Top 60 All-Time PSP Games That You Must Play

The early 2000s were a revolutionary period for handheld gaming, with everyone from Sony to Nokia giving it a try. Remember the N-Gage? Yeah, most people don’t- it was far too complex, expensive, and impractical.

But Sony successfully created a decent competitor to Nintendo’s DS with their PSP. If the Vita is a portable PS3, the PSP is a portable PS2. It is the first and only console thus far to use Sony’s proprietary UMD disk storage format for games.

The PSP was equipped with a couple of 333MHz MIPS32 R4000 CPU cores and a 166MHz GPU. It featured 32MB of RAM in the first version, which was upgraded to 64MB for the PSP-2000 model. For the GPU and media engine processor, 4MB of RAM was reserved.

With the PSP, Sony managed to create a console that could play ports of PS2 games rather than specially designed handheld games. It was built well, powerful for its time, and had decent battery life. The display resolution of 480 x 272 is more than sufficient for its size.

The controls feel great, especially the buttons. Sony implemented a single analog stick, which is extremely short in length yet smooth to operate. The PSP also features WLAN connectivity for accessing the internet and connecting to the PS store (you can also download movies).

This little handheld console’s game library contains a wide variety of titles spanning all genres. Today, I shall take a look at the top 60 all-time PSP games that you must play. So without further ado, let’s get started.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Easily the best Metal Gear game for any handheld console, ever. It was designed specifically for the PS Vita and features the same stealth-based gameplay as mainline Metal Gear titles. You also get a much more down-to-earth plot without any of the wacky global conspiracy/ cybernetically enhanced supervillain stuff.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

God of War Collection for Vita is great if you want to experience PS2 GoW games on the move. However, Ghost of Sparta was built specifically for PSP and told the story of a vengeful Kratos looking to unearth his past. Kratos meets his mother, Callisto, in Atlantis, who tells him to look for his brother Deimos in the underworld.

The gameplay is very similar to the PS2/ PS3 God of War titles with combo-based hack ‘n slash and weapon switching. The story and cinematic cutscenes are on par with that of console God of War games, and you get some excellent set pieces for boss battles. 

Daxter

Remember Jak and Dexter from the PS2 era? These were story-driven action platformers with a smattering of side activities such as racing, swimming, etc. Daxter is a spin-off that focuses on Jak’s sidekick, who works as a bug exterminator.

Daxter’s primary weapon is his electric bug zapper which can land some nasty combos on enemies. Eventually, you also get a bug spray tank that stuns enemies and leaves them vulnerable to attacks. 

Lumines

A falling-block puzzler with a slight twist. You arrange blocks that come in 2 different colors. A vertical scanline passes through the entire screen periodically, removing 2×2 blocks of similar color.

If the blocks hit your screen’s ceiling, you lose. There are different stages, each with unique music tracks. This game has a melodic nature to it since you can generate different sound profiles by lining up blocks. 

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

Regular Final Fantasy games focus on casual turn-based party combat with lots of magical spells and stylish combo attacks. This game is an entirely different story. It’s still turn-based but with an emphasis on strategy and battlefield tactics.

War of the Lions is a remake of the original FF Tactics which was released on PS1 in 1997. There are references to other FF games set in the land of Ivalice while preserving the same tile-based combat as the original. 

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable

While Persona 3 was released for the Japanese market in July of 2006, its North American release was delayed significantly due to localization issues. Eventually, the PS2 version was released in America. And it was praised as one of the best JRPGs ever, at least by those who like high-school drama and turn-based combat.

Gamers can also experience it in a portable form factor (with some upgrades bolted on). The PSP version of Persona 3 adds an option to play as a female protagonist along with new story content and music tracks. 

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

If you thought the regular Final Fantasy VII had a gut-wrenching story, wait till you play Crisis Core. It features a different protagonist- Zack Fair, who’s a SOLDIER working for Shinra. This game serves as a prequel to FF VII and shows how Sephiroth gradually developed into the terrifying villain that he is in the main game.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Like previous Monster Freedom games, you gather equipment and defeat monsters to progress the questline. Unite is an expansion to Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and adds new content in the form of missions, gear, enemies, etc. You also get a new Felyne companion who will help you on your journey. 

Power Stone Collection

Power Stone is one of the coolest games from the Dreamcast era. Power Stone Collection contains the original as well as its sequel,  which lets up to 4 players fight at the same time. In the PSP version, you get 14 characters within the first game since it also contains the new ones from Power Stone 2.

