Should I buy a PSP?
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 - 2:23am
Hey everyone, just looking for some advice. I just played a buddy at work's PSP (God of War) specifically, and it was awesome. I'm just wondering what else is out there for must have PSP games and if I should just suck it up and buy a new one or wait until I can find a used one on craigslist on the cheap. Also if someone could give a quick rundown on some of the homebrew stuff and what that has to offer and if that is worth the price of admission alone.
In reverse order asked...
PSP Hacking Guide
And if you like emulators, it's definitely worth the price of admission alone.
Only you can make that call. CraigsList is heavily dependent on your local area.
Where to begin...
Patapon
WipeOut Pulse
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee (don't be the latest goof to reply "I don't like golf!")
Jeanne d'Arc
echochrome
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Lumines
Field Commander (if you want Advance Wars minus the awful character jabber)
Puzzle Quest
LocoRoco
Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics if you missed the original versions of either (or want to play them again on the go)
Daxter and Ratchet and Clank if you like either of those serieses
There's a ton more games that maybe aren't "must play" in and of themselves, but make excellent portable time killers.
Gaming / PC Tech Blog: Blast Processing - www.blastprocessing.net
Xbox Live: Legion SB | PSN: Legion_SB
"Damn, your comedic timing is awesome." -- Spaz, *Legion* Fan #1437
Legion's list is quite good, but I would also recommend:
Wild Arms XF
Brave Story: New Traveler
PoPoLoCrois
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure
beats
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles
"I'm absolutely retarded. Not 100% sure why." - atom
"Dhelor + intarwebs = Great ideas." - wordsmythe
"Do I what I do: hate everyone." - Quintin_Stone
Do you often find yourself with a need/want to have videogames at hand when you are away from home? Is it infeasible for you to bring your home console or PC with you on these occasions?
If yes to both, a portable videogame system may be for you.
Crap, that sounded like an infomercial.
"I'm absolutely retarded. Not 100% sure why." - atom
"Dhelor + intarwebs = Great ideas." - wordsmythe
"Do I what I do: hate everyone." - Quintin_Stone
With the PSP, unlike just about every other portable, I find myself playing it when I'm at home too. It languished in a drawer for a long time, but them I started to notice how many decent games there were. I would add God of War and Final Fantasy: Crisis Core to those already listed.
*Legion*'s excellent guide makes installing custom firmware a breeze, and that opens up a whole world of fun!
Requires 2 non-replaceable LR41 button cell batteries for the monkey (included)
Tekken, Killzone, Sega Rally, Metal Gear Solid Acid (Acid 2)
Really, I find I'm playing the PSP far more than the DS these days. If I had to choose one portable, it would be PSP.
http://dustygamer.mcmuumio.net | Xbox Live Gamertag MC Muumio
My favorite games on the PSP so far (I've owned it for about 5 months) would be God of War, Crush and Field Commander. If I didn't already have it for the DS, I would probably add Puzzle Quest to my list.
If you want a portable system, the PSP is a good choice. So is the DS. For home use, I'd rather play the non-exclusive titles on the PC or a console.
PSP has been one of my favorite gaming purchases in years, aside from the standard requisite console upgrades. I've been exceedingly happy with mine (and I don't even have it hacked!).
The best software I've played includes.
Lumines II
Jeanne De Arc
Metal Gear Acid 2
Crisis Core: FF VII
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Mercury Meltdown
Wipeout Pulse
Killzone: Liberation
Exit
Crush
Puzzle Quest
Daxter
God of War: CoO
GTA: Vice City Stories
X-Men Legends II: RotO
A lot of these games are sequels to previous PSP games (Lumines, Wipeout, Mercury, etc.). I've found that for the most parts, the newer interactions of these titles on PSP cleaned up many issues of the first and expanded features and presentations. Whenever you can, go for the newer title.
I would recommend the Burnout games, just for the impressive graphics on a handheld.
Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto
PSP is awesome.
Xbox Live: CrankyBaby
baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
I have become a huge PSP supporter over the last few months so my answer would be a resounding YES. Everyone's "must have" list is always going to vary a bit, plus the game genres you're into, but here are my suggestions:
Must Haves:
Patapon
Crush
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Jeanne d'Arc
D&D Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics
Mercury Meltdown
Midway Arcade Classics
Willams and Bally's Pinball Collections
Monster Hunter Freedom 2
Metal Gear Solid Acid 2
Wild Arms XF
Disgaea
Would buy if I didn't already own then on another platform:
Puzzle Quest
Exit
Lumines
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Field Commander (I have both Advance Wars DS titles but still might buy this)
TOP Games I've rented that just aren't MY cup of tea:
Crisis Core: FF VII
Killzone: Liberation
LocoRoco
Daxter
Ratchet and Clank
Burnout
Games I haven't played but that are receiving a lot of buzz from others:
echochrome
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles
X-Men Legends II
MLB 08: The Show
God of War: Chains of Olympus
GTA titles
There are also a handful of CCG titles for this system as well if you're into that sort of thing.
