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I'm a musician/drummer by evenings and a mild mannered creative services bro by day.
I have been gaming since I was 4 or so, starting casually with the Atari 2600 before getting into a serious hot 'n heavy relationship with the NES. It was all over after that. Throughout my gaming career I've personally owned the NES, Sega Master System, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy SP, Turbo Grafix 16, Genesis, SNES, PS1, N64, PS2, Dreamcast, GameCube, PS3, PSP, Xbox360, iPhone... I sadly don't have my own Wii or DS right now, but I have easy access to both whenever I want so it's been easy to procrastinate on throwing the cash down on 'em. Looking forward to picking up a 3DS on launch though. :)
Castlevania is prob my favoritest ever, but I have a soft spot for all those early NES games of yore... Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Double Dragon, Contra, Zelda, etc., etc., etc..
As I've grown long in the tooth I don't have much time for multiplayer shenanigans anymore, but I will dig into a good ol' single player campaign on the weekends when spare time presents itself.
These days I usually turn to my PS3, PSP, or iPhone for gaming comfort, but I occasionally haunt the 360, Wii, DS, and PC.
I don't fight console wars unless it's in the name of peace, aka I love to shut the fuck up and just play games.
Cheese and crackers, bitches.
I have been gaming since I was 4 or so, starting casually with the Atari 2600 before getting into a serious hot 'n heavy relationship with the NES. It was all over after that. Throughout my gaming career I've personally owned the NES, Sega Master System, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy SP, Turbo Grafix 16, Genesis, SNES, PS1, N64, PS2, Dreamcast, GameCube, PS3, PSP, Xbox360, iPhone... I sadly don't have my own Wii or DS right now, but I have easy access to both whenever I want so it's been easy to procrastinate on throwing the cash down on 'em. Looking forward to picking up a 3DS on launch though. :)
Castlevania is prob my favoritest ever, but I have a soft spot for all those early NES games of yore... Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Double Dragon, Contra, Zelda, etc., etc., etc..
As I've grown long in the tooth I don't have much time for multiplayer shenanigans anymore, but I will dig into a good ol' single player campaign on the weekends when spare time presents itself.
These days I usually turn to my PS3, PSP, or iPhone for gaming comfort, but I occasionally haunt the 360, Wii, DS, and PC.
I don't fight console wars unless it's in the name of peace, aka I love to shut the fuck up and just play games.
Cheese and crackers, bitches.
Gamer Profile
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PSN: hoovobot
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Gamertag: hoovobot
Steam:
Battle:
PSN: hoovobot
Mii:
Gamertag: hoovobot
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Why is the PSP the Rodney Dangerfield of handheld consoles?
It gets no respect from anyone. I'm not one to sit and go on and on about how fucking awesome the PSP is, to each his own, but I've really enjoyed my PSP and it's aggravating to hear everyone everywhere shitting all over it. I can certainly understand if the PSP isn't your thing, but most gamers who sound off on it all talk like a bunch of jilted fucking lovers. 
Was everyone really expecting so much more from the PSP that it didn't deliver on? I start to feel like I'm the asshole because I don't have anything to complain about. 
I bought a PSP-1000 at launch and played the shit out of it. When the PSP-2000 came out my 1000 was having some issues so I traded it in and got a 2000 and played the shit out of it. When the PSPgo was released my 2000's d-pad was sticking and I also wanted to purchase a larger memory stick for all my digital downloads so I decided to trade in my 2000 and games and get a Go with an extra memory stick and I've since played the shit out of it. Speaking of the Go, that's a whole other chapter on PSP hate. 
I appreciate almost everything about it that all you savvy gamers see as 'epic fails'. I was more than happy to get rid of all my UMDs and have a smaller, sexier system without a UMD drive. I don't find prices on PSN to be that outrageous and I never bought used games for my PSP anyway so I'm not really missing out there. And so far every title I've gone searching for has been available digitally so no loss there either. Clearly, the Go has a lot of downfalls for the majority of consumers in the know, but let's say Sony gave you exactly what you wanted in the Go: a 2nd analog nub, some kind of system that would allow you to transfer your UMD titles to digital memory, etc., how well do you think the PSP-2000 and 3000 would be doing? If Sony had delivered the Go that everyone seems to think they should have the older iterations of PSP would be totally obsolete. They also wouldn't have had much left over for the PSP2. 
