I realise I am setting myself up to be debated and whatnot but this is purely based upon my taste in games.
GTAFirstly I've been a Grand Theft Auto fan since the early days. I bought GTA 1 and GTA London just after the latter had been released. I then went on to get GTA 2 and over time I purchased every single grand theft auto game.
But my favourite one is not the highly regarded San Andreas, not the much loved Vice City or GTA IV....
It is Liberty City Stories. I loved Liberty City as a location and LCS tightened up the gameplay of GTA 3, gave us the most likable gta protagonist, a very dark and gritty atmosphere, a compelling narrative and a revolutionary handheld experience.
THE SIMS 2I'm not gonna lie, I have a place in my heart for The Sims. I've purchased pretty much every expansion for the first game along with some console iterations. But the gameplay eventually began to get stale....until the PSP version came along. It kept the core sims mechanics but added a storyline, an intriguing world of mystery, some funny moments, some good dialogue and great exploration. This is the best sims game in my eyes.
CRISIS CORE (FINAL FANTASY VII) I haven't actually played all the Final Fantasy games, far from it in fact so my opinion is perhaps void here. But this is the best Final Fantasy game I've played and among the best rpgs out there. One thing I loved about it is the combat. No more turn based, now you have full control within the enemy battles. Then you have an absolutely brilliant storyline with twists at every corner and perhaps the most tragic, powerful ending of any game. Furthermore the soundtrack was perfect.
TONY HAWK'S UNDERGROUND 2 REMIXTH Underground 2 was one of my favourite playstation 2/gamecube games. I never even bothered with the career that much. I'd just go on free skate and immerse myself into the well-designed environments (and admittedly back then I used to make up narratives in my head as I played.. lol). But then when the psp version came out it was the exact same game...but with more maps.
And now that it was handheld I could bring it everywhere, which I did. And I completed it multiple times. Loved it to death.
LITTLEBIGPLANETMy opinion here is a bit shallow as I do not own a ps3, but basically LBP on ps3 to me didn't quite work. Although it is such an incredible game, I am not one for sidescrollers on home consoles. It just never felt right to me. I could be playing anything yet I'd be running from left to right.... not feeling much satisfaction.
On a handheld it is a whole different story, and I cannot say why, but I always feel more inclined to play "simpler" games on handhelds. And LBP PSP was a brilliant way to do that. My favourite handheld platformer!
MGS PEACE WALKERSame as with final fantasy, I am not really well-versed in the franchise, though I can say for sure that this is one of the best handheld games I have ever played. I am saddened that I am yet to complete it, because my analog stick finally broke (well its acting up and games are unplayable). But the gameplay was varied, when not in missions you are expanding the base and building your army and constructing a metal gear. The game also has stunning visuals for a PSP game. It was just a well-rounded package and really I had massive enjoyment with it.
MONSTER HUNTER FREEDOM UNITEThere are so many games where I can just pick easy mode and fight bosses like nothing. Monster Hunter is not one of these games. It challenges you like non other. It takes so much practise, so much progression before you reap the benefits, but when it happens, boy is it satisfying. The game can literally last hundreds of hours. Numerous critics can vouch for this. The game is massive and though you'll be backtracking a bit, the game keeps giving and giving.
KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEPConsidered by many to be the best Kingdom Hearts game ever. I wouldn't know as I'm not really that big on the KH series but I did thoroughly enjoy this game. The story was compelling, the areas were all from great film choices and so large and explorable, the graphics were stunning and it was just overall excellent! So although I am not well versed in the KH universe, read the reviews... most critics agree that it is the best in the series.
I could go on and on but I realize that perhaps no one here is even going to bother reading anything here XD
But basically to summarise..
YS 7This is another somewhat silly choice on my part since I hadn't played the earlier games, but YS7 introduced me to the compelling universe. THe world was beautiful and a joy to explore. The combt was addictive, the characters awesome. Although I still need to play the other games I doubt they can match the beauty of the locations in this game.
KENKA BANCHOThose who know me best know that I am a Bully fanatic. I love the whole concept of being a mischievous (or downright psychotic) schoolkid.
The gaming industry has a severe lack of these kinds of games, but luckily the Japanese made us this wonderful game Kenka Bancho in which you customize your character who is on a schooltrip and takes out all these different gangs. It's great fun and quite varied. It's no Bully but it's as good as you can get on a handheld.
ROCK BAND UNPLUGGEDI hate guitar hero. I hate rock band. Why people don't put down those pathetic plastic guitars and actually learn a real instruments is beyond me. Either way, being a massive psp fan I wanted to give every game a try. That included Rock Band Unplugged...and oh boy was I glad I did. I have actually completed the game numerous times to this day. Why do I like it? Because I don't feel like I am replacing my real guitar or feel like a musically ignorant tool. I am just playing a rhythm game, and that's it. The song selection was actually pretty good, though could have done with some more metal. I'm not complaining though.
PILOT ACADEMYI'm not big on flight sims. They are either too combat focused to the point of tedium, or you start in the air and can't land or take off (yes I'm looking at you ACE COMBAT) or they're just too damn technical and aimed at people who fly planes in real life (that's right Flight Simulator).
Pilot Academy was a nice breath of fresh air. It's got its flawed.. the contact detection is VERY off but however it's fun enough and has enough mission variation and fun multiplayer, so it's my favourite flight-based game.
SYPHON FILTERThis is another one of those series I neglected until I got a PSP. I must say though... WOW. From what I've heard these games are at least as good as the old ones... so no biggie. Will say that the two (and dlc) games on psp are wicked! The multiplayer is addictive as hell and the visuals are so stunning for a handheld. Plus the weapon choice and map customizations truly extend replay value. Great stuff.
TL;DR
A lot of my favourite psp titles are my favourites of the entire franchise.
Subject: Why PSP is still one of the best consoles I've ever played 
Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:21 pm
