should i snag a PSP?

[sdedalus83]

FYI - scanlines and interlacing look a lot worse in pictures than they do when you're actually looking at the screen.

[tomoya-kun]

FYI - scanlines and interlacing look a lot worse in pictures than they do when you're actually looking at the screen.

The pics are zoomed up and exaggerate the issue a bit yes, but the issue exists none the less.  I hope Sony fixes it in some way.

[kenshin-dono]

tnx for the memory card info. So can i use any brand memory stick pro duo? or does it have to be a Sony one? because that link shows off brands.

Im really at a loss about this scanline issue. Most of you are confirming that its there, but some are saying the pics look exaggerated.. how exaggerated? Is it really something i would notice if im just playing with the game at a regular distance in my lap? I definitely notice scan lines when playing.. say Suikoden on my 32" trinitron on the PS1 with s-video. Im about 4 or 5 feet away from that. I would guess the PSP would be.. what about  2 1/2 - 3 feet from my face?

The bottom line is i really would rather not try to hunt down a psp 2000 if i dont have to but if this scanline issue is gonna make all my 2d games look horrible i may be better off doing just that.  I'll ask again if anyone knows any games where it would really stand out that i may be able to get them to pop in at gamestop.  Hell i wish Costco carried these. I think you can return anything there if you dont like it. I buy a psp 3000 anywhere else and dont like it and im boned. I really need some opinions here


*sigh* anyway thats a big issue but ive been getting info on a few forums and doing some research on games, so here we go, onto the games! Ive got a list here of what i want to get. Please help me lock in which ones are winners and which should go on the back burner or get dropped

Ive sort of organized them by:
High desire: I think these look cool, but could use some feedback on them and told if some are way off base or definatly belong there. ive added notes for the ones i was really unsure of

Medium desire: need feedback on most of these if they belong there or higher or lower on the list

low desire: are these maybe worth a look? definitely need feedback on these if theyre worth it at all.

This is a rough organization of them If you guys see any listed here that should get bumped up a notch or down let me know. Also, anything ive missed pleasedont hesitate to suggest more and what level it should be on

I also need to know what games have limited edition versions. The only one im sure of is Lunar.. does Valkyire profile or any others listed here have limited editions i should try to hunt down? hopefully someone knows. so heres the list

High desire:
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (pretty sure theres a special edition of this one, right?)
Knights in the Nightmare - remake of a DS game that got good reviews. anyone played this? plus i think you get a free copy of Yggdra union if you preorder or something. I actually dont know if its good the DS version just got good scores
legend of heroes
legend of heroes II
legend of heroes III
PoPoLoCrois - unique looking..got good reviews; is it good?
Final fantasy Tactics- The war of the Lions  - one of the best rpg stories out there, yay. Is there a limited edition? i mostly see the greatest hits out there
Tales of the world - A tales game, yay
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - Is there a special edition?
Crimsongem Saga (Astonishia Story 2 i think?) - I hear this is fun.. does it belong up here?
Dissidia Final Fantasy - looked kinda dumb to me but people rave about it
Final Fantasy VII - Crisis Core -same as above
Star Ocean: The First Departure - was there a limited edition for this?
Ys Seven - is this awesome? i think i heard of a limited edition for this one

Medium desire:
Tales of eternia.. any changes? is it even available? I dont see it available here but i see an English version. Maybe thats the European version? If so will that play fine in a US psp? I think someone mentioned you can play any regions game on a US psp, right?
Hexyz Force - Looks kinda interesting but dont see much info on it.. is it any good?
Half minute hero
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero
Disgaea afternoon of darkness - This i need feeback on for sure: is it worth it if i have the original?
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days -same question
Final fantasy I -confused.. some places have it listed as Final fantasy others FF anniversary edition. whats the diff? is there a limited edition, and is it called the anniversary edition?
Final fantasy II - same question as above
Breath of Fire III - any updates at all i think someone mentioned this was a straight port?
Star Ocean: The Second Evolution - any updates at all? or limited edition?
Generations of Chaos - i hear this is horribly convoluted but kinda fun once you get used to it. Should it be here or does it kinda suck?
Generation of Chaos  Aedis Eclipse  - same as above
Astonishia Story -heard it sucks but 2nd ones good? Is this one worth a look at all?
Kingdom of paradise - good reviews but looks generic
Wild ARMs xF - Crossfire - i like wild arms but this got mediocre reviews. Wild arms 5 wasn't taht good IMO. the gameplay was ok but storry was terrible
Disgaea Infinite - what is this? a graphic novel game?