What we all wish the Go would've been... As it is, the Go is a nice little system that coexists peacefully alongside its PSP brethren and offers those (apparently very few) of us who WANT digital only content an excellent ALTERNATIVE to purchasing a 2000 or 3000 with additional expensive big ass memory stick. You may think we're fucking suckers, but it could be we just want different things out of our handheld gaming experience. So for all the PSP haters out there, tell me this: Is the competition really so much fucking better? The biggest complaint I see about the PSP is a lack of games. Fair enough. I play my PSP a lot and I've never felt like there just wasn't enough games out there for it, but if that's where you're coming from then ok, cool. Personally, I love the DS and its library and I would say the DS probably has more great games overall, but THAT much more? And for my money what the PSP may lack in sheer quantity of good games it more than makes up for with its other multimedia features... not to mention I just generally prefer Metal Gear to Mario most of the time, but that's just me. Anyway, end rant. Sorry y'all. I just get tired of everyone more or less implying that I'm a dumb shit for liking the PSP and an especially numb nutted, stupendously dumb shit for liking the PSPgo. 
It'd be one thing if it was just commenters, but the editors are always putting me down too! :) 
PS I love you all and in honor of my first published blog I leave you this: 
Love, Me
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Living the dream since March 16, 2006
Living the dream since March 16, 2006
When I have a game for my psp, I play the shit out of it. Right now, it's my mp3 player. Imports, the reason why I can't commit to a PspGo, it's half my collection.
I luv my psp.
The fake grass in that last photo creeps me out. Kinda looks like the set of a snuff film.
Remember in 8mm when The Machine was revealed to be just a normal looking dude? That, my friend, is called, a twist. Or maybe its commentary on sex and society? Or maybe it's just shit. We may never know.
Still, though, I need to boot up my PSP again and give some of the Minis a go. I bought Age of Zombies back in the day and it was pretty fun, and I'm sure by now there are at least a few others worth my time!
They recently moved PSN updates from Thurs to Tues I think (maybe it was just up to Weds, can't remember). I'm almost positive I bought Peace Walker on PSN the same day it was released in stores, Tues June 8th.
As much as I'd love to have the 2nd analog nub, I think holding it back was probably in Sony's best interest. I'd bet some dollars that the PSP2 will finally see the 2nd analog nub and will coincide with the digital rerelease of PS2 games for the portable system... I think they could've easily released a PSP with 2 analog nubs and the power of a PS2 in the first place, but they would've essentially been killing the PS2 off. This way they've capitalized even more on the PS1 by selling digital versions of PS1 games to PS3/PSP owners and they can do the same thing all over again with the PS2 when the PSP2 hits. If I was Sony that would be my plan anyway.
As far as the price, I was looking at spending $50-$100 more on a larger memory stick for my PSP (this was after already spending $50-$100 on a 2gig memory stick back in the day). I traded in my PSP and some games and got a Go for nothing. $250 is too high, but considering I would've spent more than that on upgrading memory for my 2000 it seemed fair to me.
Its not practical and it never has been. They've always had to dance around that missing second analog stick. Sony hyped this thing as a portable PS2 and for a long time it was not treated like the handheld it was. Now developers are finally coming to terms with it being a handheld and we're seeing games tailored for the hardware.
The DS forced the issue of having games made specifically for it by the hardware being so much more unique. And then it happened again with the Wii and next up is the 3DS. Nintendo sets a standard, Sony doesn't really do that. .
Sony did not lead the way with PSP, they just thought they could waltz in, force PS2 games on it and elevate us from the handheld "ghetto" as the called it. Turns out people like the "ghetto" better and don't need a lot of fancy bullshit.
As for the DS, truckloads of better games. There's just a lot of UbiSoft bullshit to sift through, but the gems are there in spades. The DS has really been the successor to the kind of variety PS2 enjoyed. Every genre has been touched, there's been a lot of great moments.
The best year so far for PSP? 2010. Took five years to get warmed up. I came in last year and I only have five games for the thing and about seven downloaded. I've had a lot more fun with DS.
@occams BRO. That is NOT fake grass. The call is coming from INSIDE the house.
@byronic too true, too true. haters gon hate, all that shit.
@Nic128 I'm feeling the love my man. Right on, right on.
"the fact of the matter is while you've been enjoying it, people that actual care about the quality of games see PS2 ports forced on the thing."
Are you saying I don't actually care about the quality of the games, bra? ...'ppreciate it, man. :)
I always saw the system hyped as a portable 'almost PS2'. As in, it's not quite a PS2, but it's 'better than a PS1'! I guess I missed out on all the mktg crap 'cause I don't remember anything about elevating us from the handheld ghetto.
