PSP World

The 5 Most Bizarre Pieces of PSP Game Swag

Video game makers know that consumers are fickle. In order to get those of us with short attention spans to sit still long enough to think about their upcoming games, companies have resorted to luring us with the promise of cool swag. Now, some of you might protest and argue that this tactic doesn’t wor– oooh, look a shiny object! Sorry, I got distracted there for a moment. What I meant to say is that bundling merchandise with games only works if the tie-in is truly desirable. Sometimes, game companies get it right, but often, they get it horribly, horribly wrong.

Here are 5 PSP-related products that should have stayed on the drawing board:

1) Monster Hunter Potion

The Japanese are Crazy for Monster Hunter, and we could fill an entire post with all of the weird merchandise bearing the Monster Hunter logo. Perhaps the weirdest product of them all is this magic potion drink, which according to our Japan correspondent, allegedly tastes like “a cross between Mountain Dew, a handful of grass and the vinegar used to keep pickles.” If that can’t inspire to take on a 3-story tall wyvern, we don’t know what else to suggest.

2) Metal Gear Portable Ops Lapel Pins

We can just here the conversation at Konami HQ now: “Hey, big boss, do you know what the kids are really into these days? Lapel Pins.” In 2007, Konami released two special edition PSP bundles to celebrate the release of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Inexplicably, they decided that lapel pins were going to be the final straw that would case customers to cave and pay the premium bucks for the package. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the pins came bundled with a wicked camouflage PSP.

3) The Big Willy Unleashed Bobblehead

To hype their upcoming (now cancelled) PSP game, THQ thought that bobbleheads featuring the game’s main character would help pump the excitement level among fans of the series. These creepy effigies of Big Willy, which stand about 4 inches tall, are now collectors’ items, and are sure to fetch outrageous prices on Ebay in the year 2046.

4) Star Ocean: First Departure PSP Case

Looking as though it was made by combining a man-purse and a girl’s pencil case from the 1980s, this PSP bag was available in limited quantities in Japan. Star Ocean is already a pretty effeminate JRPG, with lots of cutesy avatars and big hair. We are not sure that people playing this game in public really want all the attention that this shiny silver purse would attract.

5) Loco Roco Soundtrack on CD

Just in case you aren’t able to get the bouncy soundtrack from Loco Roco out of your head, you can now carry the tunes with you anywhere you go, thanks to this Japanese audio CD. Due to the popularity of the first release, the company even put out a second, remix CD. To get a sense of what is in store for you if you manage to snag one of these gems, check out a streaming sample here:

Got a piece of video game swag you think should be in this list? Tell us about it in the PSP World forums!