Best PSP Games

[Friendly]

Now that PS Vita has been released and PSP is nearing the end of its commercial lifespan, I'd like to compile a list of the best games (of any genre) for the system.
While I have owned a PSP for many years, I haven't really been keeping track. Now is the perfect time to fill gaps in the collection, as most games are still available for relatively affordable prices and there probably isn't anything that can be considered rare.

What are your favorites? Must-have games? Unknown but good stuff? Exclusives or ports that are superior on PSP?

Please post anything you like, possibly sorted by genre. I'll keep this first post updated.


List of recommended games:

Action:
Warriors Orochi 2

Action Adventure:
Corpse Party (DL-only)
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Ys Seven
Ys I&II Chronicle
Phantasy Star Portable 1&2
Patchwork Heroes
Alien Zombie Death (PSP Mini)
BreakQuest (PSP Mini)


Action RPG:
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Monster Hunter Portable 2G

Beat 'Em Up
Kenka Bancho Badass Rumble
The Red Star (DL only)

Fighting
Guilty Gear XXAC+
BlazBlue CSII
Tekken 6
Darkstalkers Chronicle The Chaos Tower
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max

Music/Rythm
DJ Max Portable

Platformer / Sidescroller:
Dracula X Chronicles
Mega Man Powered Up
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
Prinny: Can I really be the hero?

Pinball:
Pinball Hall of Fame Williams Collection
Pinball Hall of Fame Gottlieb Collection

Puzzle:
Crush
Lumines 2
Blast Off (PSP Mini)

Racing:
Ridge Racer
Ridge Racer 2
Wipeout Pulse/Pure

RPG:
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Half Minute Hero
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross
Final Fantasy IV Complete
Persona 3 Portable
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions
Lunar Harmony of Silver Star
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
The Legend of Heroes
The Legend of Heroes II
The Legend of Heroes III
Elminage Original
Elminage II
Elminage III
Growlanser
Growlanser IV Over Reloaded
Super Robot Wars OG Saga Masoukishin I & II
Super Robot Wars ZII Hakai-hen
Super Robot Wars ZII Saisei-hen
The Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki
The Legend of Heroes Sora no Kiseki SC
The Legend of Heroes Sora no Kiseki the 3rd
The Legend of Heroes Zero no Kiseki


Shoot 'em Up:
Darius Burst
The Gradius and Salamander collections
Neo Geo Heroes
The Flying Hamster (PSP-Mini)

Strategy
R-Type Command
Pixeljunk Monsters
Fieldrunners (PSP Mini)

Strategy RPG Shooter Puzzle:
Knights in the Nightmare

[CIT]

RPG:

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Corpse Party (DL-only)


Action Adventure:

Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Ys Seven
Ys I&II Chronicle
Phantasy Star Portable 1&2


Shoot 'em Up:

Darius Burst

[Friendly]

Strategy RPG Shooter Puzzle:

Knights in the Nightmare
http://www.destructoid.com/review-knigh ... 6833.phtml

[JBC]

Mega Man Powered Up was a blast for me.

The Gradius and Salamander collections
R-Type Command
Dracula X Chronicles

[CptRansom]

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite/Portable 2G (I never got to play multiplayer with this, but single-player was still amazingly good fun)
DJ Max Portable (any except the ones with auto-timing or whatever because that shit's retarded)
Patapon (don't know about the sequels)
Lumines 2
Ridge Racer

[njiska]

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X was a damn fine reimagining.
Final Fantasy IV Complete was one of the better RPG ports.

Kenka Bancho Bad Ass Rumble is probably the PSP game I've given the most to.

[hzt]

DJ Max Portable (any except the ones with auto-timing or whatever because that shit's retarded)

Actually you have to press the button at the right time, you just don't have to press the right button...

DJ Max Portable games are all my PSP gets used for. Or used to get used for, some of the buttons stopped responding and I can't be bothered to find a tiny screwdriver to get it open and try to fix it. I also broke the screen on a previous PSP playing DJ Max but I don't remember how.

[Rebel Ninja]

Persona 3 Portable is one of the best RPG's on the PSP. It's worth playing even if you already own the original or FES. Persona 1 and 2 (Innocent Sin) are also available as well.

