PSP World

Opinion: PSP needs more 'portable' games

Before I delve into this argument, I want you to understand a couple things: I like the PSP, and I like the DS. I write about both the DS and PSP, as well as the PS3, the Xbox 360, and the Wii, and I plan on owning all of them at some point.

This summer, I finally purchased a shiny new DS lite. I probably would have purchased a DS before, but I am very design-conscious, and the original DS design was absolutely repulsive to me. That said, even after the "new toy" lust wore off the DS lite, I still find myself playing way more of it than I do the PSP, even though I currently own only two DS games, both of which have the word "Mario" in the title.

I've been thinking more and more about the reasons why I am drawn to the DS over the PSP, and have even begun re-visiting some of my older PSP titles looking for answers. As I was doing so, a revelation hit me: all of the older PSP games that I hadn't finished, I was unable to pick back up and have any clue what was going on. With the exception of Liberty City Stories and a handful of puzzle games, I had literally forgotten what was going on plot-wise and what I was expected to do next. While this may seem to be completely irrelevant to this discussion, I think it is a central point in the PSP v. DS debate.

Every DS game I have played, I have been able to immediately jump into. This includes demo games in stores, games I have borrowed from friends, and the aforementioned Mario titles. This, to me, is an important distinction. Games that we play on-the-go, we sometimes have time for and sometimes don't. As the PSP heads in to this crucial holiday season, I wonder about the state of upcoming titles, and how many of them aspire to be portable console-type games as opposed to portable games designed for a portable system.

Just because you can put Oblivion on a handheld doesn't mean you should.

Modern console games are expected to provide hours and hours of entertainment, and often have intricate plots that rival major Hollywood productions. However, these games are meant to be played (preferably) on large screens in the comfort of your home. You aren't meant to miss a crucial cutscene because some asshat next to you won't quit talking on his cellphone. Yet time after time, companies seem to be trying to bring the entire console experience to the PSP, when it simply doesn't translate to the portable arena.

It's possible that Nintendo has been so successful in their portable gaming endeavors because of simplicity. You don't need to worry about what mission you are on or what character you need to go meet when you turn on a game like Mario. You go to Level 2-3, or whatever, and you play. That's it. When you're done, you save, and you turn it off. Whether a day or a month goes by until the next time you play, it doesn't matter: you will get the same enjoyment out of it then as you did when you last played it.

The PSP needs more titles like this. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is still the PSP's best selling title, despite that fact that the game was rated "M for Mature" and therefore excludes a large part of the PSP's audience. Obviously part of that stems from the brand equity the name "Grand Theft Auto" brings to the table, but I also believe it is partially due to the fact that this title, more than any other I can think of, gets the idea of pick-up-and-play. The mission-based dynamic is perfect for a portable platform, even if this particular plot can get away from you if you take some time away from the game — then again, who really needs a plot-driven excuse to mow down thugs with a machine gun?

Despite all the doomsday-type discussion currently revolving around the PSP, both it and the DS are relatively young systems. There is room for both of them in the marketplace, and the PSP can still end its run as a success — but for this to happen, more developers need to realize that the PSP, while a graphical powerhouse, is still a portable system. It needs more portable games, not ports of console titles. Even with the quality of some of the console titles currently being ported over, the reality of the situation is that the best games on the PSP: Lumines, GTA:LCS, etc., were designed as portable games — and I don't think that's a coincidence.

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