Team Fremont.com-PSP Launch Blowout Review

PSP Launch Blowout

On March 24th, 2005, the new handheld wars officially began in the United States as the Sony PSP was released. Despite their claims to the contrary, Sony’s PSP came as a direct assault to Nintendo’s iron grip on the handheld market and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.

Officially revealed at E3 2004, the PSP blew people away with its sleek, sexy design and incredible graphic capabilities. While Nintendo’s DS brought innovation to the table with its dual screens and touch-screen capabilities, the PSP impressed with eye-candy and sheer horsepower. But Nintendo has faced competition before. Their Game Boy workhorse faced higher-powered units like Sega’s Game Gear, NEC’s Turbo Express, and the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Each time they came out on top, barely breaking a sweat.

So what does their new competition look like? Will the DS be able to fend off the PSP until the next Game Boy is introduced? Only time will tell. While we wait for an answer, let’s take a look at the Sony PSP and find out what it has to offer.

Straight out of the box, Sony’s provided the PSP unit with battery pack, a carrying strap, a 32MB Memory Stick Duo, a UMD preview disc that showcases upcoming games, an AC Adapter and Power Cord, a set of earbuds with matching remote control, a cleaning cloth, and a padded pouch to carry the system in. The first million buyers also received a free copy of Spiderman 2 in UMD format. All in all, for $250, it’s a fair package.

As a gadget, the PSP is quite a capable machine, allowing you to play music, UMD movies, store photos, connect wirelessly via WiFi, and of course play games. And since that’s what we’re here to talk about, let’s get right down to it.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the PSP is about half the size of the DS, the same size as the GBA on its side, while the screen is about as big as the standard iPod. You’ll also notice that a shot glass is smaller ,yet more powerful than all of them.

Next up we have the game cases. While Nintendo opted for short DVD-style cases with the DS, Sony went for skinny DVD cases with the PSP. The shot glass, on the other hand, foregoes the DVD case style altogether for a look all its own.

Behold how the shot glass towers over all formats! Who needs streaming video or touch screens when you can manipulate the mind?

The Machine

And now, we’d like to give you our own 10-cent thoughts on the PSP unit.

John: To start things off, I’d like to direct you all to a feature we did a few months back where I predicted that I would enjoy the DS more than the PSP. I’m man enough to admit to my mistakes. The PSP just came out, yet I’m already enjoying it more than I have the DS over the past few months.

I mean, just look at this fucking thing! It demands to be touched; moreso than even the DS’s touch screen. But of course this isn’t all about shiny, pretty gadgets. I’d like to stress that the handful of launch games we picked up are actually good, beyond the eye candy, beyond the bells and whistles; these games are fucking good! I haven’t had this much fun playing Ridge Racer and Wipeout since back in the PSone days. Lumines is the best and most stylish puzzlers to come out in ages, and Untold Legends is a really enjoyable hack n’ slasher. Beyond these four games, there are a handful of others to fill most of your needs. Furthermore, the interface is sleek and intuitive, and setup is quick and simple. Overall, it’s just hard not to love the PSP.

That said, there are a few drawbacks. First off is the somewhat hefty price tag. Is $250 too much for the masses? Well, based on the success of the iPod it’s hard to say. We may be beyond $100 being the golden price point for handheld gaming, but time will tell. Secondly, I’m not convinced that the PSP can take a beating. With Nintendo’s handhelds, I’m confident that I can drop them, kick them, and pretty much beat the shit out of them with no worries. The PSP just seems delicate. Sony wasn’t kidding when they quipped that the PSP wasn’t built to be banged around in a grade school kid’s backpack. Adding to this is the smudge factor. The PSP gathers fingerprints like Hilden’s mom collects VD. (Badum-Cha!)

Beyond those factors, I simply can’t envision the PSP not succeeding. There are a load of games on the horizon, its appearance is instantly appealing, and the PlayStation brand name is a juggernaut that I don’t foresee slowing down any time soon.

Hilden: I’ve been leary of these new handhelds since the moment I got my hands on them at E3. I took a look at both and came to the stunning conclusing that I needed another handheld console like I needed another missed period from John’s sister.
I’m also here to tell you how wrong I have been.

The DS came and went with no dent whatsoever to my pocketbook. Nothing in the launch lineup made me want to go out and buy Nintendo’s new baby. And after playing a few games on John’s system, I still had no reason to go out and get one. With the gathering dust growing thicker on John’s little DS, I had no reason to think my decision a bad one.

Enter the PSP. After one look at the boot-up screen for Ridge Racer, I started figuring out ways to squeeze another $250 bucks out of my thinning wallet. I hate the new handheld wars, and to suddenly find myself anxious to join the fight on the side of Sony is no small thing. The screen reaches out to stroke you like a fine woman. The games look gorgeous and play with excellent control and finess. It’s like Sony actually thought about what gamers might like and gave it to them. Racers, addictive puzzles, RPG’s. This system has it all.

And it’s nice to play a system that has GAMES on it, rather than glorified tech demos. Every game I plaly on the PSP feels like home, something I am used to and can get behind. With the DS, it’s like I’m getting preached to by the Gaming Future Police. Every DS game forces me to make some leap outside of the box in order to play. The PSP just makes me love games on the go.

