lara croft: tomb raider legend

PLATFORM: PSP

RELEASE DATE: 06/2006
PUBLISHER: Eidos
ESRB RATING: T for Teen
Progress: Halfway

Very few travel companions are quite as pretty as the legendary Lara Croft. I've been glued to my PSP the past few weeks during my morning and afternoon commutes. I've seem to have developed a good working relationship with Miss Croft, solving puzzles and discovering new uses for motorcycles. She was nice enough to join me in person this morning for a chat, let's see how it went:

resident evil: director's cut

PLATFORM: PSN

RELEASE DATE: 11/1997
DEVELOPER: Capcom
ESRB RATING: M for Mature
Progress: Finished

Interesting or irritating? That depends on your sense of nostalgia for the Resident Evil (RE) series. I (and for the sake of this review) am leaning towards interesting. Resident Evil in its original incarnation was more of a puzzle game than the survival horror/shooter franchise it has become. Once called "The Greatest Game Series of All Time" Resident Evil games have a special place in my game collection but how does the original game play now? Can I play it on my PSP now as a PSOne classic?

You bet I can and did.

burnout legends psp

PLATFORM: PSP
RELEASE DATE: 9/2005

DEVELOPER: Criterion
PUBLISHER: EA
ESRB RATING: E10+

Progress: 17%

The PSP is quite a gaming machine, to say I'm excited about the new NGP is an understatement. Part of that excitement is because all the old games for the PSP 3000 should drop drastically in price to make way for their new iterations. This means there will be a lot of great games available at a fraction of the price as Sony tries to eliminate the UMD (Universal Media Disc) once and for all. One such game that I got at a drastic price drop ($10!) that really surprised me is Burn Out Legends.

Every portable gamer should add this game to their library. Racing games and portable gaming go hand in hand. All the fun and speed you expect from it's major console counterpart but in the palm of your hands. You can still get those edge-of-your-seat gaming moments during the short spurts while you're in transit. This game does not disappoint. There is just something natural about having your hands at 10 and 2.

spyro (ps one classic)

PLATFORM: PSP
RELEASE DATE: 10/2011 PS Plus (Originally 10/1997)
DEVELOPER: Insomniac
ESRB RATING: E

Progress: 70%

Commuting can be rough. The monotony of the same trip to work everyday can lead to depression and at its worse needless rage. Looking around any subway car I can see almost everyone's eyes glued to their damned iPhones playing "games". Some of us know the truth, while their are a few exceptions, real games are played on game systems. Lately, I've be chugging through one such game on my PSP. Making progress in 30 minute intervals during my commute. It is safe to say the little dragon named Spyro is helping with my sanity.

marvel super hero squad (psp)

PLATFORM: PSP
RELEASE DATE: 10/2009
DEVELOPER: Blue Tongue

PUBLISHER: THQ
ESRB RATING: E10+

Progress: 100%

Welcome to the junior version of Marvel Ulitmate Alliance (MUA): Marvel Super Hero Squad (MSHS). I fell in love with these inexpensive, smurf size plastic toys when they first hit the shelves and collected a few of my beloved X-Men. Soon after an animated TV show depicting these bite-sized versions of the heroes hit networks, a video game was launched soon after. Aimed at younger viewers, these family friendly heroes are ready to put up their dukes in the name of the Avengers (err... I mean squad).

fieldrunners

PLATFORM: PSN, PSP
RELEASE DATE: 10/2009
DEVELOPER: Subatomic Studios
ESRB RATING: E

Progress: 60%

I don't think much of "PS minis"; the smaller, more affordable and downloadable-only games, originally designed for the PSP and PSP Go and since ported to the PS3. Generally, I find them unimaginative, small and ultimately a waste of time. I have found few exceptions to this thinking, but I'm happy to say Fieldrunners is one of them. This is yet another iteration of the ever popular tower defense style games. The goal with Fieldrunners: stop enemies from crossing the field by building various styles of towers to kill them. Strategy is key. Placing your towers and using them to steer the oncoming herd of villains is how victory is accomplished.