This bite-sized peek at the formative years of the God of Thunder is a simple, charming distraction that's unfortunately overburdened by sloppy combat and unbalanced difficulty.
A stellar rendition of an already superb JRPG, Persona 3 Portable expertly captures the essence of it's PlayStation 2-based predecessors, and thanks to the inclusion of a new protagonist option, a bevy of new features, and streamlined exploration, may serve as the definitive edition of the game.
The latest portable entry in Kojima's famed tactical espionage series sadly evades perfection by requiring co-op for many of its boss battles. It's worth a look for seasoned stealth fans, but frustration often trumps fun if you go at it alone.
Nippon Ichi's madcap sequel features plenty of frantic strategy-oriented gameplay and a wealth of improvements over its predecessor, but What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord?! 2 also features a difficulty curve as steep as the game's title is long.
More like an expansion pack or supplement to an actual game, Paradise's sole purpose is to satisfy (in more ways than one) that select group that just can't get enough of the franchise's buxom, barely-dressed female fighters.
While it doesn't break the classic Metal Slug mold, nor does it truly push or innovative SNK Playmore's tried and true franchise, Metal Slug XX is an enjoyable experience that boasts some stellar multiplayer and a few nice new perks.
This revamp of GameArts' classic JRPG may boast gorgeous updated graphics, but at its core, its still very much the same Lunar: Silver Star Story that's been released and re-released multiple times on the Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Playstation, and GBA. That's good news for longtime fans, but it's also disappointing because with just a few tweaks, this version could have, and should have, been the definitive version of a much beloved classic.
An inferior presentation and broken AI co-op play keep this buddy sequel from succeeding on the PSP. If you want to see Salem and Rios at their absolute ass-kicking best, stick with the much better console versions.
With two stellar installments under its belt, Ubisoft has established Assassins Creed as a bona-fide franchise on the same level as Metal Gear and Halo. The downside of this is the inevitable flood of related products that hope to cash-in on the name recognition factor. Bloodlines, a spin-off title for the PSP, tries to live up to the high bar but it doesnt come quite close, resulting in a flawed experience whose greatest assest is that it doesnt completely sully the franchises reputation.
Last year's Game of the Year returns with some bite-sized fun in LittleBigPlanet for the PSP. Reviewer Andrew Hayward jumped headfirst into this portable adventure, and walked away with a smile a mile wide.
