Retrozor: remembering the best games on PSP

Friends, hello! Not long ago I was sorting through old things and came across a PSP that I hadn’t turned on for a couple of years. A wave of nostalgia washed over me, and I disappeared for several days, replaying my favorite games. Actually, this video is a small retrospective where I will talk about the best, in my opinion, titles for this console. And be sure to write in the comments what you played and what you didn’t, and be sure to share your favorite projects.

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Grand Theft Auto

Liberty City Stories

Vice City Stories

Speaking of games on PSP, one cannot help but remember the GTA franchise. Three games were released on the portable: Chinatown Wars, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories . I somehow didn’t particularly remember the last one. The picture was too bright for a dark and criminal story, and the main character wasn’t particularly attractive. Although, according to my friends, this part is one of their favorites, and they repeat it almost every year.

But it was always a pleasure to return under the leaden sky of Liberty City with Toni Cipriani. Here we have a great story about the Italian mafia, charismatic heroes whose names are not forgotten even 10 years after the passage, and, of course, New York in all its splendor. But of all three games, Chinatown Wars grabbed my attention the most. Firstly, its events take place in the full-size city from the fourth part. Secondly, quite nice graphics, despite the view from above. But its main feature is exciting mini-games. Those who played probably understood what I mean. For those who haven’t… what are you motivated to try now?.

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake

May femme activists forgive me for mentioning the next game. But Fat Princess is, if not the best, then at least the most fun game in the capture the flag genre. Everything is classic here, there are two teams with very different classes. Some units cut down trees and improve their own base, others attack the enemy, others cast magic, and so on. The game had several modes, such as saving your princess, kidnapping the enemy princess, capturing outposts, there was even football.

Perhaps I missed something, because I mostly played the classic one, where you had to steal your queen from the enemy camp. At the same time, the enemy could feed her cakes, which significantly reduced the unit’s movement speed. And the game is also quite cruel, which sometimes surprises us against the backdrop of the general scenery and the surrealism of what is happening. Of course, you won’t see dismemberment here, but during the slaughter the arena is covered copiously with blood. I know that this description sounds at least strange, especially compared to other games, but I strongly advise you to try it (especially in the company of a friend).

Need for Speed: Carbon Own the City

Still from the cutscene

Let’s agree right away, for convenience I will simply say Need for Speed: Carbon, and you keep in mind that this is not a port of the older version, but a completely different game, which for some reason was released with almost the same name. I’ve had a lot of questions for Electronic Arts for a long time, so let this be one of them. However, this is one of the best arcade racing games available on the PSP. A few words about the plot: during an important race, the main character gets into an accident in which his brother dies, and he himself finds himself bedridden for several months. Returning behind the wheel, he needs to find out who set up the accident, and also take control of all areas of the city. Sounds, sounds… like a regular plot in Need for Speed. But the scriptwriters, I can’t believe I’m saying this, just made a great final twist.

As in any other part, there https://niyvicasino.co.uk/bonus/ are several modes, such as a standard race, destruction of rivals, time trials and others. I don’t even see the point in listing them, because the main thing here is the cars. I remember how I spent quite a long time grinding to buy a Carrera GT, repainting a Ford Mustang, and drifting a Toyota Supra. Returning to the game now, after Forza, you’re freaked out by the “ironicity” of the cars, but then the physics seemed incredibly realistic.

Resistance: Retribution

Every time someone says that at most some indie projects were released on the PSP, I always remember Resistance from Bend Studio. Yes, yes, the same team that gave us the story of two bikers trying to survive in zombieland. In general, the company has a clear passion for production. And in this case they ate the dog. It should be noted that Retribution is a spin-off of the main series, the main character of which is Lieutenant of the British Marines James Grayson. The protagonist takes revenge on the chimera aliens for his brother.

The hero will have to destroy mutants both on the streets of several European cities and at enemy bases. And when you play Resistance for the first time, you don’t even realize that this is actually a game for the portable PSP. And there is also a huge variety of gameplay. You will not only have to run with a machine gun, but also ride a huge mechanical robot or swim underwater. And the duration is impressive. You can complete the title in 8-9 hours. Somehow I praised the shooter too much… The only negative is that the graphics are not super cool. But I think this is more a problem not of the game, but of the platform.

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice

Pure unfiltered action with a minimal inclusion of plot – this is how you can describe the sequel to the original Pursuit Force . Why did I choose the second part?? It’s simple. There is practically no plot connection between the titles, but the gameplay in the sequel has been noticeably improved and diversified. To briefly describe the story, you play as the commander of a special unit who is fighting the gangs that have infested Capital City.

