PSP Game of the Year Award
WINNER: God of War: Chains of Olympus
PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: 3/04/2008
ESRB RATING: Mature
You knew this was coming. The original promise of the PSP, and one of its main selling points against the DS, was the pledge of faithfully recreating the traditional console experience in the palm of your hands. Before Chains of Olympus no one had nailed the transition, but Ready at Dawn defied all odds knocked it out of the park in their attempt to transfer Kratos to the portable realm. Chains of Olympus is a rousing success and truly deserving of its highly regarded God of War branding. The graphics are the best on the system, the control is responsive, the pacing is exceptional, and the combat is right on par with its console peers. Finally, we’ve been granted a PSP game free of compromise.
RUNNERS-UP: Patapon, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
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WINNER: Patapon
PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: 2/26/2008
ESRB RATING: Everyone
Patapon, for those not in the know, is a tribe based rhythm action real time strategy role playing game. Wait, what? Don’t worry about genre labels; Patapon is perhaps the most wildly original title to be released on any platform in 2008. It successfully syncs seemingly random elements of opposing genres with a careful hand that could only be guided by the most gifted of eastern developers. The art style is beautiful and wholly unique, and the music, the pure essence of Patapon, is top notch in terms of both creativity and implementation. Playing Patapon may feel a little cumbersome at first, but stick with it and you’ll uncover one of the most rewarding titles of 2008.
RUNNERS-UP: flOw, Echochrome
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WINNER: Sony actually making the Playstation Store accessible from your PSP
PUBLISHER: –
RELEASE DATE: 10/15/2008
ESRB RATING: –
For nearly two years the only way to download demos or purchase PS1 and downloadable PSP games was through your PC or Playstation 3. An extra step was always needed and, more often than not, never taken due to general laziness associated with such arduous and inconvenient process. Then, out of the blue with firmware 5.00, Sony finally let PSP owners access the Playstation Store from the PSP browser and download games and demos directly to their memory stick. It should have been that way all along, but we applaud Sony for finally stepping up on this one.
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WINNER: Space Invaders Extreme
PUBLISHER: Square Enix
RELEASE DATE: 6/17/2008
ESRB RATING: Everyone
Space Invaders was a franchise that, since its inception in the late 70’s, had been subjected to countless (dare we say pointless) iterations and sequels. Yes, the gist of things still involves strategically moving left and right whilst firing vertically, but Space Invaders Extreme flies where so many other franchises fall; the new twists to the gameplay are actually intuitive without, for lack of a better word, invading the basic structure. Extra challenges, new weapons, boss encounters, and online rankings round out the bullet points of new features, but the basic hook is still rooted in the faithfully addictive (and now multiplier enabled) get-the-high-score mechanic. We should be so lucky if the incoming onslaught of retro revivals is as loyally impressive as Space Invaders Extreme (oh, and did we mention it’s only $20?).
RUNNERS-UP: Patapon, Downstream Panic
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WINNER: Resistance: Retribution
PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: Spring 2009
ESRB RATING: N/A
Announced software for the PSP release calendar looks pretty grim, but Resistance: Retribution is one of the few noticeable blips on the radar. Developed by Sony Bend, the team behind the surprisingly competent duo of Syphon Filter PSP titles, Retribution looks to capitalize on Insomniac’s Playstation 3 FPS juggernaut. Anything that requires aiming is usually a nightmare on the single analog nubbed PS3, but Sony Bend is eliminating the potentially endless amount of frustration with an intuitive aim assist and a hands-off cover system. More alluring is Retribution’s connectivity with Resistance 2, which not only allows you to shed the assists and use a Dualshock 3 with your PSP, but also accesses an entirely new “infected” mini-campaign. Whether or not all the extra bells and whistles will translate into compelling gameplay remains to be seen, but all the pieces sure seem to be in place.
RUNNERS-UP: Patapon 2, Locoroco 2, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
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WINNER: Echochrome
PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: 5/01/2008
ESRB RATING: Teen
Your point of view may determine whether nor not you can enjoy a game, but what about when the game is based around your point of view? Crush and (to an extent) Paper Mario have toyed with different takes on perspective, but neither have reached as far and wide as Echochrome. Though your basic goal is to move your character and collect stuff along the way, the means of accessibility are widely different from the traditional gameplay. Rather than move your character, you shift your perspective. Doing so changes not only the perceived distance between platforms, but also the very nature of the level. Thus, each level becomes an interactive optical illusion, the likes of which are fully prepared to wreck your mind with alternate points of view and, though it may not seem like it, logic.
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WINNER: Secret Agent Clank
PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: 6/17/2008
ESRB RATING: Everyone 10+
Despite the negative implication of the word “nightmare,” we assure you this award is bestowed upon Secret Agent Clank with the utmost admiration. The main game is no easy feat, but the throng of skills points, hidden bolts, unlockable cheats, harder arena fights, and New Game +-like challenge mode (complete with new gadgets to find hidden messages everywhere) insure than anyone who takes pleasure in or feels bound to obtaining 100% completion will have plenty to do. Now how do we get that last skill point…
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PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: 3/06/2008
ESRB RATING: Everyone
flOw isn’t as much a game as it is a wonderful, elegant experience unlike most anything else modern interactivity can offer. To say all you do in flOw is move around and eat stuff is like saying the Sistine Chapel is just a bunch of paint on a ceiling. Okay, maybe that’s a bordering on hyperbole – but hopefully you get our point. It’s not particularly challenging, but serene gameplay is just about as engaging as they come. Sure, the 2007 Playstation 3 version is largely superior, but the PSP iteration is just as pleasant if you’re on the go.
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WINNER: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
PUBLISHER: Square Enix
RELEASE DATE: 3/25/2008
ESRB RATING: Teen
Just because you know how it ends doesn’t mean the journey there isn’t worth taking. Still, the narrative is so well done that it actually convinces you it’s all heading toward a sunset ending; Zack had become Soldier 1st Class, had left his impulsive tendencies behind, was forging a playful relationship with Aerith, and had single handedly escaped one of the most horrifying tragedies one could endure, and he did it all while dragging a barely conscious Cloud along with him. He was content with his limitless potential – and then disaster struck. Playing the end of Crisis Core was like watching a movie you had seen a hundred times and inexplicably hoping the opposite was going to happen this time around. Emotional responses vary upon the player, but this is the most we’ve ever been “moved” by a hand held.
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WINNER: SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1
PUBLISHER: SNK Playmore
RELEASE DATE: 4/29/2008
ESRB RATING: Teen
Remember freaking out when you heard the Playstation 3 was going to set you back $600? Well, SNK pulled the same stunt with their infamous MVS Neo Geo nearly 16 years earlier, only it was (without adjusting for inflation) $650 and featured games with a hefty starting price of $200. After factoring retail markup and limited availability, shelling out $1000 for something like Metal Slug wasn’t an uncommon divorce catalyst. But hey, time heals all wounds, and now the cream of SNK’s Neo Geo crop is available for $29.99. Metal Slug, Magician Lord, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, King of Monsters, Baseball Stars 2, and a host of other SNK legends round out the sixteen game collection. The ports aren’t perfect and some of them haven’t aged well, but such trivial concerns shouldn’t matter to anyone who considered committing a felony to obtain this stuff in the 90’s.
RUNNERS-UP: Every other game (one would have to assume that procuring a time machine in 1993 and then going to the future to bring back new games would also be a costly endeavor).