PSP devs must stop making excuses, says Daxter dev boss

By Games Industry.biz Published 13 March, 2006

Fair point?

The president of startup studio Ready At Dawn has told GamesIndustry.biz that developers must stop making excuses for producing handheld games that aren't up to the same standard as their console counterparts.

In an exclusive interview, Didier Malenfant conceded that consumers are becoming disgruntled with the choice of games available for the PSP, stating: "There's obviously not as many titles as people would want on the platform, but at the same time, up until now there hasn't been any title that really gives you the same kind of experience you could find on the PS2."

"Everything is compromised, and it bugs the hell out of me when you hear a lot of developers saying, 'Well, we can't do this that way because it's a handheld game,' or 'We can't do this because it doesn't have a second analog stick.'"

"Those are all excuses," Malenfant continued - observing that the original PSone controller didn't have any analog sticks, "And there were great games on that."

Malenfant, who formerly worked for Jak and Daxter developer Naughty Dog, co-founded Ready At Dawn in September 2003 together with former Blizzard employees Ru Weerasuriya and Andrea Pessino.

The studio's first game is simply titled Daxter, and is based around the character of the same name. Malenfant believes that Daxter "Is not only a really good game, but really something that shows that for the first time, this is a handheld that can give you the same experience you'd find on a home console."

"For me that's terribly exciting, because I tend to play my PSP a lot more than any other console, simply because it's portable. I don't want to end up playing sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld, which up to [the arrival of the PSP] has been what we've had to do."

"We really set out to prove that you can do a game that is as good, if not better, than a PS2 game and really show off the platform. If we do end up becoming the game that opens the floodgates, I'd be really really proud, because it's such an awesome handheld."

Daxter will be published this spring by Sony - a company with whom RAD has an excellent relationship, according to Malenfant.

"You need to get to a situation where you get the support, but at the same time, you're working with people who really understand games, and I think that's the hardest thing to do," he said.

"Obviously you want people who know the business side, but at the same time games are so much about passion that you really need people you can talk to on the same level, who really understand what makes a game great."

"That's what's so hard to find - because there are a lot of talented business people in the industry, but very few talented business people who actually know games."

When asked if RAD would consider accepting an acquisition offer by Sony in the future, Malenfant replied: "I can't say we've really thought about it. What's important to me as far as Ready At Dawn's concerned is that we've been able to build a new company culture with the people we've hired. As long as we keep that together and we're able to maintain that, there's no outright plan, or discussions for that matter."

Comments (61) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Salaman #1 6 years ago

    Hallelujah! Well said that man.

    Well see what his game is like when it comes out though.
    :-)


    edit: and FIRST! Woooo \0/

  • t1nt`1n #2 6 years ago

    "For me that's terribly exciting, because I tend to play my PSP a lot more than any other console, simply because it's portable. I don't want to end up playing sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld, which up to [the arrival of the PSP] has been what we've had to do."

    - Obviously he doesn't like classic 2d gameplay ala gameboy etc, can anybody say "Graphics whore"

  • Genji #3 6 years ago

    "Everything is compromised, and it bugs the hell out of me when you hear a lot of developers saying, 'Well, we can't do this that way because it's a handheld game,'..."

    Isn't that part of the problem, though? That console games are being shunted over to the PSP without much thought about the changes they'd have to make?

  • Repsode #4 6 years ago

    I'm getting the impression that Sony's not trying very hard to improve the third party situation. They seem to have basically dumped out some dev kits and left them to fend for themselves. I think everyone needs to get it out of their skulls that the PSP is not a portable PS2. It's an entirely different beast.

    I think Sony are diluting the Playstation brand though. So much of the corporation depends on this brand that they've taken to throwing every aspect of their business into it in the hopes of reviving their dismal performance in the Electronics business.

    The PSP simply needs focus, and that focus is games, not new movies and substandard mp3 functionality.
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 11:25

  • Hog-lumps #5 6 years ago

    Plenty of focus coming out of the next few weeks :)

    Like what?

