Questions about PSP and PS2

[Kolzig]

Couldn't find a proper existing thread for my use, so I decided to make my own conversation.

My question is for the Sony console user Thumbs as I know there are such gamers around here.

I've been recently thinking if I were to buy a used PSP. Which version should I go after? 2000, 3000 or Go? What are the differences and advantages of these various versions? I guess the first generation is the worst and should not be even considered? Is PSP region locked? Does one of these connect to PSN and then be able to get some downloadable games from there?

What are the best games for PSP? What I remember of the interesting ones, those were Patapon, LocoRoco, LocoRoco 2, Lumines, Lumines 2 and Every Extend Extra and MGS: Peace Walker at least.

Also same goes for PS2, which are the best games for that? I can only say that I couldn't give a crap about games like God of War or Final Fantasy.

For PS2 I remember such things as Katamari Damacy (not released in Europe), Ico, Shadow of the Colossus plus maybe MGS3.

Please open my mind to the greatest games of these two platforms. I was checking some myself and as you can see from the games I have listed so far, the list seems to be pretty short.

Edited April 12, 2011 by Kolzig

[Lu]

I think you'd be best of going with the PSP-3000. I think the jump from 1000 to 2000 to 3000 were iterative. So better display, slightly smaller form factor, some other stuff. Go looks nice, but only supports digital downloads, as you probably already know. Not all games are released digitally.

I can't really comment on the games for PSP since I've played so few, but for PS2, I'd recommend Persona 3 or 4. I found 4 to be more accesable, personally. Normally not a fan of jRPG's, but those I found pretty cool.

Okami! It's really good! It's also really long, so be prepared for that.

The Jak and Daxter series. I remember enjoying those, though I also remember someone recently complaining about the camera in the first.

There should be loooots more, but I can't think of it at the moment. Though the ones you mentioned, I'd recommend as well.

[Kolzig]

Okami I left out, because I have it for the Wii already. That is a solid great game though.

[Tanukitsune]

YES! PERSONA! I vote for Persona too! It's one of the best JRPG series out there!

Persona 3 and 4 are on PS2, 1 and a special edition of 3 is on PSP and the Persona 2 remake is coming out on PSP soon!

PS2:

-Gregory Horror Show, a bizarre and cartoony survival horror

-Any game from Vanillaware, they make the most gorgeous games ever!

PSP:

It's mostly arcade or retro compilation heaven, it's also where a good place to place some JRPGs...

EA Replay is the only PSP exclusive compilation and it has console versions of games like Ultima: The Black Gate, Sydicate, Desert Strike, Budokan and Wing Commander.

JRPG-wise Lunar Silver Story is a classic that's short but sweet.

Kenka Bancho is like Yakuza with teen gangs instead of mafia gangs... it has insult fighting?

What genres do you like?

You can get tons of game from PSN, some are PSN exclusive since a physical release would be too expensive.

I have a few import games and I can guarantee it's region free, you can even access the Japanese or America PSN store and buy games there if you buy a PSN card from that region (you can buy they digitally easily).

[juv3nal]

If you're into quirky Japanese stuff, Steambot Chronicles for the PS2 is worth a look. It's a cartoony open world mech-game with rhythm/music, stock market sim, and dating sim minigames.

Also, if you like soccer games, I'm a big fan of the Winning Eleven/Pro Evolution Soccer series on both platforms. The series is actually one of my "desert island" picks because in the latter iterations building the best-team-evar can kind of be played forever as your stars will age and decline in ability and you'll have to replace them. FIFA has kind of left them in the dust presentation-wise on current gen consoles, but in the PS2 vs Xbox era, I think they were superior games. The one knock against them if you were a soccer fan being that they didn't have the license to use many of the real team/player names.

edit: Also, Disgaea for both platforms. The original, I think, had more charm than any of the followups. To get the basic ending is not onerously grindy, but be prepared for some completely nuts grinding if you want to get some of the alternate endings.

[syntheticgerbil]

I kept reading that the PSP 2000 was the better one in terms of image quality because of the scanline thing going on with it to reduce the ghosting.

