Top 10 Homebrew Summer Sizzlers – Part 1 of 2

Summer is upon us people! I’m not sure about those in the rest of the world, but I am certainly feeling the heat in the UK this month. There’s one problem with the summer, and ironically, although the sun is out and there’s a million and one things to do: there’s still the problem of boredom.

Students get the summer off school, others take their holidays from work and sometimes you just feel bored. You’ve done everything in your local area, and there’s nothing to do but laze around in the sun – which isn’t as fun as it sounds. Then there’s the idea of going on holiday somewhere different. Whether you go abroad or stay in your home country, there’s still the problem of boredom whilst travelling. So here, we’ve compiled a top 10 list of homebrew applications or games that will keep you alive throughout the summer, whether your sat in your back garden or on a plane to Hawaii.

Now, some of you may be thinking Only homebrew? What about UMD releases. Well there’s a story to that one too. To be frankly honest, there aren’t really any UMD releases this summer to get excited about. Titles such as PQ – Practical Intelligence Quotient and Tenchu: Time of the Assassins both of which are released on June 23rd could be interesting but you can’t be sure. The only other titles on the horizon that catch my attention are Pac-Man World Rally and Super Monkey Ball Adventures, but the release dates of these two games are yet to be confirmed.

Now lets get onto the homebrew. After all, this is the stuff thats gonna to keep you going through the summer.

See the list after the jump!

Summer is upon us people! I’m not sure about those in the rest of the world, but I am certainly feeling the heat in the UK this month. There’s one problem with the summer, and ironically, although the sun is out and there’s a million and one things to do: there’s still the issue of boredom.

Students get the summer off school, others take their holidays from work and sometimes you just feel bored. You’ve done everything in your local area, and there’s nothing to do but laze around in the sun – which isn’t as fun as it sounds. Then there’s the idea of going on holiday somewhere different. Whether you go abroad or stay in your home country, there’s still the problem of boredom whilst travelling. So here, we’ve compiled a top 10 list of homebrew applications or games that will keep you alive throughout the summer, whether your sat in your back garden or on a plane to Hawaii.

Now, some of you may be thinking Only homebrew? What about UMD releases. Well there’s a story to that one too. To be frankly honest, there aren’t really any UMD releases this summer to get excited about. Titles such as PQ – Practical Intelligence Quotient and Tenchu: Time of the Assassins both of which are released on June 23rd could be interesting but you can’t be too sure. The only other titles on the horizon that catch my attention are Pac-Man World Rally and Super Monkey Ball Adventures, but the release dates of these two games are yet to be confirmed. So how can you turn down free entertainment int he form of homebrew? After all, this is the stuff thats gonna to keep you going through the summer.

#10
Number 10 is a great application if you’re planning on going on holiday to Europe, or just want to brush up on a few foreign languages over the summer – particularly if you’re interested in learning a bit of French, Greek, Icelandic, and Spanish. Guessed yet? It’s Raydar‘s PSLingo of course! This user-friendly application would be a great thing to use on those boring aeroplane trips. Learn a language on the way to your destination!

Download: [PSLingo v1.0]

#9
Coming in a number 9 is an organizational program. No it isn’t going to give you hours of fun, but yes it is going to enhance your PSP experience. It’s Ahman‘s iR Shell. Using this will enhance your PSP gaming experience, and believe me after an hour or so of going back to the PSP’s XMB and waiting for loading times, you notice the difference of having a shell running in the background and your PSP’s processor running at 333Mhz. The fact that corrupt icons are non-existant and with a wide range of skins and plugins available, this program is great. Just be sure to keep an eye on the battery level! Sadly this one is only for 1.5 users.

Download: [iR Shell v1.5]

#8
Now here’s a corker for viewing your video files: PMP Mod. There ain’t no better way to view movies on the move. Some people may disagree with me and believe that PSP Media Player which plays AVI/DivX and WMA files is better, but personally due to the sheer range of options and the quality of the video, I believe that Jonny‘s PMP Mod is the best media player out there. There are a wide range of versions available including Raphael‘s subtitle mod, so take your pick from the list below!

Download: [PMP Mod 2.01 and PMP Mod AVC v1.00 with subtitle mod]
Download: [PMP Mod v1.00 AVC]
Download: [PMP Mod v2.01]

#7
You may need a WiFi connection to use this, so using it in your back garden maybe the only option, but this application is perfect for listening to streaming radio from your PSP. It is of course Raf‘s PSPRadio. As featured in Go>Play magazine, PSPRadio lets you sit back and relax out in the sun with Internet streamed music caressing your ears. And if you get fed up of music, start playing with the PSPRadio plugins such as the Links2 web browser and AFKIM.

Download: [PSPRadio 0.37 Final]
Download: [Latest PSPRadio Pre-release: 0.38.11]

#6
Here is the first actual homebrew game on this list, and it comes in the form of a bar classic: PSPool. This port of ‘Another pool’ has some great graphics, excellent gameplay and is very difficult when on the hard difficulty setting. It will really blow your socks off how addictive this game can be, and the 2 player mode provides endless fun. The first time I played this program I carried on until my PSP’s battery ran out, then I realised I was supposed to be posting it here! Get your AC adapter ready.

Download: [PSPool v0.1b]

I think you’ve had your lot for today. Check back soon for part 2 to see what comes in the top 5. What do you think will win the top spot and be crowned Homebrew application of the summer? Check back soon to find out…