As far as games just now being tailored to it, I guess I haven't really noticed a difference. I've played plenty of great games that didn't need a 2nd analog nub (or even the 1st analog nub for that matter) over the years and just recently I've been playing the hell out of Peace Walker which maps the 2nd analog control to the face buttons like many of the earliest launch PSP games did. What games would you say have just recently tailored their interface to the PSP's controls? And how? The only games that are really hurting from lack of that 2nd nub is 1st person shooters, 3rd person shooters, and 3d platformers... Admittedly I haven't played many of those kinds of games on the PSP, but even if you avoid every single game that's going to suffer from not having that nub there's still a lot of great games out there.
And I'm not interested in who leads the way and who sets standards, Sony or Nintendo, it's a given Nintendo owns, but who gives a shit? I love the DS too. All of that shit is rhetoric. I just want to play games. I enjoy playing the DS. I enjoy playing the PSP. They each have their pros and cons. If every time there was a DS article people hammered on the DS relentlessly I would be posting a blog about that, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I could easily argue that the DS doesn't have ANY analog nubs and it's got shitty sound and graphics. That's not my personal opinion, but there it is. They map the 2nd analog stick to a touch screen instead of the face buttons. Cool. Either way you look at it, neither system is ideal for FPS, TPS, 3DP...
Anyway... I just don't understand the hate is all. You may not hate the PSP, but you feel let down, betrayed, underwhelmed and you seem to echo most people's sentiments. I have never felt that way about the PSP. I got exactly what I came for: good games on a handheld console. Have there been some disappointments? Sure. Is Sony a dumbass company that makes dumbass moves? Sure.
I guess what really makes people angry and hateful is the wasted potential they see in the PSP. I must just be a glass half full kind of guy. Next time I happen across a bunch of PSP hating I'll remember that they're doing it out of love, because they just want the PSP to be all that it can be.
Thanks for talking that out with me. :)
I really don't have anything to add since I agree with everything you just said. Great blog.
My biggest gripe with the PSP is on Sony's end. They could've challenged Nintendo, but there have been a number of questionable decisions and games not made that just didn't give it enough steam. And then the iPhone started to gain ground and we know the rest of that. I fully expect there to be a PSP2 sometime. Sony's not going to be able to fight the 3DS with just the PSP, even if they make a 4000/5000 model with a second nub. What would really draw people is having an actual Playstation 2 Portable, where it's not only capable of playing actual PS2 games (!), but can do new games and moar power and junk.
Probably not terribly cost-effective, but we've all seen the mockups of a Gamecube handheld, right? =P
Meanwhile, the closest thing I can compare the PSP to, the DS, gets way more games that I enjoy and way more often, so I end up preferring it as a console.
That's totally a matter of taste, though. And a very nicely written defense.
I have a DS too, but I haven't bought a game for it in... 3 years? Yeah - the last game I bought for it was 2007's Luminous Arc, and I didn't even finish it. Really, the ONLY games I loved on the DS were the Jump Stars series and Advance Wars. Nothing else clicked with me.
Personally, I'll always love the PSP for Mega Man Powered Up, Mega Man X Maverick Hunter, and Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins.
I fully agree with your sentiment, I can't even fathom why people seems always criticize PSP lately (3 years back) the game selections are quite awesome, sure it's far in-between but most of them are satisfying/good.
about one analog nub thing, seriously, apparently most of the people in this world suffers from selective memory loss, either it's gamers, press, or even developers it self. THE FUCKING DREAMCAST ONLY GOT ONE ANALOG STICK!! and yet it always hailed as the best console ever with tragic fate. Seriously even the upcoming 3DS only got one analog nub, but then nobody complains.
I'm happy with my portable games PSP. DS, Gameboy, but seriously people bitch too much about PSP.
The PSP's biggest flaw is that every developer treats it like a portable PS2. I don't want stripped down versions of games I played on PS2. The control schemes never work 80% of the time and the games just end up poor when I think back to other titles in the franchises.
Extending upon this issue... I also don't want my games to feel like bulky console games. It's a portable system. I flip it on in 10 minute bursts. Stop designing games meant to be played for hours at a time. I can't enjoy them on the go.
The PSP simply needs more original titles. I want my Patapon, Monster Hunter, etc. I want games that make me say "Hey that's really cool and it's unlike anything on another platform". Instead the industry has trended towards "I want more of the same thing but portable" which doesn't work on the hardware as good as it is.