I think the Go is the best in terms of image quality, but I hate the idiocy of paying for games for download when in most cases it's cheaper to buy the disc (even new!) and all games aren't in the PSN store yet.

I made the frustrating thread about Locoroco, but I'd say it's worth a shot. I hear 2 is not as frustrating based on searching forums. I don't really have much else for PSP of note besides various Metal Gear Solid games.

But I think everyone will recommend much better PS2 games as I think some of what I have is multiplatform and you've named most worth getting. Maybe try those character trilogy things: Jak, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet and Clank?

I've started Metal Gear Solid 3 also and it honestly looks more beautiful than most anything I've seen this generation. I'm immensely impressed. Not too far yet and I did hit a ridiculously frustarating spot, but I'm abstaining from playing it right now or else I'll be sucked in four 8 hours on end.

[miffy495]

The Metal Gears are indeed great. On PSP, I'd highly recommend the two God of War games, with the latest (Ghost of Sparta) being better than GoW3 in my opinion. Also, I'm really liking Persona 3 Portable right now.

[JonCole]

It's been quite a long time since I've owned a PSP, so the only thing that really pops into my mind is Maverick Hunter X. It may be my nostalgia for MMX talking, but I really loved this remake. And it was a budget title at release, so it's probably less than $10 nowadays.

[bd_monkey]

persona 3 is a great choice. Can anyone tell me if Tactics Ogre is any good.

I know you said you didn't care about Final Fantasy, but FF Tactics is great.

Also has anyone played Valkyria Chronicles II?

[Sno]

I've had a PSP since launch, but honestly haven't really touched in the last few years. That said, some of my favorites would be - Lumines, Loco Roco, Patapon, Metal Gear Acid, Ace Combat X, Ridge Racer, Wipeout Pure/Pulse, MegaMan X: Maverick Hunter/MegaMan: Powered Up. (And all the relevant sequels these games had.)

As for the PS2, i don't know, just play whatever looks interesting. The PS2 has such a massive library of games that it's hard to sum up in any meaningful way, and my personal favorites list probably won't be very helpful in discerning the touchstone games most folks would recommend. (My personal favorite? Robot Alchemic Drive, that game is awesome. I also actually originally bought a PS2 to play Gradius V of all things. So i'm weird, i guess.)

Ico and Shadow are probably the first two games everybody will tell you to play, but at this point, it's probably better waiting for the all-but-confirmed Shadow/Ico HD re-release on the PS3.

Both of those games will benefit hugely from being on more powerful hardware.

[syntheticgerbil]

I too have heard great things about both Patapons from multiple people I know in real life, but I myself haven't played them. I would guess a lot of the first party or console exclusive stuff for the PSP is well made in general.

[Kolzig]

Ico and Shadow are probably the first two games everybody will tell you to play, but at this point, it's probably better waiting for the all-but-confirmed Shadow/Ico HD re-release on the PS3.

Both of those games will benefit hugely from being on more powerful hardware.

Yes, they might, but my intention is not to get a PS3, unless maybe in x years when I can get one for 50 euros or less.

The only PS2 game I have played so far is actually Ico as I had a PS2 for loan from a friend once and for some reason actually owned myself the reprint of Ico some years ago.

How is the PSP version of Little Big Planet, is it good or is it a crippled little brother of the real game?

[Kolzig]

Well... I bought a PSP 3004 then. Despite the recent PSN happenings.

My console comes with LittleBigPlanet and God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

I'm going to search for the cheapest prices for all the good stuff. The Hut at least had lots of PSP games for sale recently.

Does anyone have LittleBigPlanet for PSP? I'd really like to hear some reliable user reviews about that and you guys I trust the most.

[Tanukitsune]

Well... I bought a PSP 3004 then. Despite the recent PSN happenings.

My console comes with LittleBigPlanet and God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

I'm going to search for the cheapest prices for all the good stuff. The Hut at least had lots of PSP games for sale recently.

