Summary
ThePlayStation Portableis one of the mostpopular and beloved consoles of all time. It was an instant hit upon launch, featuring a wealth of excellent titles that players still remember fondly to this day. The fact that this handheld console managed to be a success despite facing competition from the king of handheld gaming, Nintendo, speaks volumes when it comes to just how impressive this console’s sales numbers really were.
It’s a shame that the PlayStation Vita never reached these heights of success, although some people point the finger at Sony for focusing solely on their home consoles and not giving this console the support it deserved. After all,the PSP was littered with numerous amazing games, with the titles listed below being particularly notable for still having an impressive level of graphical fidelity to this day.
Updated on June 19th, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra:The PlayStation Portable is one of the best handheld video game consoles of its era, and it’s a shame that the PlayStation never really bothered to develop more portable consoles after the failure of the PlayStation Vita. The PSP featured a massive library of amazing games that players absolutely loved, with these titles doing a great job of working around the hardware limitations of the console. In fact, some of the best PSP games have aged surprisingly well, with their graphics being more than palatable to this day, and a few more of those games are now included on this list in its latest update.
Most people would argue that a true horror game doesn’t give players any way to defend themselves against the monsters or psychos pursuing them. This is precisely why so many people loveSilent Hill:Shattered Memoriesdespite its many problems, because the game’s unique storytelling approach, along with a clever retelling of the first game’s narrative, make for a great time.
The game was initially released on the Wii before being ported to the PSP. Sure, the graphics had to be reduced in quality to make it run on the portable console’s hardware, but the game still looks gorgeous and is one of the better looking games on the PlayStation Portable that fans will love even now.
TheKillzoneseries doesn’t really get a lot of time in the limelight anymore, and fans can only hope that Sony gives this title the comeback it deserves. While the majority of titles in this series are first-person shooters, this PSP entry went a different route with a third-person perspective instead. The graphical fidelity of this title was one aspect that was praised to the roof, and it still holds up.
The visuals are great all on their own. Meanwhile, the gameplay makes the most of the PSP’s control scheme to let players tackle some tense missions as they save hostages and gather intel while fighting artificially enhanced soldiers known as the Helghast. It’s easily one of the best PlayStation Portable games players can check out, third-person shooter or otherwise, and it does almost everything right without any major flaws standing out.
With thePrince of Persiamovie coming out in 2010, Ubisoft decided to cash in on its hype by releasing the first game in the main series for many years.Assassin’s Creedhad taken over from the ashes of the series, butForgotten Sandspromised to bring the Prince back to the realm of relevancy once again. Unfortunately, the rather uninspired nature of this game on main consoles led to most people forgetting about a title that didn’t really leave a lasting impact on fans.
However,the version of this title on the PSPwas a gem that fans absolutely loved. The 2.5D sidescroller was a blast to play through and allowed players to utilize all of the Prince’s signature tricks in a game that was easily one of the PSP’s most underrated gems that deserved more time in the spotlight, with its visuals still looking pretty decent to this day.
12The Godfather: Mob Wars
Become A Gangster In This Iconic Franchise With Some Amazing Graphics To Boot
Most people aren’t aware thatthere’s a game based onThe Godfatheron the PSP. The Godfatheris a game that fans of titles with boundless crime should definitely check out, mainly because of how fun this game is despite seeming like a cash grab with an established IP’s name slapped on it.
The game was originally released on major consoles, with the PSP re-release coming soon after. While it lacks the open-world element from the parent release,The Godfather: Mob Warsis a great accompaniment to the movie and allows players to live out the fantasy of being a gangster in this universe while working for the Corleone family.
The 3DGTAgames released on the PSP were pretty great in their own right, allowing players to roam around familiar locales while experiencing completely new stories. Two games were released that adopted this format, with bothLiberty City StoriesandVice City Storiesdoing a great job of letting players enjoy a full-fledgedGTAgame on a portable console.
Vice City Storiesis considered by many to be the superior title, and understandably so. The game’s rendition of Miami feels as fresh as ever, and players will have a great time mowing down their enemies as Vic Vance.
The recent ground-up remaster ofCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7has been nothing short of incredible. However, while this glow-up has been received fairly well, there’s no denying that the look of the originalCrisis Corewas also pretty great in its own right.
This prequel took a look at Zack’s adventures as a member of SOLDIER before his untimely death. It looked gorgeous on the PSP, and fans are glad that this game has been remastered with modern and updated controls for modern consoles.
Persona 3was the game that catapulted the popularity of this series to the stratosphere. However, Atlus believed that this series had way more potential anddecided to re-release an updated version of the game on the PSP.
The end result wasPersona 3 Portable, a game that made the most of the PSP’s limited hardware and has finally been ported over to modern consoles. The game adopts a visual novel aesthetic to make up for the PSP’s lack of power and looks pretty gorgeous regardless, with the addition of a new protagonist being welcomed by the fanbase.
Final Fantasy Tacticsis one of the greatest tactical role-playing games of all time. So, it’s only a given that an updated version of this game would turn some heads.
The 2D art style has aged like a fine wine and still looks amazing today, with the tight gameplay still holding up quite well. All in all,Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lionsis probably the bestFinal Fantasyspin-off around that fans should definitely check out.
7Lumines 2
A Flashy Art Style That Makes This Puzzle Game A Visual Treat For The Ages
The idea of a matching puzzle game making this list sounds downright ridiculous, but it’s the amazing set dressing around this title that makes it such a blast to play through. The firstLuminesgame was a joy to play through, with its outpouring of colors and music making for a great time.
Lumines 2expands on this concept even more, adding a ton of content into the mix to make any fan of the title enjoy their time with the game. The music choices may not be up everyone’s alley, butmost players who get lost in this amazing celebration of sound and visualswon’t mind it at all!
Anothertactical JRPGmakes its way on the list in the form ofJeanne d’Arc. The title combines real-life historical figures and a fantasy setting to great effect. It helps that the 2D art style of this game is timeless and still looks amazing even today.
Many veterans of tactical JRPGs consider this game to be one of the most underappreciated games in the entire genre and one that more people need to check out.
