Five years… The PSP has now been on the market for five years. I actually bought my original PSP-1000 series during the Summer of 2005. Sadly, there just weren’t enough games to piqué my interest and I sold my original PSP in November 2005.

However, come Spring 2008, I bought another PSP. Since 2005 some very great – and even epic - PSP games have come along. Thinking of getting a PSP? Already own one, but don’t know what games to get? Zippy Gamer is here to help!

Here is our list of 10 essential PSP titles no PSP owner should be without.

Super Stardust Portable

Perhaps it was inspired by Asteroids or maybe it’s a completely different game. Any way to look at it, this game comes straight out of classic arcade-style gaming. The premise is quite simple, really. You use the PSP’s analog stick to control your ship and the face buttons to fire at an assortment of rocks, ice, and enemies who will be more than willing to return fire.

At the end of each planet’s stage, you will take on a boss. In the tradition of classic arcade design, bosses become more difficult as you progress through the game. The game features the standard Arcade Mode, Survival Mode, and some more unique game modes. The graphics are crisp and explosions are magnificent. The game is modestly priced for download exclusively through the Playstation Store.

Resistance: Retribution

You may think “it’s a third-person shooter! It’ll never work on a single-analog PSP!” However, if you thought that, you’d be wrong.  Retribution maps turning and looking around to X, Square, Circle, and Triangle, but it is also generous with a refined auto-target assist. Running alongside the storyline of its console counterparts, Resistance: Retribution brings the same gritty story-telling and action to the PSP.

You play as James Grayson, a quick-witted Brit who was serving as a soldier for Britain, but after being court-martialed he’s joined up with the French. Although he does his duty, he doesn’t spare his allies his silver tongue. The gameplay shines brilliantly, taking all that is good about the game, and packing it into a single UMD. You’ll have an arsenal of weapons including shooter staples such as the machine gun (with attached grenade launcher), shotgun, rapid-fire energy weapon, an RPG, and many other weapons. There is action at every turn, and if you don’t keep your eyes peeled, count on repeating much of the game.

God of War: Chains of Olympus

Taking place before the original God of War for the PS2, this game thundered its way onto the PSP in Spring 2008. Of course, you play as Kratos, but not with the intention of going after Aries or trying to ascend as a god. Your quest is to find out what has submerged the land into darkness. The gameplay and graphics match the console games pound for pound. You start out with the Blades of Chaos, and as you progress through the game, you will learn various spell attacks. Just as in the games, you will earn red orbs by killing enemies, opening red orb chests, and breaking anything… breakable.

As previously, the red orbs allow you to upgrade your weapons, giving you more combo attacks, and also upgrade all spells you’ve learned. You will also find Gorgon Eyes which will increase your health bar, and Phoenix Feathers which will increase your magic bar. The game can seem a bit more tedious, as it requires you to hold L+R buttons to evade attacks, but it will become second nature quite quickly. The key to success is to know when to block and when to attack.

Twisted Metal: Head-On

The same great action, brought to you by the same developers of Twisted Metal, Twisted Metal 2, and Twisted Metal: Black, made its debut on the PSP without sacrificing any of the high-energy gameplay of the aforementioned games. As it was a launch title, Head-On didn’t really demonstrate what kind of graphics the PSP could produce, but it certainly wasn’t ugly. Giving you a wide array of vehicles/characters to choose from (plus unlockable characters), Twisted Metal: Head-On puts you right into the action with its various game modes.

There’s the Tournament Mode, which takes you to various locales the world over to battle with other vehicles, Challenge Mode which allows you to pick a character, stage, and your enemies, and Survival Mode which will pit you against one enemy at a time in a location of your choosing for as long as you can stay alive. Also, as with previous Twisted Metals, every character has opening and ending movies, all of which are viewable after completing the game with said character.

Coded Arms

This game slipped under most PSP gamers’ radar too easily. This FPS puts you into a computer-generated world in which you must eliminate enemies in a bizarre simulation. Hacking files is done by exploring every section of the digital world and killing virtual enemies. As with Resistance: Retribution, Coded Arms uses a generous auto-target system that will aid you, but never makes the game overly easy.

That being said, with the sniper rifle you must aim manually. Over the course of the game, you will receive different types of guns and grenades that can be upgraded by finding upgrade icons, which will spawn after killing enemies. The analog stick is for walking forward/backing up and strafing, while the face buttons are used for aiming and turning. L is used for jumping, and R, of course, for firing.