This game is one of the earliest 3D arena fighters, with some beat ’em-up action mixed in. You have environmental props lying around, such as tables and chairs (similar to WWE). These objects can be used as weapons to hit your opponents.

Another cool feature is the occasional “power stone” drop in a fighting arena. If you collect 3 of these within a fight, your character “evolves” into a more powerful version with special bonus attacks. 

Tekken 6

Over the years, many fighting games have come and gone, some better than others. However, no other fighting game series has retained the popularity and fanfare of Tekken (except for maybe Mortal Kombat). Tekken 6 is a rare case since it’s a PS3 game that was ported to PSP.

Despite this fact, the game doesn’t suffer from frame drops (and it’s visually similar to the console version). Tekken 6 has Rage mode, which activates when your fighter gets low on health, increasing their attack. In addition to the main story, there’s also a beat ‘em up side quest that features Lars Alexandersson. 

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Well, Square Enix and Disney joined forces to deliver yet another excellent action adventure with a captivating plot and familiar characters. Birth By Sleep is the 6^th Kingdom Hearts game and a prequel to the first game (its events occur ten years before the first Kingdom Hearts). Subsequently, the battle system in this game has also been tweaked.

New in this game is the Command Deck customization that lets you fill up a gauge with basic attacks. When this gauge is full, you enter Surge mode. This boosts your combo counter and executes different attacks depending on the type of Command Style that you’ve selected. 

Secret Agent Clank

Some long-time fans say that this is a low point in the Ratchet & Clank series. However, I feel it’s quite entertaining for what it is- a casual spy thriller featuring everyone’s favorite sidekick. Clank is all dressed up in a tuxedo and equipped with the latest gadgetry as he participates in over 15 different missions worldwide.

The goal is to capture an artifact known as the Eye of Infinity, which Ratchet has been falsely accused of stealing. So you’re also trying to clean up for your friend while looking for this stone. This is also the first Ratchet & Clank game to reward you for playing stealthily. 

Burnout Legends

I feel Burnout is one of those arcade racers that everybody can enjoy, at least for a brief period of time. Burnout fans will love the tight handling and blazing-fast speeds of cars in this game, combined with an excellent boost system that rewards you for executing stunts and playing recklessly. Going fast isn’t enough, and you’re actually encouraged to take down enemy cars by smashing into them or running them into oncoming traffic.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

One of the few games to be first released as a PSP exclusive before being ported to PS2. Still, the PS2 port is actually inferior because you can’t create your own music by ripping soundtracks. Liberty City is a parody of New York City, and this game is a prequel to GTA III (it’s also the first handheld GTA game with 3D graphics). 

Patapon 3

Imagine an army of sentient eyeballs that look like stick figures who worship you as their deity and listen to commands created through drum beats. Sounds weird, but that’s the premise of Patapon. You can consider this game to be a mix of rhythm and strategy since the Patapons can wield weapons that are used to fight against enemy tribes.

Valkyria Chronicles 2

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is one of the best strategy-focused JRPGs, similar to FF Tactics. However, the gameplay of Valkyria is very different from that of FF Tactics since it combines real-time action with turn-based decision-making. You enter combat via an overhead map which is shown in turns.

On the map, you can see all your units- this is called Command Mode. Zooming in will enter you into Battle Mode, which lets you control individual units in real-time. The amount of movement you can do is limited by the action point gauge that varies depending on your character.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

There’s an excellent action-platformer set in the Castlevania universe called Rondo of Blood which was released exclusively in Japan for the TurboGrafx-16 CD. The Dracula X Chronicles is a 2.5D remake of this very game for the PSP. And the only way for international gamers to get their hands on Rondo of Blood.

You play Richter Belmont, who’s on a quest to rescue his lover. Dracula has kidnapped her, and you’re going to storm through his castle. The Dracula X Chronicles port adds some new content.

Such as extra barrier types and redesigned puzzles to save Iris/ Annette. You also have a new boss for Stage 5. If you don’t save Annette, her vampire form will attack you in Stage 7. 

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Like Liberty City Stories, this game was initially released on PSP and later ported to PS2. Vice City is heavily inspired by 80s crime drama, primarily Miami Vice. The game acts as a companion package for the console version of Vice City, telling a prequel story.

You play Victor Vance, who’s determined to build his own mafia group by peddling drugs and taking out rival gangs. A “business management” system has been included, in which you grab rival territory and expand your own empire.  

Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow

Possibly the most realistic and best-looking shooter game for PSP. Logan’s Shadow features decent stealth mechanics and a 3^rd-person camera. It also sports the Havok physics engine so enemies react similarly to a real person after getting shot.

Objects fly around if you hit or shoot them. Taking cover and examining your surroundings by leaning is an integral part of staying hidden. 

LocoRoco 2

This is a platformer unlike anything else on the PSP (or modern consoles, for that matter). You control a colorful blob of jelly that rolls on the ground while avoiding obstacles and navigating uneven terrain. The LocoRoco can also split itself into smaller parts that squeeze through tight spaces.

These fragments can later join up with the main blob. If you want, you can eat berries along the way to become even larger in size. LocoRoco 2’s gameplay is very similar to that of the first game, with the addition of swimming and some new story characters. 

Gran Turismo

No, this isn’t a remake of the first Gran Turismo game for PS1. Instead, it’s a PSP-exclusive reboot created in 2009 (by Polyphony Digital, developers of the mainline Gran Turismo games). The game had a pretty rough development cycle, releasing nearly five years after its original showcase at E3 2004.

However, the wait was well worth it if you were a gamer back in 2009. Because Gran Turismo offers a ginormous collection of challenges, race tracks, and licensed cars, if you complete certain driving goals, you can even unlock a custom soundtrack mode that lets you play your own music files. 

Jeanne d’Arc

Clearly inspired by the real-life legend of Jeanne d’Arc, but with a heavy dose of anime melodrama. As a young girl, Jeanne lost her family and village to invading English troops. While she’s mourning their death, a voice from the heavens blesses her with a magical armlet.

She swears to free her lands from the English troops using her newfound powers. However, unknown to Jeanne, the English leadership has made a pact with ancient demons who wish to invade Earth.

Sid Meier’s Pirates!

Believe it or not, this game is a remake of the original which was released in 1987. The 2004 remake features similar gameplay but with a revamped 3D graphics engine. Some control and UI tweaks had to be made for the PSP port.

The swashbuckling sword combat system has been streamlined to make it more intuitive. Plus, a ballroom dancing minigame has been tossed in to keep your crummy pirate heart entertained.  

Crush

Released for both Nintendo 3DS and Sony PSP, Crush is a type of game you don’t see these days anymore. Both in terms of gameplay and storytelling, it’s quite unique. Weirdly, the 3DS and PSP versions have completely different narratives (as well as main characters).

For the PSP version, you’re playing a chronic insomniac called Danny who is haunted by past memories. His increasing stress levels force him into a mental asylum where he is given experimental medicine that tampers with his psyche. Danny starts hallucinating, and the only way for him to return to reality is by collecting all his figurative “marbles” within a platformer-style world.

Metal Gear Acid

A Metal Gear game with collectible cards, now that’s something you’ll probably never see again. It combines tactical roleplaying with decks of cards to create a unique experience that is casual and fun yet thrilling at the same time. You use cards to make your player character move around the game world.

Cards also control attacks and the type of character you use. All cards have a cost that determines how long you’ll have to wait before your next turn.

N+

A sequel to “N” which was released by Metanet as freeware back in 2005. N+ plays very similarly to its predecessor, which was inspired by retro platformers. You control a black ninja jumping off walls and running across gaps to collect gold.

You’re constantly on a timer that is linked to your health. Health or metabolism is gained by capturing gold. Meanwhile, you will also be attacked by enemy droids and mines. 

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters

Ratchet & Clank are enjoying a nice vacation on Pokitaru- a tropical planet that houses the famous Jokai Resort. Enjoying the clear blue ocean and sunny skies, our heroes can finally take a break from their hectic schedule of saving the universe. That is until they get reports about a missing girl.

On their journey to find her, the dynamic duo comes across a race of tiny grey aliens called Technomites. Vehicle and ship combat is the centerpiece of this Ratchet & Clank game. 

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror

A sequel to Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, this game is a callback to the original trilogy- both in terms of gameplay and storytelling. Instead of open-ended levels, you now have linear paths that create a more focused experienced. You can take cover by leaning against walls and peeking around corners, plus there are new weapon types previously unseen in old Syphon Filter titles. 

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

Plenty of turn-based RPG fans will love this game, especially due to its emphasis on positioning and movement. It’s a sequel to Ogre Battle which itself is a political drama game inspired by real-life conflicts in Europe and Asia. The chess-style gameplay of Tactics Ogre is based on Solstice, a 1990 puzzler featuring wizards and fortresses. 

