23rd November 2011, 2:51 AM
So um, I got some stuff today that maybe i shouldn't have, but did anyway. I got a PSP. It's a black PSP 3001-model to be precise, and it came with the charger and a 4GB memory card for $70, which is well under the ebay price, or the price in most stores for that matter -- and that's part of why I got it, I wouldn't have paid the $90 or $100 or whatever these things still cost, no way. I wonder if system prices will crash after the Vita releases... oh well, this was already under today's price.
What do I think about the system? Well, I have held PSPs a few times before of course, and the top things I noticed were that the screen is huge, the graphics are nice, and that (of course) the controls are AWFUL. Seriously, that analog nub things has to be one of the worst things ever... the rest of the buttons are tolerably below average (as usual for Sony controllers), but the analog nub is both quite uncomfortable and horribly positioned, so it's hard to actually hold that thing at all comfortably. Ick. I know there isn't much space on these small handhelds, but still... there has to be something better than that... Oh, and two buttons for volume, instead of a slider? Bad decision. Having a simple slider would be better, and you wouldn't need that separate Mute button either. I also keep looking for Start and Select above the face buttons, instead of down under the screen... I guess the original DS sort of conditioned me for that, for newer handhelds (though I know Nintendo hasn't stuck with that layout themselves, the 3DS has below-the-screen Start and Select buttons if I remember right. But I don't have those, just the original DS.). That big screen on the PSP is nice, and so are the graphics, but the controls... argh.
On that note, after playing PSP, I played some The Last Blade on NGPC. The radical ifference in button/stick quality could not possibly be much more pronounced. I know, that's somewhat unfair because the NGPC's digital clicky stick is probably the best digital control thing ever on a handheld, but still, it's true... and the NGPC's buttons are far better too, of course.
As for games, I got four. All were complete
--
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - $13. This Falcom action-RPG is one I'd really wanted ever since I first heard about it, so I was pretty happy the store had a copy... it's cheaper at Gamestop, but I can't get to a Gamestop anytime soon and not many near here have copies, so I'm fine with that price. And the game is indeed quite good, with a light, fun atmosphere, decently good graphics, great music, and fun action-RPG gameplay. Good stuff. You play as this young girl who's on an adventure to save the monster kingdom from phantoms, pretty much, with your drill weapon (of course; Japan loves drills...).
Gripshift - $6. This racing game is pretty much a Trackmania knockoff, essentially -- you try to get through short, but tricky, sections of floating road before time runs out. Because all the roads are floating in the sky it reminds me a bit of stuff like the Rollcage Stage II challenge stages or even Monkey Ball, too, as well as Trackmania; all are somewhat similar though. I dislike the rock soundtrack, and the controls take some getting used to (I hate the PSP controls already! SO BAD!), but it's good, I think. I like games like this.
Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles - $13. Had to get this one of course. I got between a third and half way through the 3d remake. It's pretty much exactly the same as the original, except with more story scenes and different art. That is, it's great.
Every Extend Extra - $4. This is a somewhat arcade-style shooting-ish single-screen game where instead of shooting enemies, you blow them up with bombs, and try to create bomb chains, because killed enemies explode too. Seems pretty good, getting good at it definitely would take some work and the graphics and music are great.
DS
--
Pokemon Black - $10, card only. This I got a few days ago. I'd only ever played a Pokemon game before for like half an hour, and that was over ten years ago, so I said eh, why not... and I'd heard they'd aimed the audience slightly older with this one (the characters are mid-teens for instance, instead of 10 or 12 like before). It's kind of fun, until you figure out that it's basically all grind. Not a complete waste of money, but yeah, not something I'll be finishing, probably.
(As for "collecting them all", whether it be Pokemon or Diablo II, I've just never cared about that kind of thing.)
On a completely different note, I tried Moto Racer World Tour for PS1. The graphics are alright, but it's sim-style, like Moto Racer 3, which means it's a gigantic disappointment. I'll stick with the first two Moto Racer games. It's really odd that after making two incredibly great games, Delphine completely ruined the series by putting in realistic racing tracks, sim-style bike customization, etc. That stuff is NOT what I want from a Moto Racer game, yet both this game (a PS1 exclusive) and the final one, MR3 for the PC, do exactly that. It's pretty sad, considering that Moto Racer 2 (and 1) were some of my favorite PC racing games of the '90s, right up there with the greats like Pod and the NFS games. (Better than NFS probably, in fact.) And then, after those two brilliant classics... nothing except for two lame sims and then the death of the franchise. It's so sad.
