20 PSP Games Still Worth Playing Today

20 PSP Games Still Worth Playing Today

Ty Richardson

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at the 20 greatest games ever made for the PlayStation Portable!

“Star Wars Battlefront - Renegade Squadron” (2007) & “Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron” (2009)

We know that these are two separate titles. We’re merely putting them together because you could go with either game. Both “Renegade” and “Elite Squadron” boast excellent campaigns, the former focusing on events leading up to the Battle of Endor while the latter tells a story about a clone trooper as he experiences the events of “Revenge of the Sith” all the way up to “Return of the Jedi”. These two campaigns alone gave us plenty of reasons to pick them both up. Of course, you can also spend countless hours playing Galactic Conquest. Speaking of, “Elite” modified Galactic Conquest in a way where two players could fight against each other using the same PSP! You just don’t see that level of innovation anymore.

“Ridge Racer 2” (2006)

No, this was not a port of the PS1 game “Ridge Racer 2”. Namco’s once thriving racing series did give the PSP its own small lineup of “Ridge Racer” titles. Surprisingly, “Ridge Racer 2” came packing in a ton of options for players! Not only could you race on twenty-one brand new tracks, you could also visit several tracks from the previous game and the games that came before that. You also had a meaty selection of more than sixty cars to race across those courses. In other words, racing game fans were getting a lot of bang for their buck with this one!

“Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines” (2009)

We won’t lie - this is probably one of the weirdest games any AC fan could possibly play. “Bloodlines” removes some key mechanics like stealth and Eagle Vision, but the big reason to play “Bloodlines” is in its technical fidelity. Considering the limitations of the PSP, it’s kind of astounding how Ubisoft managed to develop a game of this size between its world and visual details. We aren’t saying “this is a must-play”, but if you want to see a game pushed to utilize every ounce of its power, “Bloodlines” is definitely one of those titles…for better or worse, depending on your expectations.

“Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep” (2010)

Very rarely does a handheld game ever outshine its home console brethren, and in the case of “Kingdom Hearts”, “Birth by Sleep” certainly achieved that. In a general sense, it managed to refine the controls to such a degree that simply jumping around felt great. As an evolution in the series, the new mechanics like Dimension Link and Focus worked surprisingly well in how they gave you new abilities to mess around and defeat Heartless with. Sure, the load times were…less than digestible, but spend just an hour with this, and you’ll want to keep playing!

“Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny” (2009)

Most people probably picked this up for the sole fact that Kratos was the toke guest character for this installment. However, there was more to “Broken Destiny” than watching the Ghost of Sparta take on sexy ninja girls, goliaths with giant axes, and cursed swords. The Gauntlet campaign helped us hone in our skills in the game’s mechanics while the Trials modes challenged us in chaining attacks, effectively countering, and simply enduring consecutive fights. There was a lot of focus on self-improvement and training to take on harder ladders and ready ourselves for any other players itching for a fight. It was like having your own dojo in your pocket.

“Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions” (2007)

Look, we know that this was just an altered version of the original “Final Fantasy Tactics”, but that shouldn’t dismiss it from a list like this. (Would you rather us champion “Dissidia”?) “War of the Lions” actually managed to improve the game thanks to the technical advancements of the PSP. Cutscenes looked better with the handheld’s aspect ratio, and we even got multiplayer functionality for both PvP and co-op gameplay. It was essentially the version of “Final Fantasy Tactics” we had always wanted, and that goes without mentioning some of the new characters and jobs that were added into this version.

“Killzone: Liberation” (2006)

It could be hard to sell hardcore fans on a spin-off like “Killzone: Liberation”. How do you expect FPS fans to suddenly be open to a top-down shooter, especially when a handheld iteration would be less technically impressive than its home console counterpart? Well, developer Guerrilla Games found their own path in achieving that. Despite the different perspective, you still had to employ the cover-shooter tactics of the main “Killzone” games and use the environment to your advantage. “Liberation” also featured a fun challenge mode that would earn new stages as you progressed in the story, and beating those would let you unlock more weapons and modifiers to assist you in the campaign. If you haven’t checked it out on PS5 already, you absolutely should.

“Twisted Metal: Head-On” (2005)

Every fan has their own favorite entry in the franchise, but if you were clamoring for a “Twisted Metal” that was more in-line with TM2, you probably picked up “Head-On”. On top of bringing back the comic book aesthetic in its cutscenes and character profiles, “Head-On” also got a little more arcade-y in its general style with hidden teleporters, vehicle upgrades, and more arena-style level design. Even the soundtrack had some great songs that sounded solid through the PSP’s speakers. We gotta be honest, though - the PS2 users got a better version that came with a bunch of extra goodies. Still, “Head-On’s” initial release is still a banger.

“Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection” (2005)

“Tekken 5” was already an incredible title for PlayStation 2 owners to duke it out with their friends…even if there were some problems in the balance (looking at you, Steve with your nonsense infinite stun combo!) In addition to tweaking the balance, “Dark Resurrection” came with more bells and whistles to justify a second purchase. Firstly, you had three new fighters: Dragunov, Armor King II, and everyone’s favorite French tea enthusiast, Lili! Secondly, it came with a handful of new game modes like Ghost Battles, Gold Rush, and Tekken Bowl. Our only gripe is how some stages got visual changes and different songs from the PS2 version. Even so, “Dark Resurrection” was one of the greatest titles on the PSP.

“Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker” (2010)

“Peace Walker” was one of those games that was so tremendous in quality that it's a crying shame how little it sold at launch. And we have to wonder why. After all, this was one of the best-looking games the PSP ever saw in its life span. On top of that, you had MGS fans raving about how this was the best story in the entire franchise. Then, there were the folks losing their minds over the crossover with “Monster Hunter”. So, what the hell? Why didn’t this sell like hotcakes? Some say it's because of the Nintendo DS’s popularity. Others say it was because the PSP was old news. At the end of the day, it’s a mystery to everyone, and you should go play it for yourself.

What’s your favorite game you played on the PSP? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!