Four PSP games I'd like to buy and play in 2014

Following up yesterday's post about the four retro games I'd like to buy and play in 2014, here are a quartet of PSP games I'd like to pick up--and, yes, put through their paces--sometime in the next 12 months.

7th Dragon 2020--Actually, I can't decide if I should start with the first of Sega's 7th Dragon 2020 games or skip right to the second one. Either way, I desperately want to play some iteration of this 7th Dragon spin-off series sometime soon, despite the fact that I likely won't be able to understand a word of what's going on while I do it.

Criminal Girls--Is it strange that a gay guy (me, of course) wants to play a game that's all about--or at least partially about--spanking and otherwise abusing girls as they traverse a treacherous tower, RPG-style? I suppose. Still, I'd like to give it a go, mainly because of its art style and gameplay. (I've always been a sucker for a good--or even bad--dungeon-crawler.)

MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura--This game is often described as "Monster Hunter meets Animal Crossing." I'm not completely sure what that means, to tell you the truth, but since I absolutely adore the Animal Crossing series and I've always liked the airu/felyne character, surely I'll enjoy playing a game that somehow combines the two, don't you think?

Yuusha 30 Second--So, the truth is I've only spent a short time with this title's predecessor, which was given a new name--Half-Minute Hero--when it made its way to North America. It was a long enough stint for me to know I'll enjoy the full game, though, and likely have a similarly great time with its Japan-only sequel, too. Should I actually buy a copy in 2014, I mean.

Other possibilities: Final Fantasy Type-0, K-On! Houkago Live!!, Nayuta No Kiseki and Sweet Fuse: At Your Side

How on earth did I miss 7th Dragon 2020-II's announcement?

Seriously, how did I miss Sega's announcement that it would be releasing a sequel to 7th Dragon 2020 (itself a follow-up to the awesome-looking DS game, 7th Dragon) this spring?

Oh, well, there's nothing I can do about that. And, really, all that matters is that I know about it now.

As for why I'm so happy I've finally discovered this Imageepoch-developed PSP title: it features idols that are able to unleash some of the most fabulous attacks I've ever seen in an RPG.

Don't believe me? Check out this video:



7th Dragon 2020-II is due out in Japan on April 18, by the way. Since the previous installments in this series failed to see release outside the Land of the Rising Sun, I have to imagine this one will suffer the same fate.

Which is understandable to a degree, of course--the PSP hasn't been a viable system in western markets for years, after all--I can't help but be a bit disappointed by it all the same.

(Via siliconera.com)

Six Japanese PSP games I wish had been brought to the States

Considering how poorly the PSP sold in the US, it's pretty amazing how many Japanese games have been localized and brought to our shores since it debuted in 2005. (In fact, they're still coming--as evidenced by the recent announcements concerning Class of Heroes 2 and Sweet Fuse: At Your Side.)

Still, a number of noteworthy PSP titles never earned an English release of any sort. Of those, the six mentioned below are the ones I most wish had made it to North America.

1. 7th Dragon 2020--Truth be told, I'd much rather be able to buy and play a localized copy of the original 7th Dragon (for the DS) than this "side story," but that doesn't mean I wouldn't pick up 2020 if given the chance--despite the fact that the crew at Hardcore Gaming 101 have described it as being "significantly dumbed down" compared to its predecessor.

2. Any of the Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA games--I'm a sucker for rhythm games, especially those that could be called "cute," so this Sega-made selection is a no-brainer. That said, I have a feeling this game would have been ruined had its developers attempted to replace its Japanese tunes with English ones, so maybe I should be happy it never left its home country.

3. Either of the MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village titles--This series (consisting of just two games, at the moment) often is described as being "Monster Hunter meets Animal Crossing," which of course means I've been curious about it since the first title was announced in 2009. Considering Sony seemed desperate for a while to expand western sales of the PSP (and Capcom similarly seemed desperate to expand western interested in the Monster Hunter series), I thought one or both of the MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village would be shoe-ins for a US release of some sort. Apparently I thought wrong.

I take back what I said previously: 7th Dragon 2020 doesn't look so bad

I can't say I was all the excited when I first laid eyes on the PSP sequel to one of my most-desired DS games, 7th Dragon.

Although the original was a deliciously retro RPG developed by imageepoch and published by Sega, its sequel, 7th Dragon 2020, has always appeared to be a more modern beast--which means, of course, that it eschews the pixels its predecessor so embraced in favor of polygons.

Anyway, the disappointment brought about by imageepoch's decision to make 7th Dragon 2020 more wow-worthy prompted me to all but ignore the title ever since it was announced earlier this summer.

That all changed after I watched the following "character make video" (whatever that means) via andriasang.com:



Would I still prefer 7th Dragon 2020 to be a two-dimensional wonder like its forebear? Yes, but I'd be lying if I said the trailer above didn't at least somewhat pique my interest in the title, which will be released in Japan in just a few weeks (on Nov. 23, specifically).

The question is: Now that my interest has been piqued, will the game eventually see the light of day outside of the Land of the Rising Sun or will it suffer the same Japan-only fate as its pixel-loving predecessor?

I think we all know the answer to that one, don't we? Sigh.