Does anyone have LittleBigPlanet for PSP? I'd really like to hear some reliable user reviews about that and you guys I trust the most.

It looks like there is a demo, but... yeah... PSN is down.

[Sno]

I'm going to search for the cheapest prices for all the good stuff. The Hut at least had lots of PSP games for sale recently.

It's probably a pretty amazing time to get in on the PSP, it seems like a lot of places are trying to purge their stock, all kinds of stuff is just ridiculously, offensively cheap. A couple months back, i had grabbed a bunch of games for just nothing. (If you're at all interested in what they were, it was Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, Dracula X Chronicles, Loco Roco 2, and the sequel to the tragically overlooked Pursuit Force.)

Just yesterday i picked up another one too, i've always been interested in checking out the Ys games, and i found a copy of Ys: Oath in Felghana for very cheap. It is a frantic and awesome action RPG, and i would recommend it, except nobody has been releasing these games in Europe.

Edited May 3, 2011 by Sno

[Sombre]

Links for games to get here:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/PSP

and here:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Playstation_2

[Patters]

Links for games to get here:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/PSP

and here:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Playstation_2

Agent Under Fire and Path of Neo Don't pay that much attention.

[Sno]

Since my last post in this thread, i've been playing Ys: Oath in Felghana, and it's instantly become one of my favorite PSP games. I immediately went out and tracked down copies of the other two Ys games Xseed has localized to North America. I feel a little bummed that i've been missing out on this series all these years.

I've also read that you can get the Xseed-localized Ys games on PSN in Europe. So i recommend it.

It's sold as an RPG, but the character building elements are really very light, the focus on the action is very heavy. (It's fast paced too, it just screams along.) Really, rather than an RPG, it feels about as deep as a Castlevania game. There's even a big exploration element, using newly gained navigational abilities to navigate further and deeper into new areas of old dungeons. (Though the overall gameworld seems fairly small, doesn't seem like a huge game.) Your character also has a pretty rudimentary move set and combo system, there's a big emphasis on player skill.

You know, in general, the PSP is probably the best system to have if you're at all interested in obscure JRPG's. (Generally, i am not, but the emphasis on speedy action in Ys is super appealing to me.)

It also has an amazing soundtrack, holy crap.

[Kolzig]

I never really realized that PSP is so thick and huge. It's like a brick, but the screen is pretty sweet, really nice big size. The UMD discs are quite horrible, and the disc drive is slightly noisy when the disc spins.

I have now Little Big Planet which is really awesome. I've never followed the PS3 games at all, but I salute the decision to take Stephen Fry as the narrator! Fry means it can never fail! I'm laughing my ass of with his dialogue. This was mainly done by SCE Cambridge and Media Molecule only assisted them, at least according to the credits, but seems the PSP version is very solidly done.

Also bought Loco Roco and Patapon while I was on my trip. Loco Roco is just pure happiness and fun. Patapon and God of War I have not yet tested, but those time will come.

Thanks Sno, I checked up a little bit on Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and it looks very much interesting.

I ordered Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for 11 euros, should arrive in a week or so.

[Tanukitsune]

I never really realized that PSP is so thick and huge. It's like a brick, but the screen is pretty sweet, really nice big size. The UMD discs are quite horrible, and the disc drive is slightly noisy when the disc spins.

I have now Little Big Planet which is really awesome. I've never followed the PS3 games at all, but I salute the decision to take Stephen Fry as the narrator! Fry means it can never fail! I'm laughing my ass of with his dialogue. This was mainly done by SCE Cambridge and Media Molecule only assisted them, at least according to the credits, but seems the PSP version is very solidly done.

Also bought Loco Roco and Patapon while I was on my trip. Loco Roco is just pure happiness and fun. Patapon and God of War I have not yet tested, but those time will come.

Thanks Sno, I checked up a little bit on Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and it looks very much interesting.

I ordered Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for 11 euros, should arrive in a week or so.

You might not enjoy Peace Walker... I hated it myself, it controls so weirdly and you actually have to grind by replaying missions, grinding in a RPG is OK for me, but I'm not replaying long stealth missions for XP!