Low desire::
Brave Story: New Traveler - an older one but got pretty good reviews.. is it worth a look? should it be higher on the list?
Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone -GBA remake i think.. maybe i should just get that version if i get a DS? mediocre review. plus i think theres a preorder bonus of this with Knights in nightmares
Dragoneer's Aria - bad reviews
Riviera: The Promised Land - DS remake i think
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - rated high but looks way cutesey and weird
spectral souls
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona - this is the only remake i DONT own. but am working on getting a copy of
Valhalla Knights - sub par reviews
Valhalla Knights 2 -same as above
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - not sure what this is i gotta look into it.. is it a remake of symphony of the night or somethign different?

oh and 1 non rpg:
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble

theres the list.. heres a couple extra bits and ends:

Due out soon and looks neat:
Z.H.P.
ClaDun this is an rpg!

anyone heard good things about those 2?

I also had some games that i really want and saw previews for but very little info.. are these games only avalible in japan?:
Tales of destiny 2
Tales of Phantasia - Full Voice Edition
Tales of Rebirth
Princess Crown

and Kurohyou: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinshou was mentioned by someone and looks AWESOME. is there ANY hope of that coming stateside?


there we have it. Hopefully i can get some advice on where these games should be on the list, and which ones really stand out. Or maybe some other good sugestions. I really would like to know what games have a special edition as well, if anyone knows. I apreaciate the help so far guys. Im almost there. After i get some feedback and lock this in i'll know which ones i'll be picking up sooner rather than later

[Temuthril]

tnx for the memory card info. So can i use any brand memory stick pro duo? or does it have to be a Sony one? because that link shows off brands.

Sandisk are supposedly faster and cheaper than Sony sticks.

Knights in the Nightmare - remake of a DS game that got good reviews. anyone played this? plus i think you get a free copy of Yggdra union if you preorder or something. I actually dont know if its good the DS version just got good scores

I've played the DS version, it's pretty fun. Good value too since you're getting Yggdra as well.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - Is there a special edition?

No, as far as I know.

Ys Seven - is this awesome? i think i heard of a limited edition for this one

Yes, there is.

Tales of eternia.. any changes? is it even available? I dont see it available here but i see an English version. Maybe thats the European version? If so will that play fine in a US psp? I think someone mentioned you can play any regions game on a US psp, right?

Yes, PSP is region free (except for a single game, Battle Zone or something).

Disgaea Infinite - what is this? a graphic novel game?

A visual novel, yes.

Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone -GBA remake i think.. maybe i should just get that version if i get a DS? mediocre review. plus i think theres a preorder bonus of this with Knights in nightmares

The PSP version is supposedly the best one.

Riviera: The Promised Land - DS remake i think

GBA remake, but same situation as above as far as I know.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - not sure what this is i gotta look into it.. is it a remake of symphony of the night or somethign different?

Remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. You can unlock Symphony of the Night (with new english voice acting and dual audio) and the original Rondo of Blood in it.

I also had some games that i really want and saw previews for but very little info.. are these games only avalible in japan?:

GameFAQs is a pretty good source for release info.

[kenshin-dono]

tnx Tem. So sounds like i can use any brand then without problems? Very sweet that psp games are region free.. question though. Will they still be able to output to the TV even if its a European or Japanese game?

since it sounds like Knights in the Nightmare is a pretty good game i was wondering if anyone knew if you only get the bonus game as a preorder or if its included with every copy. Id rather wait instead of preordering now since i wont be getting the system untill about november

So does anyone know if anything other than Y's 7 and Lunar have a special edition? Those are the ones i should prioritize in getting. I was also wondering if anyone could chime in on the order of some of theese. Especially if the ones in the low desire section are even worth it or if some of them are stinkers and should be avoided

