Part two of this look at the PSP’s best focuses on Sequels and Spinoffs. This was the toughest category to whittle down to just 8 games. The others were no picnic, because I love me some PSP in a serious way, but this list in particular made my heart ache. Here are the PSP’s 8 best games that are sequels to, or spinoffs of established franchises.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
The scope, storytelling, and presentation of this one stands as a great example of handheld games being just as good as their console counterparts. Many wished for it to be available on the big screen when it was new; they got their wish when it was included in the God of War Origins, and later, the God of War Saga.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Even though FFVII fans knew this game’s ending before its beginning, they felt its impact long after the credits were done rolling. Crisis Core stands as a good example of a prequel done right.
Bomberman
Yeah, you know what? I’m putting Bomberman down. There’s a Bomberman game on practically every system, because the games are dang good, yet we rarely see them make best-of lists. I can say, however, as a huge Bomberman fan, that the PSP version is one of the Bomber’s best. Allowing furious 4-man multiplayer with only a single disc, it’s easily accessible and a ton of fun. The PSP might be well passed its prime and the Vita might now be over a year old, but Bomberman is one PSP game we keep going back to. Bomberman earns his spot here. (Not to be confused with Bomberman Land, also on PSP. This is for the PSP game simply called Bomberman.)
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
This was probably the most obvious shoe-in — the game everyone expected to appear on this list, if they were to predict just one title they’d see. It wasn’t Snake’s first adventure on PSP, but it was the most fleshed out and most memorable. Great atmosphere and story, awesome audiovisual quality, and the gameplay delivers in both single player and multiplayer. If you’re a Metal Gear fan that hasn’t played Peace Walker…then I question your status as a Metal Gear “fan” to begin with.
Ratchet and Clank Size Matters
With a twist on armor modification and introduction of Giant Clank, Size Matters gave the Ratchet and Clank series a noteworthy handheld debut. It kept the signature moves and gameplay style to deliver the Ratchet and Clank experience series fans came to expect. And isn’t that the most important part of any transition to a new system?
ModNation Racers
ModNation took the high customization concept of the well-liked PS3 racer and brought it into our hands. Since the PSP version actually includes online play, many still consider it superior to the more recent Vita version.
Final Fantasy Type-0
Type-0 is, at this time, exclusive to Japan, and international audiences are missing out on a good one here. It had its flaws, but overall, this was a stunning game. Gonna let the review do the talking here.
Medal of Honor Heroes
Honestly, Medal of Honor Heroes lacked top-tier visuals, had controls that required some getting used to, and there were glitches, but what it brought to PSP was legitimately fun FPS multiplayer. Similar to ModNation Racers, this PSP game has an advantage over some Vita games in the same genre, in that it allowed for 16-vs-16 multiplayer on wide battlefields. The best thing the Vita has managed so far is 4-on-4 in relatively small arenas.
Thanks for reading the feature. Shout about your own favorite PSP games in the comments below.
Part one is here in case you missed it. Part three will be all about ports and remakes…which means a lot of RPGs!
