As with most Sony consoles, I purchased my first PSP solely for the purpose of playing the Metal Gear Solid title for the platform. It wasn't Portable Ops though, it was Peace Walker. This means I acquired my PSP pretty late in its life cycle. However, I have played it quite a lot and physical PSP games make up a nice chunk of my overall game collection. I recently added a second PSP to my collection and decided to spend some time with a few games I've never tried before. If I've learned anything from watching MetalJesusRocks on YouTube for years, it's that the PSP is home to many incredible racing games and rpgs. In fact, the first two games here have been mentioned by MJR so many times that once I got back into playing the PSP they were the first games I checked out.
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - Though the Motorstorm franchise is probably best known for its PS3 entries, it turns out that a PSP port of a PS2 game remains the most talked about entry in the series. The gimmick of Motorstorm is the ability to race using a variety of vehicles for each race. In Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, there is more emphasis on snow vehicles such as snowmobiles and snowplows. The gameplay and presentation help carry the torch of the "Extreme" sports aesthetic born in the 1990s. The licensed soundtrack includes tracks from Queens of the Stone Age and Radiohead. The two things that jump out to me are the details in the graphical presentation and the pick up and put down gameplay, which is perfect for a handheld. The game conveys a sense of speed so well that I could feel the icy cold air on my face. I do have a few nitpicks about this game though. Unless I'm missing something, there is no mini-map or rearview mirror. So while you'll know what place you're in at all times, you won't know how far behind you any of your opponents are. The lack of a mini-map may be due to the many optional courses of each track which would make a this sort of feature confusing.
Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast - Coast 2 Coast is an amazing reboot-esque tribute to the original Yu Suzuki arcade classic. I believe this game gets a lot of love because of how much it feels like the original, while adding tons of new arcade-like gameplay elements. There are plenty of game modes available, as well as over a dozen flashy licensed cars. The spirit of the original game is lovingly presented here, including the option to use the original game's songs on the signature dashboard radio before hitting the road. Admittedly, I have not put as much time into this game as I have Motorstorm as I prefer the latter's progression system to Outrun's "see how far you can get before time runs out." However, when I need a quick break from the next game on this list, the flashy arcade style is sure to take me away for ten or fifteen minutes.
Crimson Gem Saga is a sweet little Korean developed RPG (KRPG?) with many ease of use elements that endeared it to me immediately. First, you can save your game anywhere at any time. Ok, that's really a big deal for a portable game, so what else? HP and MP refill with every level up. There are no random encounters, but instead, players can see the monsters on the map. What's more, if the player can sneak up on a monster, he will land a hit before the battle begins, giving the player a nice head start on the encounter. The presentation of this game is wonderful, with lush and colorful environments, beautiful character sprites and portraits, above average voice acting, and great music. The script and translation are solid, and include fourth wall breaks and self-referential gags reminiscent of a Working Designs translation from the 1990s. Crimson Gem Saga is a great game for RPG veterans looking for a quality experience, but it is also friendly to newcomers to the genre. The familiar RPG gameplay loop and perfectly paced story have kept me playing this game every day.
What are some of your favorite PSP games? With such a massive library, including imports (as the handheld is region-free), I am always looking for recommendations! If you're looking to get into the PSP, I am confident in strongly recommending all three of the games above to start collection for this mighty little handheld. If you've already played them, what do you think?