The PlayStation Portable is one of those systems that managed to bridge the gap between regions, while still primarily finding success in Japan. For you, that means it’s easy to get a PSP, and it also means there are a ton of great imports to discover! Here are the best of the bunch.
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When it comes to Final Fantasy games, one that has become among the most notorious and far-reaching is Final Fantasy VII. In addition to the original PlayStation game, there is a whole ecosystem involving additional books, games and movies. They aren’t all essential, of course. Some are even impossible to easily access, such as Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII never receiving an official worldwide release. However, each one does have important information that can help with building characterizations and understanding the world.
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Atlus’ Persona series has exploded in popularity. This means there are not only mainline installments, but also ports, updated releases, reimaginings and spin-offs. There are all interesting games that do cool things with elements from the series, but it is also a series where you probably shouldn’t go and begin with the very first game. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to find a good starting point.
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Thanks to Monster Hunter World, the series has exploded in popularity. People might experience it, go through its Iceborne expansion, then wonder what’s next. While moving on to another entry in that series is a possibility, it isn’t the only option. The series is so popular, it has inspired a whole collection of contemporaries who do similar things. Best of all, some of them explore the space to try and improve on areas Monster Hunter doesn’t touch.
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Some games have a rather unusual way of conveying information and taking people on an adventure, and we then see that mechanic mimicked. Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution and GuitarFreaks led to games like Pump It Up and Guitar Hero. Tri-Ace’s Valkyrie Profile is a similar sort. It’s an RPG, but blends in platforming and a more active interface for engaging in attacks. But, as interesting as its ideas were, they didn’t really influence other games at the time. Rather, it took years for other titles to start picking up on the concepts and attempting to integrate them into their own experiences.
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Now that Evangelion is easily accessible by a wide audience, thanks to Netflix putting it up for streaming in 2019, a whole new audience is discovering the anime. This might get people wondering if there are games to go with it. The answer is yes. But, unfortunately, none of them are available in English. They were only available in Japan. Which is a shame, because some of them were really weird in a very interesting ways. In addition to the action games you would expect from the series, odd stuff showed up. I’m not just talking about the Mahjong games either. I’m talking about things like Princess Maker-style simulations and rhythm games.
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Every year, summer is accompanied by festivals. Maybe they are local affairs, where communities gather for food and fun. Perhaps, if people are in the United States, it can mean fireworks and getting together for the Fourth of July. In Japan, July and August tend to be the main summer festival months, with people getting together for Bon festivals to celebrate their ancestors, enjoy fun with family and friends, dress up in yutaka and special clothing, have good food and perhaps even dance. While most people might not get a chance to experience this sort of thing firsthand, they can go through them virtually in games. Lots of Japanese games pay tribute to these events, giving you a taste of what that kind of life might be like.
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There are a lot of Atelier games out there, and Gust keeps adding to the lineup with new installments in the main series and spin-offs to keep track of. It is a lot to deal with. Also, the major installments tend to come out in trilogies, which share storylines and sometimes gameplay mechanics. One line might not be as interesting for specific players, but another could be a perfect fit. So, instead of just going with recommendations of best or worst installments, let’s see if Michibiku can’t help you find certain trilogies that might fit your needs.
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The Corpse Party series is one with a massive cast. Considering the original game, sequels and spin-offs, there are lots of characters people might want to root for. However, there is one person who can often stand out: Yoshiki Kishinuma. This member of the supporting cast has the distinction of being a survivor and recurring hero who starts out as just another person, but goes on to become one of the most important and prominent people there. As a result, people might find themselves constantly rooting for him and realizing all the good he does.
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