Afterburner: Black Falcon

While maintaining the game’s classic action-shooter arcade roots, Afterburner: Black Falcon puts you behind the controls to take to the sky, while destroying air and ground targets. What is really compelling is the fact the game uses officially licensed jets from Boeing, Hughes, and other manufacturers. Each plane has its own strengths and weaknesses and the game will give you a suggestion of which plane is best for that particular mission. Though, don’t think you don’t have to work for it. You will start out with only one plane, and as you earn money via completing missions, you can invest in different planes as they become available to buy. You can, however, replay any mission you want to as many times as you want. Planes can also be upgraded in terms of gun power, missile payload, and missile enhancements.

Additionally, planes can be upgraded visually with different paint schemes and a few structural features. The only real downside of this game might be there’s just not enough to love. It would’ve been even better with more levels. Still, the ability to replay any mission whenever (and wherever) does add replay value.

Daxter

At last, he finally got his own game! Daxter resurrects many facets of what made the first game so lovable. The original PS2 game was light-hearted enough, but since then the games became too dark for their own good, losing their charm. Of course you play as Daxter, Jak’s furry sidekick throughout the series. Jak gets arrested and it’s up to Daxter to get to the bottom of things in this colorful PSP platformer.

The game holds up well visually and in terms of gameplay. Daxter must collect various types of Eco Orbs just like in previous games, and he also gets to pilot various hovering vehicles akin to Jak II. Daxter is one platformer no PSP’er should be without.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

What can I say, I am a sucker for the classics. Based around Grand Theft Auto III, Liberty City Stories turns back the clock to tell Toni Cipriani’s story back in 1998. You play as Toni, and up-and-coming gangster, working for various iconic characters from GTA III, like Salvatore Leone and Donald Love. The layout of the game reflects Liberty City (in GTA III form) with perfection, while making a few landscape changes – purely to show the city’s progression over the years.

The gameplay is perfect and visuals look like a carbon-copy of GTA III. It is obviously inspired by movies such as The Godfather, Italian Job, and a little bit of Scarface; GTA:LCS maintains that familiar feel of its PS2-based bigger brother. While some would prefer Vice City Stories, Liberty City Stories remains a personal favorite as it was one of the first games to show the PSP wasn’t graphically the “Playstation 1.5.”

Killzone: Liberation

This is not what you would expect after having played the first Killzone. Rather than being a first-person shooter with World War II-inspired gameplay, this game is an isometric third person shooter. Somehow it feels quite natural. You move your character with the analog stick and use face buttons for things like firing guns, throwing grenades, and interacting with the environment.

The action is quite intense and you only have one gun to use at any given time. Still, as you progress, you will have a wider range of weapons to choose from before starting a mission. During missions, you will come across chests that contain anything from health packs to different main and secondary weapons. Some missions even give you control of tanks to drive through the rugged terrain and battle enemies with.

Gran Turismo

I feel I can say that I’m saving the best for last. For a long time this game really felt like vaporware. Originally named Gran Turismo 4 Mobile, the game turned into a no-show for years. Then, throughout 2009, it was mentioned again. It was being developed and fans of the series finally got some glimpses of gameplay and features. It was unleashed on October 1, 2009. I chose to download it to my memory stick, as I wanted it that bad. Built from the ground up for the PSP, the newly-titled Gran Turismo provides a staggering amount of content for any portable racing game and even some console-based racing games. There are over 800 cars and plenty of race tracks of varying types (asphalt, dirt, snow) which will surely please anyone looking for a solid racing game. The graphics are incredible and gameplay is more accessible than in previous games.

There are no license tests, you just race to earn money to buy any car you want… when available. Yes, I said “when available” as only four dealerships are available at a time and for only two days at a time. So, if you want a Jaguar XJ220 LM-edition race car, you’d better get behind the wheel of your best car and earn some cash. Luckily, if you don’t mind an automobile version of level grinding, you can race the same track over and over without exiting to the main menu, and there will be no time progression. This might sound like a bad thing, having to wait for a particular make of automobile to become available, but it actually adds replay value. What if you wanta Formula 1 Ferrari which costs 8,000,000 credits. Well, until Ferrari becomes available again, you can keep earning money for it (as 8,000,000 credits is quite a bit to earn). Although there are no license tests, there is Driving Challenge Mode. This will allow you to hone your driving skills and earn some cash. They are what license tests would be, but they are a side-option. You don’t have to complete them, unless you want to listen to your own custom music on the memory stick. If you want custom soundtracks, you must clear the lowest wrung of challenges.

The bottom line: all tracks are available to race on virtually from the beginning. Your “default” car can’t run on off-road tracks. Though, there is a “car pack” available for free via the Playstation Store. Included in this pack is a Nissan GT-R Spec V in Metallic Blue. This car can run on all track surfaces and, pound for pound, give you a good competitive edge. Some fans are disappointed by the lack of a career mode, but this is a “portable” game. To streamline it, making easier to play on the go, the career mode was not included. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, this game delivers the most incredible auto racing experience ever on a portable system!

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