[DJ Incompetent]

Platformer / Sidescroller:
Dracula X Chronicles
Maverick Hunter X
The Red Star

RPG:
Half Minute Hero
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross

Action Adventure:
Patchwork Heroes
Alien Zombie Death
BreakQuest

Shoot 'em Up:
Sonic Wings Special
Neo Geo Heroes
The Flying Hamster

Puzzle:
Crush
Lumines 2
Blast Off

Strategy:
Knights in the Nightmare
Pixeljunk Monsters
Fieldrunners

[CptRansom]

DJ Max Portable (any except the ones with auto-timing or whatever because that shit's retarded)

Actually you have to press the button at the right time, you just don't have to press the right button...

DJ Max Portable games are all my PSP gets used for. Or used to get used for, some of the buttons stopped responding and I can't be bothered to find a tiny screwdriver to get it open and try to fix it. I also broke the screen on a previous PSP playing DJ Max but I don't remember how.

It's been a while since I've played, but I knew it was something like that. I still think it's retarded. =(

Between DJ Max and Monster Hunter, I'm starting to really miss having a PSP.

[Moniker]

Some good ports of current(ish) gen FTGs

Guilty Gear XXAC+
BlazBlue CSII
Tekken 6

Prinny: Can I really be the hero? - A Disgaea spinoff. Is a very good and difficult platformer in the vein of GnG. There's a sequel to it that I haven't played.

Shiren the Wanderer 3 - JP only, but there's an english patch. It's the same game as the localized Wii Shiren the Wanderer. Not the greatest in the series, but an excellent roguelike, nonetheless.

Pinball Hall of Fame Williams/Gottlieb Collection. - Super realistic adaptations of classic pinball tables. Has TATE.

Wipeout Pure/Pulse - Fully featured Wipeout games.


Probably would be a bit too much to mention PSX games, since you can play all of them with custom firmware, but Harmful Park (shmup) is downloadable on PSN, which is the first time you can get it for a non JP system.

[Ganelon]

Outside of what's already been mentioned:

RPG:
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions
Lunar Harmony of Silver Star
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
The Legend of Heroes
The Legend of Heroes II
The Legend of Heroes III
-
Elminage Original
Elminage II
Elminage III
Growlanser
Growlanser IV Over Reloaded
Super Robot Wars OG Saga Masoukishin I & II
Super Robot Wars ZII Hakai-hen
Super Robot Wars ZII Saisei-hen
The Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki
The Legend of Heroes Sora no Kiseki SC
The Legend of Heroes Sora no Kiseki the 3rd
The Legend of Heroes Zero no Kiseki

FIGHTING (sort of a waste with the PSP's mediocre controls though):
Darkstalkers Chronicle The Chaos Tower
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max

RACING:
Ridge Racer 2

ACTION:
Warriors Orochi 2

[Friendly]

FIGHTING (sort of a waste with the PSP's mediocre controls though)

This is what you need (I mean the d-pad cap):
http://dx.com/8-piece-black-buttons-cap ... 644?item=1
or in white
http://dx.com/psp-button-enhancer-caps- ... 330?item=3

Makes playing 2D games on PSP awesome.

[Ganelon]

Yeah, I've tried Capcom's original PSP d-pad cover before and it certainly makes the d-pad feel better than the default, but it's sort of a makeshift attachment. In addition to the d-pad, the buttons are also too flush against the system surface and aren't in ideal positions for Capcom's 6-button fighters (praise the Nomad for getting that right). And even then, there's no option to use an arcade stick without some serious modding. I recognize that many folks aren't as particular about the controls as I am though, in which case I agree that a d-pad cover would be a smart, cheap idea not only for fighters but also for sidescrollers.

[Friendly]

I've been using that + shaped d-pad cover from the set I linked to on my PSP's d-pad for years (basically since I bought the PSP); I never took it off again. Best video game related $2.20 USD I have ever spent.

[CIT]

Sonic Wings Limited

Wha-!? When was this released for PSP

[Friendly]

Sonic Wings Limited

Wha-!? When was this released for PSP

I assume he means the PS1 version which can be downloaded on PSN. Or converted and played for free if you have a CFW on your PSP.
I have removed it from the list now.

[CIT]

Sonic Wings Limited

Wha-!? When was this released for PSP

I assume he means the PS1 version which can be downloaded on PSN. Or converted and played for free if you have a CFW on your PSP.
I have removed it from the list now.

