
There are a number of obstacles that can get in your way -- all of them deadly. Whether it be explosive mines, homing missiles, or heat-seaking lasers, death lurks in almost every inch of N+. The combination of clever level designs and obstacle placements make each level like a puzzle: players must think of interesting ways to get to the goal. Players will be able to perform incredible feats of acrobatics, bouncing off walls, racing past rockets, and jumping past deadly lasers. Players must learn how momentum works, as many of the levels require pixel-perfect jumps.
If challenge is what you're looking for, then you've obviously come to the right place. The PSP version of N+ features quite possibly the most devilish collection of levels in the series so far -- and there are a lot of them. The amount of content featured on this disc is staggering, with the levels reaching into the hundreds. It won't take long before players encounter levels that will make them want to hurl their PSPs in anger. However, that's also the source of the game's greatest joy: successfully completing a series of levels can feel incredibly rewarding.
While we doubt the amount of content in the game will have anyone complaining (especially at its budget price), the developers at Metanet have added the potential for unlimited content through its community integration. There's a level editor built in to the game, and players can create levels and upload them online for the entire world to see and play. Jumping online is a breeze: players simply create a username and password and they're instantly granted access to the community area. Here, players will be able to stream levels to their systems, rate them and then download their favorites to Memory Stick. This kind of functionality makes N+ the LittleBigPlanet of our system -- and it's a feature that's sorely lacking in other versions of the game.

Considering the smartly implemented and easy-to-use online features, the breadth of content, and the incredibly affordable price ($20), it's hard not to recommend N+. There are a few gripes we have with the title: multiplayer is included, but there's no Game Sharing functionality. It's hard to tackle cooperative levels without this key feature. Also, why isn't this title available for download on the PLAYSTATION Store? We'd love to have this gem on our Memory Stick and get rid of the miniscule (but still existant) load times.
While we'd tell everyone to go out and buy N+, it's clear that it's not meant for everyone. This game is simply much too challenging for the average gamer. However, hardcore players must pick this up, and experience the world of N+ on the go. Even those familiar with the franchise should pick up the PSP version. The online functionality, and the superior D-Pad of the PSP over the Xbox 360 controller, make it without a doubt the best version of N+ available. With content already available for download from the community, we're eager to see more players jump online and share their creations. Do not let this title go unnoticed, PSP fans.
PSP Fanboy review: 8.0
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-28-2008 @ 9:18AM
Duff_B said...
I can't wait for this to hit the UK, in fact I may just get it imported this weekend... The game looks great, I like the simple look hiding a bloody difficult game. It's also nice to see that this version is better than on other consoles, if only that were true more often. Hopefully more games like N+ will follow if this proves to be a success.
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8-28-2008 @ 9:31AM
total.wimp said...
I'm curious about the comment "...and the superior D-Pad of the PSP over the Xbox 360 controller, make it without a doubt the best version of N+ available."
Does this only apply to the PSP-2000? For those who've played this with the PSP-Phat, how did the controls feel?
BTW, I've played the PC version extensively and I loved, loved, loved it. Never got anywhere near the end 'cause it was so freakin' hard, but what I did get through was one of my personal top gaming experiences of all time.
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8-28-2008 @ 9:20PM
Macha88 said...
The controls feel totally natural. they made a great transition to the psp responsive, comfortable, and as far as ive gotten, (havent tryed level edit) natural and exactly like the pc version.. i have yet to get my hands on the ds version though.
8-28-2008 @ 9:47AM
Edge said...
Actually, I tend to avoid using the d-pad in the 360 version for two reasons. The momentum based gameplay translates well to a stick and actually seems to facilitate wall jumping accuracy. The second reason... you already articulated.
I'm looking forward to gameflying this. If it sticks like the 360 version did, I'll keep it.
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8-28-2008 @ 12:01PM
Animagnum said...
It's a great game and this review is right on the money. I found a weird glitch though -- after playing for a while, my ninja turns red. It does not matter which color I have selected (well, except for red). Has anyone else noticed this? It's not a huge deal, but something I am surprised to see was overlooked.
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8-29-2008 @ 10:34AM
kablitz said...
yeah , it constantly happens , it's pretty annoying... i like my golden ninja , but it turns red sometimes :(
8-28-2008 @ 1:18PM
Andy said...
Hmmm, DSfanboy gave it a 9.5. I guess their version is better.
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9-07-2008 @ 9:15PM
Levi said...
No, it just means it's better than most crappy DS games.
-=1 to this comment
...or +=1 since we're in PSP Fanboy...?
9-08-2008 @ 8:06AM
karagh said...
Then, it's worst than a bunch of PSP games?
8-28-2008 @ 1:56PM
anarkhy said...
My ninja just turned red too... maybe can change in the options?
Awesome game btw!
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8-28-2008 @ 5:45PM
Animagnum said...
Yeah, you can change it back in the options to the color you want. Still odd that it seems to default to red after a few minutes of play. Kind of makes the color selection pointless.
8-28-2008 @ 2:24PM
[:The Paroxysm:] said...
Andrew, great review. I haven't read an article of yours recently that didn't make me glad to have this sites RSS feed.
You're definitely one of the 3 reasons I return to this site multiple times daily when I have a minute.
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8-28-2008 @ 5:14PM
Andrew Yoon said...
Thanks a lot!
8-28-2008 @ 3:37PM
zagzagovich said...
No mention of downgraded animation? Unnecessary and ugly "+" graphics? Incorrectly working physics that will kill you if you land on a flat surface but will let you live if you are trying land on a slightly angled one while running? Ragdolls work weird too, sometimes you disappear for a millisecond when you die and a ragdoll of your body spawns in your place. It's really weird to see flaws like that in a psp game. I'm sure that the hardware could have handled the game's physics and animations. Also if you turn on the blood it will just show a single line with 3 frames of animation falling over your body. Kind of like that "|/_".
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8-28-2008 @ 5:06PM
Cody said...
You dont have to keep the new graphics, if you like what the game used to look like more go to options and switch it from plus to pure, and then you get the old look back.
8-28-2008 @ 5:06PM
Cody said...
You can turn the old graphics on in the options menu, which I prefer
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8-29-2008 @ 9:42AM
Jonathan said...
Can you skip past a difficult level you get stuck on, or is the remainder of the game unplayable?
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9-07-2008 @ 10:26PM
Levi said...
If anyone's on the fence about getting this game, just get it. So far it's the best $20 I've spent on the PSP.
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