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PSP/VITA ENTHUSIASTS ASSEMBLE! Let's list all of the must-own/play Sony handheld content

aceldama

Member
Jun 8, 2019
518
The PS3 has it's excellent enthusiasts thread but inexplicably the greatest and second greatest handhelds of all time don't. What gives? Is Jim Ryan a mod or something?

With the recent news/rumour of the digital store front being shut down I thought it would be a good idea to kick things off by highlighting some games that are both exclusive to Sony handhelds and digital only (or have a very short/hard to find press run):

TxK
iu

A spiritual successor to [redacted] made by the original developer that was so good that the owners of the IP sued to keep it off other platforms. The colours of TxK look great on the OLED screen and the gameplay is a great fit for portable play.

Muramasa Rebirth DLC
iu

There was a thread on here the other day begging for the WIi version to be ported to modern platforms. As if people are somehow unaware that the definitive version of this game is already on a modern(ish) platform with a bucketload of exclusive DLC.

Motorstorm RC
iu

This one will go down in history as the last new arcade racer Sony ever made.

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines
iu

The last first party published Vita game (I think) so naturally there was no physical release in the west because Sony hd already given up. This is a JRPG with unique gameplay ideas and a beautiful, Vita OLED suited, aesthetic.

LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
iu

Being the 3rd best LocoRoco game is nothing to be sniffed at.

WipEout Pure Omega Pack DLC


From the earliest days of console DLC (before PSN even existed) WipEout Pure had a load of content packs which the devs used as an opportunity to explore some really cool and out there ideas which were then given away for free on the game's website. A real relic of a bygone age, by the time the sequel came out DLC was paid (still controversial at the time) and looked suspiciously like bog standard content cut out of the base game. Much more modern.
 
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sir_crocodile

sir_crocodile

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,511
Half Minute Hero is one of the best games ever made. Kind of an oddball arcadish rpg and easily the best game on the platform.

Other faves:

Hexyz Force : Fun rpg where you can FAST FORWARD battles. every rpg should have this.
Jeanne D'Arc
Kenka Bancho Badass Rumble
Dariusburst
Wild Arms XF
R-Type Tactics
Growlanser : Wayfarer of Time - fun battle system, branching decisions, does have waifus though
Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles
Megaman Powered Up
Megaman X Maverick Hunter
Ys Seven
Ys I & II
Ys Oath in Felgana
Ys Ark of Napishtim - (Only if you have CFW & can rip to & run off memory stick, umd version has abysmal load times - I never used psn so no knowledge as to whether there's an official digital version without terrible load times - or indeed if you can even still download to a psp)
Star Ocean: First Departure
Star Ocean: Second Evolution (although new portraits are blergh)

Loved my PSP so much, bought well over 100 games for it. I never really had close to the fondness for the Vita though. It was meh.
 
Eoin

Eoin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,103
There's so many. Going to try to limit my recommendations to games that are still available on the PlayStation Store as of now (in Europe - I've no intention of checking every single region).

Starting off with:

Patchwork Heroes, a weird PSP game that is probably best described as Qix in the sky, as you rescue people from giant aerial battleships, which you also slowly cut to pieces:




Final Fantasy V is worth mentioning. It's not trapped on PSP, by any means, but the only digital storefronts currently selling it now are on PC (Steam), mobile (iOS, Android) and the PlayStation Store (PS3, PSP, Vita). Square Enix will probably release this again on console at some stage, in some form, but until then, the PlayStation Store is the only remaining option for buying this game on a console.

Another game not trapped on PSP but worth mentioning is Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max. This is the version of SFA3 with the most content. It's widely available elsewhere, but generally in a form that closely matches the arcade original. The PSP version includes the new characters from the GBA, a new character of its own (Ingrid), the World Tour mode, and a few additional changes. It plays brilliantly on the Vita with its d-pad, though one thing to bear in mind is that SFA3 is old enough that when it tries to create an initial save file, it checks how much space is available, and if the system says that more than 1GB is free, SFA3 refuses to believe such an impossibility and won't save. You may therefore need to reduce the amount of free space on your Vita to <1GB before it lets you save for the first time (this is a one-time problem and doesn't affect future saves).

The original post already mentions Motorstorm RC, but for a more traditional Motorstorm experience, there is Motorstorm: Arctic Edge. This PSP game is a surprisingly close companion to the PS3 games, including many of the typical Motorstorm gameplay beats (boosts with overheating, multiple routes with high levels of verticality, multiple vehicle types on track simultaneously, etc). It's also available on disc on PS2.