  • Dizzy #6 6 years ago

    "I don't want to end up playing sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld, which up to [the arrival of the PSP] has been what we've had to do"

    I don't think he quite "gets" portable gaming. Nuff said...

  • Cappy #7 6 years ago

    "I don't want to end up playing sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld, which up to [the arrival of the PSP] has been what we've had to do."

    So, the massive back catalogue of handheld games released before the PSP and his game are dismissed in one sentence. None of them could possibly be any good it seems because they were all sub par.

    Very nice. He deserves to fail.

  • IAmBatman #8 6 years ago

    "for the first time, this is a handheld that can give you the same experience you'd find on a home console"

    Except it isn't the first time. Even on the PSP.

  • Genji #9 6 years ago

    Sony would kill him if he said any differently.

  • kangarootoo #10 6 years ago

    ""Those are all excuses," Malenfant continued - observing that the original PSone controller didn't have any analog sticks, "And there were great games on that.""

    Thats a pretty poor example he uses there. Saying "you can't do this" is not the same as saying the alternative will be crap. He is only suggesting that is the case, but dressing it up as fact.

    Recognising that adjustments need to be made based on your target platform is not a failure. Its part of a quality design process cycle.

    To quote Genji,

    "Isn't that part of the problem, though? That console games are being shunted over to the PSP without much thought about the changes they'd have to make?"

    Maybe that is the actual reason this guy is disappointed with the end results.

    "but really something that shows that for the first time, this is a handheld that can give you the same experience you'd find on a home console"

    Is that really what people want? I don't know, but I think it is an important question. Most games on the DS aren't the same experience as you might find on a home console.....

  • TheBard #11 6 years ago

    I don't really know... when a dev raises his voice to encourage other devs to produce good games for a platform, you can guess there are problems. In the last weeks or months, I keep on reading masses of cool news about the DS and Nintendo in general, but only bad stuff about Sony. PS2's dying, nobody knowing anything precise about the PS3, bad games for the PSP, all this graffitti marketing BS Sony came up with, now the new Ads which have been removed on train stations, hilarious loading times with Smackdown vs Raw, ... what's up with that? Concerning the PSP, some of my friends own one and they are really disappointed. They mostly use it only to play old 16bit games. Not quite what they intended.

    I'm no Nintendo fanboy and I own neither a PSP or a DS, but all this bad press puzzles me.

  • Dizzy #12 6 years ago

    "Is that really what people want? I don't know, but I think it is an important question. Most games on the DS aren't the same experience as you might find on a home console..... "

    Exactly...

  • Hog-lumps #13 6 years ago

    Daxter of course, also Syphon Filter.

    Not to mention all the stuff that's soon getting Euro releases.

    Hmm, neither of these games apeal to me one bit.

    I really am waiting for an excuse to buy a PSP but so far the only game that's sparked my interest is lumines............

  • Genji #14 6 years ago

    I honestly hope that Sony have some success with the PSP. Historically, monopolies have never been good for the consumer.

    That doesn't mean I want one, of course.

  • Genji #15 6 years ago

    "Not worth it"? How could a handheld game not be worth their time? Don't they read the sales figures of the DS in Japan?

    That's just crazy talk. If most developers think that way, I see a very gloomy future for the PSP.

  • Rambaldi #16 6 years ago

    As usual, it takes millions of pounds of development and months on the market for the majority to reach the conclusion that was blatanly obvious in the first place: the PSP is a white elephant

    And no, it's not a Sony dig, it's a "why do fools always buy whatever's new without analysing it first" dig. Put LCD TVs in same bracket.

  • joey #17 6 years ago

    I agree that the handheld market need strong competition, and for that I thank Sony.

    The PSP does have some great games, but I think one of the problems is that it may just be too powerful, and some devs seem to be at odds what to do with it. Should the games be straight console ports, the hardware allows this, or do they try and make a handheld version with different game play and features? Perhaps they can do both.

    I dunno, but it must take much more time and money to make a really good PSP game and make best use of the hardware (while not creating a loading-time nightmare) than a DS titile.

    Perhaps it's Sony's fault for pushing the other features too much, think they really need to re-focus on the games (they are out there!)

  • Hog-lumps #18 6 years ago

    the PSP is a white elephant

    Well that's hardly fair. The psp has the potential to be a fantastic little gaming device; we've just got to wait till somebody finally makes some decent games that's all..........

    Till then, I'll stick with my DS.
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 12:06

  • Genji #19 6 years ago

    I'm sure they said that about the Gizmondo, too.

    :-(

  • Kay #20 6 years ago

    Some of the best games I've played in recent months have been on handhelds. Not the PSP, though - the GBA has the likes of Advance Wars, Mario & Luigi, Zelda: Minish Cap, Astro Boy & Metroid: Zero Mission. They may not be home console experiences but they are fun, and that's the only thing that matters.

    For all the power that the PSP has, I've found that a lot of the games that I've played on it have been slightly awkward, thanks to screen blurring and the fiddly analogue nub. Devs need to concentrate on the PSP's advantages, instead of trying to make it a substandard PS2. That's the problem with the PSP being so powerful - rather than utilising the power wisely in order to make a better handheld experiece, they are trying to shoehorn a console game experience into a handheld.

    That said, thigns are looking up for the PSP - both Daxter and Syphon Filter have been getting good reviews. And of course, there's Football Manager to look forward to - which is, ironically, the one game that could probably be accused of being shoehorned onto the PSP.

    K

  • lambtron #21 6 years ago

    I own a PSP and there are some things I hate about it. Namely the fact that it introduced load times to a category of games that was always blessfully free from them. And the battery life sucks. And the range of games consists (mainly) of a) ports and b) not very good exclusives. The games that Frod mentions are ones I'm not even remotely interested in.

    There are two types of problems here. If a port is done that is not necessarily a bad thing but there has to be changes made for the controls and loading times. It's not acceptable to have a debacle like PES5 on the PSP where half your time is spent in the front end or loading. That is not why I play games.

    Second, exclusives need to be thought of exactly that and not a portable PS2 game. But I understand why there are few of these because from a developer/publisher point of view they must represent one hell of a risk.

  • Mr_Whacker #22 6 years ago

    Doesn't 'Malenfant' mean 'Evil child'?

  • Shadar #23 6 years ago

    Talk about missing the point. If he wanted to make a console game, why didn't he make a console game? A game suited for a console does not necessarily make a great handheld game at all.

    Or is that a moot point?

  • smelly #24 6 years ago

    Is it me, or did anyone else hate the daxter games?
    Am I a freak?

  • vames #25 6 years ago

    IGN: DAXTER 9.0
    IGN: SYPHON FILTER DARK MIRROR 9.3

  • vames #26 6 years ago

    Yes smelly you're a freak because you're smelly lol just kidding man, don't take the piss you'll smell like it :D

  • Jonathan_Fakenham #27 6 years ago

    I think the biggest flaw of the PSP is noone knows what to make of it. It's like a full-on console in a handheld format. Playing it, with headphones, on the couch, I get completely into it and totally forget I'm playing a handheld.. I think that was what the guy was talking about when he said the thing about "sub-par games". Sub-par, technology wise.

    Let's hope the amount of games start picking up.


    Also, these really are dark times for Sony, aren't they? Never thought I'd say so, but after getting a x360 from a friend for refurbishing his apartment (I never was much of an xbox fanboy), I'm not really caring much about the PS3 delays anymore. And that scares me..

  • Merefield #28 6 years ago

    imho, the only thing that is wrong with the sublime PSP (they squeezed all THAT power into a hand-held!?!?) is the controls that can give you RSI in one sitting.

  • Hog-lumps #29 6 years ago

    Sorry, I fell asleep when you brought the DS up in a PSP thread.

    Don't get me wrong, I would actually like a PSP. It's just at present there's no games that apeal to me. I fully expect better games to come out in the future so i can occupy myself with the currently better games on the DS till then.

    That's not an unfair statment is it?
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 13:57

  • MrGrumpy.au #30 6 years ago

    Daxter of course, also Syphon Filter

    @frod, not to mention the most addictive racer that's about to grace the PSP to date Outrun 2 Coast to Coast, come the 21st I'll be dissapearing for weeks with this one.

    (I was one of the very few oringinal Xbox owners who loved Outrun 2 to death and still do...) :D


    This is just thinking out loud.
    1] Why not create a 2nd analog stick which runs off its mini-USB port allowing for a larger variety of games (or some other deveice that could be suitable).

    2] Why one has no one tried a verticle top down shootem up (using the machine rotated 90 or 270 degrees). In the old days we've all played a 4 player Micro Machines battle on the SNES/Genesis so why couldn't that controller configuration work for PSP game configurations.

    3] If PSP developers thought more outside the box with regards to the controller schemes, we'd probably get less racers and more of everything else, without suffering some real dodgey control schemes.



    An off-topic PS. Just a tip for Burnout Revenge:

    If you are having problems with the game not being able to keep up with redrawing the game world (caused by frantic boosting), just switch all music off and the problem goes away.

    Another nice side effect of doing this is that the framerate goes back to a reasonably steady 30fps. (Removes the stress on the UMD drive so only the world data is only loaded and it doesn't have to jump around the disc between the music and the world data)

    Apologies for this post length and possible errors as it's late and I'm tired... :(

    Cheers

  • IAmBatman #31 6 years ago

    > Why one has no one tried a verticle top down shootem up (using the machine rotated 90

    They have.

  • MrGrumpy.au #32 6 years ago

    Please tell me which game? I want it!!!! :D

  • EraSerX #33 6 years ago

    Star Soldier :
    http://psp .ign.com/objects/748/748395.html
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 14:22

  • Hog-lumps #34 6 years ago

    It's a boring old statement that seems to appear unrequested in every PSP related thread.

    Hang on, somebody called the PSP a ‘white-elephant’, I defended the PSP as ‘not a white elephant’ and now you’re having a pop at me?

    Anyway, I thought this was a comment thread about the current state and future development of PSP software? So I thought it was perfectly reasonable to discuss PSP software in comparison to DS software as a benchmark?

  • smelly #35 6 years ago

    I shouldve saw the "smelly likes mario games so therefor he must be a troll" comments coming a mile off shouldnt I?

    It was a legit question. I own a ps2, i've played, they left me cold.

    I'm not saying I hate all non-mario games, as i liked psychonauts (for example).
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 14:27

  • Xephon70 #36 6 years ago

    Crikey, who knew there were so many Ninty trollboys in one place.

    All the man voiced was the fact that devs aren't taking advantage of the PSPs' power and creating individual IP, and suddenly you're all PSP suxxors and white elephants are marching through. I can make sweeping generalisations too-the DS is full of SNES ports and updates of "classic" games.

    *ducks*

  • smelly #37 6 years ago

    Crikey, who knew there were so many Ninty trollboys in one place.

    Apart from me, not one person has mention nintendo? And the only reason i did is because someone accused me of not liking daxter games because i was a troll?

    Is it now the case that if you answer someones coment, you are therefor a troll?

    In confused!

    All i said was, i didnt like these games! And I was wondering if anyone else didnt. Notice i also said i liked psychonauts (which isnt even available on a nintnedo platofrm!!!)

  • Hog-lumps #38 6 years ago

    Apart from me, not one person has mention nintendo

    \holds hand up

    Actually I said nintendo. But all I said was I'm playing my DS while I wait for better PSP software to come along before I buy a PSP. Not sure that make me a 'ninty troll boy' though..............

    Edit phrase
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 15:14

  • Rambaldi #39 6 years ago

    @frod

    "It's a boring old statement that seems to appear unrequested in every PSP related thread"

    Since when did we need an actual request to start spouting shit? I find it much more amusing doing it on an ad-hoc basis.

  • Hog-lumps #40 6 years ago

    I'm having a pop at everyone. You're all fair game, suckers.

    \finally realises frod is a complete 'wind-up merchant.'

