The handheld market of video games has never gained the same popularity or widespread appeal as home consoles, which is absolutely a shame because there are some real gems that are hidden away on portable consoles, many of which rival home console releases. Nintendo has held a strong dominion over the handheld market, butSonymade an honest go of it for a while, with their efforts starting with thePlayStation Portable.
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The PSP was ahead of its time in many ways and featured some winning titles. Some of these games have had second lives elsewhere, but many of them deservesequelsand extra chapters, which may never get to happen.
10Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VIIis the perfect way to expand on an all-time classic game. It digs deeper into the SOLDIER and Shinra backstory, but from the perspective of Zack, rather than Cloud. Granted,Dirge of Cerberusexists, but it’s more of a continuation ofAdvent Children’sstory thanCrisis Core.A lot of people feel like less is more when it comes toFinal Fantasy VII’sstory, but a direct sequel toCrisis Corecould do some creative things without oversaturating the property. The popularity ofFinal Fantasy VII Remakecould perhaps spark interest in such a project.
9Secret Agent Clank
Secret Agent Clankis exactly the kind of experimental game that the PSP was perfect for developing.Secret Agent Clanksplits up the famous Sony team,Ratchet & Clank,and puts the robotic member of the duo in an entertaining action platformer that riffs on the James Bond series. The game isn’t perfect, but it does fun things with the character that weren’t previously possible.Ratchet & Clankgames are far from dead, but it’d be nice to see Clank get another solo adventure that takes these ideas and pushes them even further.
8Mega Man Powered Up
Retro video games still conjure up a lot of nostalgia, but some people need titles with modern aesthetics.Mega Man Powered Upis an interesting entry because it’s a PSP game that remakes the originalMega Manwith an adorable and impressive makeover.Powered Upadds in tons of extra features, including the ability to play as all eight enemy robot masters!
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The game was such a success that there were plans for aPowered Up 2,which would giveMega Man IIthe same treatment, but they fell through. Now’s the perfect time to make them a reality.
7Ape Escape: On The Loose
The PSP proved to be an impressive machine in terms of porting and updating classic games from theoriginal PlayStationover to the superior portable console.Ape Escapewas a formative game for Sony, but they’ve struggled to figure out what to do with the franchise over the years and turned it more into a home for mini-games.Ape Escape: On the Looselovingly remakes the first mainline game in the series and improves upon an already great title. It’d be fantastic to seeApe Escape 2get the same treatment, but the series has gone in a different direction.
6Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
TheGrand Theft Autoseries are some of the most successful modern video games. The efforts to move the series over to the handheld market has been an interesting process.Chinatown Warsis the third and finalGrand Theft Autogame to come out for the PSP, with it digging into some dark territory. The other PSP titles are both prequels toGrand Theft Auto IIIandVice City,butChinatown Warsis its own entity, despite how it’s still set in the world ofGrand Theft Auto IV. Chinatown Warsis in need of a continuation to this story.
5Daxter
Taking a page from out ofSecret Agent Clank’sbook,Daxtertakes another popular Sony duo and splits them up to create a unique solo entry.Daxteris cleverly set during a chapter in theserieschronology when Jak is captured and out of the picture.
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The PSP game features some brilliant platforming with ingenious level designs that prove that Daxter can stand on his own and that he deserves another shot in the spotlight. The game features creative bonus games in the form of cinema-influenced dream sequences and this title proves that it’s far from a lazy spin-off.
4Patapon 3
The PSP became a home for many fantasticpuzzleseries likeLumines, LocoRoco, and Every Extend Extra,but they’ve all had sequels. ThePataponseries contains some of the most creative and addictive puzzle games that have ever been made. The quirky game leans into concepts from rhythm titles and “God games” in order to create a truly layered experience. ThreePatapongames came out for the PSP and have been remastered, but this series deserves a comeback. Whether that’s aPatapon 4or just a reboot of the material, there deserves to be morePataponout in the world.
3God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta
There are technicallyGod of Wargames that were made afterGhost of Sparta, which is in itself a prequel to the other main entries in the canon. However, much like howGhost of Spartais a follow-up toChains of Olympus, this entry is worthy of a direct sequel that carries on the storyline that touches on Kratos’ brother, Deimos, as well as takes him to Atlantis. With theGod of Warfranchise rebooted, a sequel to this storyline is even more unlikely, but maybe characters and elements from it can still be touched on.
2Power Stone Collection
BeforeSuper Smash Bros.perfected the art of four-person multiplayer action in a fighting game,Power Stone 2was the king of the area. Capcom’sPower Stonefighting games debuted on theDreamcastand were some of the best games on the underrated console.Power Stoneand its sequel were packaged together and ported into an impressive package for the PSP that also made the series portable. Fans have wanted a new entry in thePower Stonefranchise for over a decade and it’s long overdue for another shot, whether it’s on a handheld or home console.
1Jeanne D’Arc
If there’s any promising PSP title that’s been locked away in obscurity, it’s definitelyJeanne d’Arc. The title is an exceptionaltactical RPGthat mixes together fantasy elements with real historical events and the calamities of war.Jeanne d’Arcdoes everything right, whether it’s the combat system, compelling storyline and characters, or the game’s surprising amount of historical accuracy of 15th century history.Jeanne d’Arcfeels like an evolution of other games likeFinal Fantasy TacticsorTactics Ogre. Not only does the original series need a sequel, but the original needs a remastered release.
Next:10 Canceled PSP And PlayStation Vita Games You Never Knew Existed