What do I think about the system? Well, I have held PSPs a few times before of course, and the top things I noticed were that the screen is huge, the graphics are nice, and that (of course) the controls are AWFUL. Seriously, that analog nub things has to be one of the worst things ever... the rest of the buttons are tolerably below average (as usual for Sony controllers), but the analog nub is both quite uncomfortable and horribly positioned, so it's hard to actually hold that thing at all comfortably. Ick. I know there isn't much space on these small handhelds, but still... there has to be something better than that... Oh, and two buttons for volume, instead of a slider? Bad decision. Having a simple slider would be better, and you wouldn't need that separate Mute button either. I also keep looking for Start and Select above the face buttons, instead of down under the screen... I guess the original DS sort of conditioned me for that, for newer handhelds (though I know Nintendo hasn't stuck with that layout themselves, the 3DS has below-the-screen Start and Select buttons if I remember right. But I don't have those, just the original DS.). That big screen on the PSP is nice, and so are the graphics, but the controls... argh.
On that note, after playing PSP, I played some The Last Blade on NGPC. The radical ifference in button/stick quality could not possibly be much more pronounced. I know, that's somewhat unfair because the NGPC's digital clicky stick is probably the best digital control thing ever on a handheld, but still, it's true... and the NGPC's buttons are far better too, of course.
As for games, I got four. All were complete
--
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - $13. This Falcom action-RPG is one I'd really wanted ever since I first heard about it, so I was pretty happy the store had a copy... it's cheaper at Gamestop, but I can't get to a Gamestop anytime soon and not many near here have copies, so I'm fine with that price. And the game is indeed quite good, with a light, fun atmosphere, decently good graphics, great music, and fun action-RPG gameplay. Good stuff. You play as this young girl who's on an adventure to save the monster kingdom from phantoms, pretty much, with your drill weapon (of course; Japan loves drills...).
Gripshift - $6. This racing game is pretty much a Trackmania knockoff, essentially -- you try to get through short, but tricky, sections of floating road before time runs out. Because all the roads are floating in the sky it reminds me a bit of stuff like the Rollcage Stage II challenge stages or even Monkey Ball, too, as well as Trackmania; all are somewhat similar though. I dislike the rock soundtrack, and the controls take some getting used to (I hate the PSP controls already! SO BAD!), but it's good, I think. I like games like this.
Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles - $13. Had to get this one of course. I got between a third and half way through the 3d remake. It's pretty much exactly the same as the original, except with more story scenes and different art. That is, it's great.
Every Extend Extra - $4. This is a somewhat arcade-style shooting-ish single-screen game where instead of shooting enemies, you blow them up with bombs, and try to create bomb chains, because killed enemies explode too. Seems pretty good, getting good at it definitely would take some work and the graphics and music are great.
DS
--
Pokemon Black - $10, card only. This I got a few days ago. I'd only ever played a Pokemon game before for like half an hour, and that was over ten years ago, so I said eh, why not... and I'd heard they'd aimed the audience slightly older with this one (the characters are mid-teens for instance, instead of 10 or 12 like before). It's kind of fun, until you figure out that it's basically all grind. Not a complete waste of money, but yeah, not something I'll be finishing, probably.
(As for "collecting them all", whether it be Pokemon or Diablo II, I've just never cared about that kind of thing.)
On a completely different note, I tried Moto Racer World Tour for PS1. The graphics are alright, but it's sim-style, like Moto Racer 3, which means it's a gigantic disappointment. I'll stick with the first two Moto Racer games. It's really odd that after making two incredibly great games, Delphine completely ruined the series by putting in realistic racing tracks, sim-style bike customization, etc. That stuff is NOT what I want from a Moto Racer game, yet both this game (a PS1 exclusive) and the final one, MR3 for the PC, do exactly that. It's pretty sad, considering that Moto Racer 2 (and 1) were some of my favorite PC racing games of the '90s, right up there with the greats like Pod and the NFS games. (Better than NFS probably, in fact.) And then, after those two brilliant classics... nothing except for two lame sims and then the death of the franchise. It's so sad.
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