That's just the games, not all of the other many features that this handheld offers. I look at them as icing on the cake of the game stack but many others value those features just as much as they do the games themselves. Your miliage may vary but the the PSP offers plenty of options for everyone.
XBox Live: fyedaddy
I really, really didn't need to see this thread. The idea of a PSP that loads the games off of memory sticks instead of UMD is really compelling.
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 is absolutely a must-have, especially if you've got XLink Kai working (so you can play it online). I'm always looking for someone to hunt with.
On the other hand, I wouldn't get a PSP just for that game even though it's fantastic. Monster Hunter 3 will be on the Wii so if you wait a while you'll get a larger game with better graphics, and to be honest the game style really isn't suited to portable play. It can take quite a while to bring down some of the tougher monsters.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
BF2142 Stats
I believe the real question is not "should you buy a PSP" but "should you buy a PSP and send it to me?"
And the answer to that my friend is a resounding "yes"
I hate you soo much Phil Collins!
something about the frank, unprovoked admission of assault with a deadly weapon tickles my funny bone
This thread makes the 2004/2005 me weep tears of joy.
xbox LIVE: NatsuMatto
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
If you are into sports, specifically baseball, Sony's MLB: The Show is fantastic. (just ask Swampy!). I came close to getting this for that game, but a PS 2 made it a cheaper way to go.
Well, I think in the end you've been proven right. The PSP is fun, has a strong lineup, and continues to gain interesting games while the DS is awash in a sea of 3rd party games like Petz and Imagine Babyz. Not trying to start a battle. I think the DS is fun and has its merits, but the PSP is definitely the little system that could and is quickly sprinting past the DS in terms of quality games for the system.
DSGamer GWJ Live | Facebook
Oh, btw, you can get cables (or maybe they come with it) to hook it up to the big screen. Still same resolution tho'.
Don't know if this is the case everywhere, but I got 3rd party cables at Target for $5 last week. Couldn't pass it up, even if I'll probably never use them beyond my initial test.
XBL: NSMike | Steam | PSN: NSMike | Wii Friend Code: 7763 1519 2475 2278 | GWJ Google Calendar
Yes.
XBL / Art / Blog / Portraits?
I only use my PSP when I travel and then rarely use it to play games. Instead, it is a fantastic portable movie player. Load a few movies up on my 4GB memory stick and I have endless entertainment while I waste time at the airport.
I do have a DS already and I have so many games for that damn thing.....I'm just finding the same thing with the DS that I was with the Wii before I sold it......There just arent any actual hardcore games. I love FF tactics and Disgea.....they are probably my favorite JRPG's of all time. I just need this portable system for work.....I work an afternoon shift and there are many a day when the machines break down and I'm left sitting around with nothing to do but listen to my mp3 player but that only lasts so long. I could go home at those times but then I'm missing out on hours and that sucks because the paycheck suffers. I bring my DS and I have found a few good games to play at work like Ninja Gaiden DS, Contra 4, and Pazer Tactics......but I have finished all of those already. You guys are making this sound really good.....I might have to just go out and buy one next payday thanks for the help. Oh one other question is have they improved the battery life of this thing? I remember hearing that the max you could play games was around 3-4 hrs....
If you get paid to sit and play games at work and you might be tempted to go home it sounds like the PSP is going to pay for itself.
Btw, what kind of job? This sounds like fab work. My little bro works at Intel and that's his deal. They need him there 10 hours a day, but he can often leave for hours at a time.
DSGamer GWJ Live | Facebook
You're probably right.....just not sure if I want to blow $200 on one....and craigslist people are insane wanting more for the system used than it is right now in the store brand new...
I'd head to the No PSP Left Unhacked thread and get your name on the list right away.
There's still a number of people it has to get through before getting to you, so you'll have time to actually get the PSP in the meantime. 
Gaming / PC Tech Blog: Blast Processing - www.blastprocessing.net
Xbox Live: Legion SB | PSN: Legion_SB
"Damn, your comedic timing is awesome." -- Spaz, *Legion* Fan #1437
Battery life depends on a lot of things. Whether you use headphones, if you turn the brightness down, if you run games off the UMD, etc. The PSP slim IS much more battery efficient, but it also uses a smaller battery... so essentially you end up with the same 4-5 hours or so. If you buy the "extended battery pack," however, you can get something like 11-15 hours out of it.
Battery life has always been one of the things detractors threw up against the PSP... my thought on that has always been that unless you're on a transatlantic flight to Australia or something, 4-5 hours of juice is more than enough. I am used to charging my laptop and phone pretty much every day, so this is no different.
xbox LIVE: NatsuMatto
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
Off-the-wall question: Can you charge the PSP through the USB port instead of using the power adapter?
XBL: NSMike | Steam | PSN: NSMike | Wii Friend Code: 7763 1519 2475 2278 | GWJ Google Calendar
you can with the slims. no luck for fatty, though.
unless you buy a USB->PSP power plug cord (like this one):
xbox LIVE: NatsuMatto
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
Only works with the slim, doesn't it? I'd be happy to be wrong! Like me, my PSP is chunkier than necessary.
Requires 2 non-replaceable LR41 button cell batteries for the monkey (included)