Ah, gotcha! However that would be Sonic Wings Special. Sonic Wings Limited is a different game altogether (and arcade-only, hence my surprise).

[Mortificator]

Final Fantasy IV Complete was one of the better RPG ports.

Unfortunately, the challenge was completely castrated.

[Moniker]

QQ: Is Persona 3 Portable the FES edition, or the original?

[DJ Incompetent]

My baaad. Totally meant Special. Yes it's PS1. The Chronos are PS1 also.
Alien Zombie Death, BreakQuest, and Fieldrunners are minis. I'm pretty sure The Red Star is download only and better classified as Beat'em'up if you got that genre now.

Metal Slug Anthology should probably go up there. XX came out separately.

[Moniker]

Metal Slug Anthology should probably go up there. XX came out separately.

Very much recommend *not* getting Metal Slug Anthology, as there's far too much slowdown and input lag for real enjoyment. There's a PSP neo-geo emulator that FAIAP renders them arcade perfect.

[BulletMagnet]

QQ: Is Persona 3 Portable the FES edition, or the original?

If memory serves it doesn't have the FES content but has some extra stuff of its own.

[njiska]

Metal Slug Anthology should probably go up there. XX came out separately.

Very much recommend *not* getting Metal Slug Anthology, as there's far too much slowdown and input lag for real enjoyment. There's a PSP neo-geo emulator that FAIAP renders them arcade perfect.

I'll second that. All versions of the Anthology are borderline unplayable.

[Blackbird]

All of the Sting games are good.

Yggdra Union
Riviera: The Promised Land

Dunno about Hexyz Force, but I heard it was competent, if not as innovative as Sting's usual fare.

Tactics Ogre PSP has OUTSTANDING music. It's seriously some of the best music I have heard in a game in a long time. Game itself is solid, if a little bland in my opinion. Maybe just skip the game and get the soundtrack =P.

[xbl0x180]

Dream Club!

[Moniker]

Outside of what's already been mentioned:

RPG:
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions
Lunar Harmony of Silver Star
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
The Legend of Heroes
The Legend of Heroes II
The Legend of Heroes III
-
Elminage Original
Elminage II
Elminage III
Growlanser
Growlanser IV Over Reloaded
Super Robot Wars OG Saga Masoukishin I & II
Super Robot Wars ZII Hakai-hen
Super Robot Wars ZII Saisei-hen
The Legend of Heroes Ao no Kiseki
The Legend of Heroes Sora no Kiseki SC
The Legend of Heroes Sora no Kiseki the 3rd
The Legend of Heroes Zero no Kiseki

Any of these (barring FF titles) that you'd recommend in particular? It looks like a lot of them are JP only?

[Ed Oscuro]

No fans of The 3rd Birthday?

[Ganelon]

Any of these (barring FF titles) that you'd recommend in particular? It looks like a lot of them are JP only?

It depends on your RPG tastes. You can probably tell the type of RPGs I like just from my list. Everything after the "-" are JP-only games. As folks know, there are many solid JP-only RPGs that didn't make it over here.

The 2 tactics game are serious tactical SRPGs with stronger political plots than most games. The 3 SRW games (ZII installments are just 2 nearly identical halves of 1 story) are serious, anime mecha-inspired strategic SRPGs that would probably only be enjoyed by mecha fans. The 3 Elminage games (Elminage III is the most comprehensive) are serious Wizardry-style dungeon crawlers with great hand-drawn artwork (Wizardry Empire III should also belong here, but I haven't played the PSP port so I can't recommend it for certain). The rest are colorful, magical, anime-inspired, serious, sprite-based traditional (mostly) RPGs with traditional epic stories. The US localizations of The Legend of Heroes I-III are questionable but that doesn't stop me from really enjoying the games.

If you're still not sure, try one of each series. And if you prefer Square Enix console RPGs from the PS2 era and beyond, Megaten console RPGs since SMT3, Disgaea-type SRPGs, and Monster Hunter clones (all RPGs I have little interest in), then these games may not work for you. Anyway, these are already about as particular as I'd recommend, within the top 20% of PSP RPGs I've tried.

BTW, Corpse Party isn't an RPG; it's a standard adventure game but with an overhead perspective.

[LtC]

Valkyria Chronicles 3

I hate to admit that it's a lot better than the first game on the PS3.