PSP Game of the Year, as chosen by other media outlets

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 2nd 2009 at 11:04AM }

While the PSP library was rather small this year, it still had a number of high quality gems (all released in the first half of 2008). The diversity of PSP's library is reflected in the diversity of critic's choices for their PSP Game of the Year. We chose God of War, but other outlets had differing ideas.

GamePro chose Patapon as handheld GOTY. "This hasn't been the best year for portable systems, but there were a few bright spots. The PSP, surprisingly, garnered 75 percent of the vote."
GameTrailers chose God of War: Chains of Olympus. "It has it all. And it has it on the go."
GameSpot chose Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. "The ending is also one of the most emotional moments in gaming, and the ability to achieve this level of storytelling on the PSP is an incredible feat. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is not only one of the best games on the PSP, but it's one of the best role-playing games we've seen in a long time."
GameSpy chose God of War: Chains of Olympus. "Ready at Dawn's graceful touch makes Chains of Olympus feel like a real handheld experience rather than a PS2 game with a smaller screen and longer load times."
IGN chose Patapon. "It's just pure, simple, unadulterated fun, and it's fun that quickly spirals into outright addiction as more commands and unit types are unlocked throughout the course of the game."

Tags: best-of-2008

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

required @ Jan 2nd 2009 12:55PM

It's interesting how you can get a real sense of which writer/critic is a portable gamer and which are not. Some even sound as if they've only picked up and played only two or three PSP games in their lifetime.

These dolts do nothing but hurt gaming by acting as an authority when they are anything but.

pixelator @ Jan 4th 2009 4:05PM

Beautifully put. The PSP has been the victim of poor media attention since before it even launched, so it's unfortunately not surprising to see posers act like they know what they're talking about by writing reviews for its games. Sometimes it seems like if a game isn't for the DS, Wii or 360, nobody gives a crap.

I remember the vast amount of BS being spread about PSP hardware 'problems' and 'no good games' back when it was in its first couple of years. Although I blame Sony mostly for the system being where it is(n't) today, there has definitely been a clear bias against the system - especially with certain Gamespot, Kotaku and yes, Joystiq writers.

aj @ Jan 2nd 2009 1:16PM

The ending to Crisis Core is not emotional. It's sloppy, and attempts to tie so many strings together that it ends up just being confusing and silly. Not to mention the fact that Zach, at one point in the game, is fighting hundreds of soldiers at once and winning handily, but at some point toward the end of the game completely forgets that he's The Ultimate Warrior and decides that he'd rather just have a nap for a while instead of fighting?

It's a really fun game, but the ending sucked. Mostly because it wasn't the end, it just told you to go pay 100$ on eBay for a copy of FF VII.

Gurbinder @ Jan 2nd 2009 1:35PM

At what point was Zack fighting more than 100 soldiers all at once before his final fight?

The only slightly confusing part that I found was the beginning where the story first began and after awhile I understood the meaning that was.

The truth is Square Enix was trying to make it more realistic. Which ordinary being can live against more than one thousand soldiers shooting at you while you have only one sword. True, he may have fought soldiers earlier and won but at NO point did he have a thousand soldiers up against him. There was exaggeration in game play and they were trying to show you that Zack has his limits. He can take down Ifrits, Behemoths, but even Zack has his limits.

There was a separation between gameplay and storyline. True they didn't include phoenix down which confused players when Zack died with phoenix down still alive and working but THERE IS a separation between gameplay and storyline. If you can understand that then there is no reason why the ending can be called sloppy.

WhiteShield @ Jan 3rd 2009 10:16PM

there is a mission where i believe you fight 1000 soldiers. and then you also kill the final-final boss (i forget her name) but i'm pretty sure she is a bit more powerful than a few soldiers

Gurbinder @ Jan 2nd 2009 1:21PM

No WipEout pulse? True wipeout had no particular story but stories dont make up everything. My second vote would have gone to crisis core because of the epic storyline. Thats just my opinion though.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Jan 2nd 2009 3:09PM

Well Wipeout Pulse was pretty much just an even-more-awesome version of Pure. It didn't do much new and wasn't a standout game like Crisis Core, GoW, and Patapon.

The reason these were standouts was because:
1) Crisis Core showed that the PSP could handle PS2 level RPG gaming and graphics, and it could be streamlined for the portable gamer. It also showed that any game on the PSP can have a real story if anyone even bothered.

