GAMES 09: PSP is a ‘Go’
We take a look at Sony’s latest handheld – the PSP Go!
Games 09 saw the launch of Sony’s latest take on the handheld – the PSP Go. Smaller, lighter and overall more compact than its predecessors, Sony is adamant that this is not a replacement for the PSP 3000. Why? Well the key being that the PSP Go does not have an UMD disc slot. Rather, it gets 16 GB of internal memory with the premise that all games played on it will be downloaded directly from the PSN network.
The PSP Go
Sceptical at first, we were happy to see some very competitive online prices for popular games such as God of War: Chains of Olympus and Motorstorm: Arctic Ridge.
The PSP Go at Games 09 featured two new releases to mark the launch of the handheld – Little Big Planet and Gran Turismo – there’s no joking around here, Sony are very serious! We got a chance to have a go at both, and before we tell you our impressions of the game, we’ll give you a rundown of how it felt using the Go.
The handheld was definitely easier on the hands, it felt more natural to hold and play. The screen was again a perfect size and all the controls were within reach, even the shoulder buttons – so all quite ergonomic. The Go is light, we’re talking iPhone light, which is saying a lot, but it also felt a little bit fragile in turn. The biggest flaw we could find in our play test was the power button placement – while browsing through menus we accidentally flicked it without even realising. While annoying we got the feeling it was a matter of getting used to the thing and it didn’t happen again during our vigorous sessions!
PSP Go compared to an iPhone.
Down to the games then:
Little Big Planet
What was immediately evident when we started was that the charm from the PS3 version had definitely been replicated on to the handheld. The gameplay felt near identical – which is quite a compliment. The fun element was also retained and what we found most surprising was the game design and textures felt as though it was the PS3 game being viewed on the PSP! Animations were identical as well and the game just kept on blowing us away throughout our test. The only disappointment was that we couldn’t really enjoy the loveable creatures’ facial animations or costumes as much as the PS3 version, but hey it’s a small screen so you can’t really mark them down for that!
Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo did feel like baby GT. The same gameplay feel was again immediately evident as were the ridiculous number of cars to choose from – 830 to be exact! The overall game had been simplified heavily in terms of actual racing and the fact that there was no career mode. That said, winning each race did still give you a sense of accomplishment and credits to get into your new ride. License/handling tests were there as well so hardened GT fans will not feel too left out. Our favourite part of the test was a three man online/wifi race with the rest of the team. The driving was seamless and fun, but you can’t let go of the feeling that this is a bit of a filler until the big daddy shows up near the beginning of next year!
From our experience with the PSP Go and the latest games releases over Games 09, we can definitely say that the PSP is finally beginning to reach the heights it was always destined for.
