''Improved ports'' Ports of ps1 games on the psp

[Richter Belmount]

Im just wondering , do you buy the ports of ps1 games that get a improved version on the psp? I just get annoyed at the fact that its on the psp , that it makes me just want to go hunt the original version. Im just wondering if anyone else have the same annoyance , there is a ps1 game or port you really want but you cant play it on your tv and have to play it on the psp?

[substantial_snake]

How or why does having more options annoy you?

Valkyrie Profile pops immediately into my mind. I remember my brother playing that game when I was younger and was blown away by the pretty dark subject matter and interesting take on the RPG genera. Unfortunately by the time the PSP port was released the game was another limited-run-PS1-RPG title that had exploded in cost since its release. The PSP port was the best cheapest way to play the game again along with a few extra short CGI movies and an extra dungeon to play around in. The game was also portable and if you had a psp 2000 or newer you could output component to a TV and play the game on a large TV.

[heybtbm]

"Improved port" is an oxymoron. Do you mean remakes? (Lunar, Persona 1 and 2, Metal Slug XX, etc)...or do you mean actual ports like the PSOne Classics? (i.e. same game different platform) There's definitely nothing "improved" about those.

Either way, the only game I see myself "forced" to play on the PSP would be Suikoden 2. I never bought the disc (saw it many times in stores back in the day) and its release as a PSOne Classic would be the only way I would consider it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

"Improved port" is an oxymoron. Do you mean remakes? (Lunar, Persona 1 and 2, Metal Slug XX, etc)...or do you mean actual ports like the PSOne Classics? (i.e. same game different platform) There's definitely nothing "improved" about those.

Either way, the only game I see myself "forced" to play on the PSP would be Suikoden 2. I never bought the disc (saw it many times in stores back in the day) and its release as a PSOne Classic would be the only way I would consider it.

I don't think he meant PSOne Classics, since those are also natively playable on a PS3 - and he didn't mention that.

What games have been remade / rereleased on the PSP anyway? Other than Parappa The Rapper, I can't think of any.

[Richter Belmount]

Persona, persona 2 , fftactics , final fantasy 4 complete , tactics ogre , Lunar.

[Shulamana]

I just get annoyed at the fact that its on the psp

Get used to it, the portable market is the only place where old-school JRPGs are going to be available in bulk.

Speaking of re-makes, I've been waiting for Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection to get down in price, even though I don't own a PSP (yet). Can get TO for $20 with free shipping from Amazon right now, but I'm too broke to snag it at the moment.

[BlastProcessing402]

Im just wondering if anyone else have the same annoyance , there is a ps1 game or port you really want but you cant play it on your tv and have to play it on the psp?

If it's that annoying, may I suggest getting a TV out cable for the PSP? Granted, if you only have a 1000 series ("phat") that's not an option.

[Drixxel]

What games have been remade / rereleased on the PSP anyway? Other than Parappa The Rapper, I can't think of any.

A few more to add to Richter's list:

Breath of Fire III (JP and EU only)
Castlevania Chronicles (for its inclusion of an unlockable SOTN)
Rockman DASH 1 & 2 (JP only)

To respond to the OP, I've never felt anything negatively about the PS1 games adapted for the PSP. I'd certainly sooner choose one of these optimized* ports over an ISO, if only for the game to display without pillarboxing or stretching. ..and yeah, as previously pointed out, if you're a PSP 2000-or-higher owner, either a composite or component out cable would let you play 'em on the "big screen" (sort of, discounting the black border around the screen and all).

* Not exactly true, as FFT runs like balls.

[Ludwig]

Dumb question: Is FF 7, 8 and 9 available for the PSP?

I keep seeing something along these lines, but i don't see a actual product.

[kupomogli]

There are a lot of games remade/ported to the PSP. The list would be massive if we listed them all.

Tales of Eternia
Star Ocean 1 and 2
A billion Japanese only games like Mobile Suit Gundam Gihren's Greed and more of the Tales series, etc.
Gurumin
Riviera
Yggdra Union
That one DS game in the same series
Ys series
Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky
Monster Hunter 1 and 2
Prince of Persia games
This list only scratches the surface, but the list is prety large.

[soloman]

Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre were great deals.

If you want play on your tv, rejoice. Later models have tv out.

