Combining outstanding visuals with exceptional core gameplay is indeed possible. 'Why not both?' should be the question every gamer seeks to have answered by game developers. There are seven of the best-looking games which is also a great game, well, gameplay-wise.
Best psp games with the best graphics
7. Medal of Honor: Heroes
The sequel of Medal of Honor: Heroes had better graphics, but the first game was the better game. This list is not all about the visuals, but also, core gameplay is also given equal credence.
This game features Story Mode with three different characters and 15 levels set in Italy, Holland, and Belgium. Levels are well-designed, allowing multiple approaches to achieve objectives. Skirmish Mode supports up to 16 bots for deathmatch gameplay, there was an online mode that allowed up to 31 players in various multiplayer modes like infiltration, demolition, and domination but given the age of PSP had dawned, the servers may not be up anymore as of this writing.
The control scheme on the PSP, using the face buttons as a second analog nub, is actually quite clever, making it accessible for both hardcore and casual FPS gamers. The game offers significant replay value, allowing players to replay levels in different difficulty settings, unlock skins, and earn medals.
6. Resistance: Retribution
Resistance: Retribution is an astounding PSP game with visually captivating graphics, delivering intricately detailed environments, menacing and eerie adversaries, and exquisitely rendered weapons. The character design for James Grayson is particularly commendable. In-game and pre-rendered cut scenes are exceptional, showcasing the power of the PSP and leaving players in awe with their fluidity and detail. The Chimeran structures, varied landscapes, and weather effects, such as water, snow, and the sky, all contribute to a visually stunning and immersive experience.
Resistance: Retribution offers an enthralling Campaign Mode centered around the player-controlled protagonist. An intense storyline with a gripping narrative and exceptional character development is the main attraction of this game other than the great visuals. The game presents fluid and responsive controls, compensating for the lack of a second analog stick on the PSP.
In terms of replayability, the game offers multiple achievements and unlockable content, ensuring players have numerous incentives to revisit the title. Again, this game's multiplayer component is not available anymore, and at the time of its peak, is one of its core features. Nevertheless, the campaign is more than enough to satisfy your graphics needs.
5. Tekken 6
Tekken 6's enhanced gameplay system is not just this game's greatest feature. The smooth and responsible controls are as great as it is. The expanded character customization, although not as extensive as in console or arcade versions, still offers ample options. The story might be a bit convoluted for newcomers, yet those familiar with fighting games know that fighting games' "stories" are either shallow or confusing or both.
Graphically, Tekken 6 on the PSP is one of the most significant leap forward for handheld gaming not just for fighting games. The characters' movements are fluid, and the meticulous attention to skin tones and background details is noteworthy. The intricate stages are more dynamic, featuring elements like lightning, water features, and animal life, contributing to a visually impressive handheld gaming experience.
The game's replayability factor is one of the best the platform or genre could offer. There are diverse avenues to engage with the game—whether it's leveling up characters, engaging in intense battles with friends, completing character storylines, or earning money for character customization.
4. Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is an expansion to Monster Hunter Freedom 2, offering an impressive visual experience. With detailed, smooth graphics and significantly improved loading times, it is much of an improvement on the title it is based on.
The gameplay is still the heart of the Monster Hunter series, this one is no exception. Players can choose from eleven distinct weapons, offering unique combat styles, and though challenging, conquering difficult adversaries yields deeply rewarding victories.
Initially overwhelming, the game's control scheme demands adaptation and practice, especially during intense combat sequences. However, with time and effort, players can master the mechanics and find their rhythm. Freedom Unite's vast content and diverse weapons ensure an extensive gaming experience, providing hundreds of quests and downloadable content, leading to virtually endless gameplay.
3. Midnight Club: LA Remix
Rockstar's Midnight Club 3 on the PSP faced criticism due to excruciatingly long loading times, but its successor, Midnight Club: LA Remix, addresses this issue with its exclusive PSP design. Set in Los Angeles, the game commences in a car yard, allowing players to select from three cars. Races unfold across the city streets, emphasizing navigation through checkpoints and utilizing shortcuts for victory. The difficulty progressively increases, demanding skill and strategy, but the appearance of law enforcement often hampers progress.
Remix inherits gameplay mechanics from Midnight Club 3, retaining its familiar controls and distinctive features such as drifting, tilting on two wheels, and bullet time, tailored to the PSP's limited buttons. The game features around 40 cars for customization and racing, allowing cosmetic alterations but restricting mechanical adjustments. Driver-style missions offer additional sources of income and variety, including tasks like destroying rival cars and timely car deliveries. Although the game lacks a complex plot, it offers substantial gameplay, expanding to Tokyo after conquering Los Angeles.
Visually, LA Remix boasts intricate details and also manages an entire city and numerous cars simultaneously on the console's RAM. The game's substantial content is a highlight, involving race completion, mission accomplishments, and extensive vehicle customization.
2. Metal Gear: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is not the first Metal Gear title on the PSP but it is a "mainline" title. This sequel, set after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, follows protagonist Naked Snake's journey, forming Militaires Sans Frontieres and embarking on a mission to neutralize a mysterious military threat in Costa Rica. The narrative delves deep, featuring memorable characters and interconnected moments with prior Metal Gear games, incorporating plot twists and engaging sequences.
It is on the visuals that Peace Walker really shines, delivering exceptional graphics for a PSP title, with comic-style cutscenes that effectively convey the storyline. Despite lacking the grandeur of CG cutscenes from Metal Gear Solid 4 the game's visual storytelling, interactive scenes, and immersive elements result in an experience yet to be possible on a handheld.
The audio also is as good as the graphics, featuring top-notch voice acting and intense battle sequences, complementing the gameplay, especially during the final boss battle. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker emerges as one of the franchise's strongest entries, offering a solid storyline, deep gameplay mechanics, stunning graphics, compelling audio, and extended hours of gaming.
1. God of War: Ghost of Sparta
God of War: Ghost of Sparta continues the series' predictable yet riveting journey that manages to keep its appeal intact through each installment. Set between the first and second PlayStation 2 games, this midquel centers around Kratos (again), revisiting his past to find his brother, Deimos. The plot delves into the backstory of Kratos and his childhood, specifically his loss and the events that ultimately fueled his ongoing rage against Olympus.
The game maintains the hallmark elements of the series: epic boss fights, progressively empowering gameplay, and Kratos' unrelenting fury. Despite this familiarity, the game never becomes stale, smartly retaining the aspects that fans adore while discarding the rest. Kratos, a walking storm of destruction, leaves a trail of havoc, sparing few in his vengeful pursuit. The gameplay, though toned down for the PSP, maintains its trademark visceral combat, gory death animations, and the classic journey from basic weaponry to powerful, god-killing tools.
Ghost of Sparta is a benchmark of console-like portable gaming experience. Everything about is as good as its graphics, be that audio, performance, gameplay, and controls. The rebooted God of War series will never have this type of style, so savor everything, there will never be a game like this.