Mark Cale from third party publisher Play It recently went on record with MCV, saying that publishers on the PSP are simply "getting it wrong.""The reason so many games have failed on PSP is that big publishers are prioritising lavish, full 3D productions ahead of gameplay," said Cale. "But this type of game will never be as big as it is on home console, because handheld users are seeking a more addictive, distracting experience."He calls Capcom's Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins to be one of the few games developed with the system in mind, by keeping classic gameplay and updating it with new, modern graphics. While I agree with Mr. Cale's opinions, I find it difficult to support him fully-- what games has his publisher made? I can't think of any off the top of my head.
[Thanks, steve!]













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-14-2006 @ 12:34PM
Eric said...
I agree, I have my PSP for 18 months now and to play on it,I prefer portable addictive games like Lumines than full 3D great graphics games like Tomb Raider. Don't make me wrong, I love my PSP and I love Tomb Raider, great game, great graphics but I bought it first for my PSP to take it along and I found it difficult to play outside, the screen is just to small and sensitive to daylight, so I bought it for my Xbox and now I can fully enjoy it.
The screen definition of the PSP is amazing but because of that publishers are just pushing its capability, forgetting that it is a portable device with a small screen and you cannot put as much stuff on the screen than on your TV even if you only have a 15", it just looks far too small.
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10-14-2006 @ 1:01PM
page said...
I do not agree at all. In no way should the PSP embrace the simplistic, short, trite, antiquated titles that one would find on the Nintendo DS. I enjoy lavish, feature rich productions and loath the rushed to market trite junk of the Nintendo DS platform.
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10-14-2006 @ 3:45PM
M3wThr33 said...
I totally agree. When everything is a stripped down console port, I don't want to buy the games.
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10-14-2006 @ 6:53PM
FFObsessed said...
I agree and disagree. I agree that games should be built for the PSP and only the PSP, with its advantages and limitations in mind. A side scrolling platoformer with great visuals like his example of Ultimate Ghouls and Goblins. But in no way shape or form do I want the crap you get on the DS on the PSP. Simple "fun" gameplay blah blah bores me to be honest. PSP is the first handheld ive owned since the original Gameboy and that says something.
The beauty of the PSP is that it has BOTH quick pick up and play games like Lumines, Every Extend Extra but also has console type games, GTA, Syphon Filter, Tekken etc
All the PSP needs I think is some quality RPGs. Theres Crisis Core and Jeanne D'Arc, but not so many traditional RPGs, thats all it needs I think. Its future line up then will be complete.
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10-14-2006 @ 11:11PM
epobirs said...
A lot of PSP games have failed because they were simply not good games. Being a portable port of a console game is less of a penalty than not being a desirable title on any platform.
I'm just as likely to want a epic RPG as I am a collection of arcade classics. Having both available is critical to having a satisfactory platform. Having both be GOOD is more critical still.
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10-15-2006 @ 3:32AM
chudgoo said...
Hmmm...
Does this mean Nintendo made the right choice?
Doesn't including "PS2 power" in the PSP sort of imply you wish for developers to migrate their PS2-type games to the system?
Did Sony not bring this on themselves?
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10-15-2006 @ 8:36AM
Dain Q. Gore said...
3d has nothing to do with it. Ports automatically have the detriment that most people who own a PSP already own a PS2.
The main reason I purchased my PSP is that it was a good deal from a guy who was tired of all of the ports of games he had already bought on the PS2, added to the fact that I have never owned a PS2, so those ports were all new titles to me.
It is telling that the most anticipated games have been titles such as UG'nG and even Metal Slug Anthology, even though that is technically a port as well, it includes nearly every game in the series. But 3d is not the issue, repetition is...just as with the UMD movies, people don't want to have to pay the same or more for a title they already own and enjoy, even if slightly altered or convienent for "gaming-on-the-go."
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10-15-2006 @ 6:38PM
Kade Storm said...
*Sticks fingers inside both ears of the SONY Monster.*
NO! Just when I had begun to experience this quasi-portable PS2/XBOX feel on my PSP. NO. FUCKING. WAY! Graphics and cutting-edge delivery are the PSP's niche, and its longterm appeal remains within that very niche.
Sure, maybe we can have the occassional portable time-killer, but such titles should be the minority of the PSP's catalogue. I enjoyed Ultimate Ghosts 'n' Goblins, but I wasn't enthralled like I was by the likes of Syphon Filter. Even as we speak, I'm having a blast on Gundam Battle Royale, though that would be more of a fan-bias, but still, I enjoy this graphical edge, and I don't need some director to completely condemn such an edge in favour of obsolete simplicity.
One can keep thinking inside that box of handheld conventions, as set by the gameboy. However, the PSP is something else on that front, and I would like to appreciate it for its own abilities rather than a uselessly long list of mediocre titles that showcase nothing other than the constriction of such a console within such norms.
Therefore, while I support the idea of simple, fun, switch on and play games, I must also insist that we keep the primary focus on the PSP's own capacity. I got the PSP for the distinct purpose of having something more than just the charming, yet ditsy pick up and play experience, and I've gotten just that with the oddly attractive hits like Syphon Filter, and even the not-so-appreciated, Splinter Cell.
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