    \marks frod's card

    :p

  • Rambaldi #41 6 years ago

    Or maybe it keeps appearing because, y'know, it's true?

  • tengu #42 6 years ago

    PSP games situation is looking mighty tasty in coming months imo. I've hardly been away from the PSP since I got Tales of Eternia, which is awesome. I can see plenty of games out this year for it, so those 'no good games' arguments aren't going to hold water much longer I'm afraid.

  • Dizzy #43 6 years ago

    "so those 'no good games' arguments aren't going to hold water much longer I'm afraid. "

    Maybe the "no killer game" argument? And by "Killer game" I mean type of game that satisfies the mainstream gamers and whips them into a buying frenzy... something the DS (oh-no!) has been able to manage IMHO. Who knows... maybe Daxter will do the trick.. or Socom?

  • old_skool #44 6 years ago

    Paris Hilton got a psp . Does she count for mainstream ?

  • markypants #45 6 years ago

    I've got a PSP and I can't see what everybody is bitching about? It's bloody amazing! Movies & TV series on the go. MP3 player. Great games with more on the way. Ability to emulate (yes even on 2.6 via home brew). The machine is just about to get it's second wind of releases and I'm still enjoying the releases I've got.

    I had a DS before which I sold, not because it was crap, but because it was limited. A PSP has so many different uses. One min you're playing a game, then a few menu clicks later and episode of 24, then flip over to an MP3.

    Things can only get better in my eyes.

  • Kami #46 6 years ago

    That is half the problem Marky. The PSP is a lot of things. But it all costs.

    Sony DO deserve some success with the PSP - I think it's a bloody beautiful piece of kit with plenty of power in there... the problem is that we could say this about every bloody contender that Nintendo's ever had - the Game Gear had more power and a colour screen. The Atari Lynx, again, colour screen and more power. The Wonderswan may not have had the colour but it had some awfully nice games on it. And the Nokia N-Gage shat all over the GBA in terms of specifications, but no-one cared.

    Yes, Sony deserve a slice of the market with a bloody good system. But on games and on pricing, Nintendo has so far had it beaten. And that's why I think the DS and the new and nice-looking redesign of the DS will probably end up eclipsing the PSP. Until the PSP has the games to truly compete and the pricing has come down for most... it's still just an expensive gadget.

    So come on Sony and all those working on PSP games. Show me the games. SHOW ME THE GOOD GAMES!

  • earl_roberts #47 6 years ago

    On my PSP I have my entire archive of digital photos, which are showed off quite frequently and sent to others [great feature that, sending pictures wirelessly]
    I use it, perhaps mainly, for watching video files on it which is great due to conveneance and the wide array of converting methods, I can 'obtain' something and be watching it on the go in hardly anytime in great quality
    I sometimes use it as an MP3 player, despite having an iPod due to the ease you can put tracks on, and then delete them again, almost instant and I have also had a great time playing through Ridge Racer, Lumines & now Tales of Eternia. I've had the PSP since launch and all in all, have had a great time with it.
    Conversely, I have also had a great time with my DS since its launch, have completed all my games for it and play multiplayer on it ALL the time.

    So my question... I have both handhelds, use both perhaps equally and enjoy both. Does that make me strange?

    Because reading some of this, it makes me feel strange that I actually like games, with the system I play them on being secondary. I don't know why people needlessly limit themselves to one system when they are both clearly so very different, and both have great games!

  • earl_roberts #48 6 years ago

    Good games? As said, Tales of Eternia a couple of weeks ago, OutRun 2 in a couple of weeks... Mega Man games out, Powerstone coming, Evangelion announced. I seriously don't see the problem?

  • smoison #49 6 years ago

    LOL @ all the haters that came on after this comment

    "I don't want to end up playing sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld, which up to [the arrival of the PSP] has been what we've had to do."

    But really, the DS may be special, but Nintendo still charge you FULL price for the N64 ports they put on it (Ya, Mario64 and MarioKart really used that 2nd screen)

    If Sony and Nintendo had descent game pricing, Especially for ports we would all want both of them.

