The PSP was Sony’s first foray into trying to dethrone Nintendo as the king of the handheld market. While the console did not reach the same commercial heights as the Nintendo DS, it was still an incredible device in its own right.
It amassed a large library of games over its lifespan, populated with some of the finest RPGs ever made. While many of the best games have since been ported to other consoles, several RPGs are still stuck on the older piece of hardware, forcing players to buy a PSP or a Vita to play the game via the PlayStation Store.
10 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
This prequel to Final Fantasy VII gave fans something they wanted for years, an opportunity to learn more about Zack Fair. The combat varies greatly from the seventh mainline entry, but it was still well-received in its day. Unfortunately, this game was never put on the PlayStation store, making a physical copy the only way to play. Perhaps we’ll receive a proper remake in the future as a part of the Final Fantasy VII series of remakes.
9 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
This remake of the classic tactical JRPG adds much-needed improvements and conveniences to make Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together a more enjoyable experience. It is a good thing the gameplay is fun because the story sure isn’t. The conflict makes for one of the darker RPGs, removing mysticism and magic in favor of political strife and personal drama. We’d sure love a re-release or full-fledged remake on modern consoles.
8 Jeanne d’Arc
Some RPGs find inspiration in the strangest places. Jeanne d’Arc is a fictional retelling of the Joan of Arc’s story. With demons populating the battlefield, it is clear this game does not take place in the real world’s historical Europe. The gameplay will be familiar to anybody who played RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, but it is notably less challenging. Still, the unique aesthetic helps it stand out.
7 Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday
Perhaps the weakest entry on this list, The 3rd Birthday is the third game in the cult-classic Parasite Eve franchise. The gameplay should be somewhat familiar to fans of the older games, and the story even features characters from the prior titles.
While it was nice to see the franchise return after so long, it was not exactly what fans were hoping for. Maybe a proper console continuation will come out in the future.
6 Phantasy Star Portable
After Phantasy Star IV, the numbering convention of the JRPG series went out the window. The franchise found itself on numerous consoles, including the PSP. Phantasy Star Portable is a sequel to Phantasy Star Universe on the PS2. The PSP game was popular enough to warrant a sequel, though neither game has ever been ported to other systems. The sequel even features a multiplayer mode. The PSP was one of the first consoles with in-depth online functionality, so it was great to see games take advantage of it.
5 Wild Arms XF
The Wild Arms series had its best time on the original PlayStation, but it still lived on past Sony’s first console. Where the series mainly dabbled in turn-based RPGs, Wild Arms XF is a tactical RPG. The genre made a nice home for itself on the console. This was the last game released in the Wild Arms franchise, though developer Media.Vision is still going strong, making renowned JRPGs like Valkyria Chronicles.
4 Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Portable is indeed a port of a PlayStation 2 game. However, there is enough new content and changes to warrant playing through the game again. Players can now play as a female character, control their allies in combat, and even run into new characters from Persona 4 and even Catherine.
Unfortunately, none of these new features were ever brought to other platforms in a port, so be prepared to whip out the PSP for this version of the game.
3 Brave Story: New Traveler
It is pretty rare to see an RPG based on a novel series, but this is exactly what Brave Story: New Traveler is. The game is a loose interpretation of the Brave Story series, featuring some of the same characters but telling a new story. A young boy is taken to a distant land to complete a mission and save his sick friend in the real world. While the game was received positively, it never received a port to other consoles.
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1 Valkyria Chronicles 2
The first Valkyria Chronicles is a cult classic relatively easy to play today thanks to the PS4 re-release. The sequel was only released on the PSP and has yet to receive a port of any kind. Even more unfortunate, the third game never even saw release in the west. Don’t let the portable format make discourage you; the game was still warmly received and a worthy successor. The most recent release, Valkyria Chronicles 4, came out on the PS4.
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