Resistance: Retribution

One of the best multiplayer shooter games for PSP, with up to 8-person deathmatches and capture the flag. The story of Retribution is set between the events of the first and second game.

This game has a modified cover system that automatically latches you onto a wall or box if you stand near it. The health bar is non-regenerating, which is quite atypical for a modern military shooter (especially one designed for handheld consoles). 

Killzone: Liberation

The original Killzone is still an excellent FPS to this day, featuring a post-apocalyptic future in which humanity has expanded into space colonies. Liberation is the sequel to the first game and uses an isometric top-down view (graphics is still rendered in 3D). As a result of this perspective change, the game feels a lot less action-heavy since you aren’t in the middle of it all.

However, the strategic boost gained by viewing more of the battlefield is very helpful in planning your tactics ahead of time. You control Jan Templar, who can run and gun or board various vehicles (tanks, jets, etc.). 

Mega Man Powered Up

This is a remake of the first Mega Man for NES, which was originally released in 1987. The plot has been carried over, but the graphics are significantly improved. You’ll also notice that Mega Man Powered Up features a more cartoonish art style.

Some OG fans like this art style, while others hate it. The gameplay remains the same as the original, with the addition of features like charge shot and slide. Powered Up also introduced a level editor function alongside cutscenes and voice acting.

Split/Second

Imagine a reality TV show with fast cars and daring stuntmen who put their lives on the line to boost viewership. Split/Second is a game in which you’re one such stuntman, driving against other racers on the tracks of a reality TV show. You get action points by doing stunts and complex driving maneuvers.

Drifting, overtaking, jumping, etc., will fill up your action gauge. This gauge can then be activated to destroy parts of the track or introduce obstacles onto the course. The enemy AI can also use this feature. 

Ape Escape: On The Loose

Sony introduced its first DualShock controller to the public market in the late 1990s, before the PS2 was released. Ape Escape was the first PS1 game to require a DualShock controller. On The Loose is a remake of this game for the PSP, with a modified control scheme that’s designed to use just one analog stick.

Your player character is a kid who chases apes around a wide open-ended play area, using all sorts of gadgets such as stun clubs and nets. Occasionally, you’ll also come across sections that require the use of a vehicle.

Wipeout Pulse

The sequel to Pure, which I’ve reviewed just below. Pulse is set in 2207, and your player character is a champion racer competing in the FX400 league, which is a racing event with anti-gravity cars that zoom around the neon-lit track at Mach speed.

Each car is owned by a racing team, with eight teams in total. Your car will have different handling and speed values depending on which team you choose to race for. You can customize the visual theme of your ride, but you can’t swap parts or use a different model of anti-gravity racer. 

Wipeout Pure

In this game, you take on the FX300 anti-gravity championship league. Just like Pulse, you can select between 8 different racing teams- each with its own livery and unique perks. Racing ships have energy shields, boosters, and laser rifles.

You can also fire rockets and plasma grenades at your enemies during a race. Along the track, you’ll find pickup items that restore your shield health.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

If you’ve ever played Bejeweled, you’ll immediately recognize the board of this game. It’s organized in a similar format since this is also a tile-matching puzzle game. Challenge of the Warlords combines role-playing with puzzles, all packaged into a generic high fantasy story.

While the plot or characters aren’t all that special, the art style and presentation stand out. You select a profession at the start, which decides your character’s stats. There are quests to complete, treasures to find, and enemies to fight- all standard fantasy RPG stuff. 

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Unlike Liberty City or Vice City, this game isn’t a 3D shooter. Instead, it’s a top-down adventure game similar to the first 2 GTAs. You can rotate the camera and interact with pretty much every person/ vehicle in the city.

One thing that really stands out compared to newer GTA titles is the police system. Instead of escaping, you can simply destroy any cop cars that are pursuing you to reduce the star level. You also have a drug peddling minigame that lets you supply narcotics to delinquents and gangs in your city.

God of War: Chains of Olympus

Persephone- the queen of the Underworld, is conspiring with Morpheus (the god of dreams) to destroy Olympus. While the sun god Helios is nowhere to be found, everyone is in a state of deep slumber and being controlled by Morpheus.

Athena has requested Kratos to find Helios and stop the plans of these conspirators. The gameplay is similar to PS2 GoW games with hack ‘n slash combo-based fighting( and boss fights with QTEs).

