PixlBit

Hello everyone,

Did you miss me? 

It’s been awhile since I last posted a blog so I thought I’d give it a go on what I’ve been up to as of late. With word of the PSP PSN Store to be shut down on July 2^nd 2021, I decided to gather up a list of must have titles that I’d want on my PSP before the shutdown. It took me awhile to make my list for I had to make a determination on what exactly I wanted from the PSP PSN Store. Do I get only games I like to play? Games I held off in buying due to price? Titles that currently if bought physically would cost in the triple digits? Plus I had to take into account the size of my PSP’s memory card. In the end I came up with a mix of all the issues above. I’m not saying these are the “Must Buy” titles if you’re a PSP user but these are titles that I wanted to purchase and the reasons behind them. Not all of them are popular titles, not all of them maybe the games one should buy given their hard accessibility or games that are worth your time. I’m even sure I’ll leave out some high priced physical game titles due to the fact despite their current high going price physically I might either still want them in the future or overall the game itself isn’t something I’d play overall. In the end I just want to throw this out in hopes of helping any last minute buyers in getting some digital titles off PSP PSN store before it’s shutdown on July 2^nd 2021.

And before you say anything in the comments, Yes I know there are “other” means in getting these titles, I am aware there are “alterative” ways to obtaining PSP games digitally but I wanted to get them officially before the shutdown date, as well as having the option to play these on my PS Vita/PS TV in the future. So here is what I ended up decided on getting after two weeks of research in no particular order.

 

1)      Persona, SMT: Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 3 PORTABLE

I included these three titles under one bullet point since the games are somewhat similar, are part of the same series (obviously) and the reasoning behind their purchase are similar. Say what you will about Persona but it was a slow burning series to this point. I didn’t get into the series as of late myself but I have keep an interest in the series with their anime style and story plot as a whole. The games had always been on my radar but over time, I never got around to buying the series on handheld. I’ve mostly played these games digitally with Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 off the PS2 Classics line on PS3 and the only physical persona game I own on PS3, Persona 5, as well as trying out Persona 4 Arena from time to time. Seeing I’m still behind in trying out this series I figured now was a good time to dive in and own this trilogy.

Owning them physically though is a daunting task. During my research I’ve learned that all three of these games will cost you over $100+ if one wants them CIB. And given I don’t have that kind of money to justify buying these games physically I decided on the next best thing with their digital offerings. They currently go for $19.99 off the PSP PSN Store each so they are not exactly the cheapest of choices but when compared to $300+ physically verses $60 digitally the choice seems fairly obvious.

 

2)      The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky and Trails in the Sky SC

Unlike the prior post above I’ve been a fan of “The Legend of Heroes” series ever since I learned of Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes game on Turbografx 16. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to find copies of The Legend of Heroes I, II and III for PSP physically but sadly the last title on PSP has eluded me. Even now when I try to locate a copy it too comes with a heavy triple digital price, moreso if I want to get a hold of the Premium edition. I’ve read up on all the issues and problems this game had in trying to come over stateside, during a time when The Legend of Heroes series hadn’t quite made itself known to many gamers back in the day. Yet due to life and other factors getting in the way, these games have been hard for me to obtain. Things are now different for the series thankfully and in fact I could’ve bought this trilogy of games on PC if I so chose. But since I do own the original trilogy of these titles on PSP I figured I might as well continue the tradition with two of the three games. Being a fan of the rich world the game weaves and the dialogue heavy content the game offers with their characters I knew it was a game series I wanted to own eventually.  So in the end it was a no brainer for me to get these two titles off the PSP PSN Store.

Cost wise, as with the prior series above, call for a high price on the open market. I don’t see myself buying copies of these games physically even IF I find them in my travels. Having digital copies is convenient with an asking price of $19.99 and $29.99 respectively. Trails in the Sky SC seems a bit much for an asking price digitally but seeing that according to my research this maybe the only venue for me in owning those games on PSP digitally for I don’t believe that game ever got a physical release outside of Japan. The game download comes on 2 separate discs! I may have been better off getting this game trilogy on PC, since the third game in the series did get released on Steam, but given I have the first trilogy physically on my PSP I might as well get the other two out of the three.