The villains here are as cartoonish as possible – British bandits, escaped convicts, super high-tech mercenaries and other rabble with which our hero will have to fight. For me personally, Pursuit Force is a great example of how to provide players with the maximum gaming experience on a not-so-powerful console. There are also car chases with the ability to jump onto enemy cars, there are also foot missions where you can not only kill, but also arrest militants, there are sniper missions and much more. Moreover, the developers are actively mixing the gameplay so that during one task you try yourself in different roles.

Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines

In sixth place I put Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines, a sequel to the popular stealth action game exclusive to the portable console. If you haven’t played either the first part or the subsequent ones (just like me at that time), then it will be difficult to get into. Yes, the developers tried to minimally touch on the topic of the paranormal, ancient gods and other things, concentrating on the events that are unfolding here and now. But in order to understand the minimum exposure, I advise you to read a couple of thematic sites. Here’s a short synopsis: in 1191, the hero Altair goes to Cyprus to finish off the remnants of the Templar Order. Otherwise, this is still the same Assassin’s Creed as you are used to seeing it in the first issues of the series – an open world, towers and other familiar attributes. I would especially like to mention the bosses. The developers did a great job. Each glavgad is unique, in each battle you need to use different tactics. In addition, even the castles where the governors sit are unique. To summarize, if you want to know the whole story of Altair, then Bloodlines is a must, if you are looking for a cool stealth action game, too.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory

In this top we couldn’t do without Call of Duty, and not at all because I love this series (more on that next time). I don’t quite understand what can be said about this game. Roads To Victory is a classic “Kolda” about the Second World War in every sense of the word: several main characters, levels in different European countries and countless streams of fascists that the protagonist has to destroy. If you’re looking for a shooter for PSP for a couple of evenings just to relax your brain, and I played it for exactly that purpose, then you won’t find better than Call of Duty.

Killzone: Liberation

We move from a stupid shooter to a more interesting representative of this genre. Liberation, despite all my love for Sony exclusives, is the only Killzone game I’ve played. If you have completed the rest of the franchise, the plot of the portable part will be an interesting addition to the main story for you. If not, what is this just a great third-person shooter developed by Guerrilla Games – the same guys who gave us Horizon. What can’t be taken away from it is its addictive gameplay. While I was writing the script, I remembered how at school I was looking forward to recess so I could take the PSP out of my backpack and go with the main character Ian Templar to destroy enemies.

Tekken 6

There haven’t been any fighting games in my selection yet. I’m correcting myself. Tekken 6 is in ninth place . If you have ever played versions for other consoles and PCs, then you have a great idea of what kind of project this is. But what struck me most was the lack of any noticeable differences with them. Tekken 6 has a huge pool of heroes, many available moves, and numerous arenas. They even brought some kind of plot into the game, providing small unique videos for each character. And it was simply created for a cooperative. Although… you are unlikely to find such an enthusiast who will agree to play with you on PSP. And while we’re talking about fighting games, Mortal Kombat was also released on a laptop from Sony. But personally, Tekken is still closer to me.

God of War: Chains of Olympus

The top is coming to an end, and we haven’t yet remembered a bunch of cool games… If you like the topic, I’ll make a continuation, fortunately there’s more than enough content. In the last position (let me remind you, games are not ranked by quality) I decided to put God of War: Chains of Olympus – and not even because it is a super wow gun (after all, the games in the series for PS2 or PS3, in my opinion, are better), but rather for the length of service and the opportunity to find out where the story of the most famous Spartan in the world began. I’m not a big fan of the 2018 reboot. Yes, Kratos has aged and matured, which could not but affect the gameplay. But for me, God of War has always been a story about a bloodbath, beauties in transparent clothes and Olympian gods. And when I wanted to relive these adventures again, I turned on the PSP and ran through Chains of Olympus in a few hours.

Can PSP replace Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck?

Before we wrap up, there’s one more topic I’d like to discuss with you. After watching the video, you may be wondering if a console can replace modern portable systems like the Switch or Steam Deck. And here I have to disappoint you. The PSP is very outdated in terms of graphics and gameplay experience (although looking at the big N copies you seriously doubt this). However, if you try to buy a set-top box now, then for a good generation (not all revisions are good) they ask for about four, maximum five thousand rubles. You can even find unpacked consoles for sale. But the price on them is already very high, and it makes sense to take a closer look at the Switch, which costs a little more.

And that’s all for today! Share your favorite games in the comments and see you next time.