An RPG for PSP for Lil’ Old Me
The PSP is an excellent system that I almost never have time for. Henry noticed that I have Burnout Paradise but that’s about it as far as games I’d take to a desert island. Consequently I haven’t been following the RPG scene on the little handheld. Good, bad, Japanese, what? Good thing I have a guy named MIKE ANDERSEN who works for RPGWatch and handles our own THIS WEEK IN GAMES. Please help him! Post your answers in the message board that appears after you enter the article. Good RPGs for PSPs and WHY? Bonus Points for whomever can identify the screen shot upper left. Questioner is probably between 14-18. Keep that in mind.
January 4th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I don’t have a PSP, so I can’t help with games. I got one when they came out, but sold it because not much was coming out that I wanted. I regret that, as they have some pretty good ones now.
That screen shot looks like it is from Wizardry. It reminds me of the summer of 1981. The mom of one of my friends had an Apple II at her office and we would spend the entire weekend playing through this game. We even used graph paper to draw maps of the levels.
January 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
They’re strategy RPGs so they focus on group battles rather than story or character development, but Disgaea and Jeanne D’Arc are must-haves on the PSP.
January 4th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
The screenshot must be from wizardry since that’s the name of the .jpg lol. I never really liked any RPG’s on psp, so I can’t really help you. My friend seems to like monster hunter a lot but it was really boring watching it and it loaded extremely slowly.
January 5th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Wizardry 2, and I never liked RPGs at all. There all the same. SHOOTERS RULE!
January 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Wait – RPG’s are the same and shooters have variety? Good one … oh, wait, you’re NOT joking?!?!
For me, it depends on what you are looking for:
– Classic jRPG in the Final Fantasy vein: Brave Story: New Traveler
– Another Classic jRPG in the Final Fantasy vein: Legend of Heroes games. They are cute and charming and massive.
– Classic tabletop D&D simulator: D&D Tactics
– Action-RPG in the Diablo style: Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony (like this better than the Untold Legends games)
– Build Your Own: Dungeon Maker II (the new one, much better than the original)
– Strategy RPG – like Simon said (heh), Disgaea and Jeanne d’Arc
– The ‘real deal’ : Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – while not as good as the recent ‘remakes’ for the DS and GBA, it is still a solid and fun game.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I didn’t say shooters had more variety, I just meant most RPGs are all like Final fantasy and stuff. Of what i know about em’ at least. Too much leveling up over and over again. stuff like that.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Well, you should look again … the list I gave has loads of variety, and there aren’t even any ‘western’ style RPG’s in there that are more typical for PC gamers.
January 5th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Yeah, Western RPG’s are much better for shooter fans. They contain strategy/levelling up combined with real-time action like shooting. (Mass Effect, Fallout 3, and Oblivion are good examples, although not on psp).
January 5th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I was thinking the whole non-action RPG basis of western RPG’s, such as the Wizardry and Ultima series, Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, Fallout 1 & 2 (the one’s without 1st grade writers), and so on.
January 5th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Western RPGs are best. well they suck. But Planescape Torment – my second video game EVER – after BG and BG2 )my bro loved D&D. I don’t have a PSP byt I can help by saying that D&D Tactics is flawed but fun as all heck. Heck right GD?
January 5th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I’d totally recommend Disgea and Lengend of heroes
January 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Yeah – I should have mentioned that I gave D&D Tactics 2.5/5 stars (or maybe 3/5 … can’ remember). It is terribly flawed, but also a great simulation of a ‘spreadsheet game’
January 6th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Would you say that the oldschool pure Wizardry/Ultima series or games like em are dead? Seems that way. I haven’t played an RPG forever. Wait, when did Morrowind come out? That was the last ome.
January 11th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Final Fantasy Tactics FTW!! All the deep gameplay of the original with an improved translation that almost makes sense. Also, Puzzle Quest of course. This one is so good that my wife insists on playing it whenever we are out somewhere together with time to kill. Even though we have the game, I just downloaded it onto the PSP so I can still have a game with me too.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Action RPGs:
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (prequel to FF7); Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure; Monster Hunter Freedom; Monster Hunter Freedom 2; Monster Hunter Freedom Unite; Phantasy Star Portable; Star Ocean: First Departure (remake); Star Ocean: Second Evolution (remake); Tales of Eternia (available in JP, EU, and AU markets, remake); Tales of The World: Radiant Mythology; Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (remake)
“Console-style” RPGs:
Breath of Fire III (remake); Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition (remake); Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition (remake); Final Fantasy VII (PSN download); PoPoLoCrois; Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (remake); Suikoden 1 (PSN download); Gensosuikoden I + II (JP import, remake + compilation); Wild Arms (PSN download); Wild Arms 2 (PSN download)
Strategy / tactical RPGs:
Disgaea (remake); Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (remake); Jeanne d’Arc; Riviera: The Promised Land (remake); Yggdra Union (remake); Wild ARMs XF
Etc:
Class of Heroes (a dungeon-crawler)
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (a sim/RPG hybrid)
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (an excellent puzzle/RPG hybrid, but only play the PSP copy if you don’t have access to another version–the PSP version is significantly bugged; see the Wikipedia page).