 

3)      The 3^rd Birthday

As similar with “The Legend of Heroes” I’m a big fan of Squaresoft’s Parasite Eve when it came out on the original PS1. Though I never got around to buying those games physically I made sure to get these games digitally off of the PS3 PSN store long ago. I believe I bought these two games for $.99 each back when the PS3 PSN Store had digital “Flash Sales” (remember those!), the first and only time I recall when one of their Flash Sales offered a $.99 games offerings. I knew of “The 3^rd Birthday” and how it was a rapid departure from the first two games when it was first announced but as usual, time and other gaming activities kept me from buying this game on release. Though I have had this game in the back of my mind when I go retrogame shopping, I was never able to find a physical copy out in the wild. With time running short, and this game as well going for high prices for CIB, I decided now was the right time to see on getting this game physically on the PSP PSN Store

Unlike the physical copy, which can go for once again $100+ CIB, the digital offering is only $9.99. At that price it’s a steal and a no brainer for a game I want in a series I’ve enjoyed during its PS1’s heyday. One day I may want to own all of these titles physically yet for now having them all digitally is a nice consolidation, and for less than $12 doesn’t hurt either.

 

4)      Hexyz Force

   Honestly I don’t know much about this particular game. This game seems to appear in a lot of online list for most expensive game titles for PSP. From what I read about it is that it’s a JRPG that is apparently too short and too easy for games in that genre. But it’s an Atlus published game and it gets high marks for its graphical style and gameplay mechanics. It’s a game I can’t say I’ve ever seen out in the wild, let alone entered into my mind’s eye as a game I want to own in my collection. As much as I’d like to say I know a lot about this title I have to admit it completely passed under my gaming radar! I have to admit I’m going in blind since I don’t want to exactly ruin any expectations in what I want in game with this purchase. But seeing this game appears on A LOT Of lists of high priced game titles there might be some merit in wanting to own this title.

I got this game digitally for $14.99, a bit much in my option for a game that apparently is so short one could finish it in two days, but in seeing it sell for $300+ for a copy CIB I can safely say I’d rather pay the former than the latter if only to see if this game is any good. A dumb risk I’m sure yet I can’t bring myself to say no. This time.

 

5)      Dragon’s Lair

Now I know this game isn’t for everyone. I personally decided on getting it given my interested in retrogaming goodness and being nostalgic for the past. I know there are better ways to enjoy this game, be in on the PS3 and even the Wii versions, but the fact that I can have a laserdisc game on my PSP is cute novelty I can’t ignore! This game basically plays like you would expect the game to play back in the arcades. A QTE game before QTE was even considered as a gameplay mechanic. When I saw this game was offered as a digital only title off the PSP PSN Store, I knew had to get it! I don’t see this game on any must have PSP games list but that shouldn’t be too much of a shock since Dragon’s Lair isn’t a game for everyone. Even by today’s standards I doubt it would be considered less of a game and more of a novelty of a bygone gaming era when the thought that FMV games were to be the future of gaming.

Given that the asking price for this game is only $7.99 I couldn’t say no in owning this title. And given its only available digitally this might be the only time I can own this game. I just hope it compatible with PS Vita/ PSTV.

 

6)      DISSIDIA 012 Prologus FINAL FANTASY

A first for me when it comes to purchases on the PSP PSN Store: Game DLC. I knew about this DLC ever since I bought DISSIDIA duodecium 012 FINAL FANTASY long ago. In all honesty I only bought this game because it had Tifa Lockhart as a playable character, a grave sin since she wasn’t in the first game. But I couldn’t bring myself to pay for game DLC on a handheld device. The concept was alien to me given handheld gaming at the time usually meant you had all the content when you purchased the game. And what any DLC was offered with most games at the time for handheld, it was usually offered for free. Handheld gaming had yet to catch the bug that console gaming had at the time with paid DLC offerings and as a result I never got around to buying this Prologue that supposedly helps bridge the story gap between the first and second games. But given this DLC was only offered digitally off the PSP PSN Store, this might be the only chance to own it with my physical copy of the game.

The asking priced for this DLC of $14.99 is insane but being able to get Aerith as an assist character unlock helps the sting of the purchase, but not by much!

