While the rest of the world watches, GPS continues to gain support and popularity in Japan. The latest commercial for Minna no Golf showcases a happy woman playing golf. Then, she uses the GPS device on her PSP to get details on the course she's actually playing on. Yatta!
It's interesting to see SCEJ promote the GPS peripheral so strongly in Japan. Certainly, the diminutive device deserves to get all the attention it can get. When will the rest of the world be able to join in?
[Update:IGN has revealed more details about the GPS support of Minna no Golf Ba. The game spans two UMDs due to the incredible size of these maps. "The first disk will include sixteen courses from southern Chiba along with one special course. The second disk will include fifteen courses from northern Chiba." Additional volumes are planned to be released later on, featuring even more golf courses throughout Japan.]
The PSP has been near the top of the sales charts recently and I figured some new PSP owners may not be up to know what great games the system has to offer. With that in mind, every day this week we'll feature a new genre and list the top 5 games (according to metareviews), so no matter what you're into, you'll have some idea of what games you should own. Today the focus is on Sports games and there were so many games tied in this genre that I'd end up with a list of 16 games if I listed all the tied games as equals in rank. With that in mind, I made an executive decision and today going forward with this feature I'll list the top 5 based on Metareview and I'll use reader reviews to sort through ties.
Top 5 Sports games on PSP
Virtua Tennis World Tour
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix
MLB 06: The Show
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
I don't play sports games, so I'm not sure if this list is accurate to the average sports fan. What do you think about these 5 games? What sports games aren't on this list that you think every PSP owner should have?
If you missed it, you can check out our previous top 5 game lists:
File Size: 157MB Price: $5.99 Developed By: Clap Hanz Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment of America Original Release Date: February 29, 2000
Short Review Recommended. For better or for worse, the golf genre's lack of significant evolution makes Hot Shots Golf 2 an incredibly worthwhile purchase. The graphics have aged very well, and the quick load times make this $6 purchase just as worthwhile as other fully priced modern golf games.
I'm sure you're all aware of the Signature PSP lineup by now, but did you know Sony teamed up with Coca Cola to manufacture 1,300 Hot Shots Golf: Coca Cola Special Edition PSP bundles in Japan last year? The bundled Hot Shots game, which Coca Cola gave away in contests, was basically a big commercial for the company as it featured Coca Cola advertising, clothing and even bottle-shaped golf clubs.
Unfortunately, the contests are all over and you can't win one anymore. However, if you have about $660 burning a hole in your pocket, the bundle can be all yours via an eBay auction here. You even get the prize letter from Coca Cola to make you feel like you've won something.
The upcoming camera and GPS peripherals have been getting a lot of attention, most notably because they have the ability to extend the PSP's already impressive capability set, and interface with games in new, original ways. One of the more creative examples we mentioned earlier was Hot Shot Golf's communication with GPS that transforms the game into a personal golf assistant when you're actually on one of Japan's golf courses. According to IT Media, this can become the "golf tool of the new age." This will certainly bring in a very unique audience to the world of gaming: golfers, who might pick up a PSP just to get all the golf data they could ever want. (But we wonder, how many people will actually use this functionality? And: will it work on US golf courses?)
Of course, Hot Shots Golf isn't the only game using PSP's GPS feature. Read on to see how other software is taking advantage of the device.
Saturday Night Live cast member Jason Sudekis recently had a chat with Yahoo! about video games on the set of the show. Surprisingly, the PSP handheld seems to be the system for the writers and staff of the show. "They all have PSPs there running around Liberty City Stories or playing 18 holes on Hot Shots Golf. Now that PSP is out everyone can play the same game in the same room and you don't have to have a TV."
It appears that his favorite games on the handheld come mostly from Sony's excellent launch with the system: Burnout Legends, Twisted Metal Head-On, and Hot Shot Golf. His top game on the PSP is Lumines (great choice, my man!).
Those of you that are interested in joining the SNL cast one day better start getting your PSPs revved up.
Great news for you bargain hunters. Today, PSP's Greatest Hits lineup will be available in stores. There are five games that'll carry the Greatest Hits tag and be priced at $19.99 at your favorite retailer:
Ape Escape: On the Loose
ATV Offroad Furty: Blazin' Trails
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Twisted Metal: Head-On
Wipeout Pure
My personal recommendation is Wipeout Pure: the game features incredible presentation and offers a ton of depth, especially with downloadable content that doubles the content of the game. If you're looking for a real deal, you might want to wait a little while. Circuit City will be having a 2 for $30 sale starting 7/30 for all games $19.99 and under (which includes PSP Greatest Hits and more).
[Update 1: Sony has said that third-party games will achieve Greatest Hits status later this year. Specifically, Lumines, Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, and Star Wars Battlefront II are all due to go easier on gamers' wallets. Via Gamespot]
Great news for you bargain hunters. Today, PSP's Greatest Hits lineup will be available in stores. There are five games that'll carry the Greatest Hits tag and be priced at $19.99 at your favorite retailer:
