The debate between physical media and digital gaming storefronts has been raging for years, and the announcement of the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita digital stores closing over the summer has certainly proven a point in favor of those who prefer physical purchases.
Fortunately, there is still time to buy some of the best PSP exclusives before the store closes for good. For this list, we tried our best to find games that are only available on the PSP. Some of the most notable titles on the console either saw release on the PS2 or were eventually remastered for the PS3 or PS4.
10 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
While not as important to the canon as the 2010’s Peace Walker, any Metal Gear fan should still take time to go through this 2006 stealth action game. It introduces numerous gameplay elements Peace Walker and The Phantom Pain would run with, and its story also details the origins of Fox Hound. The gameplay is not as good as Peace Walker, but the story more than makes up for its shortcomings and age.
9 Final Fantasy 1, 2, and 4
Obviously, these titles are all readily available on numerous platforms, but the versions on PSP are unique for their art style. The recent re-releases of the 2D Final Fantasy games for Steam and other platforms were lambasted for the aesthetic redesign. Why change it when these PSP games look so good? If you want to play these games in their best versions, you only have a few months to make the purchase. Final Fantasy 4 also comes with The After Years, though opinions on it are generally negative.
8 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
While Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is available on phones and tablets, this re-release of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is still stuck on the PSP.
It is a shame because this predecessor to Final Fantasy Tactics is just as good and deserving of veneration. The gameplay is familiar to fans of the genre, and the narrative is even darker than the Final Fantasy spin-off. We want a remake or re-release soon.
7 Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
A game with the same title first came out on the Nintendo DS, but it plays and looks different than the game that came out on the PSP. Anybody looking for a Grand Theft Auto experience similar to the classics for the PlayStation and PC should definitely dive into Chinatown Wars. It plays from an isometric perspective. Despite good reviews, portable Grand Theft Auto games came to halt afterward, most likely due to disappointing sales.
6 Killzone: Liberation
Killzone was not the Halo killer Sony hoped it would be, but it still carved out a solid legacy of its own. The PSP game, Killzone: Liberation, also did a great job of translating the series to a portable system. Instead of going for a first-person shooter, the game plays from an isometric perspective while still retaining real-time action. Reviews were generally kind. The next portable entry in the franchise would be Killzone: Mercenary for the PS Vita, which is an FPS.
5 Jeanne d’Arc
Jeanne d’Arc stands out among the crowded pack of RPGs on the PSP because of its unique setting. This historical RPG is a fictionalized retelling of Joan of Arc’s story. It is only loosely based on the historical figure, especially because of the inclusion of fantasy elements. While the console’s most notable turn-based tactical games are on the other consoles, such as the Disgaea series, Jeanne d’Arc remains stuck on the PSP.
4 LittleBigPlanet
Long before Dreams, Media Molecule came to prominence with LittleBig Planet on the PS3. A different developer handled this portable spin-off, and most fans agreed they did a great job of downsizing the series to the PSP. You can even create and share levels like in the mainline entries. While the servers have long since shut down, the single-player campaign remains playable. Unfortunately, multiplayer is and never was available here.
3 Resistance: Retribution
Similar to the Killzone series, the portable entry of Resistance on the PSP opted not to try and go the first-person shooter route. Resistance: Retribution puts the camera behind the player and plays more like a cover-based shooter. This move worked well for Retribution, though complaints were mostly levied at repetitive gameplay. Like the mainline series, multiplayer was a focus, but the online functionality is no longer working.
2 Metal Gear AC!D
The first Metal Gear experience on the PSP was AC!D. A far cry from the stealth-action gameplay for which the series is known, the two Metal Gear AC!D games are turn-based strategy titles utilizing cards.
Such a bizarre change seems incongruous for the series, but Metal Gear is always about giving fans the unexpected. The sequel also utilized 3D glasses to play the entire game in the third dimension, though it could be played without it too.
1 Valkyria Chronicles 2
The original Valkyria Chronicles is a cult classic for the PS3, notable for its unique setting and gameplay. It eventually saw a rerelease on PS4. The two sequels are still only available on the PSP. Of those two, only Valkyria Chronicles 2 is available in the west. Despite shrinking the game down for the PSP, the game is a worthy successor. The series eventually returned to consoles with Valkyria Chronicles 4. You would be hard-pressed to find a game similar to this series.
