PSP Games we’re waiting for

 

Regardless of what the semi-anonymous Mr. Tummy had to say about the PSP game list looking dry, the set of titles coming out for the PSP this year is still very, very compelling.

Given EBGames‘ recent dissing of the PSP, we felt that now would be an appropriate time to present that much tauted PSP upcoming list to you folks. But before we give you folks the list, we have to note that because this blogger is a bit lazy, a lot of games got left out of the list, meaning that the list of titles available for your PSP could still be potentially deeper than this.

What follows are the reasons why PSP owners are still loyal to the Sony handheld.

Get the list of must-wait-for games after the Jump.

 

Regardless of what the semi-anonymous Mr. Tummy had to say about the PSP game list looking dry, the set of titles coming out for the PSP this year is still very, very compelling.

Given EBGames‘ recent dissing of the PSP, we felt that now would be an appropriate time to present that much tauted PSP upcoming list to you folks. But before we give you folks the list, we have to note that because this blogger is a bit lazy, a lot of games got left out of the list, meaning that the list of titles available for your PSP could still be potentially deeper than this.

What follows are the reasons why PSP owners are still loyal to the Sony handheld.

THE CUTE
No, there isn’t a shortage of cute, casual, kid friendly, newbie enticing games on the PSP. Loco Roco, Exit, and Me and My Katamari are excellent examples that “fun” titles can be had on the PSP, too.

HOT PXL – Comprised of more than 200 devious mini-games, this offering from Atari is set to show up on shelves come October. What’s nice is that it isn’t just a collection of cute/insane short tasks, it has a story.

Earthworm Jim – Puzzles, power-ups, and zany side scrolling action from the folks of Atari. Yeah, he’s the biggest worm in entertainment.

Dead Head Fred – You’re a brain in a jar. Whatever the folks from D3 were smoking, we want some

Great games we’d like to include here, but are out already: Capcom Puzzle World, Gurumin, and Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters

THE MEAN
You’re a competitor. You love fighting. You love killing. You love having freedom to do whatever the hell it is you want. You also dig the dual D-pad FPS set-up. If explosions, blood, and plasma weapons are what’s important to you, look out for these titles.

Coded Arms: Contagion – You’re a lone security agent entering a virtual reality military training program and you’re up against cyber-terrorists. Slick graphics, nice design. And despite the reported learning curve with the controls, the gameplay is still smooth.

Burnout Dominator – Screw defensive driving. This game teaches you how to drive aggressively.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory – Just in case you still need your WWII fix.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas – No crime scene investigators here, just lots of bullets, terrorists, and solid gameplay from Ubisoft.

Chili Con Carnage – The release date for this game is set for the 27th of this month. Destroy everything with Ramiro Cruz come that date.

300: March to Glory – We’ll be seeing this on shelves in roughly a weeks time and judging from the blood, gore, and mayhem we’ve seen so far in the trailers, the game looks promising.

Xyanide Resurrection – Proving that shooters still pack a punch. If you love seeing the screen get filled with plasma balls, watch out for this game.

Great games we’d like to include here, but are out already: Killzone: Liberation and The Warriors (you can’t get meaner than the Warriors).

AND THE GEEKY
You’re in it for the backstory. That or you’re already part of the game’s adherents. You love the franchise and therefore – following the holy rules of fandom – must own or have intimate knowledge of extensions of that franchise. There are PSP games out there that scream “for otaku”. If you’re still a bit too occupied with Portable Ops, then worry. There are more titles coming your way.

Hellboy – If you’re a loyal fan of the BPRD and all things involving fictional Nazi plots to rule the world, you’re getting this game.

Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion – If you’re geeky enough, but JRPG stuff isn’t for you, wait for April 16, you should see Bethesda’s PSP offering on shelves by then.

Valhalla Knights – This game was insanely hot back at TGS 2006, we thank XSEED for putting this on shelves come April.

Dungeons and Dragons Tactics – Enjoy the 3.5 d20 system on your PSPs this May.

Great games we’d like to include here, but are out already: Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

Great games we’d like to include here but forgot to mention: Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles

BONUS: THE EAGERLY AWAITED
Then there are the games that have their release dates still pinned as TBA. There are also those games whose actual existence on the PSP is still a matter of speculation and rumor. Still, despite the murky details, the demand for these titles is such that it provides enough reason for PSP owners to be loyal to the platform.

We hope that these “wanted” titles explain exactly why the PSP owners are still loyal and are still waiting.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War, Final Fantasy Anniversary – We think the addition of the words “Final” and “Fantasy” pretty much explains why people are waiting for these games that are still pegged at “TBA 2007.”

Jeanne d’Arc – Will this game ever see a U.S. release? All we can do right now is speculate. However, what is known is that most reviews for this game rank it pretty close to 10 of 10. That says a lot.

Silent Hill: Origins – the Japanese release date for this game is December 31, 2007. Will we see a simultaneous U.S. release for this game? Who knows. What we do know is, we want this, we want this bad.

God of War – Either the folks from RAD did that “coming soon” font thing to hype this, or somebody slipped up and got fired.

Devil May Cry – The Jeux-France report about Capcom’s intentions of bringing the franchise to the PSP still stands. Although we don’t have much other than a statement of intention, the demand for this game is such that the rumors just won’t die.

Awaited games we wanted to include here, but forgot to put in: Loco Roco 2

So why the continued bad PR?
So how come the PSP is still getting so much bad PR despite the healthy list of titles available for handheld? Well, you can’t say that the thing isn’t selling. Despite being massively outsold by the more popular DS, it’s still putting up decent numbers. So what’s the problem? Some of us here at QJ would like to point out the musings of Penny Arcade’s Tycho on the matter. Here’s how he puts it:

Pretty much all they have down is the dismissive hostility we see every time one of their heads breaks the algae of their fetid little pond. That ain’t gonna do it, not when every one of their barbs – barbs directed not at competitors, but at the public itself! – are broadcast instantaneously to the people with the greatest interest in their medium.

The PSP that is so routinely maligned by the gaming community has really come into its own, with a growing library of increasingly savvy original titles and welcome “remasters” of existing product, but instead of emphasizing the product’s hard-won virtues they paid a company to lie poorly and pen excruciating songs. This is what I’m saying when they need an intervention. They’re completely severed from their customers.

It would be a shame if all these titles didn’t perform as well as they should because of Sony PR foul-ups.