{"id":228766,"date":"2021-04-01T11:37:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T11:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/psp-launch-games-16-years-shut-down\/"},"modified":"2021-04-01T11:37:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T11:37:42","slug":"taking-a-look-back-at-the-psps-launch-titles-game-rant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2021\/04\/01\/taking-a-look-back-at-the-psps-launch-titles-game-rant\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking a Look Back at the PSP’s Launch Titles | Game Rant"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It’s not every day that gamers get to experience the launch of a new handheld gaming system. Ever since the days of Game and Watch<\/em>, companies like Nintendo and Sony have become giants in the handheld gaming industry. For Sony, the PlayStation Portable was its first real venture into the market, which launched in 2005 against the likes of the Nintendo DS. The “Walkman of the 21st century,” as former Sony CEO Ken Kutaragi called it, went on to sell over 80 million units during the console’s 10-year lifespan. Even though\u00a0using special\u00a0Universal Media Discs (UMD) for the PSP was an awkward choice<\/a>, the PSP was received positively by critics and fans alike.<\/p>\n

No new console is complete without its collection of launch games. It is what drives interest in each new console and supports the initial sales while more games are being developed. Over 1300 games were released for the PSP during its lifespan, but only a tiny fraction of that was available at launch. Since\u00a0the PSP celebrated its 16th anniversary<\/a>\u00a0this March, it’s a great time to look back on the two dozen games that were marketed with the launch of Sony’s first handheld gaming console.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0Sony Completely Removes Web Version of Old PlayStation Store<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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PlayStation fans were hotly anticipating the first games that would become available during Sony’s “launch timeframe.” While most games in this group were available on day one, some were set to release soon after the system itself. PSP launch titles had a wide range of genres, including sports games, fighting games, puzzle games, and even an action RPG. Few of these games were true exclusives, but many featured some form of PSP-only content. Most games for the PSP were between $40 to $50, way before the near $70-plus games available on the PS5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the bigger game releases for the PSP was an exclusive version of\u00a0Spider-Man<\/em>\u00a02<\/em><\/a>, developed by Vicarious Visions and based on the 2004 movie. This version featured new levels, new web-swinging action, plus new cinematics. Tobey Maguire and Alfred Molina reprised their roles in the game, and the first million lucky owners of a new PSP also got a free UMD\u00a0Spider-Man 2<\/em> movie. Since Sony wanted to market the PSP as a multimedia platform, showcasing the possibilities with UMD Video helped garner some interest in the concept.<\/p>\n

The PlayStation Portable’s launch roster also featured plenty of sports games. There was basketball action in\u00a0NBA<\/em>, golfing in\u00a0Tiger Woods PGA Tour<\/em><\/a>, soccer in\u00a0World Tour Soccer<\/em>, football in\u00a0NFL Street 2 Unleashed<\/em>, and hockey in\u00a0Gretzky NHL.\u00a0<\/em>Soon after launch, players could play baseball in MLB<\/em> and MVP Baseball<\/em>, too. Pretty much, anyone\u00a0that liked sports games would have something they could enjoy playing. Fans of racing and skating games were also pleased. EA’s Need for Speed Underground: Rivals<\/em> and Namco’s Ridge Racer<\/em>\u00a0were great for standard racing. Twisted Metal: Head-On<\/em> was great for players that wanted a little more destructive action, and Wipeout Pure<\/em> had a sci-fi twist that enticed some players.<\/p>\n

Some of the PSP’s launch titles were geared towards fans of RPGs and fantasy, too. Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade<\/em> was a unique fantasy action RPG, the iconic Dynasty Warriors<\/em> series<\/a> released a game for the console, and there was even a fantasy monster fighting game with Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower.<\/em> For any fans of puzzle games, there was Lumines<\/em>, a falling block game from visionary creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi that became the talk of the town ahead of the PSP’s launch.<\/p>\n

Last\u00a0but certainly not least, PSP players would see a new entry in the Metal Gear<\/em> franchise<\/a>. Metal Gear Acid<\/em> was a new take on the series, with card-based mechanics that controlled how each mission would play out.<\/p>\n

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