The PlayStation Portable is a portable console that gave gamers a plethora of high-quality games and experiences which rivaled the the Nintendo DS lineup of handhelds. In the mid-2000s, handhelds offered an excellent gaming experience which has only improved over the console generations.
By the time the light was extinguished on the PSP over a decade after release, the console had gone through four iterations and was home to over 1000 games. The PSP offers an incredibly diverse collection of games. While some have continued to be experienced throughout console generations, some games have sadly been forgotten.
10 Mega Man Powered Up Is A Remake Of The Classic Release
Mega Man is one of the most recognizable characters and IPs in the gaming world. With the original game in the series released in 1987, a remake introduced newcomers to the franchise. Mega Man Powered Up is a reimagining of the classic game with changes to support a few decades of gaming improvements and the handheld design of the PSP.
Gamers can experience the pioneering game in the series with the inclusion of two new bosses and a visual design change that Capcom wanted for the original but could not achieve on the original hardware. Although Mega Man Powered Up rivals the original, it has been mostly forgotten on the handheld all these years later.
9 Jeanne d'Arc Offered A Fresh Take On The Turn-Based Formula
PlayStation Portable has its fair share of RPGs. It can be argued that the handheld exists solely to play RPGs and JRPGs. However, one that stands out is the historical fiction based around the life of Joan of Arc. Jeanne d'Arc is a turn-based tactical role-playing game with a unique visual style that, unfortunately, wasn't enough to stay relevant.
Jeanne d'Arc features a story that places players in the Hundred Years' War battling demons. Jeanne has an arsenal of weapons and magic to use in a battle style reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics. Jeanne d'Arc is sure to have been forgotten by most handheld gamers. If given the opportunity, players should pick it up for the first time or return to 15th Century France again.
8 Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? Is A Unique Perspective On A Side Character
Players of the Disgaea series will be familiar with the main characters of Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? For newcomers, Prinnys are a class of penguin-like side characters, and the player has an opportunity to play as the lovable character in their very own adventure. The Disgaea series has a lot to offer players who enjoy RPGs. However, PSP owners can play this spin-off journey that deviates from its RPG roots.
Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? is a 2D side-scrolling platformer that tasks players with working together with other Prinnys to track down the six ingredients to make the Ultra Dessert. This unique adventure is a forgotten gem in the long list of PSP titles.
7 Lumines Is One Of The Best Puzzle Games In The PSP Library
Puzzle games are commonplace in gaming but can be tough to put down once they get their hooks into the player. Some consider the original release of Lumines on PSP to be one of the best puzzle games ever made, and it is as addicting as monumental games such as Tetris. Owners of the handheld were rewarded with a puzzle game that received honors as the best handheld game of 2005. Unfortunately, it has been largely forgotten.
Lumines is a tile-matching game that has players rotating and matching 2x2 multi-colored blocks. Similar to a larger playing field Tetris with only square blocks and matching colors instead of completing rows. In a sea of puzzle games, Lumines stands as one of the best.
6 A World Reknown Developer Delivered With Lord Of Arcana
Square Enix is known for its role-playing series' Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. However, the developer and publisher also released the forgotten handheld Lord Of Arcana. Taking after franchises such as Monster Hunter and God Eater, Lord of Arcana is a role-playing/hunting game where players track down and fight monsters big and small.
The release stands out for the unique inclusion of taking players into circular arenas to do battle after initiating fights in the overworld. Lord of Arcana is a successful, albeit flawed, experience for handheld owners that arrived later in the console's lifecycle.
5 Exit Has Players Acting Fast To Escape Danger
With early hardware limitations, developers worked with unique visual styles on the PSP to tell unique stories. Exit has its own unique style and looks like it jumped right out of a comic book. Exit is a fast-paced action puzzle game from one of the oldest developers in the gaming world. Players in Exit take control of Mr. ESC to find its namesake in various locales, such as hospitals and burning buildings.
Mr. ESC is an escapologist, and in addition to traversing fires, earthquakes, and other disasters, he has to help those trapped and carry them to the exit with him. With his red tie flapping around him, players race to find the exit within a time limit with the agile Mr. ESC. Exit is a forgotten game that is sure to satisfy the high-intensity puzzle bone in any gamers body.
4 Dead Head Fred Combines Genres To Tell A Comedic Story
Dead Head Fred is described by its designers as a combination of noir and horror, which they titled twisted noir. Fred Neuman is a private investigator who is murdered, loses his head, and must solve his own murder. Dead Head Fred is a comedic tale in the vein of Murdered: Soul Suspect. Fred can wear various heads to gain different powers and attacks in his quest to solve his murder.
Dead Head Fred is a feast for players who enjoy clever writing and a unique gameplay experience. With a standalone story and over a decade since release, PSP owners will be thankful for digging up the forgotten Dead Head Fred.
3 TokoBot Is A Forgotten Platformer On The Handheld
The PSP has no shortage of releases from Japanese developers, and TokoBot comes from venerable Tecmo. A platformer that has the player working together with a string of small robots that join together to traverse obstacles and explore prehistoric ruins.
Unfortunately, TokoBot was lost in the wide range of platformers and high target releases on the handheld. Its release was overshadowed by Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. TokoBot, however, has a lot to offer players who remember it exists. From its reliance on teamwork and puzzling solving, it stands as an engaging gameplay experience that is sure to be as fun as ever.
2 Kingdom Of Paradise Builds On The RPG Blueprint
Kingdom of Paradise, or Key of Heaven in international markets, is one of the best fully original titles to release on the PSP. Getting overshadowed by the plethora of RPGs on the handheld could be responsible for this forgotten gem never receiving its audience. Kingdom of Paradise takes place in the fictional land of Ohka in Feudal China, in which five clans are fighting for power over the region.
The handheld action RPG offers a tremendous amount of content stuffed onto the UMD. Kingdom of Paradise gives players the tools to craft their characters and combos how they see fit. It is worth experiencing just as much now as it was in 2005.
1 Solving The World In Half-Minute Hero
Half-Minute Hero has the player trying to save the world, and as its name implies, they have thirty seconds to do it. With enjoyable gameplay, it offers six different game modes, each playing as a different style game. Ranging from role-playing to real-time strategy to a straight action game.
The journey is told through the perspective of four playable characters. Half-Minute Hero gives players the experience of a large, globetrotting RPG with thirty-second quests. Amusingly, each half-minute chunk ends in credits as if the player just completed a large journey. Half-Minute Hero stands seemingly forgotten but one of the best experiences on the PSP.