PSP Zone

The PSP drives me insane. Let me explain. I am one of the three people in the US who does not have an iPod. I use a simple and small little mp3 player when I workout. Up to now I never thought I cared much for tiny little portable movie players. I mean who wants to sit around and watch movies on the iPod screen? I don't but apparently a lot of people do.

So I get a PSP thinking I'd play a bunch of game on it. I still haven't bought that many games that interest me. I don't want to listen to mp3's on it. So what is left? Movies. The widescreen is pretty good. But it's such a drag putting stuff on there. You have to do all this converting crap.

So now I'm like, OK, the games suck. What's left? Movies and mp3's. Maybe it's time to sell the PSP and simply get an iPod. The Nano has time wasting games. It can play movies. It plays music. And it's pretty small. And the conversion is no less a pain in the ass for movies as it is for the PSP.

If the games don't get better on the PSP, I'm not certain what the point of owning the thing will be. By the time any good number of games come out they will be looking at replacing the PSP with a PSP2 or something. I just really don't want to buy anything from Jobs. Maybe I'll get a Zune.

I have pitifully left this lens for dead. Why? Because the subject matter sucks. I am so disappointed with the PSP I could just scream. Only a handful of games are worth anything. Nobody in their right mind would buy those stupid UMD movies.

OK so I'm being a little harsh. You could buy Lumines, Wipeout, GTA, MGS, Ratchet and Clank, maybe Vitua Tennis, Burnout and actually be pretty happy. Those who are into Final Fantasy can cream themselves over Advent Children, but that shiot is not for me. Anyway, I just expected more by now. If you go to Metacritic you won't find one game that has scored over 90. At least the 80's are starting to pile up. It used to be that hardly any games were in the green.

E3 saw the advent of a new slimmer model of the PSP. Whatever.

The one game that I am actually kind of looking forward to is Crazy Taxi. Hopefully it reclaims the fun of the Dreamcast version.

Actually there is two games. God of War looks to be killer. Bring it.

It's no wonder my PSP has pretty much stayed on the shelf. The games continue to be basic garbage. This unit has so much potential, and I still think it does, but they just have to come up with better titles than what we've been seeing lately.

OK, so I had high hopes for Burnout Dominator. I love Burnout 3. Play it to this day on the X-box. Best racing game ever. So I figured BD had to be half as good right? Sort of. The game is OK, but after playing B3 it is kind of disappointing. I mean, look, if you like racing games and if you are hanging around the mall waiting on the marital unit to finish her thing, you could do worse than sitting down to play this game. And honestly if you've never played Burnout before you'll probably LOVE this game. It's fast. Adrenaline galore. But if you have played Burnout, eh, you'll think it's OK, just not as great as what you played on the Xbox or PS2.

Rent it before spending the money is what I suggest.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops lives up to the hype. This is one of the best titles to come out for PSP. Probably one of the best, if not the best showcase title for the PSP. If you are a fan of tactical espionage action and you have a PSP then you may as well pony up the cash and get this title. If you've wondered whether you should get a PSP and like these type of games on the PS2 then this title will justify you getting the PSP. It's that good and fun.

It has an excellent story, a deep campaign, and a complete set of multiplayer features.

Believe it or not EA Sports NHL 07 is actually a pretty good game. I mean if you are a hockey fan and you need to blow an hour sitting in the mall waiting on your wife and kid, it's not a bad little game. The controls are pretty tight. If you like the game on the big consoles you won't be too disapponted with this offering. Recommended if you like hockey. Mild recommendation if you don't.

Another PSP disappointment. This baby is plagued by poor controls and lack of originality. Why don't these folks just go back and mine all the great PSP1 and Sega titles and be done with it.

I can name on two hands worthwhile games to play on the PSP. I would say the system would be a bust if it wasn't such a cool device to play movies and listen to music on. So decent games to play on it are just the icing on the cake. I digress.

Don't buy Gangs of London. It's not fun. The controls just suck all the fun right out of a game that had a bit of potential.

Kids love the PSP. Games on the go are always a big hit. But what if you are over the age of, say, 25? Bet you are wondering if there is any reason to own a PSP. Video games. Just for kids, right?

Well I have news for you. This baby is great to carry around when the unexpected boredom has it's way with you. For all you married dudes. You know you are going to have to trudge along with the wife to some shopping spree. Hate going to the mall? Me too. It sucks. But I just bring along my PSP have a seat and let her change clothes all day long. No, it's not the same as sitting at home watching a hockey game but it's better than nothing.

Don't like games? Fine. Use it to watch a movie. Listen to music. It's a great little entertainment gizmo.

Personally I've found a couple of games that I can play for hours. Liberty City for one. That is a great game. Perfect for the PSP. As the system gets a little more age and the PS3 gets released there will more and better games released.