This is my rundown of my favourite PS1, PSP & Vita games (playable on Vita) of all time – please click the links to be taken to those pages or see this post for further details of how the lists have been made

Ape Escape (review)

2017-10-04-233427Genre: 3D platformer
Description: Classic monkey-catching platformer gets a new lick of paint
Kresnik’s comment: Although it was originally designed around dual-analogue controls, Ape Escape has lost none of its charm or enjoyment in the move to portable hardware. The control scheme has changed, but everything else shows why this is revered as such a classic.

Burnout Legends (review)

157203-burnout_legends_greatest_hits_usa-2Genre: Racing
Description: Blisteringly fast driving and plenty of high-speed crashes
Kresnik’s comment: The Burnout series has long been revered for its mix of thrilling high-speed car-combat racing and fun additional modes (of which ‘crash’ has been a long time fan favourite). Legends is a ‘greatest hits’ package that combines many previous tracks into one fantastic package.

Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars (review)

2017-10-10-233436Genre: Arcade; racing
Description: Ports of the two classic Dreamcast fare-chasing racers
Kresnik’s comment: Crazy Taxi will always have a place in my heart so getting a fully-featured handheld version is an absolute treat – the addition of the second game is a bonus. Fast-paced driving through cities and picking up passengers has never been more fun.

Daxter (review)

2018-04-24-223800Genre: 3D platformer
Description: Daxter’s adventures in Haven City set in between The Precursor Legacy and Jak II
Kresnik’s comment: Early on in PSP’s life, developers were keen to show what Sony’s handheld was capable of – and few games did this better than Daxter, a fantastic 3D platformer with unique mechanics (including an addictive hover gun) and the brilliant humor the series is known for.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (review)

2018-01-27-144808Genre: Fighting
Description: Crossover 3D arena fighter with explorable overworld map
Kresnik’s comment: There have been plenty of Final Fantasy spin-offs over the years, but none have been quite as enjoyable and unique as Dissidia. This prequel/sequel expands the original with new characters, content and the same high mobility risk/reward gameplay that made the original such a treat.

God of War: Chains of Olympus (review)

2019-04-20-113549Genre: Hack ‘n’ slash
Description: Bloody origin story of vengeful Greek Spartan Kratos
Kresnik’s comment: Ready at Dawn pulled off a blinder with their second PSP release (after Daxter) – a sweeping hack ‘n’ slash epic set in ancient Greece. It managed to live up to the high bar set by the home console versions and even surpass them in some ways – its short length just lets it down a little.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (review)

2019-09-14-194756Genre: Hack ‘n’ slash
Description: Kratos sets off on a bloody journey to the underworld to find his brother
Kresnik’s comment: Even better than its PSP prequel, Ghost of Sparta tightens up the hack ‘n’ slash gameplay, brings even more impressive graphics (a feat in itself) and piles in more content and weapon types to make this a true classic and possibly the best title available on Sony’s handheld.

The Grand Theft Auto Collection (reviews)

2019-03-04-001429Genre: Action; open-world
Description: Three open-world crime sims set in gorgeous American cities
Kresnik’s comment: On their own, each of Chinatown Wars, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories would likely be on this list – but together, they’re essential. Their sandbox cities are a constant joy to explore while the driving and shooting gameplay is well honed – Vice City is the best of the bunch but they’re all brilliant.

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (review)

2018-09-20-183204Genre: 3D platformer
Description: Fourth platformer entry with new precursor powers and flying mechanics
Kresnik’s comment: Reviled by many fans as a poor continuation of the franchise, I would disagree – The Lost Frontier tries some new things and they don’t all work, but the core gameplay still works and the humour and story hooks will easily keep you engaged until its conclusion.

LittleBigPlanet (review) 

2022-10-17-232258Genre: 2D platformer 
Description: Fantastically handled portable spinoff from Sony’s premier content-creation series 
Kresnik’s comment: LittleBigPlanet on PS3 was a revelation and while aspects had to be chopped out for the PSP, this entry retains all the whimsical fun of the original. The online is now dead but the campaign is possibly the best ever and while the level creator is better in the Vita version, the creations you can dream up with the versatile tools here are astounding. 

Locoroco (review) 

thumbnail_2021-10-01-132618Genre: 2D platformer; Puzzle 
Description: Charming colourful platformer based on rolling singing blobs around levels 
Kresnik’s comment: Sony’s studios didn’t always understand the PSP, treating it as a less powerful PS2, but Japan Studio’s Locoroco showed a flair for creativity that felt right at home on the handheld. Rolling, singing balls called locoroco form the protagonists in this vibrant, whimsical and all-around fun puzzle-platformer.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (review) 

2022-09-23-163917Genre: Stealth 
Description: Seemingly non-canon follow-up to Snake Eater implementing team mechanics as a series first 
Kresnik’s comment: Often forgotten, Portable Ops shaped the Metal Gear franchise going forward by including soldier capture and base-building elements. It’s a bit clunky and the story isn’t as bombastic as other entries, but the core gameplay is as addictive as ever and it’s a technical triumph, paving the way to the seminal Peace Walker.

Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City (review)

2019-04-20-110812Genre: Racing
Description: Open-world street racing with team-based mechanics
Kresnik’s comment: Among a sea of Need for Speed games on the PSP, Carbon stands out thanks to its fully explorable open-world and unique design that allow you to hire team-mates to help you out during races – although the graphics and load times let things down a little.

