Holiday Game Guide: the best PSP games of 2007

The holidays are finally here, and that means two things for gamers: First, we now have some spare time to catch up on all the titles that we missed out on during the busy fall release period and second, gaming blogs trot out their ´best of 2007´retrospectives. Not wanting to disappoint our readers, we have decided to put together our own list of the best games of the year for both the PSP and DS. This has been an amazing year for handheld gaming, with both the DS and PSP hitting their stride in terms of releases that play to their unique strengths. It fills us with holiday cheer to see that fanboys on both sides have more or less put down the hatchet and grudgingly come to the realization that both systems are awesome. In fact, once you are finished checking out our picks for the PSP, be sure and have a look at Sergio´s list of the best DS games of 2007. Looking ahead to 2008, there might even be some new competitors entering the fray; maybe next year we will get to run down the best games for the Nokia Ngage or the iPhone.

Anyway, despite suffering from a distinct lack of quality titles in its first two years on the market, the PSP surprised us all in 2007 with some games that blurred the line between the handheld and console experience. In our list of the best games of 2007 you will find superb examples from all genres, including a shooter, a racing game, an RPG and a sports game. Continue with us to find out who made the cut and who didn´t in a year crowded with solid titles.

5. Worms: Open Warfare 2
If you picked up the first Worms title on the PSP and walked away disappointed, we can´t blame you. The first outing featured a limited set of weapons, buggy gameplay and perhaps worst of all, a glaring lack of online multiplayer of any kind. It is simply not a Worms game if you can´t go online and intimidate people half way around the world with your wicked ninja rope skills. Thanks to Open Warfare 2, all of these faults have been corrected, leaving us with game that genuinely measures up to the greatness of the franchise, albeit in portable form. A reviewer at Modojo sums the game up like this ”With online options, fun gameplay, hilarious presentation and a can-of-worms full of extras, Open Warfare 2 shouldn’t be missed by anyone.” We agree completely. REVIEW

4. Burnout: Dominator
This PSP-exclusive sequel delivered exactly what it promised: high-adrenaline racing in the true Burnout tradition. It did away with the old standby crash mode but made up for it by including frenetic combo-based racing challenges. A superb graphical and audio presentation helped to round out this value-laden package. Oh yeah, and the PSP version featured additional downloadable tracks, just to sweeten the deal. Burnout Dominator can currently be found in bargain bins for less than $20, so if you have not yet played this entry in the series, you owe it to yourself to pick it up. REVIEW

3. Virtua Tennis 3
On the surface, Virtua Tennis 3 seems like a simple arcade sports title with limited replay value. Yet despite the strong showing on the PSP this year, Sega´s sports offering lingered in our UMD drive while other games were deprived of attention. The intuitive control, refined gameplay and light RPG character-building elements turned Virtua Tennis 3 into a kind of portable, electronic crack. It sets a new standard for tennis sports games on any handheld, and will likely hold onto that honor until the motion-sensing successor to the DS comes out and ships with a port of Wii sports. REVIEW

2. Jeanne d`Arc
Everybody went crazy over Final Fantasy Tactics when Square Enix finally got around to localizing it to North America this fall. But we didn´t get caught up in all the hype because 1) we had already played it on the Ps1 and 2) we were too busy maxing out our charactrs in Jeanne d`Arc. We give the nod to Jeanne d´Arc because it is one of the few exclusively developed RPGs for the PSP, and because it is a damned fine one at that. As a newcomer to the tactical RPG genre, Jeanne does a number of things right. The game features a pretty solid battle system with combos and enough variety to keep players interested. It also features one of the most cretive and beautifully rendered stories seen to date in any tactical RPG, let alone on a handheld. If you played and enjoyed Final Fantasy Tactics, be sure and pick up this title as well. REVIEW

1. Syphon Filter: Logan´s Shadow
This follow-up to the already awesome Dark Mirror exceeded most players´ expectations for a handheld action game. The game takes you on a whirlwind tour of exotic locations where you will meet, greet and kill all sorts of exotic baddies using a variety of real-world and sci-fi weaponry. It may not feature the most politically correct plotline, but like most blockbuster action flicks, Logan´s Shadow delivers in the blowing-things-up department. Another title that blurs the line between console and handheld gaming, Logan´s Shadow represents a milestone in portable video games, perhaps even surpassing last year´s equally impressive Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. REVIEW