre is Atlus/NIS America’s Disgaea, one of the companies’ early PS2 offerings. Those who felt Final Fantasy Tactics offered mad depth were blown away by the depth and complexity of Disgaea; some have even compared it’s battle system strategies to algebraic formulas, although I believe that’s taking the hype a bit far, and tends to scare off newcomers to the title.
Now, there’s a chance to reintroduce a whole new generation to the delights of Disgaea while still pleasing fans of the original with Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness for PSP. Not only is the entire original game intact for the port-down to PSP, but a complete alternate-reality adventure becomes available after you complete the game, lasting nearly as long as the 100-hour-plus original title.
In the original game, you play through as Demon Prince Laharl, who is awakened from a long nap several years after his father has died and left the throne of the kingdom of the Netherworld vacant. He is accompanied by the scheming Etna and, ultimately, the angelic assassin, Flonne, in his quest to retake his father’s throne.
The alternate reality mode allows you to experience the game if “what if,” mode, a fully developed alternate storyline in which, instead of waking Laharl up, Etna kills Laharl in his sleep and makes her own bid for the throne, redecorating the castle with all-new executive office furniture. (OK, not really.) In addition to adding value to the already long and addictive game for newcomers, this new story mode is what will make veterans of the PS2 classic willing to replay the game again on PSP. It’s definitely worth the journey.
One of the appeals of Disgaea is its incredible depth. There are many ways to progress through the game, many items to buy, many jobs to take on. There is the Dark Assembly, which can be used for everything from rising in rank to petitioning for more powerful items and additional funds. There is the item world, where you can do battle to win upgrades to your items, which level up. And there are the main mission battles, which are plentiful and can often be fought and refought multiple times to level up your party. In fact, the game is so deep, it may be necessary to have the second story mode just to explore it all completely.
The battle system will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s played other Tactics-style RPGs, and has plenty of depth to it as well, since characters gain new abilities as they progress in level. And since the game is filled with great anime-style art, fun voice-acting and an undeniable sense of energy, there’s simply every reason for both Disgaea veterans and newcomers to pick this title up; the second Disgaea title was released on PS2 back in 2006, and word on the street has it that a third Disgaea title is already in development for PlayStation 3, although it is said that the series will retain its throwback visuals even on the new, more powerful platform.
No matter what it is a person enjoys about Tactics-style RPGs, there’s plenty to love in Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness for the PSP. Heck, there’s even a multiplayer mode to further extend the replay appeal, available via Ad-Hoc mode via WiFi. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness definitely extends Sony’s recent run of quality titles for PSP, ever since the PSP Slim relaunch.
Sometimes I wonder if the Tales series of RPGs from Namco-Bandai was intended as a bedtime tale or a sleep aid; all I know for sure is, they’re exciting enough to put me to sleep fairly swiftly every time I play them.
Maybe it’s because the titles are such paint-by-numbers affairs, a charge which certainly applies to the company’s latest PSP RPG offering, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. Although not as bad as some early PSP RPGs, Tales of the World simply doesn’t inspire a sense of wonder or exploration. Perhaps that’s because there aren’t that many places to explore, and those that are offered must be explored over and over and over again to complete the little mini-missions that push one through the tale and that allow you to advance, ever-so-slowly, in level.
While the level design tends to keep one cautious in the early going, as one can run into monsters capable of wiping you out, the experience is uneven at best, and long after you know a particular area like the back of your hand, you still have to make too many return visits to clear out missions and move on in the storyline.
Sporting an action-based battle system similar to those found in most other Tales titles, there’s simply not much new to be found in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology that hasn’t been done over and over again in other versions. More than many series far older than it, the Tales series is in need of a deep and abiding reinvention, a complete makeover than turns the series on its ear and makes the games fun and refreshing and new again.
That sort of remix simply is not in evidence in Tales of the World, however. It is a perfunctory, “more of the same old stuff” outing that makes one wonder of anyone’s even at the wheel of the franchise anymore. While once a refreshing change-of-pace series, Tales RPGs are now run-of-the-mill and sleep inducing, and it’s a sad thing to bear witness to.
It’s also a terrible time for a title like this to appear in the PSP platform, as well. With sharp, exciting titles, including RPGs, making their way to PSP in the latter half of 2007, from Jeanne d’Arc to Dungeons and Dragons Tactics to Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, the PSP is quite possibly this fall’s hot platform for RPG action. An asleep-at-the-wheel title like Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology will simply get passed over without a second thought, just like a book on mortgage life insurance sitting on the shelve next to the latest James Patterson thriller.