EA to release retro PSP comp

By Matt Martin Published 1 September, 2006

Jungle Strike, Syndicate, more.

Those of you who don't have enough retro compilations on your PSP will be glad to hear EA is releasing a collection of olden days games for Sony's handheld.

Depending on which way you lean, there's a variety of good, bad and manky titles in the package, all of which have been cribbed from SNES or Megadrive editions of the games.

Desert Strike and its first sequel, Jungle Strike, are clearly two of the better titles, while fans reminiscing over motorcycling punch-up Road Rash will be please to see it's also included. As is Road Rash II and Road Rash III, just to be on the safe side.

Creepy future gang sim Syndicate makes an appearance, along with Wing Commander and Wing Commander: Secret Missions, Virtual Pinball and Ultima: The Black Gate.

To round the package off, Budokan, The Haunting Starring Polterguy, Mutant League Football and B.O.B. have also been crammed onto the UMD.

You can also expect game art hidden away for your browsing pleasure, along with multiplayer wireless features and the ability to save games at any point. Which will presumably make the stealth bomber missions in Jungle Strike that little less frustrating.

EA Replay is due September 15th in the US, and it shouldn't be long before it makes it over this side of the Atlantic, either.

Picture of Matt.

About Matt Martin

Read more articles from Matt by visiting the Matt Martin archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 5 years ago

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  • J.C #1 6 years ago

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  • kuzanagi #2 6 years ago

    > Creepy future gang sim Syndicate makes an appearance,

    Sold :D

  • Inquisitor #3 6 years ago

    Cool, Roadrash. I spent many a happy hour playing that. Loved the comments the other racers woud make at the beginning of each race aswell. Ooooh, and Natasha, drool ;)

  • Blerk #4 6 years ago

    Creepy future gang sim Syndicate makes an appearance

    If it's the SNES version shouldn't that read "blobby robot shooting game"?

  • rogermellie #5 6 years ago

    Syndicate and Ultima VII.

    Great games.

    Must be nice if you're young and haven't played them before.

  • gth #6 6 years ago

    Desert Strike....what a great game. AMIGA!!

  • mentat #7 6 years ago

    I really liked desert strike, but i don't think it's aged well at all.
    Depending on price (and whether the graphics are a straight port or not!) syndicate might be enough to warrent a purchase...

  • chupachups #8 6 years ago

    "Wow retro games on my PSP. It'll be almost like playing a DS."

    You mean the games will be playable? ;)

  • KingOfSpain #9 6 years ago

    Syndicate!!

    FUCK YEAH

  • peterfll #10 6 years ago

    I never did like the Desert \ Jungle Strike games. I wanted to. But could never get into them.....

  • asphaltcowboy #11 6 years ago

    Syndicate on SNES was awful compared to PC! :p

  • McBradders #12 6 years ago

    It wasn't awful, it was just an entirely different game.

    Gauntlet-ish. In the future. With guns. And bombs. And less internet.

  • El_MUERkO #13 6 years ago

    Interested to know what version of Syndicate, it was great in its time but it wont age to well and it its the snes then :p

    Pity its not Syndicate 2

  • itamae #14 6 years ago

    "Syndicate and Ultima VII"

    Oh this may sell me a PSP.

    /strokes chin pensively

    WARNING!
    They mean about the SNES versions of those games, which were shit compared to the PC originals!

  • Razzajazz #15 6 years ago

    Ohhh Budokan, that takes me back........ God, am I that old already?! I remember being so excited when my dad came home with a copy of Desert Strike for my Megadrive.

    All the other retro collections (Taito, Midway, etc) have included games that I didn't necessarily grow up with, but time is moving on, I guess! :)

  • smelly #16 6 years ago

    Oooooooh!

    (Takes psp off ebay)

  • rudedudejude #17 6 years ago

    Wow, this will almost be like playing FREE Homebew but paying for it!!

  • riz23 #18 6 years ago

    It's all good, but I would have liked The Immortal as well. Can't have everything I guess

  • Hughes. #19 6 years ago

    As soon as I saw this article title I was thinking this would be awful, but those titles have reminded me that once, long ago, EA made some good games.

    Sounds a damned sight better than most of the retro packs that have been announced lately.

  • Lex_Luthor #20 6 years ago

    Good sounding compilation, but no 'The Immortal'? :(

    lol, 'The Haunting'? Seriously? That was such a load of cock :)

  • DocTep #21 6 years ago

    Seriously, anyone getting this hoping to play the Syndicate they loved on PC and several other platforms which got decent ports are going to be horribly disappointed when confronted with the dumbed down gameplay and garish graphics. I've seen so many comments all over since this was first announced by people so excited to be able to play Syndicate on their PSP's. I tested the SNES version and it really shouldn't have even carried the name as it was so different.

