PSP Must-Have Games
Though maybe not currently as well established as the Nintendo DS, the Sony PSP still has a few decent titles to offer for the hand held medium. The best of this range are presented here as the PSP games you must own;
Wipeout Pulse brings the extreme racing franchise to the hand held arena, taking the gaming mechanics of previous incarnations and adding a nice new sheen. This latest Wipeout title brings a multiplayer option to the mayhem, allowing PSP users to co op play and contend with up to seven opponents from around the globe.
As with earlier Wipeout games, the emphasis here is on style. The sleek and gorgeous vehicles transfer well to the PSP, with the tournament mode being peppered with many tracks and hidden vehicles to unlock. Despite being a racing game, Wipeout Pulse has an impressively large number of courses to complete, supplying the player with many hours of gaming fun.
Secret Agent Clank is a spin off of the much loved Ratchett and Clank series, propelling the character of Crank into a world of intrigue and espionage as he attempts to uncover a deep conspiracy involving his erstwhile friend.
Over the course of the game, players take on the role of three
characters: Clank, Ratchet, and Captain Qwark. Clank's levels are the
main attraction, as they allow you to employ stealth and martial arts
to get the job done. Conversely, Ratchett handles the firepower in levels that relie on a more direct...explosive approach!
With the option to play through the game on Challenge mode, players can wring every last drop of gameplay from this title, which is easily one of the most entertaining titles to choose from currently.
Saving the best 'til last of course, we have Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. This is widely accepted as the best game available to PSP users, bringing the phenominally successful Final Fantasy VII world to the PSP for the first time.
For this adventure we join Zack Fair, a recurring character in the FFVII mythos and firm fan favourite. Zack is a slightly cocky yet warm hearted character who guides as through the familiar territories and battles we've come to know and love. All the usual RPG elements remain in this instalment, but combat is handled in a different way. Implementing an action-rpg combat system you can attack, block and evade enemies, and use spells and abilities all by pressing buttons in real time.
The innovative DMW systems added to the combat is also a master stroke. Taking the form of a stylised slot reel, the DMW spins constantly throughout your fights, and aligns periodically to grant mini cut scenes centering on one of Zack's allies or enemies, granting additional attacks or special abilities. It is this addition that prevents the combat from being dull and repetitive, a mistake Square Enix seem to have corrected since Dirge of Cerberus.
Crisis Core will of course appeal to those who are already well versed in the world of FFVII, as we meet familiar characters, environments and creatures. These players will also feel the tinge of poignancy playing through a game in which the tragic outcome is already known to us. Conversely, as this is esentially the earliest chronological installment in the franchise, it is an ideal place for newcomers to enter this much loved world.