Almost a year ago, when Sony announced the Minis program, they also had a list of 50 games that were supposed to be out by the end of 2009. While Minis are well, mini, software development being what it is, it was unrealistic to expect those 50 to actually be out by the end of 2009.
But what about now, almost a year later? A majority, 30-ish, of the announced titles indeed have actually materialized as PSP games. Some like Crystal Defenders and Uno ended up being regular PSP games. But that still leaves almost 20 or so that haven’t materialized.
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We’ve given our thoughts on the Minis that have been released so far, and no doubt you have your own opinions. But what about people as a whole? Well, thanks to the addition of ratings to the PSN Store, we have some insight into which Minis are considered the best. The following games have received an average of 4.0 or higher with more than 25 votes: Read the rest of ”Top Rated Minis in the PSN Store” »
With minis just starting to find their place in gaming after almost a year of being released by Sony, we want to know have the minis been a success or a flop.
Well in a recent interview by Gamasutra with SCEA Senior Vice President of publisher relations Rob Dyer he is unsure how successful it has been so far with concerns over the fact that many of the games have been rehashes of iPhone games. Dyer is also unsure as to whether PSP/PS3 owners want to play bite size games and if so is there enough of an audience who are willing to purchase and play these games?
Dyer also states “There have been a couple that have been really cool, but for the most part, a lot of it has been up-resed, recalibrated iPhone stuff.”He does how ever stress that “we’ve got to continue.”
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With so many minis starting off life as iPhone apps it’s hard not to compare the two. Leaving aside all questions of pricing, as it’s highly likely that minis will come down in price in the same way that a lot of iPhone games have, we decided to put a few minis up against their iPhone counterparts and see which provides the best overall gaming experience, including controls, graphics and gameplay. Of course everyone will have their own opinions, so we welcome your comments and contributions!
Okay, so here we go then, Round 1!
Fieldrunners:
Once the iPhone version of Fieldrunners gets a content update, the only difference between it and the PSP version will be the controls, the new theme music, and the enhanced graphics of the PSP version. Now who wouldn’t want new theme music and painstakingly reworked visual effects? While playing, it’s clear you feel yourself submerged a little deeper in the experience. These enhancements alone put the iPhone on the ropes in this fight.
So what about the controls?
Fieldrunners is a solid game and plays perfectly on the iPhone. When it first came out I thought it was exactly what the iPhone needs, a game whose controls are enhanced by the device, not hindered by it, like so many other games are. The touch screen was such a natural way to place, upgrade and sell towers; I didn’t think it could get any better. Well, unfortunately for Apple, I was proved wrong.
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Several popular Flash games such as Bloons, Kahoots and Mahjongg have already proved that they make ideal minis, so that set us thinking, what other Flash games would make great minis? Here are the frontrunners in our Top Ten list of the ones we would love to see on the PSP. You can find all of them at www.armorgames.com.
5. Death vs Monstars – by GameReclaim
Personally it’s not my favourite type of game, but lots of people love these Bloons-style arena shooters, and this certainly seems to be a very slick one. The premise is simple, you’re Death, and you’re trying to shoot the invading monster hordes as they come at you from all angles! Very bright and colourful with very easy controls and lots of challenges to unlock so you get plenty of bang for your buck.
Read the rest of ”Wish List: Top Ten Flash Games We Would Like to See Ported To PSP (Part 1)” »
With the first batch of minis out you’re probably wondering which games are worthy of your hard earned moolah. Wonder no more. Here is our official top 5 PSP minis launch titles. If you don’t have these titles already we highly recommend you pick them up and give them a whirl. You won’t be disappointed.
5. Fortix
Nemesys put a unique twist on the old classic Qix. They did so with 12 levels that will give you quite a challenge even on Easy. You probably didn’t think dodging dragons and cannonballs would be this tough. Good luck trying to clear Fortix in one sitting.
Read our full Fortix Review here
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