Ridge Racer

This isn’t a remake of the first Ridge Racer but an entirely new game constructed by taking parts of previous Ridge Racer titles. And you also get a port of Namco’s New Rally X arcade racer included within this game. The gameplay of Ridge Racer is still centered around drifting, with cautious use of nitrous oxide (NOS) boosts to overtake your opponents.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection

It’s a standalone update to Tekken 5 with the same story, fighters, and gameplay. There are a few extra tidbits in the form of 3 new characters and more ranks in Arcade Battle. Moves for certain fighters have been rebalanced to create a more equitable fighting experience.

Animations for certain moves have been replaced with newer, better ones. And the speed of attacks for certain characters has been altered. Dark Resurrection also takes some battle stages from Tekken 5 and alters their textures, music, lighting, etc., to create a “remixed” version. 

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is a PSP port of the PS2 game Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. In terms of plot, characters, gameplay, etc., the two are virtually similar. But Afternoon of Darkness adds some extra content in the form of quests, dialogue, etc., for Etna.

Combat is done on a square grid, divided into individual tiles. You control a variety of units, each with its own unique attributes and skills. Some units can grab others and throw them forward to reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. 

Velocity

It’s the distant future, and humanity has colonized other star systems. Unfortunately, one of these stars has died and transformed into a black hole that sucked up all the neighboring facilities and ships. Only your Quarp Jet can participate in the rescue mission due to its teleportation system.

However, a race of aliens is also in the vicinity, and they are quite hostile. You must destroy their bases by flinging bombs and shooting down defensive structures. 

Half-Minute Hero

The best way to describe this game is a medley of different ideas and genres that function somewhat synchronously with each other. It’s an action RPG and shooter with tons of hybrid gameplay mechanics. Understanding the basics of these can take days.

In fact, the story itself plays out via six different game modes. And since each game mode is linked to one large narrative arc, you can’t switch between modes unless you progress in a linear order.

Every Extend Extra

In 2004, Kenta Matsuhisa developed a freeware puzzle game called “Every Extend” for Windows PCs. Eventually, Q Entertainment got interested in his work and hired him to work on a remake for the PSP. This became Every Extend Extra, which is designed around an interesting premise- you control a ship whose only function is exploding.

But then, what do you do with such a tool? Well, each stage has an array of enemies who spawn in different locations. If you position your ship properly before detonation, it will catch some enemies in the radius.

Then, every enemy caught in this blast will also explode, causing a chain reaction. Depending on the number of chain detonations you set off, you earn points that are further boosted via combos.

Ys Seven

The ancient kingdom of Altago is a beautiful place with a dark past. It was once terrorized by five powerful dragons, who were put to sleep by brave warriors. In the present day, two curious adventurers get themselves into trouble and are captured by Altago guards.

They are later released on order of the King and employed on a mission to investigate weird tremors coming from underneath the land. It turns out that the five ancient dragons are waking up and might emerge to the surface once again. It’s clear that you have to stop them, somehow. 

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

It looks like an NES adventure game, but don’t be fooled by the ancient graphics- Trails in the Sky is an awesome experience. From the captivating story to the grand scale of it all, this game is a must-play for JRPG fans. Combat is turn-based and uses grids.

The quirk of Trails in the Sky is that you can stack additional commands on top of your attack/ movement during each turn. Some of them can be executed in the same turn, while other commands require a new turn. 

Persona 2: Innocent Sin

In a relatively peaceful city, there’s a series of unnatural events that have popped up recently. A person known as the Joker is creating dark spells that turn rumors into reality. A group of students from the local Seven Sisters High School uses their Personas (spirit forms that can fight) to track and defeat this menace.

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe

A simple tower defense game that is perfect for some quality game time with your family or friends. PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe is easy to learn and has a very cute art style. Your goal is simple- prevent monsters from traveling across a path and reaching your base.

Because your base is home to some tiny critters who these monsters will destroy, you can plant different types of defensive towers that vary in range, damage, attack type, etc. Gold dropped by monsters can be used to build new towers and research upgrades. 

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

Dissidia is a fighting game with RPG mechanics, created as a spin-off Final Fantasy title. The central plotline revolves around Chaos vs. Order, a fight between two cosmic beings on opposite ends of the morality spectrum. Dissidia 012 is a prequel + remake of the original Dissidia, with some new fighting mechanics and characters.

