'Developers don't take the PSP seriously enough'

Last week we gave Steven Beall a platform and he ranted about Microsoft's Kinect. CVG reader Matt Brown (dubplate240) also mourned the loss of some old friends.

This week James Ward gives his two cents about developers' attitudes towards the PSP in issue 134 of PSM3 while Jonnty Higham makes a simple request...

PORTABLE PASSION
love my PSP. I think it's a marvellous bit of kit and completely undervalued and underrated by a lot of people. When Peace Walker came along, PSP went up further in my estimation.


It's wonderfully addictive and I must have played it more than a lot of my fully fledged PS3 games - and I'm not even close to stopping.

I think it was a masterstroke to put PW onto the PSP, as I'm sure I wouldn't have put anywhere near as much time into it if I was sat in front of my TV.

The little screen just seems to suck me in and, with a pair of headphones, I get totally immersed in the experience. Those hand-drawn cut scenes are just outstanding, and I love micro-managing my ever expanding military outfit.

It's those RPG elements that just get me hooked, coming away from a mission finding your Gustav Rocket Launcher is now a four-star, lean-mean-tank-killingmachine is very rewarding.

I was initially worried when it was first released, with a heavy emphasis on co-op play, as I thought this was going to be mandatory.

Thankfully, I got through the main campaign on my own with just the right amount of challenge from the excellent bosses.

What frustrates me about the PSP - as highlighted by Peace Walker - is the lack of AAA games. If developers really took the time they could make some fantastic titles, some fully fledged games.

Too many PSP games just seem like throw-away spin-offs. The problem is that a lot of developers don't take it seriously enough. Maybe Peace Walker will make people sit up and take notice and want to make PSP games that are just as good!

PSM3 responds: It's good to hear someone sticking up for PSP. Peace Walker is, arguably, the best portable game ever - and so ideally structured for handheld play, that a HD PS3 version, as some demanded, would be missing the point.

Sony's PSP strategy has been hit and miss - they've had great ideas, such as Wi-Fi and direct PSN access for game downloads, but they're too fiddly, or poorly implemented.

Piracy has killed the software market, too. We're almost certain to see a PSP2 next year, so let's pray they get that right from the off.


CVG says: We agree with James, the PSP is a great handheld with life left in it, so it's a shame it's being somewhat ignored. As he's highlighted, games like Peace Walker and both God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta are proof of that.

The PSP is particularly well-suited for RPG games so it's a shame Square Enix has thrown its catalog of Final Fantasy remakes exclusively on the Nintendo DS.

However, when all is said and done, it's about doing what's necessary to guarantee the health of your product and ultimately make money. Unfortunately the PSP install base is much smaller than that of the DS and piracy is rampant. Let's hope Sony has better fortunes with the PSP2.

GIVE US HITMAN
Eidos' best franchise is the Hitman series. Forget Just Cause, Kane & Lynch and even the Lara Croft games: Agent 47's adventures produce some of the best experiences you're ever likely to have on a PlayStation.

Big baldy has yet to receive an outing on PS3 - my question is, what's taking so long? I want to get the thrill of following a target through the chaos of Mardi Gras; I want to experience the excitement of putting together my W2000 sniper rifle with the intent of calmly head-shotting my would-be victims; I want to feel the adrenaline pump as I try to be a silent assassin.

Blood Money left us with an exceptional ending. Agent 47 wasn't actually betrayed. It was just a ruse so that he could take out the head honcho of the Franchise at his 'funeral'. Diana works for the royal
family! C'mon! How could you not love that ending? Now


Now just think what they could do on the PS3. Get it together, Eidos, and make a new Hitman game.

PSM3 responds: We agree. Hitman is Eidos' best property, but since Blood Money, developer IO have churned out two mediocre Kane & Lynch games and Mini Ninjas.

Hitman 5 was tipped for this year, but went quiet. Expectations are so high, we hope the delay is born of IO's perfectionism, not struggles with PS3 - which sealed the fate of fellow PS2 gods Pandemic and Free Radical. Still, we're bracing for good news soon.

CVG says: The developer's work on the Kane & Lynch franchise doesn't exactly inspire us to champion a new Hitman, but after that brief recap how could we say no - we're with you Jonny.

One minor issue though; we're pretty sure Eidos (now owned by Square Enix) also has the Soul Reaver franchise, and if it's a choice between Agent 47 and Raziel - we're backing the vampire-turned-wraith all the way.

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