There are two Earth Defense Force games on Vita, and both of them are pretty good. They're also the only traditional EDF experiences that are available on handheld (EDF World Brothers is on Switch and will be available worldwide some time in 2021, but is a bit of a sideways shift for the series). On Vita there is EDF 2017 Portable and EDF 2: Invaders from Planet Space. EDF 2017 is pretty much the Xbox 360 version of EDF 2017 but with some additional levels and - most notably - the addition of the Pale Wing character who offers a new set of weapons and the ability to fly. EDF 2 is a remake of Global Defense Force and this is the only time this game has been available in Europe (or anywhere outside Japan).

edf-2017-vita1.jpg
2015-12-07-234210-noscale.jpg


There's a bunch of Capcom collections on PSP, and actually they're all kind of decent value nowadays assuming you're okay with the fact that you need to play them on PSP/Vita/PS TV. One of them that might pass some people by and therefore is worth mentioning is Capcom Puzzle World. This is a compilation of puzzle games that has Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and also some other games that - through no fault of their own - are not ever going to get booted because every time you run this game you'll have the chance to play Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo instead of them.

The Vita launched with Touch My Katamari, and it is, sadly, not great. It wasn't even the best grab-small-things-to-get-bigger game in the Vita's launch line-up (that was Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack), but what it was, and still is, is the newest game in the Katamari Damacy series, with the versions available on Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One being re-releases of the original. It's not fully new (stages and graphics will seem very familiar to lots of players), but somehow it's still the Katamari game with the most content, on any digital storefront. It's strange to recommend this, because it can be a regularly frustrating and capricious experience, but it's not like Katamari fans have a huge amount of other options, and this is one of the more easily purchasable ones.




God of War has several handheld entries. There's two on PSP in the form of God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. These are both available on PS3 as well, and the PS3 versions obviously look a lot better, but the portable ones are cheaper (and aren't exactly graphically poor - they're among the most impressive games on PSP). The Vita has God of War: Collection, which includes the first two games (and which is cross-buy with the PS3 version of the same Collection), but the Vita version of the collection is pretty poor (like, framerate-in-the-twenties poor) so the PSP games are much the better choice.

5a0e94fbc4120e9043a4262f4df64798a6ffd387-97426.jpg
 
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kurahador

kurahador

Member
Oct 28, 2017
17,577
Dissidia Duodecim 012+Prologue DLC ----- it includes the first game
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Wild Arms 1 & 2
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman
 
NewDust

NewDust

Visited by Knack
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,604
Murasaki Baby


Frobishers Says!


Both games make full use of the Vita's capabilities and are true exclusive
 
VanWinkle

VanWinkle

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,096
Hard to think of games that were great AND never ported to other platforms. Vita's got tons of great games, but most of the good ones are on other consoles.
 
Hong Kong Hermit

Hong Kong Hermit

Member
Nov 2, 2017
592
Uncharted: Golden Abyss is absolutely a deserved entry in the franchise. The "Fight for Freedom" card game spin off is oddly compelling too.

Killzone Mercenary was the first great FPS on a handheld, and the best Killzone game.

Going back to PSP, GTA Vice City Stories is the best 3D GTA game ever made. Yes, still true in 2021. Chinatown Wars is even better, but the PSP version is probably the worst platform to play it on, though it's worth playing in any format.
 
Dinoegg_96

Dinoegg_96

Avenger
Nov 26, 2017
2,023
Soul Sacrifice Delta. One of Vita's best games and will probably remain an exclusive. While one of its main selling points was multiplayer, it's still a great solo game.

Edit: I haven't played it yet, but Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen would be another digital only game to look out for.
 
Exile In Mudville

Exile In Mudville

Member
May 10, 2019
677
Freedom-Wars

Probably one of the best Action RPGs of the last 10 years and the fact that it never got an HD port is a goddamned travesty.

Even better than that though....
tokyo-jungle---button-fin-1550186955755.jpg

Yeah this was the last perfect Sony game, fight me world. (Yes I know PS3/PSNow but it feels so much more natural as a portable game. Also fuck the cloud.)
 
Koeing

Koeing

Member
Nov 8, 2018
283
Soul Sacrifice Delta, Killzone Mercenary, and Freedom Wars are probably the best exclusives that never made it off the system.
 