[Sno]

Thanks Sno, I checked up a little bit on Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and it looks very much interesting.

To be honest, it's nothing super exciting, it's just a stripped down and rebalanced version of SC4 with some basic tutorials and a couple new characters. (Including Kratos!) The MP options it offers aren't very ideal, so people still just play SC4. It's certainly a capable Soul Calibur game though, and if you like that series, it's nice to have a portable version.

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on Patapon, that game is pretty trippy and cool. (And hard as shit, holy god.)

You will hear Patapons chanting in your head while you sleep.

[Kolzig]

I need to create a strategy to actually start playing these games.

I'm going nuts and I'm back to my old ways apparently as I've already bought eight(!) games in few weeks. Also I have managed to not play most of them more than a few hours so far.

GoW:Ghost of Sparta (came with the system)

Little Big Planet (came with the system)

Patapon

LocoRoco

Wipeout Pulse

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Half Minute Hero

Lumines II (arrived today, whee!)

The most expensive game I've bought was MGS for 11 euros. I'm really liking the price range of PSP at the moment even though without the internet I could not be able to buy almost any games as no shop has PSP anymore.

I have so far noticed that I still suck with rhythm games like Patapon. The chants are insane and really do stuck in my head after just a short moment of playing.

I have also noticed that I don't like GoW. The game reminds me too much of Prince of Persia 5, aka Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Too much manly rage and bloody blood blood and not much else. The game feels very smooth to control so that is a plus.

LBP is awesome, just pure awesome.

LocoRoco is happiness.

MGS has too long cutscenes, but I knew that as I did play MGS1 on PC ages ago. Also the controls suck, I have to try to change those so maybe it will become easier.

For the rest I can't really say yet, as I haven't played enough to give comments.

[Sno]

A few comments -

In my experience, at least, Patapon is pretty much just hard in general. Trying to focus on keeping the beat while also remembering all the commands while also concocting a strategy is a lot to ask. It looks all cutesy and charming, but it's actually kind of not fucking around. Not a game you can play with divided attention.

The Lumines games are really great, probably some of the most fun i've ever had with a block puzzler. Still, while Lumines 2 is generally more fully featured, as sequels tend to be, i personally feel the first game had a much more interesting and well-suited soundtrack. (As you'll find, the music is kind of central to those games.)

Wipeout Pulse is an absolutely phenomenal game, probably one of the best Wipeout games. (In fact, for Wipeout HD they pretty much just took Pulse, mixed in some stuff from Pure, and called it a day. Don't mess with what ain't broken.)

Let me throw out another recommendation - Killzone: Liberation.

Not a series i'm personally at all invested in at all, but this game is interesting, it's a fairly unique top-down shooter. It looks like it would just be some kind of arcade action thing, but it's actually kind of trying to be a pretty in-depth cover-based shooter. Has an odd and fairly convoluted control scheme, but if you can get a handle on what it's trying to do, it's a lot of fun.

[Tanukitsune]

If you find a control scheme that works for MGS: Peace Walker tell me, because I can't stand the controls of that game.

If you enjoy Half Minute Hero, I think there is another game from that company with a similar premise?

Wait, game stores no longer stock PSP games in your area? That's sad, but then again I buy my game online since there are too expensive at retail stores.

[syntheticgerbil]

I just finished LocoRoco after months of struggling and I wish it had stayed as good as the first few hours of play.

It just turned into this difficult frustrating mess for me. The biggest problem being levels without any kind of checkpoints. The rest was all neat though and I loved most of the level design and gameplay mechanics outside of the ridiculously frustrating parts and places where things were missible, causing you to have to start the whole level over again. The game also resets everything you collect outside of the blue guys every level, with the part pieces being random, causing many levels to need multiple playthroughs.

But this is me playing where I have to collect everything and get everything, so I imagine those that would play it like normal people won't get so annoyed. I'm really hoping LocoRoco 2 fixes all of the problems I had, because I'm about to just be done with this series otherwise.