Recently we talked about how there was potentially a new PSP in the works from Sony and that got me thinking about how much fun I had with the PlayStation Portable over the years. It is a fantastic handheld system that had a ton of great games for it. While it was massively overshadowed by the Nintendo DS, many people still loved playing with their PSP.
That is why today I am putting together my list of the top 5 PSP games! As is the case with all of my top 5 lists, this is my own personal list. So rather than freaking out that I left out one of your favorite games, be sure to leave your own top 5 PlayStation Portable games in the comments section.
Number 5
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
If you checked out my Top 5 X-Men games, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse being on this list should not be a shock to you. I also played this on the Game Cube, but this felt far more at home as a handheld game. You got to make your own team of not just X-Men, but also villains as the two warring sides had to team up to put a stop to Apocalypse. I loved the story in this game and it was just so addictive to play. Plus, the PSP version got a few exclusive characters such as Cable which was awesome.
Number 4
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2: Remix
I praised the hell out of Tony Hawk’s Underground 2: Remix on my Top 5 Tony Hawk Games list! This is probably my go to PSP game if I want something quick and fun to play. The arcade nature of just trying to get a high score or a high combo is perfect for a handheld game. This game also has a ton of attitude thanks to the Jackass/Viva La Bam tie in stuff that it has going on too. I also feel that performance and visual wise, this more than holds its own against the console versions of the game. The PlayStation Portable would get other Tony Hawk games and I did get them, but they never captured my attention like this one here did.
Number 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
I love the Street Fighter series and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max is an epic port of this game. You know, this is easily the best home version of this game. This is one of the best looking games on the PSP, those incredible 2D sprites really do pop on the PSP’s impressive screen, especially if you are playing this on a PSP 3000. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max is also packed with content, there are many different game modes and each character has their own ending/story to experience. I will say that this plays better on the later models of the PSP as the original PSP has a D-Pad that is not quite perfect for fighting games.
Number 2
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
There are two God of War games on the PSP and they are both fantastic and they are both pretty much ignored. I will admit that if I am going to play this these days, I will play the HD remaster that they did for the PlayStation 3. However, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a tremendous part of the God of War saga. In this game, we find out that Kratos had a brother and his story is truly compelling stuff. The gameplay is your classic God of War hack and slash style. However, the visuals, the sound, and the gameplay are all improved over what we got with Chains of Olympus. I remember it was this game that made me upgrade my PlayStation Portable to a PSP 3000, I got the sexy white one and I still have that to this day.
Number 1
WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2007
Some may be shocked, but if you have followed any of my other top 5s such as My Top 5 16-Bit WWF games, you will notice I am a huge wrestling fan. WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2006 was one of the first games I got and it was actually the first game I played on my PSP. However, it is WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2007 that stole tons of hours of my life away from me. The reason for that is not the actual in-ring wrestling action! It is because of the GM Mode. GM Mode has been brought back and is a lot of fun in WWE 2K24, but the simplicity of it here and the fact I could play it laying in bed or while on break from work made this something I got completely addicted to. I still play this to this day and I remember being so let down by what the following year’s game, WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2008 had to offer.
I am aware that some of the games on my list may seem odd to you, but these are the games that I played the most and had the most fun with on the PSP. Let me know what you feel are the top 5 PlayStation Portable games in the comments section.