 

7)      Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble

Here is yet another PSP title that passed under my radar back in the day. This game also finds itself on various “most expensive PSP” games lists online. From what I’ve read up on it I can see why. This game is a Japanese title through and through so I can see why it would’ve been missed by many back in the day, myself included. From what I’ve read about this title it can be best compared to it being a mixing of a Kunio-Kun and Yakuza game if it focused more on the high school juvenile hijinks and less on Yakuza’s minigame sidequests. Gameplay looks quite good on the PSP and the concept is as quirky as you’d expect from a Japanese based title. Given that kind of gameplay is up my alley it wasn’t hard to decide to add this game to my list of must buy titles before the PSP PSN Store shutdown.

This game to also sells for $14.99 digitally but seeing once again this game going for $100+ CIB, I’d gladly pay the lesser of the price.

 

8)      Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time

Back in the day I loved the Growlanser series. Since I missed out on enjoying the Langrisser series back in the day I made do by enjoying what Growlanser had to offer thanks in part to Working Designs releasing games II and III in the US. It was a fund romp while it lasted with later games in the series being released but I never knew that Growlanser: Heritage of War was actually the fifth game in the series. It wasn’t till a few years ago that I learned that Wayfarer of Time for the PSP was actually a reworking of the fourth game on the PS2. Like the other games on this list, it was a game I had in the back of my mind to buy if I happen to find it out in the wild, yet as the years passed I never found it. Though this game doesn’t exactly have a selling price in the triple digits, it’s a game I’m having hard time finding as of late. If I do happen to find this title I may end up buying it physically. But just to play it safe I decided to get the digital copy just in case.

For $19.99 digitally the price isn’t exactly that bad. You can call this game purchase as a “safe bet” purchase. I have a feeling that this game might eventually skyrocket in price in the future. Right now I’m seeing it go online for about $50-$80 CIB, which isn’t too bad for a PSP JRPG. But like some of the others in this list I can see it going for much higher in the possible future.

 

9)      Silent Hill Origins

I’m literally kicking myself in not getting this game when I learned of its existence. I knew of this game’s release the moment I learned of a portable Silent Hill title that was to be offered to us. A game specifically designed to be played on the PSP, a game where it advises you to play with only your headphones plugged in and in a dark room. Not many survival horror games advise this on PSP and the ones that do usually mean business! Sadly this also is one of the games I didn’t get around to getting due to timing and the fact that I focused more in trying to buy this title on PS2 despite me mentioning above its PSP specific gameplay set up. I have to admit I actually did see this game off and on during my retrogaming hunts in the past. But at the time I thought an asking price of $50 CIB was too much. How wrong I was back then.

Now this game, along with the PS2 offerings, sell for much, much higher price these days. I honestly can’t say I’d be willing to play that kind of price to own anymore Silent Hill games. And this is coming from a guy who owns Silent Hill 2 & 3 for PS2 CIB! Since I own Silent Hill digitally on the PS3 PSN Store I figured the asking priced for origins for $9.99 was a decent asking price for this title. I’m still kicking myself for not getting Silent Hill Origins physically when I did though.

 

10)   ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs Darkdeath Evilman

Yet another game that appears on most expensive game titles on PSP lists online and once again a game that passed under my radar. When I read up on this title I knew it was yet another game that was definitely Japanese and interesting enough for me to want to own. For me this game feels like a mixing of Veiwtiful Joe and the Power Rangers if they happened to be a tactical RPG. The plot is off the wall, the combat is unique and the graphics are impressive for a PSP title. If I had to guess this game came out near the end of the PSP’s system life and might have been overlooked or much like Kenka Bancho the game’s theme may not be for everyone. I know it is for me though so the choice was obvious.

Seeing this game selling for $200+ CIB as of this writing it was a no brainer to buy this game digitally for $9.99. Given I’m sure this game wasn’t released in high quantities I don’t think I’ll find a cheap physical copy anytime soon.

 

11)   Fate/Extra

Why not we add yet another game from a most expensive PSP title list to my purchase list. I have to admit I know little to nothing about this game. I just know it’s a JRPG, there is an anime about it, it comes from a long line of games in a series and apparently it was a big thing back in the day. This game is one of those oddities where despite me being a fan of JRPG’s and anime this is a game that never crossed appeared in my gaming radar. I just know the game sells fairly cheap if imported but about $100+ domestic as of this writing. Since I don’t know much about this series I can’t say I’m a fan or be willing to play that kind of money to see if it’s worth it.

