Gamers do not necessarily demand perfection. However, actual unplayable games are just unforgivable. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) has lots of great games, but it also has fumbles, and seven of them are listed below, which are the ones that dropped the ball the hardest.
Worst psp games
7. Angry Birds
There was a time when Angry Birds was the most popular game. It got ported to every platform possible. For the PSP, it was through the PlayStation Minis program.
Angry Birds on the PSP is only on this list because of its terrible, terrible performance. It is outright impossible to enjoy, much less play, because of the lag. The game requires precise controls and if everything is choppy, one cannot complete most of the levels.
Is the PSP’s hardware dated at that point in time when Angry Birds got ported? Probably, but compared to other hardware where the game runs smoothly, Rovio had no excuses for the state of this port. They were raking truckloads of money from this intellectual property and they cannot be bothered to port the game in its best condition.
6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
This would be a common theme on this list of the worst PSP games: licensed games. It is a reputation of the licensed games to be cash-grabs, absolutely lacking in playable core mechanics or polish for how expensive these properties are. Or both.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a top-down shooter, where players maneuver through levels and eliminate adversaries. There's a distinct lack of sound variety, with only one sample per weapon leading to repetitive gunfire sounds, detracting from the overall experience.
Despite the minimalistic variety of sound effects, the game's core problem lies in its repetitive and tedious gameplay. It predominantly involves continuous shooting, dodging enemy attacks, and linear progression, resulting in a monotonous experience. The prolonged battles and sluggish movement, compounded with a lack of effective strategies, transition the repetitive gameplay into a frustrating ordeal, particularly during missions necessitating the protection of specific elements.
Moreover, the game is riddled with bugs, ranging from minor glitches affecting weapon pickups to major issues like adversaries getting stuck or behaving erratically during combat. The driving sequences in the game stand out as exceptionally poor, with numerous technical deficiencies. The lackluster graphics, coupled with erratic enemy behavior, such as aimless floating bullets or vehicles passing through traffic.
5. Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects
There was no Marvel fatigue yet when this game was released. Gamers are begging for all the Marvel goodness to appear in games. They were answered by the game so imperfect, it is fatally flawed.
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects blends beat-'em-up and fighting game elements across multiple platforms. The story, despite attempts at development, falters, lacking cohesion and holding little player engagement. But that is not its most offending characteristic.
The game displays various issues—character models seem large but lack detail and an odd choice to outline characters in white detract from the overall aesthetic. Backgrounds and textures appear poorly rendered, with an inadequate color palette. Animation problems further degrade the experience, as the PS2 version struggles with frequent frame rate drops and background wall glitches, highlighting the game's unfinished quality. The control system exhibits severe unreliability, impacting actions, such as wall-running and wall-climbing, leading to frustrating and inexplicable character movements.
Gameplay shortcomings plague the experience, as the combat is unsatisfying and unbalanced. The reliance on projectile attacks overshadows the game's fundamental mechanics, rendering traditional combat ineffective. Boss battles suffer from an exaggerated level of difficulty, introducing cheap, overpowered adversaries that hinder the player's progression. The levels are flawed, featuring too many explosive elements that interrupt fights, and the camera control adds another layer of frustration due to its static nature during boss encounters. The unpolished nature of this title—ugly graphics, poor frame rates, unreliable controls, flawed combat engine, and camera issues—makes it highly inadvisable to purchase.
4. Winx Club: Join the Club
There is nothing wrong with serving games targeting young girls and not the young male demographic. There is everything wrong if you release a game with the quality of Winx Club: Join the Club.
This game offers a collection of mini-games based on the Winx Club television show. However, it fails to provide engaging content due to the simplistic design and excessively long load times. The mini-games, ranging from races to memory challenges, lack depth and will only appeal to the most fervent Winx Club enthusiasts.
The major downfall of Winx Club: Join the Club lies in its excruciatingly long load times, reaching nearly 90 seconds for screen transitions. This extensive loading severely disrupts the already brief gameplay, resulting in players spending more time waiting for the game to load than actually playing it. The game's overall experience fails to deliver, making it more comparable to an unpleasant wait at a government office than an enjoyable gaming session. Fans of the show might find the video clips interesting, but they would likely find more satisfaction in watching the series on DVD rather than engaging with this lackluster game.
3. Beowulf: The Game
This game is based on the film adaptation of classic literature. The gameplay involves utilizing various keys for Thane commands and combat. However, this setup can lead to confusion and accidental actions, like grappling when attempting to pick up weapons, resulting in significant loss of energy and frequent reloads.
While the game possesses potential as an adult-oriented remake in the vein of Diablo or Dungeon Siege, its execution falls short due to numerous glitches, quest activation issues, and a lack of polished implementation. The developers could have exerted effort in making the game playable instead of pouring all the budget into storytelling, which is compelling, complemented by decent voice acting, making the experience seem promising yet ultimately ending in hating the game in all of its bungles.
2. Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride attempts to bring the TV show into the world of handheld gaming and failed miserably at it. Originating from a lackluster Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 version, this game's transition to the PSP becomes a new hallmark of failure in porting titles across platforms.
Set in Pimp City, players aim to revamp lackluster cars, yet the gameplay's repetitive tasks, unreliable driving mechanics, and abysmal frame rates quickly render it tiresome and infuriating. Load times, often surpassing a minute, further intensify the game's already dull nature.
The ghost-riding and cruising mini-games offer little to no variety, failing to engage players and providing an experience lacking in both entertainment and depth. Technical issues like frequent game crashes that lead to save file corruption worsen the overall gaming experience, eroding any sense of progression or accomplishment. The diminished presentation on the PSP, with subpar graphics and scaled-back visuals, strips away any visual appeal the game might have had, contributing to its unplayable nature.
1. The Hustle: Detroit Streets
The Hustle: Detroit Streets attempts to deliver a pool game experience on the PSP but disappoints in execution every step of the way. The repetitive nature of the game, combined with the overly complex shot setup, hustled and hassled every single one who played the game.
The mechanics of making a shot in The Hustle involve a convoluted process, including precise shot planning with indicators and adjustments for power and accuracy, making it a time-consuming endeavor. The game incorporates elements like Intuition, Intimidation, and Respect, influencing a player's ability to play pool and perform certain shots. While the visuals and character variety add to the immersive atmosphere, excessive load times and procedural shot setup slow the gameplay.
Despite the visual variety and cool venues, the extended load times and procedural shot setup significantly impede the game's flow. This game does not expect anyone's time, oh at all.