2) God of War proved that action games on the PSP can work and that fixed-camera games on the way to go (which is why I found Untold Legends to be so easy to play despite me having to squint a LOT).

3) Patapon was just super creative and innovative. Since when have you heard of a rhythm based strategy game?

Gurbinder @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:37PM

True it didn't standout like the others and didn't interest as many people however it did include features such as ingame music and the ability to take screenshots ( although after the race) without the use of custom firmware or homebrew.

I just thought that it would receive some recognition of the amount of features that were crammed into it. Gameshare, infrastructure, and adhoc for instance.

Jeremy @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:10PM

Ultimate Board Games did custom music in game first.

sony boy @ Jan 2nd 2009 7:01PM

well i think i heard critics like GT saying that the campaign mode sucked because of having to do the same laps over and over again. that was the only problem the critics had. other than that, it was a masterpiece.

i don't have wipeout pulse but i think i might buy it if there isn't any games out for a a month or so.

slycooper_rocker [patapon defence force] @ Jan 3rd 2009 2:00AM

gurbinder, you could take screenshots during the race. anyways...i'm glad patapon got it's recognition. i thought everyone would go with GoW just like they did with GTA IV on ps3.

WhiteShield @ Jan 3rd 2009 10:18PM

well you could take screen shots in bounty hounds too... wait am i the only person who picked it up? (even though it didn't come out this year)

Joey @ Jan 3rd 2009 5:16PM

@Gerbunder Uhh you do know 'THERE IS' a mission where you have to fight up to 1000 soldiers, right? And btw, your argument of "ordinary human being" failed due to the fact that Zach is a Soldier 1st Class, there were a tonne of loose ends, all of which leads any real FF VII fan to the conclusion that the ending was indeed sloppy.

flameofdoom666 @ Jan 4th 2009 3:17AM

I agree.

Goity @ Jan 4th 2009 12:36PM

The 1000 soldiers in the mission weren't all at once, though.

Joey @ Jan 4th 2009 3:44PM

I see where you're going, but his argument is still baseless and unfounded by the mere fact that there was such a mission.

dronesensor @ Jan 3rd 2009 6:28AM

i'm in the middle of crisis core and enjoying it for the most part, but calling it one of the greatest RPGs in recent memory is laughable. the story, just like advent children's was, is really goddamn terrible at this point, and the obvious ret-conning is as bad as anything in the star wars prequels. also, the lack of exploration, the "ghost town" feeling, and the linearity really knock it down a few notches. it's a fun game with some neat CGI cutscenes, but it's incredibly shallow. it's more of a hack & slash with RPG trimmings, to me.

Dr Haisook @ Jan 3rd 2009 6:04AM

Heard from the more serious reviewers Crisis Core was silly, repetitive, more-of-a-movie-than-a-game, unoriginal, cheesy, and so overrated. That's why I haven't got it.

I think Patapon deserves the award even though I didn't like the rhythm action because I don't like rhythm games.

flameofdoom666 @ Jan 4th 2009 3:18AM

I really think Crisis Core is wayyyyyyyyyy over-rated.

Also, so is Patapon. I own it, and it is fantastic- but I do not see be being the single best PSP game of the year.

I think God of War was fantastic. It is the most epic handheld game of all time. Period.

NukeAssault @ Jan 4th 2009 11:22PM

Idk... Bubble Ghost for the original gameboy was pretty fun... =P

JCM @ Jan 4th 2009 7:11PM

The mission was for him to take on 200 soldiers, however they werent all at once, and came in waves of 9, followed by a single soldier. Zaack can fiht 9 Shinra soldiers at once, whoopie doo.

Not once in the game did Zack fight 100 soldiers at THE SAME TIME, but for the ending movie. ;-)

Now on Crisis Core? If you ignore the missions tab and focus on just the story, its awesome, but as soon as you start taking those side missions soon it becomes repetitive, and if you get some of the uber equipment in the chests in them, the game becomes too easy.

I look foward to Kindom Hearts PSP and FFXIII PSP, since they are going to have the same game engine, and similar combat.

Kratos @ Jan 5th 2009 4:35PM

What about Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow by Sony Computer Entertainment (Oct 2, 2007) (Sony PSP)? I thought this was a great game with a great sound track and a good story. I finished it twice and will play more. Also the online is not bad.

I also agree that God of War is a great game and I finished it twice also.