[kupomogli]

Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre were great deals.

If you want play on your tv, rejoice. Later models have tv out.

FFTactics was ruined by major slowdown when using any skill. Tactics Ogre was ruined by certain gameplay mechanics. If you're interested in either of these play the PSX and/or SNES versions.

Here's a comparison of FFT slowdown on the PSP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnyH-yS6lw

[Ludwig]

That's the point actually. I don't want to play on my TV, that's why i asked if they are out in one way or another for the psp.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Dumb question: Is FF 7, 8 and 9 available for the PSP?

I keep seeing something along these lines, but i don't see a actual product.

Yes, they are available.

You can buy/download them all on the PSN and they'll play on your PSP and PS3.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I thought the component cables didn't work on the 2000's... Does a PS3 pad work with one too? I have had a 2000 for a while and I bought a component cable from Hollywood/Game Crazy for a few bucks when they tanked, never even tried.

[Shulamana]

FFTactics was ruined by major slowdown when using any skill. Tactics Ogre was ruined by certain gameplay mechanics. If you're interested in either of these play the PSX and/or SNES versions.

Here's a comparison of FFT slowdown on the PSP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnyH-yS6lw

Which gameplay mechanics in particular? I heard they took out the alignment system for class changes, but other than that I haven't read up too much about it. I have a bit of a collection going for the Ogre Battle series, even if it's a bad remake I'm going to get it eventually anyway.

[kupomogli]

There's a new level system where all levels are based on class and every class you get starts at level one. This doesn't sound bad at first, because they fixed the stats so that weapons and armor effect more than gaining a couple levels, but it is.

First off you can't change classes unless you have a card for that class. So you happen to be at level nine(just an example, not sure if it was that level) and you get your first Terror Knight card. Well. The Terror Knight will start at level one, and will only be able to equip weapons and armor up to his level. Because of this, the character is completely useless until you get him/her atleast a level lower than your group so his equipment will be able to do atleast "some" damage. You get class cards slowly throughout the game, so you either have to grind quite a bit or have one character less while playing story missions since you'll have an extra character hiding in the corner.

But what about characters like Jenounes(Dragoon/regular class,) Vice, Mildain, Guilden, etc, when you get to them during the story mode? As soon as you are able to recruit them their class levels are reduced to one because it's a new class you haven't had yet. You can now change classes which is pretty cool, but their classes are some of the best in the game, so it's not such a great idea.

So first off, that right there is game breaking. Once you get to level 50, assuming that's the highest level. You can actually replay through the game and enemies are always the same level of your highest character, so at that time it might be more enjoyable. But playing through the game normally is just not very fun in comparison to the PSX version.

The only other flaw is the damage system. While I really like how the stat system is more balanced so weapons and armor are the base of most of your damage rather than your level, the thing I don't like the game is that it's more similar to Tactics Ogre Knight of Lodis with the damage than it is to Let Us Cling Together. Enemy and ally alike, while the damage isn't as flawed as it is on Knight of Lodis, it's still pretty bad, especially against beasts and dragons who get major stat gains like the original.

Don't be surprised when you see your archers taking the same amount each attack as your Berserker who's using a two handed axe. Archers were overpowered in the orignal Tactics Ogre, but atleast your melee characters took quite a bit more damage from enemies than your archers did. This time I see archers taking more damage than a lot of my characters, or equal to some, and we're not even talking about Aloser here(who takes off even more,) we're talking about my starter archer and Sara.

Magic users are useless. Priest and Wizard alike. They weren't on the original, but on the new game they are. The wizard I had I practically had to baby all the way up to where I'm at. The most powerful spell he can use will take off 80(I'm only on the beginning of chapter four but got bored so stopped playing,) but it takes a few turns to be able to cast it. So why bother when you can swap with an archer instead who will take off that amount in two turns and not die in two or three hits. The priest, while not as bad because there's heal plus, heal 2, etc, and I use it as a dedicated healer, is still throwaway if you decide you want to bring a more knights. Knights, white knights, and plenty of other characters can use heal magic, so a dedicated healer isn't needed that badly.

The ideas may have sounded good on paper, but the game turned out pretty crappy, and I was extremely hyped for this game as the original is my favorite game.