I have yet to see the capabilities of the WiFi system, but it feels like a solid part of the system, not some tacked on gimmick. The machine looks fantastic and makes me want to show it off to all my friends. It’s sexy. The controls are fantastic with the addition of an analog stick that works like a technological dream. The movies look wonderful on the large screen and make me anxious for further releases.

The downsides? Well, John coverd them. The price is damn steep. This isn’t for the common gamer, but for the wealthy masses. But who am I kidding? I might not be a bachelor with money to burn forever, but I can afford this in the meantime. The machine is like my Mac Powerbook: wonderful to look at, but don’t knock it around if you want to use it in the future. This isn’t your little brother’s handheld. The screen also looks like a prime candidate for serious scratches. But anyone with $250 to burn will know how to take care of a screen.

The bottom line is that I’m a PSP convert and I have a feeling that much of the gaming community will follow suit. If I were Nintendo, I’d be running scared.

The Games

During our launch day extravaganza, we picked up what we thought would be the best of the bunch: Lumines, Wipeout Pure, Ridge Racer, and Untold Legends. We’ve spent a bit of time with each – not enough for full reviews, however – and here are some brief impressions of each.

Ridge Racer

John: Ridge Racer hasn’t been good...well...ever, in my opinion. Of course, that could be the fact that I was never really into the racing genre until games like Project Gotham Racing 2 hit the scene. I wasn’t really expecting a lot from this one, but I must say that so far I’m pleasantly surprised by the number of tracks, options, and unlockables included in Ridge Racer PSP. The World Circuit mode brings back tracks from earlier games, along with newer ones.

There are a few issues that bug me, however. When you run into the walls, for example, your car simply bumps off of it like rubber. It’s not the deepest game in terms of control, which will turn off those looking for a more sim-like experience. Personally, I tend to lean towards arcade-style racers, so that’s fine with me.

Hilden: I’m really looking forward to Gran Turismo Portable for my racing fix on the go. Until then, however, Ridge Racer may just fit the bill. While not a simulation by any means, RR really makes for a nice arcady racing diversion. Cars race like they're on ice, the powerslides are a given and the races are more about speed and action than about racing the proper line.

Graphically, the game sets the standard on how portable games should look in the next generation of handhelds. The disc is full of extra features and unlockables. The racing modes are robust and varied. My only real complaint is that I’m not a real big fan of arcade racing physics. However, as an arcade racer, it controls extremely well on the handheld, especially with the PSP’s excellent analog stick. One I would recommend; at least until GT arrives.

Wipeout Pure

John: Like Ridge Racer, Wipeout hasn’t been good in ages. However, this could very well be the creme of the launch crop. Not only is it an excellent showcase game for your new gadget, but the gameplay is deep, challenging, and there’s just a ton of stuff to do.

Drifting takes a bit of time to get used to, but once you become accustomed to them you’ll be in business. The music is fantastic as well, and the frame rate zips constantly without a hitch. Being more of an F-Zero guy myself, I never thought this one would do much for me. I was wrong...again.

Hilden: This game can get hard, no doubt about that. Of course, I’ve always found the series to be challenging from a racing perspective. While never a big fan, this was one of the games that needed to launch with the new system. And launch it did and it’s one of the flagship titles for the PSP.

It looks great. It’s one of those games where you want to show it off to everyone you know in order to make it feel like you didn’t just crap away a hefty $250. The gameplay is standard Wipeout fare with powerups, and aggressive AI. It's one of those games that would be great to own and a real gem if you're a stalwart of the series.

Lumines: Puzzle Fusion

John: Some developers just understand how to make compelling titles. Between Space Channel 5, Rez, and now Lumines, it’s apparent that Tetsuya Mizuguchi is one of those developers. Blending music with puzzle gameplay (though not as much as most would have you believe), Lumines is one of the most engaging, inventive, and successful spins on the Tetris groundwork to come along perhaps ever.

Matching colored blocks isn’t revolutionary by any means, but not all works of brilliance are. What really sold me on Lumines is the presentation, the atmosphere, and the all-around feel of the game. It’s just one of those games that demands “one more try”.

Hilden: Yeah, I’m not a big Tetris addict. I like the game, don’t get me wrong but it’s just not the thing I play for hours on end. Lumines is another one of those games for me. It really looks good, and the music matched with the gameplay is really great.

However, it’s another puzzle game and it’s just not my niche. Give me a Rez remake and I’ll be happy. Until then, you can keep your puzzle stuff.

Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade

John: To be quite frank, there really isn’t anything special about Untold Legends. Sure, it’s a decent enough hack n’ slash romp, which is perfectly suited for handheld gaming, but nothing will make you jump out of your seat.

One disappointment was the almost total lack of character customization. You can update your stats throughout the game, yes, but the way in which you actually design your character is completely limited to the point that you’re almost left asking, “Why even bother?”

If you’ve played Champions of Norrath or Baldur’s Gate, you’ll know what to expect here. Except expect it to be trimmed down some.

Hilden: Meh. That about describes how I feel about this one. Compared to Ridge Racer and Wipeout, the game looks UGLY. The RPG elements seem tired and tacked on, the gameplay hack and slash redudency.

While it’s nice to have an RPG style action game on they system, it really doesn’t do anything to wow me.

And in the End...

So that’s what we’ve got to say about the PSP for the time being. We don’t know how the handheld wars are going to pan out, but from the looks of it we’re going to have fun finding out. Stay tuned over the next week as we post complete reviews of the above games as well as a few others.
Article By: John and Hilden