WWE All Stars

If you’re wondering why every WWE superstar in this game looks twice as big as their normal self, it’s because All-Stars uses an exaggerated art style. Wrestlers are purposefully depicted in a comic-book fashion with enlarged proportions and over-the-top moves. Imagine if these wrestlers were actual superhumans.

John Cena leaps several feet into the air for each AA. At the same time, Triple H slams opponents into the mat so hard that the resulting explosion creates shockwaves. That’s WWE All-Stars in a nutshell.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory

A spinoff game that’s derived from Call of Duty 3. Roads to Victory contains high-quality cutscenes and decent FPS gameplay with graphics that stand up to AAA games of its time (2007). You can play as the Americans, British, or Canadians.

There are multiple theaters of war picked from WWII, with missions inspired by real-life military operations that took place during the war. The game also supports ad hoc LAN multiplayer with up to 6 players in various game modes such as Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, etc. 

FIFA 09

Since EA just terminated its partnership with FIFA, now is a good time to revisit one of the best FIFA games ever made. FIFA 09 is more responsive and accurate in simulating real football matches when compared to its predecessors. The goalkeeper now has more options in terms of positioning and saves.

The weather system has been tweaked, so you can now play rain and snow matches with Kick-off mode. Collisions have been refined and now calculate everything from player weight to the angle of impact and speed. 

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

Aliens have invaded the Earth and killed many of the Avengers, including Captain American and Hulk. The Thing and Wolverine are fighting battles in their respective cities, trying to stop the aliens from harming any civilians.

It turns out that these aliens can infect superheroes and turn them against each other. And that, my friends, is the setup for one of the best fighting games on PSP, featuring a lot of A-tier characters from the Marvel comics.

The 3^rd Birthday

A monster horror-themed 3^rd person shooter featuring Aya Brea- the heroine of previous Parasite Eve games. She is equipped with guns, grenades, and knives. Plus, Aya has the power to teleport back in time.

Missions are interspersed with visits to the Counter Twisted HQ, where you can review Aya’s performance, buy upgrades, and view informational documents. A team of NPCs assists you during fights. You can give them rudimentary commands on when to attack and take cover. 

Riviera: The Promised Land

A fantasy RPG in which you control Ein, the Grim Angel. He combats demons and other Grim Angels, who are being controlled by an evil group known as the Accursed. You don’t fight alone since you’re assisted by four heroines who each have their own powers and backstories.

There are dating sim mechanics in the game, so you can romance the heroines. And depending on your choices, achieve a multitude of endings with either one of them.

The Sims 2

Well, it’s the Sims, so I don’t have to do much explaining here. You do everything that a normal person would do in their life. Work a job, have a family, raise kids, buy houses, etc.

It’s all pretty simple stuff but can be quite fun depending on how you approach each playthrough. There is no rigid storyline, but people will interact with you differently depending on how you treat them. You’ll also get varying outcomes in your personal life and career, depending on the choices you make. 

Up

This is a game created by Heavy Iron Studios in collaboration with Pixar and is a companion game for the movie “Up”. Carl Fredricksen is an elderly widower looking for some adventure. He teams up with Russell- a hot air balloon operator who flies the duo to South America.

Seems like a pretty normal trip, except they brought an entire house with them. You are now stuck in some random Venezuelan jungle and must navigate a path out of it.  

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

A fun adventure featuring over 22 famous characters from the Marvel comic book universe. You can play the story by picking your own team of four superheroes.

Bonuses will be awarded if you create an existing group like the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, etc. Endings can vary depending on which characters you selected for your team and the number of missions you completed. 

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

It’s a Lego recreation of the first 3 Star Wars movies- A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. You engage in lightsaber duels, gun battles, and fighter plane combat, depending on which character you pick.

There are over 50 characters from the movies that you can choose from, and it’s possible to effortlessly switch between each one. You relive key moments from the first three movies and can play in co-op mode with a 2^nd player. 

Conclusion

Sure, the PSP was more expensive than Nintendo’s DS. And it has worse battery life. However, the DS can’t do half the things the PSP can.

For starters, the PSP can play movies. Sure, you need Sony’s proprietary UMD disks and have to purchase these separately, even if you already own a copy of the movie on DVD. But it’s an option, nevertheless.

Plus, the PSP can play more graphically intensive games thanks to its faster hardware. And the display sports a higher resolution with better colors. You also get an analog stick, along with audio and video output (for the PSP-3000 model).