Persona 3 Portable

p-presGenre: Role-playing
Description: High-school RPG where you dungeon crawl and form bonds with a sea of quirky students
Kresnik’s comemnt: The game that exposed Atlus to significantly more mainstream success, Persona 3 is an addictive time-management turn-based RPG starring high school students with special powers. This PSP port simplifies things but adds new elements too – making it well worth your time, even if the dungeon crawling can get a little samey.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (review)

2018-02-21-200905Genre: Action; 3D platformer
Description: Galactic heroes take a holiday and stumble onto a new world-ending threat
Kresnik’s comment: While far from the best the franchise has to offer, Size Matters is a solid entry in the series that brings together all the elements fans want to see – platforming challenges, tonnes of unique weapons to buy and upgrade and a galaxy-hopping story, all in a brief but memorable portable package.

Resistance: Retribution (review)

2018-06-19-230913Genre: Third-person shooter
Description: Mid-quel to the alien-invasion FPS franchise that shifts the perspective but keeps the tense atmosphere
Kresnik’s comment: When Sony Bend were tasked with taking over the Resistance franchise for a portable entry, moving it to a third-person perspective seemed like a risky move – but one that pays off massively, creating one of the most under-rated entries in the series with some fantastic gameplay ideas and level design.

Ridge Racer (review)

rr_sc001_vf2Genre: Racing
Description: Re-imagining of the arcade racer series with added nitrous
Kresnik’s comment: Riiiiiiiiddddddggggeeeeeee Racer! Namco pulled off a tremendous feat at the PSP’s launch, with a technically triumphant racing game that tweaked the mechanics from previous entries while bringing back fan-favourite tracks. It’s just as playable now as it was when it launched and is perfect on Vita.

Skate Park City (review) 

2021-12-08-001243Genre: Sports 
Description: Skate-themed extreme sports title that has you grinding up a futuristic city 
Kresnik’s comment: In the hole left by Jet Set Radio‘s absence, few games have managed to recapture that magic but Skate Park City gets bizarrely close, especially for a budget title. It’s often too challenging, but that same bonkers atmosphere is here making for a PSP hidden gem. 

Star Wars Battlefront II (review)

2018-05-08-200216Genre: Action; third-person shooter
Description: Stripped-down port of a fantastic home console shooter
Kresnik’s comment: Star Wars Battlefront II is one of my all-time favourite games – while this PSP port features lesser graphics and smaller troop counts, otherwise all the elements are in tact here that make it a fantastic portable offering and one I keep coming back to.

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (review)

2017-04-16-191614Genre: Action; third-person shooter
Description: Bespoke handheld entry featuring unique land-and-space battles
Kresnik’s comment: A spin-off to a cancelled PS3 Star Wars Battlefront 3, surprisingly Elite Squadron stands strong on its own thanks to its enjoyable Star Wars-themed action gameplay alongside its very addictive battles that allow you to switch between ground and space combat while the fighting rages on.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (review)

2023-05-14-155121Genre: Stealth; third-person shooter
Description: Stealth adventure starring secret agent Gabe Logan that ups the action and shooting setpiece count
Kresnik’s comment: The Syphon Filter games on PS1 felt in the shadow of Metal Gear Solid, but thanks to the stronger PSP hardware, Gabe Logan has undoubtedly caught up to Solid Snake with Dark Mirror. An exciting stealth-shooter that has you taking down foes in the shadow before engaging in large-scale shootouts, the gameplay is the star of the show here but the graphics and storytelling are no let down either.

Tekken 6 (review)

2019-02-05-231153Genre: Fighting
Description: Sixth entry in the beloved technical-heavy fighting series
Kresnik’s comment: I’m still in awe of the fact that Namco managed to get Tekken 6 on the PSP looking as stunning as it does – the fact it’s combined in with the tight fighting gameplay the series has been known for with a tonne of modes and new customisation options makes it even more worthwhile.

WipEout Pure (review)

2018-11-20-194638Genre: Racing
Description: Impossibly fast futuristic racer with gorgeous graphics
Kresnik’s comment: Sony Liverpool reinvented their long-running franchise with Pure – or more correctly, returned it to its roots – which is exactly what the series needed to get back on track. A fantastic racing game focusing on tight corners and racing lines with weapons-based combat thrown into the mix (and it’s stunning to look at too).

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (review)

ys2Genre: Role-playing
Description: Action, combat and platforming in a stunning adventure starring Adol Christin
Kresnik’s comment: A fantastic mix of elements, the almost hack ‘n’ slash combat combined with movement elements (which are used in platforming challenges) alongside incredible boss design mean that this is definitely among the top tier of PSP games – one that all owners should play.

Ys Seven

screenshot_psp_ys_seven001Genre: Role-playing
Description: Adol travels to a brand new land with new team-based combat mechanics
Kresnik’s comment: By changing up the formula, Nihon Falcom managed to revitalise the Ys franchise with a fast-paced action-role playing formula that encouraged switching party members to exploit elemental weaknesses. While I missed the platforming elements from earlier games, it’s still a treat to play and an experience that stands tall today.

Coming tomorrow – The 25 best PS1 games playable on Vita