Summary
The PSP is often considered to be a handheld system that was far ahead of its time. Not only was it capable of runninggraphically demanding gamesthat were usually only reserved for consoles, but it was also the first of its kind to feature a thumb stick, which allowed for much easier movement on the players' part, something that would help out tremendously when playing first-person shooter games.
While Nintendo was busy focusing on family-friendly first-party games to advertise theirNintendo DS, Sony seized the opportunity to appeal to a slightly older audience by placing more focus on fast-paced and gritty shooter games for the PSP. Not all of these games stuck the landing, but there is still a handful that fans of the genre have gravitated towards, and it’s these titles that this list is going to take a closer look at today.
TheKing Konggame based on the 2005 movie may have been a smash hit on consoles, but its port on the PSP was admittedly a little more rough around the edges than its counterpart. Still, while the game might not be as visually impressive as its other iterations, there’s no mistaking that the incredibly intenseFPS survival gameplaystill carries over very well, especially with how varied the enemies are. From giant spiders to ferocious dinosaurs, Skull Island is packed full of menacing creatures that can easily tear Jack and his team apart if players aren’t paying enough attention.
The game does a decent job at re-telling the story of Peter Jackson’s movie, but it’s really the immersive survival-horror gameplay where the game shines the most. There’s a very unnerving and creepy atmosphere to the setting ofKing Kongthat helps set it apart from other more trigger-happy FPS titles, making it an incredibly unique and memorable experience.
WhileCoded Armscould be considered a fairly divisive game, with some players being less than satisfied with the bland level design and lackluster story, there are also a lot of people who absolutely adore thehectic, fast-paced core gameplay. Every level in the game is randomly generated, and while they usually always stick to the same gray or brown color palette, the enemies and weapons littered throughout the stages are a lot less predictable, which does a lot to help with the replay value.
The game also features an interesting weapon system where certain guns will be blessed with specific attributes that can affect enemies in different ways. For example, hitting a robot enemy with a gun that possesses the “Electric” attribute will cause it to break down, while insect and bug-like enemies will cower in fear when shot with a “Light” weapon. The story and characters might not be anything to write home about, but the single-player mode ofCoded Armsis still a blast to play through in small bursts.
The very firstRainbow Six Vegasgame was received very favorably upon its release, not only for its sleek graphics and engaging story but also for how innovative it was for the genre. Rather than players running in guns blazing, the game instead encourages them to takea more strategic approachto encounters, using their senses and gadgets to neutralize enemy threats without causing a disturbance in the process.
Players will need to make good use of their night vision goggles, stun grenades, and other extra equipment to catch the enemies off guard, but if a full-on gunfight does break out, there’s still plenty of heavy weaponry to clear a path forward. The absence of cutscenes and unforgiving difficulty can definitely make the experience feel a little jarring at first, but the positives largely outweigh the negatives in this classic title.
As the onlyCall of Dutygame to ever be released for the PSP,Roads to Victoryis a pretty important game in the series' history, and it was ultimately a huge success both critically and commercially. Thetight and focused gunplay thatCODhas become known foris here in all its glory, along with three pretty lengthy campaigns that showcase World War 2 through the eyes of a different nation, providing the player with plenty of content to get stuck into.
Of course, it wouldn’t be aCall of Dutygame without a multiplayer feature, and while the PSP often struggled to integrate multiplayer into games, it was very easy and fun to play inRoads to Victory, especially because there were so many maps and game modes to choose from. It’s more or less inevitable that players will encounter a few glitches during a playthrough of this game, but so long as they can look past these technical hiccups, they’ll have an extremely fun and intense FPS title on their hands.
WhileGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complexis fairly straightforward in its gameplay, with the player blasting their way throughhordes of enemiesto reach the end of a level, what really helps the game stand out is the sheer amount of customization and replay value it offers. Alongside the Major, there are three other playable characters in the game who can be used on every level in the game, but since they all possess their own stats and personal traits, it freshens up the experience to ensure it never becomes too stale or predictable.
The game also contains some visually stunning cutscenes for the time it came out, and the plot itself, while only a sub-story of the movie, still provides an intriguing look into the dangers of a cyberpunk society and the blurry line between humans and AI. Players are also able to call on a Tachikoma robot to act as their AI companion who can help out with some of the trickier stages, and while the game is, unfortunately, a little on the shorter side, it’s still never a bad idea to run through it with a different character to see how the experience plays out differently.
Throughout each of the three campaigns inMedal of Honor: Heroes, players will be trotting all around the globe as part of the war effort, leading to some truly astonishing environments and locales that can be admired when taking a break between gunfights. Speaking of gunfights, while players will be firing away at enemy soldiers with their wide array of weapons for most of the game, they’ll also be tasked with completing certain objectives that help add some urgency and strategy to the gameplay.
Whether it’s infiltrating an enemy base, blowing up a specific vehicle, or simply finding a set of weapon schematics, every mission comes with several of these kinds of objectives that can be completedto improve the final score, alongside the player’s accuracy and overall kill count. This rating system encourages players to master the levels by running through them over and over again, making the game very replayable and fun for both casual players but also those who are interested in speedrunning.
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