Handheld Gaming Fevor, Part 2

Last time I diatribed about the DS and it’s awesome (yet limited) library of games. That thought motivated me a few weeks ago to pick up a used PSP from my local used game store. First game I played was Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony. My first impression was, “Holy crap, these are amazing graphics for a handheld!”

I played the original Dungeon Siege on the PC years ago, and it’s claim to fame was a beautifully rendered 3D environment with no load times. The PSP iteration of the series met the graphical bar and even looked a little better then the PC experience I had back in 2002. Now granted, DS:ToA was released four years later, but lest we forget, it’s a freakin’ hand held game!

I’m echoing the sentiments of just about every writer that’s played good games on the PSP when I say that this is the closest thing to a console experience I’ve ever seen on a 2×4 inch screen. I’ve since picked up a trio of new and old games to try out on my new toy. Such as…

Burnout: Legends (2005)
I remember spending hours playing Burnout 3 on the X-Box, and I had some severe dejavu when I loaded up this PSP launch title. From the cars to the tracks, the game is nearly identical to the experience I had with the console version. There is some slightly graphical downgrading in this revision, but driving still feels as smooth and borderline uncontrollable as it did before. I knew I had a winner when Aaron actually asked to play it yesterday.

Jeanne D’Arc (2007)
I’ve only put about three or four hours into this game (Burnout and Patapon distracted me), but I’m enjoyed what time I did play. The game amounts to a series of fancy chess matches played over the countryside of France. You are Jeanne D’Arc, a French heroine who is empowered by God (in the form of a magical armlet) to save her country. Over the course of the first couple hours you gather a team of other characters who have different skills and methods of play. The combat is turn-based, set on a grid overlaying various quaint and cute backdrops. The landscape seems to mainly serve as barriers to movement and ranged attack, and other then taking ontrol of choke points there’s not much advantage to be gained. Overall it’s a very solid strategy game that I’m sure will impress me more and more as I continue to play.

Patapon (2008)
Penny Arcade just did a comic today chronicling the biggest downside of the game. That mind numbing song. Tycho’s dissertation on the game was the first unfavorable thing I’ve read about the game thus far. While I can’t argue with his experience, I guess I haven’t played the game enough (or put that much thought into it) to experience anything negative. Beyond that fact that the Patapon’s high pitched voices haunt my dreams now, I love the game. The gameplay consists of using the four buttons on the PSP as four different drums. The game teaches you a hand full of different combinations of these sounds that direct your army of Patapons to move, attack, defend, or retreat. Your job is to lead your motley crew of little sprites to defeat opposing tribes and monsters by performing these combos in time with the beat the game provides. You really have to experience it to fully appreciate it.

Thus far, I’m loving my PSP. I have three years of games to draw from, and at least 10 of those are worth playing. 😉 I figure that between the DS and PSP, I won’t run out of material. Both systems have their strengths, and I’ll happily enjoy all of them.

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