I don't want a featureless version of Gran Turismo. Sure the racing is there, but the game is so shallow aside from that. It's just not worth it. About the only successful ports have been PSN games which are small and lightweight to begin with. They're meant to be played in bursts and it shows.
Patapon, FF: Dissidia, and PixelJunk Monsters are currently the only things eatting up my time on the PSP. They play to the strengths of the portable and keep the games small and enjoyable in a burst format.
Even if you might laugh at me for it, I think square did an amazing job with Dissidia. It's got enough character progression to keep it deep and addictive while keeping the burst format intact. I can pick it up for 5 minutes or 5 hours. It scales to my needs and the PSP just needs more of this.
But i REALLY want a GO because I can't bring myself to buy any more UMDs (unless they're imports region free FTW)
What I want is as close to home console gaming, my favourite home console franchises and epic games like Final Fantasy and MGS on the go, in my pocket and where ever I happen to be - the PSP gives me that and does it FUCKING WELL!
The DS just doesn't appeal to me (I do want a 3DS, but mostly for 3D photos whoot) as you say, MGS > Mario - Nintendo games have NEVER appealed to me in general where as the games to find on the PSP are right up my street.
I don't care if they're watered down console ports, i don't care if they control DIFFERENTLY (not "like shit" or worse as some people seem to think, just fucking differently, does your home console have a stylus and touchscreen, god I FUCKING HATE using the DS touchscreen it's not in a position that you can hold the thing with both hands and still reach, it's horrible) - They're EXACTLY what I want when I'm chillling in my car at lunchtime or on a ciggy break or whatever, i want to play a mini MGS game, GTA Stories, One of the Socom games (which are FANTASTIC, even online!), there are many many more too - i listed them somewhere recently.
Also, my favourite game for the last few years, Monster Hunter, has been pretty much PSP only (my Wii is at my parents house) so that's secured my love for the system and is fantastic looking / playing game which EVERYONE should check out.
Jawshoeuh, I've noticed you around, I find you very attractive, would you like to go to bed with me?
(remember that song?)
Anyways, great blog, likeminded fella, fapped.
Got a PS3? Add me: Foolishbean69
x x x x
I bought Mega Man Powered Up and Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins and I don't even own a PSP. I just borrow one whenever I want to play those games. What?! They're great games.
Yessir I gots me one of them there ps3s too hyuck hyuck hyuck. I'll add you next time I'm on. My PSN is Hoovobot.
...and next time I cross the Atlantic we'll make babies for sure.
@Holmes and @Artemus
I loved Mega Man Powered Up and Ghost 'n Golbins! I haven't fired those up in a while... they're calling my name now...
@Iron Dragon
Yea seems like most people are just disappointed and express that disappointment through internet rage.
Interesting that on the one hand you "don't want my games to feel like bulky console games." and on the other hand you "don't want a featureless version of Gran Turismo."
On the contrary I loved Gran Turismo PSP. I play it in quick bursts and the lack of a career mode doesn't bother me a bit. The racing is great and the cars are there, in the end that's all I really need from GT on the go.
@PvPPY
Wipeout was the first game I got for my launch PS1 back in the day and I've owned a Wipeout on every Sony console since. :) I'm totally with you on AdHoc though I never find myself sitting around with friends with our PSPs out; I would jump online a lot more if they supported the infrastructure mode with more games.
@wanderingpixel
no.
@mourning orange
I've been meaning to try my PSP out on the big screen and still haven't given it a go. Will have to try hooking it up this weekend.
@everybody else
Thanks for the comments y'all! Good talk, good talk. :)
I got my first @ 08 Christmas and recently upgraded when the peacewalker pack came out, I gave the 2000 to my gf and she easily puts more time into that than our ps3 or her 360, we get so mad when we see a psp post on the front page and folks in the comments are saying ahit thats simply dumb or biased.
Theres so much to play now for EVERYONE, there is so much bloody great stuff and thats before even looking at the famazing ps1 and downloadable stuff on PSN. Unfortunately I guess this is the way things will be tho, Nintendo is king of portables and rightly so, but so much shit-talking on the psp is just completely not fucking justified. Also I commend you for sticking with the Go personally I hate the way it feels in my hands and I don't really think it stands up to long playtimes the way a regular unit would but I do love the concept ,I think alot of us did it's just shitty implementation by Sony that killed it.
Yes, they're great! =) Except Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins is one tough sonofabitch. Brings back painful memories of the first game(NES and arcade).