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.
"The most complete Street Fighter Alpha 3 edition, with forty-four fighters including exclusive Eagle and Maki. Capcom polishes the European port, three play-style modes and ad hoc versus; a portable fighter of rare depth."
"Drift driving with Reiko Nagase on the launch screen; the PSP identity etched in from the first second. Five circuits with multiple layouts, an emblematic techno-house score, Namco hits hard on its very first try."
"WipEout Pure opens the PSP with a dizzying technical showcase, ships at inhuman speeds and winding circuits. Studio Liverpool stamps its DNA from launch, an emblematic electronic score and tasty ad hoc competition."
"Kratos descends into the underworld to halt Eternal Sleep, and Ready at Dawn wrings PS2-grade sequences out of the PSP. Brutal combat, riddles and showy QTEs; one of the greatest action games ever shipped on a handheld."
"Big Boss and the Militaires Sans Frontières in Costa Rica; the PSP entry that can stand toe to toe with any console Metal Gear. Four-player co-op, base management and a dense Kojima scenario; an absolute peak of the system."
"Adol and friends explore Altago and its five Dragons in the first Ys natively built for PSP. Real-time combat with three switchable characters, colossal bosses and Sound Team's rock score; a genuinely striking Japan-only release."
"The Infinity mode adds a fresh scenario and new zones, making Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity the most generous version of the sub-saga. For Japan-side fans, the ultimate PSP hunting ground."
"The European Persona 3 Portable edition by Zen United, with the female protagonist and all the magic of Tartarus in English. Atlus delivers one of the most beautiful JRPGs ever made on a handheld; indispensable in the PSP catalogue."
"Adol and Dogi return to Felghana under a tyrant count's grip, in a snappy and demanding Ys. Real-time combat with magic and jump, formidable bosses and Falcom Sound Team's rock score; a genuinely striking Japan-only release."
"The Dark Resurrection edition enriches Tekken 5 with Lili, Dragunov and an online Ghost Mode. Thirty-two fighters, 3D visuals among the PSP's best; Namco Bandai delivers one of the most technically impressive portable fighters."
"Big Boss founds FOXHOUND in Panama and recruits captured enemies; an original Metal Gear bridging Snake Eater and Peace Walker. Kojima dares a fresh formula, and the PSP absorbs the technical and narrative challenge remarkably well."
"The Korean edition of Persona 3 Portable, with the brand-new female protagonist and all the magic of Tartarus. Atlus delivers an unforgettable JRPG and the Korean release opens it in a local language; a real localisation win."
"A dynamic top-down view, a drug-dealing loop fully woven into gameplay and the whole of Liberty City in pocket form. Rockstar pulls off a striking technical feat and delivers a surprisingly rich and snappy portable GTA."
"The XSEED American edition for Felghana, faithful to the Japanese with carefully crafted English. Adol and Dogi face the tyrant count with the same snap and the same rock score; perfect to discover the Ys peak in North America."
"Denam Pavel is torn between conviction and orders in Valeria's unforgettable civil war. Square Enix delivers an all-time tactical, the CHARIOT system rewinding time, multiple endings and Sakimoto's arranged score; simply essential."
"Gabe Logan dives into an inside-job betrayal, and Sony Bend adds underwater combat and a pleasant ad hoc co-op. The scenario grows in complexity, and Logan's Shadow stands as one of the PSP's major tactical shooters."
"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."