[Shulamana]

Wow, thanks for the thorough and in-depth explanation, I'm ashamed to say that I've never actually finished Tactics Ogre, I think I'm going to try another run at it since I just finished my first "World" playthrough of the first Ogre Battle game last month, but there's some other stuff ahead of it in the queue that I just can't force myself to push back.

[Leo_A]

I thought the component cables didn't work on the 2000's.

Component cables are the only way to output gameplay on a PSP 2000 unless you modify the firmware.


Does a PS3 pad work with one too?

If you own Resistance PSP and Resistance 2 for the PS3, you can use a PS3 gamepad to play Resistance PSP. You output video from the PSP in the normal manner while your PSP recieves controller signals via WiFi from your PS3.

The only PSP that can directly communicate via BlueTooth to a PS3 gamepad is the PSP Go.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Oh yeah, I remember about the PS3 control thing now. The only thing I liked about the Go. Btw, Thanks Leo!

[Kid Fenris]

Wow, thanks for the thorough and in-depth explanation

Ignore it.

In fact, the level-scaling is the only frustrating thing about the PSP remake of Tactics Ogre. Newly recruited classes start at level 1, which means you'll have to drag them into battle and stick them at the back so they can gain levels from the shared experience. This is irksome, but it does not break the game by any measure.

Everything about the PSP version of Tactics Ogre improves on the original, which is an annoying mess by comparison. The PSX, Saturn, and Super Famicom versions of Tactics Ogre all date back to 1995, and they're full of archaic and tedious concepts. You're forced to fight boring mock battles to bring lower-level characters up to speed, characters do little to no damage against enemies unless they're at the same level or higher, experience is awarded largely to characters who land killing blows, and area-effect spell animations play EVEN WHEN THERE'S NO ENEMY THERE. Also, you can't resurrect fallen allies, you can't backtrack in movement, and you can't do a lot of other helpful things that you can do in more recent RPGs. Oh, and the PSX version has terrible loading times and a mediocre translation. It has some great moments, but so much of the game is a chore.

The PSP version fixes all of this. The battles flow much better, you can build up your levels without grinding, the skill system (similar to Final Fantasy Tactics) is excellent, and the dialogue actually makes sense.

Also:
-Archers aren't overpowered
-Magic users are rather useful, as they have numerous effect spells that warrior classes never get.
-Kupomogli is known for complaining about "flaws" that are either irrelevant or entirely made-up

I normally don't make serious posts here because these forums just aren't worth it anymore, but I hate to think that someone would play the sluggish, outdated original Tactics Ogre over the massively improved PSP version.

[wingzrow]

Medievil was also on PSP. Just saying.

[dairugger]

I LOVE ps1 ports on the psp, provided they look the same or better. its so awesome to play my favorite games anywhere i go.

of course im not one of those people who hate handhelds, i actually prefer them a bit more than gaming on my tv. i dont get people who deprive themselves of great games because its on the psp. i seem to hear "id get -insert game here- but its on the psp, so..." idiots, its their loss tho. some people still think playing on a handheld is like playing on a old school game boy, that its a diluted experience. it is absolutely not!

i just wish some saturn games were transferred over, magic knight rayearth, keio 2, and more would be HEAVEN.

[Richter Belmount]

Noones depriving themselves people would just rather play it on a big screen tv rather than a tiny psp screen hows that idiotic?

[kupomogli]

You're forced to fight boring mock battles to bring lower-level characters up to speed, characters do little to no damage against enemies unless they're at the same level or higher, experience is awarded largely to characters who land killing blows, and area-effect spell animations play EVEN WHEN THERE'S NO ENEMY THERE. Also, you can't resurrect fallen allies, you can't backtrack in movement, and you can't do a lot of other helpful things that you can do in more recent RPGs.

Sounds like someone complaining that they suck at the game to me, but whatever. If you like far easier games. You can also be one level under and at most, two levels under on Tactics Ogre and still survive no problem. Vary your party and it makes the game quite a bit easier, like getting a witch as soon as possible really helps. Also let's say you just reach a story part on the PSP version where enemies are using a weapon such as the cutlass one handed sword but you're only using a balder sword. Damage is increased through one weapon rank in this game is almost as much as a level on the original.