Pancakes R Us

Pancakes R Us

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,350
Eoin said:
Another game not trapped on PSP but worth mentioning is Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max. This is the version of SFA3 with the most content. It's widely available elsewhere, but generally in a form that closely matches the arcade original. The PSP version includes the new characters from the GBA, a new character of its own (Ingrid), the World Tour mode, and a few additional changes. It plays brilliantly on the Vita with its d-pad, though one thing to bear in mind is that SFA3 is old enough that when it tries to create an initial save file, it checks how much space is available, and if the system says that more than 1GB is free, SFA3 refuses to believe such an impossibility and won't save. You may therefore need to reduce the amount of free space on your Vita to <1GB before it lets you save for the first time (this is a one-time problem and doesn't affect future saves).
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Oh man, I had no idea about this 1GB glitch. I have Alpha 3 Max on my PSP Go but not on my Vita. I can download it from the PSN store, but my Vita is on hacked. Anyone know what the deal is with hacked systems, can you access the store and buy/download stuff?
 
Hoot

Hoot

Member
Nov 12, 2017
2,111
I always wanna go back to Delta, it's such a fucking good game which got ton of love in its design, music and setting.

As for titles i've played a shitload although they aren't necessarily exclusives; but Spelunky, Muramasa Rebirth and Killzone are must have on the console. Also Downwell
 
Filth_Flannigan

Filth_Flannigan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,027
The Lumines games on either PSP or Vita are some of the best quick reflex somewhat Tetris-y puzzle games you will ever play.

I put more time into Lumines on both PSP and Vita than probably any other game.
 
Cengizhan

Cengizhan

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 29, 2017
234
The Netherlands
I'm mainly interested in games that are 'stuck' on the system and are not easily available elsewhere. Some games in the European store that piqued my interest:

PSP:
  • Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
  • Daxter
  • Final Fantasy IV: Complete Edition
    • A 3D edition of this game is on Steam, I believe.
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta
    • Remasters available on PlayStation 3 as well, but the faith of that store is unknown as well.
  • Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
    • Also available on Nintendo DS, iOS and Android. No idea if the game can be played on the latest version of Android and iOS OS's.
  • GTA: Liberty City Stories
    • It's available on the PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation 2 catalog as well.
  • Jak and Dexter: The Lost Frontier
    • Released on the PlayStation 2 as well, but not on the PlayStation 3 store.
  • All LocoRoco games
    • The original has been remastered for the PlayStation 4 as well.
  • Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
  • Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
  • Persona 1, 2 and 3
  • Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
  • Sonic Rivals
  • Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
  • The Eye of Judgment Legends

I'll update this list later with PS one Classics and PlayStation Vita games. I'll update my list with suggestions as well.
 
8bit

8bit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,390
Lumines Vita has the best music of any version, a shame it's locked to the platform.

TxK
 
MadMike

MadMike

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,436
Oooh. Perfect timing. I just jumped back into the Vita scene about a week ago. Bought one at launch, and eventually sold it, but was missing it a bit with the 10 year anniversary looming. Trying to expand my gaming horizons looking for some deep cuts that aren't the usual recommendations (P4G, Killzone, etc.).
 

Chakoo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,842
Toronto, Canada
I'm currently enjoying my play through of the Yakuza black panther games on PSP. It's a shame the 2 yakuza apps on vita are just mini games or side stuff.
 
Yasumi

Yasumi

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,575
MonsterBag was far more Evangelion than I expected and it's kind of great.

Dunge*n Trave*lers 2 is also the most I've enjoyed a DRPG mechanically, and I'm really not a fan of DRPGs.

Rose in the Twilight is also *very* good.
 
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HouseDragon

HouseDragon

Member
Dec 4, 2017
546
Some of my favorite sagas got a great treatment on both consoles, as I loved all the Metal Gear Solid games on both platforms, especially Portable Ops + and the HD Remasters and I also got my introduction to the Persona series by playing P3P and then awaiting eagerly for the P4G release on the Vita, both of them were amazing.

Also, I probably had one of my greatest gaming experiences by getting hooked on Monster Hunter Portable on the PSP. What a fresh combat, world and progression, my thirteen year old mind could barely handle all the adrenaline from trying to solo every quest.