    The only reason i can see for EA choosing the SNES version is because it's already optimised for pad control. Even ignoring how lazy that is, they'd have been better sticking the PSOne update on there rather than the SNES version. I really dislike the half-hearted way EA have gone about this compilation. Done right it could have been a nice little way to test the waters to see if there was a big enough market for such releases (and i think there is a market out there for such things). Instead people will be left disappointed when one of their favorite games is nothing like they remember, and just end up feeling ripped off.

    No doubt the same could be said for the SNES version of Wing Commander which is on there too. I'm almost surprised the Strike games on there aren't the GameBoy versions. ;o)

  • urban #22 6 years ago

    sounds good
    gah i always forget that EA were big even back when desert strike was released :(

    by the way, i've already got a few of them, do i get a discount..didnt fucking think so.

    i'll just play some emulators.
    Edited by 1 at 02/09/06 @ 03:54

  • Lex_Luthor #23 6 years ago

    "I tested the SNES version and it really shouldn't have even carried the name as it was so different."

    Good thing it's the Jaguar version on the disc then.

  • DocTep #24 6 years ago

    Good thing it's the Jaguar version on the disc then.


    Really? That's odd because every single article i've seen about the compilation after more details than just game names were handed out has clearly said that it will be the SNES version. In fact this very EG article says "all of which have been cribbed from SNES or Megadrive editions of the games".

    If you are right and it is the Jaguar version then that's better. Both versions went through the same QA department, and the Jag version is a much better port. It actually crossed my mind a while after i made my comment that the Jag version would have been the best to include, but i seem to remember it used a lot of the number buttons on the Jag pad (i never worked on it directly myself, so only know about it from what i saw rather than direct experience - this is about 12 years ago now however, so it's entirely possible the extra Jag buttons have just stuck in my mind because everyone always found them so weird).

  • Lex_Luthor #25 6 years ago

    Well, only other article on this compilation I've seen is this one:

    [link url=http: //www.kotaku.com/gaming/psp/ea-retro-pack-brings-syndicate-w ing-commander-ultima-vii-to-psp-194239.php
    ]http://ww w.kotaku.com/gaming/psp/ea-retr...[/link]

    It says Syndicate is the Jaguar version.

  • Sulphur #26 6 years ago

    Madre de Dios!!!!

    Or, to be more articulate, OMFG!!!!!

    These are what I grew up on. Syndicate. Wing Commander. Ultima. Makes me wish I had a PSP right now.

    Of course, I have a computer that's perfectly capable of playing all of 'em, but whatever. I wonder if this has to anything to do with the fact that FF VI just ran away with sales on the DS with 500,000 copies. This would be a smart move if EA can market it right.

    And I hope those 'blobby' console conversions aren't the source material. It'd be a shame to see Ultima and WC raped like they were back in the day (like UVII, utterly freaking ROGERED, as it was on the SNES) , instead of returning to the source versions on the PC.

  • DocTep #27 6 years ago

    Well, only other article on this compilation I've seen is this one:

    [link url=http://ww w.kotaku.com/gaming/psp/ea-retr...
    ]http://ww w.kotaku.com/gaming/psp/ea-retr...[/link]

    It says Syndicate is the Jaguar version.


    I just had a quick search around (even started off on EA's own website where there's no mention i can find so far, though given how slow it runs i gave up looking pretty quickly). It seems the confusion may be down to the first reports listing all the console versions of each game and EA not even officially acknowledging the compilation even exists.

    I found a more recent report which goes through everything on the disc and on page 2 states it will be the Genesis/Megadrive version: [link url=http://psp.gamedaily.com/game/preview/?gameid=5474&page =2
    ]http://ps p.gamedaily.com/game/preview/?g...[/link]

    I only Googled for info and so can't speak for how correct the site usually is.

    I didn't even remember the Megadrive version to be honest. It wasn't published through the same company as the SNES version, but then EA used to release their MD stuff themselves in the UK. I don't know if it's any closer to the original (Sega obviously used to give developers and publishers a bit more freedom, whereas Nintendo on the other hand...).

    So if that site is right and it is the MD version... Does anyone remember if the MD version was anything like the original Syndicate - or was it dumbed down to the point of being a different game like on the SNES?

  • OnlyMe #28 6 years ago

    Isn't it sad when the best games on a new system are the retro compilations?
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/06 @ 09:23

  • PlugMonkey #29 6 years ago

    Does anyone remember if the MD version was anything like the original Syndicate

    No, it was nothing like. It was pad controlled and you could only aim at someone if you were running towards them.

  • m0thr4 #30 5 years ago

    All three Road Rash games are ruined in this compilation - the original music has been replaced by a loop of some crappy elevator muzak. :-(