Training on the original is also much easier and can be done very quickly. If you happen to have a character who is higher level, meaning you don't vary your kills, although some you'd like to purposefully get someone a higher level, then put that character with everyone else on one side with no armor or shield, put the single character on the other side. A very quick training battle against yourselves will level your characters equally. It won't take nearly as long having a completely useless character tagging along with you taking one of your spaces when you only have say six available for the longest time anyways.


Oh, and the PSX version has terrible loading times and a mediocre translation. It has some great moments, but so much of the game is a chore.

Long load times on a Tactical RPG? The battles are obviously as short as those in any standard RPG so five seconds between a 5-30 minute battle is so horrible. I must play the worse version because I just can't stand these awful load times.


The PSP version fixes all of this.

Yes, short load times. Storyline is great though, especially the additional parts. I dislike Square Enix's localization though. Vice to Vyce, Kachua to Catiua, Mildain to Mirdyn, etc. Most of the time it's the exact same name but Square Enix is well known to enjoy adding flair to the game to make the localization sound unique yet instead it, normally, sounds like shit. A lot of times it sounds like they change the name just to have it different from the previous iteration, this includes all the changes on Tactics Ogre. Those I've already previously listed, Lancelot to Lanselot(although this one makes sense,) Denim to Denam, Gargastan to Galgastani, and Rime to Rhime are just a few examples.


you can build up your levels without grinding

Just bring a level one character with you during story battles and waste a slot you could use. What happens when you do this? The battle takes much longer because you don't have an extra character to help you and you to take the extra time to move the low level character out of harms way or even save him/her from dying at points. There's also the some story battles you might need that extra character, like taking Amorika Castle back from the Gargastan. Unless of course you want to just kill off the leader, then it's less difficult.


-Magic users are rather useful, as they have numerous effect spells that warrior classes never get.

Obviously. I mean there is Dragon Magic.

Aside from that, whenever you're trying to find out what the spell does, instead of giving the spell name only and a description, there is a long sentence describing just the spell name, and then you have to wait for it to scroll over and give you the description. It's like damn. Took long enough to find out just what the spell does. Also why does almost each and every spell name have to sound like ass. Boon of Swiftness? Quick would have worked fine. Then again, I'm only early chapter four rather than end game, but still, when you have to get to end game chapter four for the magic user classes to become remotely good then yeah.

Another thing. In the original Tactics Ogre, once you got to chapter three a lot of enemies, and in some battles sometimes all, would be carrying a rare item. In the PSP version all the way up to chapter four and I've yet to see any of that, infact, any weapons that I've seen on a character in one battle, the weapon is in the shop once the battle is completed. I just pulled up a guide on the PSP version and looked through the one handed swords, only to see any rare weapons aren't going to be found until Hell's Gate and the end game battles.

So sure. The PSP version might turn into an amazing game once you finish the game, max out all characters levels, and then replay through the game using the world card without having to baby your level one characters to a decent level and then you can finally use them. How many classes do you have to do this to? A shit ton. No rare weapons until end game content. Your first time playing through the game sucks ass in comparison, so much that I put the game down twice. Once in chapter two after complaining about it, then most recently in chapter four and still complaining about it.

What they should have did was have either a party level, which would have fixed all problems except not having rare items, or not place a level requirement on equipment. Because the way the stats are redone, the equipment gives a better boost in stats than the level.

Everything else in the game is extremely polished and a good addition to the game. The skill system, although not quite like Final Fantasy Tactics as Kid Ice suggested, is a really unique aspect to the game, the chariot system if you have to use it should help people who aren't that great at the game. The world system which I haven't been able to use(obviously as I haven't finished the game,) but you can restart at any point in the game and acquire all special characters together. I especially like the look of the game. The upgraded Warren's Report. The in game manual being a lot better than the older one.

It's just the first playthrough isn't enjoyable because all of the other flaws. Or atleast. It isn't as enjoyable as the original Tactics Ogre. If I never played the original I'm certain I'd love this game.

[dairugger]

Noones depriving themselves people would just rather play it on a big screen tv rather than a tiny psp screen hows that idiotic?

idiotic may be a bit strong true, but i do think they are depriving themselves of some fantastic games. when i game on a portable i forget im staring at a small screen, that happens no matter what size screen it is, even huge tv's.

[evildead2099]

I haven't played it, but Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max is supposedly the PS1 port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 with three or so additional characters.