On the Vita
  • Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 was an amazing port of my all time favorite fighter, it was mind blowing to have basically the same console experience on the go.
  • Killzone: Mercenary proved that portable FPS' could be just as good as a console experience.
  • Tearaway was just WONDERFUL
  • Visual Novels THRIVED on this system, with the mind bending Virtue's Last Reward and the Danganronpa trilogy
  • I got my introduction to many defining indies on there too, like Binding of Isaac, Hotline Miami and Darkest Dungeon
I could go on and on, but bottom line is that I loved both of those handhelds and I think Sony should've pushed the Vita a lot more, they had some amazing tech in that piece of hardware. Just wasted potential in how it ended up, but at least it gave some great experiences!
 
oni-link

oni-link

tag reference no one gets
Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,040
UK
Punching myself for not getting P3P when it was on sale for a tenner a few years ago

I got FES on PS3 for 3 quid, so I have played the game, but wanted to play portable at some point in the future for the female MC and the stuff they added
 
Staal

Staal

Member
Oct 27, 2017
443
Spelunky!

Played that game for all the years it has been on the Vita, absolutely fantastic.

Guacemelee 1&2 are also very good.
Both Rayman games were fantastic on Vita as well.
 
werezompire

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,402
Elshoelace said:
Tell me more about Wild Arms XF, just looked it up, looks cool, but reviews seem mixed and say it can be rather grueling. Still interested if its fun tho
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The job system is a bit different in that switching to a job starts you off with everything except the ultimate passive on a job. Gaining job LVs allows you to use those abilities/passives on OTHER jobs. Combined with the fact that stages have a lot more variety in setup & goals than your average SRPG (for example, there's stealth missions), it can feel like the early stages of the game are almost like a puzzle where things can be noticeably easier or harder depending on which jobs you pick. So as long as you're willing to be flexible early on, you should be fine. Of course, later you can create super-powerful characters by mixing and matching different jobs together and not worry about job swapping to match the stage.

It's only $10 on the PSN (at least until they shut down the PSP shop) so it's well worth giving a shot to see if it clicks with you. Also, like every Wild Arms game, the soundtrack is killer.
 
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shadowman16

shadowman16

Member
Oct 25, 2017
32,046
I'll type up a better list later - but the two PSP games I adore that dont get enough exposure (even within the community) are Kurohyou 1&2 - Yakuza spinoff games starring a delinquant by the name of Tatsuya. First game has him fighting for his life in a brutal arena tournament, the second has him stepping up with a team of like minded fighters to stop a group from Sotenbori from taking over Kamurocho.

Both games play like full fledged Yakuza games. Mini games? In, with several new ones (part time jobs, actual new gambling games, Majirock at the Karaoke place), side stories? Tons, and each game has its own unique secret boss that takes the best part of an hour to beat both (neither are Amon either, the only two games in the series that dont feature him), combat? Imagine Def Jam Fight for New York with heat moves - because that's exactly what it is (same devs that worked on DJFFNY worked on the PSP Yakuza combat), stories use excellent animated comic book scenes (think PSP Metal Gear games - same studio did the art for both), amazing music, 60FPS combat (notable because so many Yakuza games at the time on consoles were (barely) 30FPS). All on one UMD disc! The second game is huge in that regard, so much content, two cities, loads of new mini games and an even bigger story. Only negative on the games are the load times, which unfortunately aren't great when going into fights.
 
tiza blanca

tiza blanca

Member
May 9, 2020
616
Lumines 1, 2 and Vita are definitely the essential games to have on the platform.
I remember buying it with PSP when it launched back in 2005 without knowing anything about the game other than that it was a puzzler similar to Tetris and I ended up completely enchanted by it.

It's a shame that Lumines Remastered only has the first Lumines' stages in it rather than being the definitive edition that includes every stage from every Lumines games. (I understand it wouldn't have been very feasible due to licensed tracks but still.)
 
Elshoelace

Elshoelace

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,375
werezompire said:
The job system is a bit different in that switching to a job starts you off with everything except the ultimate passive on a job. Gaining job LVs allows you to use those abilities/passives on OTHER jobs. Combined with the fact that stages have a lot more variety in setup & goals than your average SRPG (for example, there's stealth missions), it can feel like the early stages of the game are almost like a puzzle where things can be noticeably easier or harder depending on which jobs you pick. So as long as you're willing to be flexible early on, you should be fine. Of course, later you can create super-powerful characters by mixing and matching different jobs together and not worry about job swapping to match the stage.

It's only $10 on the PSN (at least until they shut down the PSP shop) so it's well worth giving a shot to see if it clicks with you. Also, like every Wild Arms game, the soundtrack is killer.
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Thanks! Seems like it has some interesting systems, plus having diversity in objectives aside from route the enemy is always a plus. Think ill give it a shot.
 
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