  • KraftWerk #50 6 years ago

    "I don't want to end up playing sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld, which up to [the arrival of the PSP] has been what we've had to do."
    ---
    Crikey! I've been fooled all these years!

  • Xephon70 #51 6 years ago

    "Apart from me, not one person has mention nintendo? And the only reason i did is because someone accused me of not liking daxter games because i was a troll?

    Is it now the case that if you answer someones coment, you are therefor a troll?

    In confused!"

    Jeez, paranoid much? I was replying to the thread in general.

    Reports like this tend to bring out the best in people.../sarcasm

  • Arwin #52 6 years ago

    Didier Malenfant did a good job, and once you've done a good job it is easier to diss those that haven't. I do it all the time at my job ... Er ... Anyway.

    I have always been able to buy any of Nintendo's consoles, but so far no game has convinced me it was a good idea to do so. I've tried almost every system out there in the last 20 years and owned about half of them. My highlights are definitely the C64, the Atari 800XL, the Amiga, the Atari ST, the PC (it owned during the period that MT32 was the best sound-device out there, the CD-ROM became mainstream and the VOODOO/3DFX card was the only real card to have), and finally the Playstation, Playstation 2 (which still gets some of the best games really, only now I just wait until they become budget, as I play more on the move) and PSP.

    The last year the PSP has seen plenty of good games to see me through, but the DS peaked earlier. Unfortunately, it peaked with games that did not in the least peak my interest. That's a matter of taste, but I am one of those very grateful gamers who are easily bored with a game and need something a little more complex.

    If you played games plenty, then the DS is as retro as it gets. The irony is that those who played the current generation console games to death have a hard time coming to grips with the PSP's console ports. You won't get many complaints from those who haven't had too much time to play games at home and now get to play them on PSP, but the rest has certainly bitched and moaned because the PSP was so close to the PS2, that they held the games to the exact same standards.

    Despite plenty of great games having been released (Metal Gear Acid, Lumines, WipeOut, Ridge Racers, Revelations, Liberty City Stories, Socom 3 - with online and headset! - and many of the better EA ports like the also online enabled FIFA 2006, SSX On Tour, etc.), it took a while before developers could be certain that their investments would pay off.

    This kept the PSP at a kind of crossroads. On the one hand there was the option of really matching or even exceeding their counterpart PS2 games, and on the other hand the option of simply making the games simpler, maybe complementing their PS2 counterparts, or maybe going into another direction altogether. We are seeing both happening right now, with the likes of Lemmings, Worms and Street Fighter Alfpha 3 Max on the one hand, and Syphon Filter and Daxter on the other. I personally think the latter group is winning, but the first may lead to interesting results also.

    That the much more complex PSP got its games out so fast is mostly thanks to that a lot of materials, tools and routines developed for the consoles could be reused for its first batch of games. But there is no mistaking that the DS would peak sooner, because its simpler architecture and limited capabilities meant that development time would be about 33% or less of a regular console game. Making good use of its new features, the touch pad and wifi, would obviously take longer, but should still have peaked before the PSP (it is surprising, really, that it nearly didn't).

    Now, however, the DS remains a more limited and less versatile system than the PSP, and the PSP has a good chance of having a longer shelf-life, and will certainly take longer to peak than the DS. That the DS is simply a cheaper system means that it addresses a different market, and the PSP and DS aren't real competitors. But while the DS was a bigger success last year (partly, but not only, because it was released sooner), the PSP isn't a small success either and has done very healthily in its first year.

    Very important news came a few months ago when the first numbers had come in, showing that at this stage, PSP games had twice the profitability of console games. This meant a full systems go for the gaming industry - they had confirmation that even with this first year installbase, the PSP could rake in the profits they sorely need to tide the difficult next-gen transition period. This will mean that games currently under development will receive upscaled budgets. Liberty City Stories had already shown that given a good enough budget, a game on the PSP could really shine. But at that time, Rockstar decided it would take a significant loss on their first PSP effort, just because they felt like it, basically. I wouldn't be surprised though if they still make that money back a lot sooner than they anticipated, and would love to hear if/when it happened - if anyone from Eurogamer ever has the chance to ask them ...

