Top 5 on PSP: RPG

by Steven Bailey { Mar 10th 2007 at 4:00PM }

Some gamers (and worse yet, gaming press) think the PSP is just a port machine. With that in mind, every day this week we'll feature a new genre and list the top 5 games (according to metareviews), most of which aren't ports, so no matter what you're into, you'll have some idea of what games you should own. Today the focus is on RPGs, which most seem to have gotten bad reviews, but my fiancee can't get enough of the RPGs on PSP, so what do they know?

Top 5 RPGs on PSP

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Tales of Eternia
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure
Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony

I can't say I've played many RPGs on PSP myself, but like my fiancee, do you have some you've enjoyed on PSP? She hasn't played most of these since she loves the Japanese offerings. What do you think about these 5 games? What RPGs 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:

Puzzle

[Data Via Metacritic]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Anon1 @ Mar 10th 2007 4:22PM

Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner.

Zio @ Mar 10th 2007 4:40PM

I enjoyed Tales of Eternia a little, but story and characters kinda sucked. I also own X-Men Legends II, but it's really not that good. I'm still waiting for a great rpg for psp and I hope Crisis Core will be one. ;)

??? @ Mar 10th 2007 4:41PM

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

vR @ Mar 10th 2007 4:45PM

I've disagreed with many of Steven's choices - mostly because the games he's listed didn't seem appropriate to the genre - and I'm sure many people will disagree with listing x-men and marvel as rpgs, but they most definitely have enough elements to qualify as action-rpgs, so I think they belong here.

However, Steven, you have to amend this list by swapping Dungeon Siege (metascore: 74) with Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (metascore: 80).

ProPorn @ Mar 10th 2007 4:47PM

Tales of Eternia is so far my favorite PSP RPG. I don't know, I didn't enjoy X-Men Legends 2. On the other hand, MUA was a great game, but with a completely flawed online experience.
I haven't tried Gurumin nor Dungeon Siege, but I will.

My experience with PSP RPGs hasn't been great though. I tried playing Astonishia Story, but it was pretty bad. It had an amazing intro, and I dig Korean games, but this wasn't good at all.
I'm just waiting for a translation of Tales of the World, but then, I might just keep on waiting.

Silver R. Wolfe @ Mar 10th 2007 4:54PM

I have to agree, swap out some of those craptastic games for Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. Awesome-sauce all around.

Tales of Eternia should be numbah one too, it's awesome.

Blackguard @ Mar 10th 2007 4:57PM

Did you guys miss this part of the article? "Some gamers (and worse yet, gaming press) think the PSP is just a port machine." -- Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a port, not a new game, and it only furthers the stereotype that the PSP is "just a port machine".

Besides, Lenneth is an extremely mediocre game, port or not.

Kia @ Mar 10th 2007 5:02PM

Blackguard: Newsflash, Tales of Eternia is a port too. Regardless, this list is epic fail. ToE should without a doubt be at the top, Lenneth should be on there somewhere, and RPGs like Riviera and Kingdom of Paradise 2 far outdo crap like those Marvel games. It's a disgrace to even see them on there.

daniel-kun @ Mar 10th 2007 5:22PM

I'm missing Monster Hunter Portable on that list. The sequel (which will be available in 2010, without infrastructure play in EU and US) currently boosts the PSP sales to heights never seen before. Untold Legends: Warrior's Code is easily the best portable "slash'em up" (aka Diablo-clone) I've ever seen.

Tristan @ Mar 10th 2007 6:03PM

Xmen LegendS?!?! What in the world!?

I have to agree on Tales of Eternia being quite great. Another surprise is the absence of the Legend of Heroes series.

vR @ Mar 10th 2007 6:39PM

Blackguard: You idiot, the "ports" comment was simply referring to the fact that there are strong rpgs on this platform that aren't ports. Though Kia is right... Eternia is a port. Did you even read the whole thing?

And these lists are based on Metacritic's scores (as the article explains). I mention Lenneth because based on Metacritic (learn to read), it will replace Dungeon Siege as number 5. Please work on your comprehension skills.

farfisa @ Mar 10th 2007 7:56PM

I thought Dungeon Siege was beautiful (except for the warp map, which I had to pretend was Commodore 64 emulation) but way too easy in the combat department.

txa1265 @ Mar 10th 2007 9:38PM

This would be my list:
- Tales of Eternia
- Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
- Dungeon Siege
...
Nothing else I've played belongs in a 'top 5' list, and except for Gurumin and Jewel Summoner I've played everything ...

Leingod @ Mar 11th 2007 1:00AM

I agree with most of you guys... The Marvel things don't belong there. And Valkyrie profile's a great game that's missed in the list. What about Kingdom of Paradise? That's a great game too.

Leingod @ Mar 11th 2007 1:26AM

I agree with most of you guys... I don't think the Marvel titles quite belong there.
IMO, there's games a little missed on that list. Such as:

- Valkyrie Profile Lenneth: Port Schmort. It's a great game regardless.

- Kingdom of Paradise: A great eastern-themed Action-RPG. Feels way more RPG-esque than any Marvel title, and it's a PSP exclusive.

- Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner: Really nice game if you're into Pokemon-style monster fighting-capturing.

Hope we get more RPGs here. Japan's getting more of them these days, such as Magna Carta, Tales of the World, Rezel Cross, Kingdom of Paradise 2... etc, so hope we get some over here. BTW, I really hope Crisis Core's an RPG. It would kinda suck if it's an action game like Dirge of Cerberus.

Kichigai Mentat @ Mar 11th 2007 6:14AM

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth was awesome, port or no port. Blade Dancer was interesting. Ys was kind of fun, but it has its flaws, so it's not exactly a top-five. X-Men Legends II was my first PSP game, and was OK, but it had some problems, such as not really giving you any help when you could have used at least a sign to point you in the right direction (literally!). Not really a top five. Gurumin is kind of fun, but the game was too... bland. Combat wasn't varied. Not top five material. The PSP is pretty lacking in REALLY good RPGs right now. Final Fantasy Tactics: Lion War will be a worthwhile addition, and I hope Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core will measure up. Monster Hunter was supposed to be good, but I haven't played it.

Meh, RPGs on PSP could do some development.

Kade Storm @ Mar 11th 2007 6:55AM

I agree, Kingdom of Paradise (Key Of Heaven), is one of the best RPGs on the system, and yes it is exclusive. After saying that, I'll add that I laugh at everyone who seems to condemn X-Men and Marvel, simply because the two are Dungeon Crawler - Action RPGs, without an anime theme. A good game is a good game, and those two are amazing titles, with the added feature of multiplayer.