But since it’s on some must by/ high priced lists adds some credence to it’s worth but as you may have noticed I haven’t bought a lot of games digitally from those lists given that my interests are not like anyone else’s. Seeing this game sells for $9.99 digitally I’m willing to take a risk on this JRPG. Who knows, I just might check out the anime or even hunt down a copy if I can find one that doesn’t cost the prices mentioned above. I don’t hold much hope but who knows? This may not be the best reason to buy a digital game so chalk this choice as an impulse buy.

 

12)   Armored Core 3 Portable, Last Raven Portable and Silent Line Portable

Being a mech fan I’ve always wanted to have a portable mech game to enjoy when on the go. Though I do own Front Mission 3 digitally on the PS3 PSN Store, that game feels more tactical RPG than an actual stompy-stompy giant death machine mech game. I never knew that the Armored Core series made its way to the PSP till I started my research on titles to buy on PSP before the shutdown. Apparently three of these games only came out digitally on the PSP so no physical copies ever came out here in the US, with the only physical game to come out being Armored Core 2 Formula Front Extreme Battle. From what I’ve read and seen about these games if you basically enjoy mechs and/or gundam games then these games are right up any mech fan. With varied missions and the means to outfit your mech with various parts and weapons seems to make this game a virtual wet dream for fans of the genre. Apparently Armored Core 3 Portable and Last Raven are reworks of PS2 releases with Silent Line being a possible full-fledged exclusive for the PSP, with Japan getting an actual physical release. Given I’ve always wanted a portable mech game it was a no brainer that I’d pick up these three digital only titles for my pure mecha madness enjoyment.

Given all three games only cost $9.99 each who’s to say you can’t get your mech fix on with a portable system that isn’t a gundam game on the Vita. 

 

13)   LocoRoco Midnight Carnival

By all rights I shouldn’t have bought this game. I’ve only played the demo of this game long ago and it was okay. Despite me being a well-rounded gamer I have to say I don’t play very many puzzle games. There’s really nothing wrong with the LocoRoco series, it just wasn’t a game series I planned on owning/playing anytime soon. I only got this game for two reasons. Reason one is that this game is a PSP PSN exclusive title so that means it’s one of the few games that are only available on the PSP and off the PSN Store. Reason two is that long ago my “Little One” played the demo A LOT when she was smol and I still remember how much fun she had in trying out this game. She really seemed to enjoy it and I do recall this was one of a few titles she could play hours on end along with Phantasy Star Portable back in the day. And LocoRoco was just a demo!

This game came in two packages: a bundle pack that includes the game, some extra levels and a digital player’s guide for $9.99 or the game and extra levels separately for $5.99 and $2.99 respectively. Since memory space on my PSP system is limited I ended up saving $1 and 200 MB of space by just buying them separately. Like some of the digital only titles I’ve bought on this list, this might be the only time I get to own them before it’s all said and done.

Well that is my list of digital titles I’ve bought for my PSP off the PSP PSN Store before it’s shutdown on July 2^nd 2021. Now is this a “definitive” list of titles to own? No. Not in the least. You might noticed I didn’t buy all of the titles that you can find on online list for “most rare/expensive PSP titles” like Summon Night 5, Class of Heroes 2 or Phantasy Star Portable 2. The reason for this is due to me just not being interested in the series, the cost for them digitally being a bit too steep even for me or some of these titles not even being offered on the PSP PSN Store. Also I have to admit that I actually own some of these rare/expensive titles beforehand as to why you may not see certain titles on here like Ys I & II Chronicles, Lunar Silver Star Harmony, Star Ocean: Second Evolution etc. I may do a list of games I own physically and digitally on my PSP sometime in the future once the smoke settles.

Hope this lists helps for some who are sitting on the fence in deciding on what to get before the PSP PSN Store is gone on July 2^nd 2021. Any games you think I missed and should give a second consideration before the end? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I have the money/time to get them.

Ta-ta

“N”