    But to get completely back on topic of Didier Malenfant's comments, he is right to some extent - but only to the extent where developers have so far rushed out their games to have games out there, hoping that they would be bought by lack of competition, and producing better games once the install base had upsized and in-house experience with the system reached a decent point. Larger devs can do stuff like that, but Daxter was Didier Malenfant's dev team's first big project and he felt he needed to make a statement right off the bat. Looking at the IGN review, he seems to have had the funds (and the guts) to do it right on the first try, for which I applaud him. But he is not the first to make a great game for the PSP, and won't be the last.

    Finally, here's one for the DS fanboys to mull over. Check out the scores on Gamespot for DS games in the last month, and compare them to the scores on PSP games in the last month. You will be surprised, and that is with some of the hottest games still being (imminently) released.

    But as I said, there will always be a market for DS games as well as PSP games. In the next 10 years, I predict we will probably see 3 handheld systems coexist happily together, just as I believe that there is ample room for Xbox360, PS3, Revolution, and even the PC.

    Gaming is still growing, and will continue to do so for some time yet. And I ain't complaining. Bring it on!

  • Jdoki #53 6 years ago

    The problem with the PSP has been that it's taken far too long for good games to surface. Remember, the PSP appeared in December 2004 (in Japan)... and I'm still waiting for a good RPG!!

    Personally I think that I wasted money buying a PSP so early (I bought it on release foolishly). The cons far outweigh the pros... horrible load times and poor battery life being my biggest issues. This negative experience has tainted my view of the machine - so now nothing really appeals as I already have the preconception that even if the game is great I'll only get a couple of hours at a time to play it, and will probably spend most of that time waiting for the game to load!

    I bought a DS a couple of months back and I play it a lot more - I'm completely console agnostic and I'll always buy what appeals... Wipeout Pure, Virtua Tennis, Lumines and Ridge Racer appealed... out of those the only one I would consider playing now is Lumines.

    Daxter kinda appeals because I like the PS2 games - but that's where the real problem lies... will Daxter be good enough to make me think 'Wow, that was at least as good as Jak 1, 2 or 3' - or will I end up thinking.. 'Wow, isn't the PSP's screen nice' which seems to be most peoples reaction to the handheld.

    I just don't think that developers 'get' the fact that handheld games should play and be executed differently to PS2 games.
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/06 @ 20:04

  • admir #54 6 years ago

    i hate nitendo all they do is make one and the same zelda, mario, etc. games. and i cant belive people buy that shit

  • tengu #55 6 years ago

    "The problem with the PSP has been that it's taken far too long for good games to surface. Remember, the PSP appeared in December 2004 (in Japan)... and I'm still waiting for a good RPG!!"

    You miss Tales of Eternia then?

  • Shadar #56 6 years ago

    Frod: So ... it's not trolling as long as you're not a Nintendo-fanboy? And it's not trolling when you're whipping up enmity because you don't like to hear people compare two devices competing for customers in the same marketplace?

    Wow. Looks like we need a new definition here, guys!

  • Royal Fool #57 6 years ago

    Ah, love comments threads like these. Always brings out the "inner fanchild" in some people here. I don't have to name names, you know who you are...

    It always comes down to the same criticisms and same arguments.

  • Arwin #58 6 years ago

    Does that also go for my post, then? ;)

  • Genji #59 6 years ago

    "Apart from me, not one person has mention nintendo

    \holds hand up

    Actually I said nintendo."

    NI

    (ntendo)

    Sorry.

  • Genji #60 6 years ago

    Watch how pissed off frod gets when you criticise a game he likes. I've seen that before.

    He's a troll, but a selective troll. Most trolls are.

  • Roddy100 #61 6 years ago

    For all those concerned about PSP load times, Daxter may be the start of a new breed as apparently it has virtually none.

    I just hope I can afford Daxter on release as I've been REALLY hanging out for a good PSP platformer.