Slashdot Mirror
Sony Confirms 59 In-Development Japanese Titles for PSP
roadies writes "As tangentially mentioned a day or two back, Sony has confirmed 59 PSP titles currently in Japanese development, with many likely to make the Japanese launch of the handheld. Depending on how many debut at hardware release, this may make other handheld system launches pale in comparison, at least compared to the U.S.: the GBA had 15 titles, N-Gage only had 6 titles, and the cult favorite Neo Geo Pocket Color had around 10 launch titles. This is interesting in light of rumors that PSP dev kits haven't been widely released." Which of the games on the current list actually excite you?
In the 16bit genesis days I remember how important first generation games were. Now it's alot less important with people usually waiting a year before they buy a system at price drop.
People are also 10x more alert and careful with what the buy given all this internet info available too.
I think your right, while GBA launch games were pseudo-remakes of original Nintendo releases the PSP list points to lots of games that are out so lets put it in portable games. I'm excited as hell for Gran Turismo 4 but will I need it on portable? We'll see. How different and original is Tiger Woods, Dynasty Warriors, Need for Speed Underground going to be from their PS2 counterparts? The 59 figure is a bit inflate in my book, 3-4 different mah-jong games? Lots of other board games for a 300 dollar multimedia portable powerhouse?
I do appreciate Sony's effort at getting such big players (Namco, Capcom, Konami, SCEJ, KOEI) to release their frachise titles that I have interest in. New Ridge Racer, Metal Gear (even if its a card game), Devil May Cry, Darkstalkers has me excited because I imagine wireless racing-fight with friends and other portable only stuff. I have fears that developers will just slap their PS2 code into portable form and offer nothing more than portable versions of old familiars.
Essentially, this list is promising but it does not guarantee a good launch.
Uhhh FYI, Advance Wars is just a 'rerun' of a long-running console series, starting way back on the Famicom. It saw sequels on both Super Famicom and the original Gameboy. I am not sure how it happened, but other consoles also saw very similar games, like the classic Military Madness series on the PC Engine.
One of the reasons genres like turn-based strategy games work so well on previous portable systems (such as the GBA) is because the portables simply weren't up to doing many other genres. The controls of a GBA, in both number of buttons and movement method (smallish D-pad), just aren't very good for modern 3D racing games, 3D action games, fighting games, etc. The small low-resolution (i.e. less than a television) screen is also a factor.
IMO, that is the most exciting 'feature' of the PSP - we have here a portable that can handle stuff like 'real' racing and 'real' action games now, something that has been missing in the portable space for many years. The PSP has more than enough buttons (same as or more than a SNES, yes?). It has a very clear screen that is also an excellent size. It has analog control, which is the real big deal versus the DS. I will take real analog over a stylus almost any day of the week, and I am not remotely alone - who wants to play a Mario64 or MarioKart64 port with no analog control? Would I rather 'suffer' through a portable FPS game with some analog control (a la Goldeneye) or with a stylus that makes my 24-year-old male hand block the screen (a la no successful game I have ever heard of)?
Even better, most of these features make the PSP more suited for stuff like turn-based strategy games. Especially the better screen.
Obviously Sony could screw up the PSP (price and battery-life are important, if less crucial than many Nintendo fans claim). I am hardly a Sony fanboy (they piss me off far more often than not), but the PSP has a real shot at finally allowing some real genre variety again in the portable videogaming market. Just because Nintendo has traditionally chosen to make a cheaper and less capable portable system doesn't mean all portables have to be like that!
(As a historical aside, the original Gameboy had tons of quality action games and the like that you just don't see on its GBA successor. You had a good Metal Gear Solid game for example. Whether the GBA is missing these types of games because of the consoles moving to more advanced [i.e. 3D] versions of these genres, or the fact that apparently 90% of the GBA market is little kids who want franchised games or sequels is a question yet to be answered. I suspect the PSP might answer it, though...)
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
The PSP next to the DS however shows the PSP as having a far far far far superior screen. Will that matter? Well yes. IF sony can avoid the mistake of the "also ran" portables. Can it improve the battery life. Does it have a decent library of games. Isn't the big screen immensly vulnarable. Are the graphics on that big screen not going to disappoint.
The price issue is moot, just look at THE mp3 player. iPod is easily the most expensive and Apple just can't ship them fast enough. People got money but can sony make the PSP into a gPod? They sure weren't able to make the iPod despite the fact they invented the walkman.
The really big threat to the PSP is that it will be to restricted. Playing movies on it sounds nice but watching my pvr recorded tv on it that I didn't have time to watch at home on my way to work instead sounds far more usefull. Especially in the more public transport using areas of the world.
The DS has the background of a winner line but could also suffer badly from over confidence. We put up with the crappy screen of the GBA because the alternatives sucked even worse. But if the PSP is sitting in the shelves next to it I fear Nintendo might get an ugly wakeup call.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.