Im still really concerneda bout the interlacing issues on this. I gotta try to test it out in a store if at all possible. I also heard the colors are screwed up in a some older games because of the wide color space option the system now uses. I've seen that option on a lot of TV's and it works great for a lot of stuff. But makes some stuff look unatural. It seems this is the same case with the psp as seen by the MGS picture here:
http://gear.ign.com/articles/923/923225p1.html

Is there an option in the menu to turn the wide color space option OFF? I would really hope so. Ive never seen a TV that has that on all the time by default. Brighter colors can pop more and look better on a lot of 2d material, but they tend to be way less accurate.

oh and i stumbled across a few other games:
YS I&II chronicles
YS: the oath in Felghana
Adventures to Go!

and not rpgs but Patapon and Locoroco looked kinda fun and cheap. And i was wondering if MGS peacewalker is any good. Those were just about the only non rpg ones i was eyeballing

i also saw a preview for Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Any idea if thats coming to the US?

[sdedalus83]

Dude, seriously.  People have bitched at you enough about this in the past, but grow some balls, throw caution to the wind, and get the fuck out there to find out for yourself.  Go to a used game store and test a couple of PSPs.  Check the publisher's website to see if they offered multiple editions.  Mod the PSP you get so you can download and play games to see if you want to pay for them.

This isn't an "Everybody else did it, so you can too." kind of complaint.  Way too many of your questions are dependent on how you will personally feel about a game or a hardware issue, and they aren't questions we can reliably answer.

[kenshin-dono]

'throwing caution to the wind' when im dropping 200 bucks on a system is a pretty stupid idea. checking out an anime series is a lot different than dropping 200 dollars on a fucking game system. I dont think asking the opinions of people who have spent the money on it is too much to ask.

I tried going into the local gamestop and they didn't have any 3000s to test. I'll try the one in the next town, but even if they have any theres no guarentee they'll have a used copy of Metal slug, or disgaea or something that would show the interlacing issue well. Asking questions about the interlacing issue (which seems to actually be a problem from a few peoples comments here and im glad i asked), and about the color space option somewhere where people who actually have used the system can check seems like a good idea. The sony psp website doesn't say a damn thing about menu options or color space, ect

Also asking peoples opinions on games in a gaming forum doesn't seem too out of line. If you dont want to contribute then you can kindly just shut up instead of bitching

[tomoya-kun]

Dude, seriously.  People have bitched at you enough about this in the past, but grow some balls, throw caution to the wind, and get the fuck out there to find out for yourself.  Go to a used game store and test a couple of PSPs.  Check the publisher's website to see if they offered multiple editions.  Mod the PSP you get so you can download and play games to see if you want to pay for them.

This isn't an "Everybody else did it, so you can too." kind of complaint.  Way too many of your questions are dependent on how you will personally feel about a game or a hardware issue, and they aren't questions we can reliably answer.

It's good for him to post stuff, some of us may be able to help.

[Temuthril]

About the region free stuff: UMDs are region free, but you can only have one PSN account activated at a time.

I also heard the colors are screwed up in a some older games because of the wide color space option the system now uses.

You can disable it in the options and use the old color space if you want.

I wouldn't worry about the interlacing. I've got 3k and it looks good to me, but then again, I don't have a 2k to compare it with. Try GameFAQs or some other gaming forums for more info.

[tomoya-kun]

Really, if you don't have both you probably wont notice interlacing

[DaggerLite]

About the region free stuff: UMDs are region free, but you can only have one PSN account activated at a time.

UMD games are region free. UMD movies are not (but really, who gets UMD movies...). You can swap back and forth between PSN accounts as you wish, as long as you can connect to the account you want to activate. I don't really understand the point of this, but as long as they don't block the swapping off completely I won't complain.

[jarius]

me personally i am thinking about waiting till the PSP2 is released since the dev kits are already out to companies so hopefully they will deliver the goods in 2011 as promised but eh it is sony.

[kenshin-dono]

tns so much Temuthril, thats just hat i wanted to know. If you can disable the wide color space then thats the best of both worlds. The brighter saturated colors for most of the 2d gaming, and then the more natural color space for realistic looking games so they dont look all weird.

what are you guys talking about PSN account for though? Can you not play a European or japanese game if your signed in with your US PSN id or something? If not then how do you work around that?

