The PSP put a home console in your pocket, with the UMD format and big hits: God of War Chains of Olympus, GTA Liberty City Stories, Monster Hunter, Persona 3 Portable. This Top 50 gathers the best of Sony's handheld, re-tested and re-ranked by RomWize, each title with its re-evaluated score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Toni Cipriani returns from exile and Liberty City's underworld pulses exactly like it does in GTA III, on a PSP screen. Rockstar delivers an ambitious prequel, with a six-mode ad hoc multiplayer that genuinely shakes things up."
"The PSP's foundational title, where coloured blocks fall to the beat and every skin shifts everything, visuals and cadence alike. Q Entertainment crafts a hypnotic puzzle that no portable has truly matched since."
"The European edition under the Puzzle Fusion name, the exact same hypnotic beast with an added ad hoc versus mode. To discover the original Lumines on a PSP screen in Europe, this is the starting point."
"A brilliant return for Darius via Burst, a curving laser of rare visual beauty. Twenty-four zones and the giant aquatic Taito bosses make Dariusburst a horizontal shooter cut for connoisseurs."
"Adell anchors a sequel with even bolder absurd humour and an irresistible playable Axel. Two hundred unblushing hours, an endless Item World; NIS America delivers the most accomplished portable Disgaea yet."
"A live-photo group narrative that pulls the player into eight real hours of Shibuya and refuses to let go. The way the five protagonists' fates intertwine is written with rare precision; visual novel craft at its peak."
"OutRun 2006 in Ferraris along sunlit coastal roads; the arcade madeleine par excellence. Fifteen official Ferraris, adorably kitsch Heart Attack challenges, Kawaguchi's score; a sunlit Sega that fits the PSP perfectly."
"Sackboy lands on PSP with a full level editor and online sharing; a small technical miracle. The side-scrolling felt-and-cardboard levels keep every ounce of charm, perfect for creative types on the go."
"The add-on disc that grafts Burst content onto the original God Eater, only useful for owners of the base game. Handy for day-one buyers, but newcomers are better off with the complete edition."
"A Joan of Arc as a light-warrior fighting demons; Level-5's narrative daring shines from the very first hours. The turn-based tactical is crystal clear and historical figures meet the magical with rare grace."
"Class Zero's student soldiers live through a war that erases the dead, and the melancholy hits hard. Real-time combat across fourteen leads, magic and summons, and Ishimoto's sublime score; an unsung narrative peak on PSP."
"The sequel expands the universe with fresh colourful biomes and Moja to take on, without losing any of the first game's magic. The songs stay spellbinding, the LocoRoco even more expressive; a generous, radiant follow-up."
"Daxter as a pest exterminator could have been a throwaway idea; it turns out to be one of the PSP's best platformers. The dreamlike minigames pay tribute to classic cinema and Josh Mancell's score is genuinely remarkable."
"A branching battle map with multiple routes and an aircraft customisation loop that gets seriously addictive. For a first PSP Ace Combat, the work Namco put in still impresses and the replay value holds up."
"The hunting game that long stood up to Monster Hunter on PSP, with hybrid God Arc weapons and monumental Aragami. Bandai Namco crafts a stylish post-apocalyptic tableau and the four-player co-op runs like a dream."
"Kratos searches for his brother Deimos through the realm of Death, and the Flames of Chaos refresh the gameplay nicely. Ready at Dawn arguably delivers the PSP's most beautiful game; that level of intensity remains unmatched elsewhere on the system."
"Tapping the rhythm to push a tribe of black dots forward is one of the most brilliant ideas ever born on a PSP. Monumental bosses and a tribal score make Patapon an utterly unique hypnotic experience."
"The first two Ys remastered on a single UMD; a treasure for Falcom fans. Three sound arrangements to choose from, two graphics modes, expanded scenario; Ys I & II Chronicles offers a precious historic Japanese dive."
"Okabe and his friends rig up a phone that sends messages into the past, and it grows into one of gaming's great alternate histories. 5pb. delivers a rigorous, devastating visual novel; the Japan-only release genuinely frustrates."
"Vice City under the 80s sun in hand is already huge, and the Empire Builder mode adds a delightful strategic layer. Vic Vance earns his stripes; Rockstar brushes excellence on PSP."
