S'right, fools, yesterday I picked up my PlayStation Portable. In the box was the system itself, a sweet "soft case" to store it in, a battery pack with charger, a sampler disc with video clips of several launch titles (as well as lots of movie trailers and songs, to show what the PSP can really do), a 32 MB Memory Stick (more than enough to store game saves and such), a set of headphones (these were pretty crappy), a carry strap (I decided to rebel and use my DS strap for this), and "Spider Man 2" on the UMD format.
For my launch titles, I went with the three that looked the most promising (to me) on the system. And I'm thrilled with all three of them.
The one I wanted most was WipEout Pure, which I was able to get for free. (NOTE: If you want to buy a PSP, do it at EB Games, where you can trade in three old GameCube, PS2, or Xbox games! It's a great deal.) I love fast-moving games, and this one is fantastic to play. It's far superior to the F-Zero games in many ways, one being that you get weapons in this game. This is definitely the best game for the PSP (so far).
Next up was Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade. Now, let it be known that RPGs have never been my favorite genre. In fact, I really do dislike the Final Fantasy games. But something shouted to me to get this game NOW. And so I did. I'm glad I listen to myself, because this game is friggin' fun as heck. There's so much to do, and each dungeon is completely different from the other. All the hacking and slashing you do is top notch.
The one that I was kinda nervous about was Metal gear Acid (rather, Metal Gear Ac!d, which is what it says on the box... kind of a joke for us Metal Gear fans). I knew I was gonna buy this, despite the fact that it was not really the Metal Gear that I know and love. It's a card-based game. And I cannot really get into strategy games. Not to mention that many early reviews were saying that the game was very, very difficult and mediocre. I hafta say right now that reviews are CRAP. I love the heck outta this game, and the card-based gameplay is fantastic. The story isn't as wonderful this time around as it has with the previous three PlayStation outings, and the plot has been one of the biggest things with the Metal Gear games. Nevertheless, I love this game. I can't stress this enough.
Now for the system's video capabilities. The system ships with "Spider Man 2" on the UMD format, and videophiles will be more than pleased with the results. The picture is sharp, and the frame rate is smooth as silk.
The audio sounds decent through the PSP's speakers, and even better through the headphones. The only real downside to watching video on the PSP is the fact that you're pretty much forced to hold it, unless you can find something to prop it up against. Other than that, it's tremendous.
The system also boasts the ability to play MP33 and video files when downloaded to the Memory Stick. Granted, 32MB isn't going to give you a whole lot of room for media files, but if you don't mind dropping the cash on a 1 or 2 GB stick, then you can have a miniature entertainment library at your disposal. I haven't bothered to encode a video file to the PSP format yet, but the MP3 quality is very nice. Throw in the ability to store digital pictures, and built-in wireless gameplay, and you've got yourself one heckuva a nice new toy. Eventually, when I have enough cash for the 2GB stick, I will buy it.
So... thoughts on my review?