I would just wait for a psp2 and get a psp cheap, but i kinda want one now before some of the older rpgs get impossible to get. especially the limited editions. Plus my b-day is in november so i'll probably treat myself to one then =P

[DaggerLite]

what are you guys talking about PSN account for though? Can you not play a European or japanese game if your signed in with your US PSN id or something? If not then how do you work around that?

It may be due to regional licensing, but there are different PSN regions. Japan (gets all the stuff first), US (gets the more popular stuff), European (gets almost nothing).

You can make an account for all regions without any big issues, but you will need to use a proper (but fake) address to register, as well as separate emails for each of them. Since your credit card address should match your home address, you can't use it for games in other regions, and you'll need to get pre-paid card codes (from sites like Ebay) to fill your online wallet. The last issue is that whenever you want to play anything you've downloaded, your PSP must have the correct account active, and you need to connect to PSN and login to set your active account. It's a sort of DRM system.

[Temuthril]

My credit card used to work in the US PSN store (I'm Finnish) last year, but does not anymore. They probably changed something. Sony apparently does not want my money.

[tomoya-kun]

what are you guys talking about PSN account for though? Can you not play a European or japanese game if your signed in with your US PSN id or something? If not then how do you work around that?

It may be due to regional licensing, but there are different PSN regions. Japan (gets all the stuff first), US (gets the more popular stuff), European (gets almost nothing).

You can make an account for all regions without any big issues, but you will need to use a proper (but fake) address to register, as well as separate emails for each of them. Since your credit card address should match your home address, you can't use it for games in other regions, and you'll need to get pre-paid card codes (from sites like Ebay) to fill your online wallet. The last issue is that whenever you want to play anything you've downloaded, your PSP must have the correct account active, and you need to connect to PSN and login to set your active account. It's a sort of DRM system.

Switching account is a pain and I can't do it without internet, so I just buy UMDs.  It ends up taking less of my time.

[kenshin-dono]

So im a bit confused.. if im just going to play the UMD do i have to worrry about having a PSN account for that region? I.e. if i buy Breath of fire III (i think thats Europe only) and play it do i have to be logged into a european PSN account to play it or not? Or are you guys claiming i only need to do that for downloaded games?

I just want to be able to play games i import from Japan or maybe Europe on the PSP.. can i do that, or does it require some PSN id finagling?

[machray]

I enjoy my psp still, you'll want to check out persona 3. I like to put anime on it too.

[TorturdChaos]

I don't really play my PSP much.  I beat Valkyrie Profile on it (Loved the PS version so much, was very happy when they released a PSP version, since its so hard to find the orginal one for the PS).   And I beat FF7: Crisis Core on it.  Other than that I haven't played it much.  I have God of War, but got stuck and bored.  Also have newest Monster Hunter for it, but get bored really fast unless playing with friends . 
So I don't think I have even powered on my PSP in over a month, just don't use it that much ./sigh
I've also been very broke and unable to afford new games for it

[Soulreaper77]

If you're going to buy a PSP then be sure to hack it. Playing off the memory card is a huge reduce on loading times + it saves your laser.
Also why don't I see Kingdom Hearts: Birth by sleep in your list xD It's an awesome game!
Tales of Eternia is also a must play and maybe Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, didn't play this one myself but it's a tales of so it must be good xD
FF Tactics was awesome. I loved the GBA version and I loved the PSP version.
Crisis core was good imo, not great but enjoyable nonetheless.

Let me clear this up for you: PSP is region free. Which means that games out of all regions be it USA, EUR or JPN can be played on any system. So a EUR PSP would be able to play a JPN and an USA game + EUR games of course. Also you will never have to be logged into your PSN account if you have the UMD (that's why it's Playstation Portable xD) and playing of the memory card isn't possible if you have a OFW (official firmware) installed on it except on the PSP Go, which you shouldn't buy. The only time you should worry about PSN is when the game has DLC (downloadable content) which no PSP game has AFAIK. But just hack it and you will have 0 worries.