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Top 10 PSP Games of 2009 By phact0rri [10 more lists]
2009 was a big year for the Playstation Portable System, probably the biggest year to date of course next year is looking to be even bigger! And though there are still a few PSP games that are due out next month, the plethora of quality releases are already sitting on store shelves. The PSP had a lot of advances this year, including the ability to download games from the PS3 to the PSP. But one question remains, as to which games were the best. I have my own opinion, as I'm sure most everyone does. But instead of just basing this list off my tastes, I decided to do a more unbiased look at these games, by researching the scores given to these games, by review sites, and present them as the Top Rated PSP Games of 2009.
- 1
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars
Chinatown Wars, is a PSP remake of a game designed specifically for the Nintendo DS. Going back to the original top down view of the first GTA games, it makes good use of the setting of GTA IV, keeping in mind the DS’s limitations. When ported to the PSP, the top down view is intact, and allowed them to update the graphics, and content to the game, while keeping the humour and interesting game mechanics intact be it without the touch screen.
For those who have yet to play this game on either handheld system, it tells the story of returning son Huang Lee, who has returned to liberty City after finding out about the death of his father. Lee comes with the purpose of delivering a ceremonial sword to his uncle, to cement the aging mobster’s power in the city’s triad. Of course things go wrong and the sword is stolen. This embarks Lee on a quest, which involves murder, revenge, love, drugs, and all the seedy elements you come to expect from a GTA game.
The game structure is a brilliant mix of both classic GTA and its 3d brethren. The structure is the same as the 3d variants, taking on missions, being passed from mob boss to mob boss gaining money and power as you go. There’s a deeply rich story and it’s filled with the laughs, and tears like any good installment. The top down view does return of course, but the controls, the shooting and the driving are much more accurate and enjoyable because of this.
The new feature added to this game, is drug trafficking which is where you make the bulk of your money. You buy from sellers and you sell it to people wanting to buy it from you. You get clues a lot telling you when you should sell for the highest price. And if you are like me, you will spend hours addicted to just this aspect of the game. I’ve probably logged 30 hours into the game and most of it is dealing with the drugs. Yes it’s that much fun.
IGN – 9.3
1up – a-
Metacritic- 91 -
- 2For that one person who has no idea what Little Big Planet is, it’s a physics based platformer staring what appears to be a ragdoll called Sackboy. The game has a few standard levels, but the fun of the game, is building your own levels, downloading other people’s levels, and just the entire sandbox element of the game. It’s a game that really demonstrates how sometimes simple is better.
The original game was a stunning splash as an exclusive on the ps3, so of course they had to make a port onto the PSP. And this game is more than just a port. They redesigned the game from the ground up for the PSP system, and even addressed issues with the PS3 version of the game. One of the biggest problems was the “bouncing” movements of Sackboy(or Sackgirl), making the controls hard to manage for delicate maneuvers. The animations of his or her movements have been completely reworked making it feel so much more natural, which is such a boon on the smaller screen. However the most amazing thing is the physics that made the game such great fun on the ps3 are identical in every way for the PSP version of the game.
Actually the PSP version of LBP is pretty much exactly as it sounds a faithful clone of the PS3 version. You can download content, and upload your own levels that you’ve created, and the included story levels are just as awesome and addictive as the original. The only true drawback for LBP for the PSP has to be the lack of wifi support.
IGN- 9.0
1UP- B+
MetaCritic- 88 - 3
PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe
When the tower defense game Pixljunk Monsters hit PSN last year, it got a ton of buzz, I know that’s why I downloaded it. Its addicted nature still has me playing it when I need a few minutes of downtime and I’m sitting close to my PS3. However thankfully, when they brought out the Pixlejunk Monsters Deluxe on the PSP, I could also jump around as a tiki masked hero on the subway. Going to work was never so much fun.
Deluxe is the third in the PixleJunk Monster’s franchise, and at its core it’s like any Tower defense game. You have your area to protect, so you build the towers you can. In each tower there are a number creatures living inside. The enemies that make it to a tower kills one of the dwelling creatures, if you loose all your creatures the level fails if you succeed then you win, in PJ lingo you “rainbow”. However PJ is more than just an average Tower Defense game. With the cute graphics, insane difficulty, and wonderful sound track it goes from being just another Tower Defense into becoming this addictive place in your heart.
PJ Monsters Deluxe, is supposed to be the ultimate version of the PSN game franchise. There’s new islands (ontop of the original ones), so obviously loads of new levels, monsters, and new difficulty settings (ultra-hard I think it speaks for itself). It can easy clock in at 100 hours. Also there’s new Multi-player mode, a tiki hut where you can visit all your medals, but the best new feature is the new challenge mode which remixes your previously rainbowed missions. -
- 4
Half-Minute Hero
The title says all you need to know about this game, an RPG/Action hybrid where you finish levels in 30 seconds(well obviously sometimes longer if you got gold). Of course a simple one statement about this game does little justice. It’s another one of the many unique titles that have come out for the PSP this year. I’m beginning to wonder if insane and addicting game design is prerequisite when making a PSP exclusive
Half Minute Hero starts unoriginal enough. You are a pixilated hero named “hero” (that’s the default you can change the name), not unlike eight bit heroes found in Legend of Zelda, Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy. Upon the game starting you are charged with saving the world in 30 seconds, due to a earth destroying spell having been cast. Lucky for you, you meet a time goddess who is happy to flip back time, to 30 seconds before the spell is cast as long as you can pay her for her services. So as hero you travel through the world map, stopping all the enemies you can to prevent the world from ending, meanwhile the time goddess is depleting your coffers.
Needless to say the game is very streamlined, you character automatically runs across the screen and attacks until he’s pushed out of the fight, he dies, or manages to win. There is something like 50 quests to do, and a story that pays as much homage to the RPGs of yesteryear as the graphics do.
IGN – 8.8
1Up -B
MetaCritic -85 - 5
Tetris PSP
All I got to say if you don’t know what tetris is, you shouldn’t even be looking on this list. Come on you know the game where you move the strange shaped pieces and fit them together to make lines, to score points? This is exactly what this game is, however EA upped the curve for Tetris games, and all of them coming out will look to this one as to how it should be done.
The first thing you notice when you play this game is how amazing it looks. The colors are bright and the gradients used in the graphics are amazing. Just watching the tutorial videos and you’ll be in love with the presentation. But that’s not all the game has going for it. Tetris on the PSP also has tons of new variants of the Tetris mold aside from the play until your screen fills. There are modes like Laser where you must keep your blocks under a certain size, familiar sounding scanner where every so often a line appears above your blocks to put h**l into the mix.
There have been a lot of tetris games over the yeas, but easily EA has created the best version of this game to date.
IGN -7.6
Videogamer – 90
Metacritic -84
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Top 10 PSP Games of 2009 at 1/05/2010 9:55 PM