All this week, we’ve brought you our most wanted games of 2011 for theXbox 360,PlayStation 3and thePC. Our latest look at the upcoming games of 2011 is the PlayStation Portable. While many companies have seemingly abandoned PlayStation’s handheld, there’s still a ravenous fanbase around it and companies like Capcom, Square Enix and NIS are still keeping the thing alive.
So join myself along with Josh Tolentino as we look at some of the best that the PSP has to offer for 2011 and be sure to tell use what you’re looking forward to too!
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood(PSP)Developer: ???Publisher: Namco BandaiTo be released: 2011
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodwas a stellar anime series, and so much better than the original show. The story was great, the animation is beautiful and the fights were just brutal. As great as the series was, I still want more from the universe so it’s great that a game basedonBrotherhoodwill be headingstateside eventually.
Getting to control all the different characters should be plenty of fun too. I’m looking forward to the Greed vs Wrath battles especially.
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!(PSP, PSN)Developer: Nippon Ichi Software IncPublisher: NIS AmericaTo be released: July 06, 2025
Thewhole premisebehind the newPrinnyis that someone has stolen Etna’s panties and it’s up to the Prinny army to recover them. Seriously dood! Thelast Prinny gamewas well known for its difficulty butthis time aroundthere’s a new difficulty called “Baby mode” to make things easier for players. Especially funny is that your health icon is represented by diapers if you play on baby difficulty.
That’s not all! There’s a whole other “game” in Prinny 2 where you play as a special Prinny named Asagi that has more weapons and abilities at her disposal than her Prinny counterparts. She even has a cat gun weapon thing.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy(PSP, PSN)Developer: Square EnixPublisher: Square EnixTo be released: August 06, 2025 (JP) / Jun 04, 2025 (EU) / Spring 2011 (NA)
What do you do when you have a bloated franchise and want to make some easy money? Why you slap all the major characters together into one game and have them fight, that’s what!Dissidia 012is the prequel sequel to last year’sDissidiaand the story follows some of the new characters appearing in the game such as Lightning fromFinal Fantasy XIII, Tifa Lockhart fromFinal Fantasy VIIIand Vaan fromFinal Fantasy XII.
So far all we know about the plot is that it will be explained why these new characters never appeared in the originalDissidia. That sounds really stupid yet I’m sure I’ll like this more thanFinal Fantasy XIII.
Half-Minute Hero Second(PSP)Developer: Marvelous EntertainmentPublisher: XSEED GamesTo be released: TBA
I have a hard time getting into role-playing games as I just don’t have time to waste my life at grinding, grinding and more grinding! That’s why the originalHalf-Minute Herowas so brilliant. In just 30 seconds, you grind, do a quest, buy a weapon and beat the boss. It’s as simple as that and yet there’s so much more here. Above all else,Half-Minute Herois a charming experience.
Half-Minute Hero Secondoffers more 30 second adventures, four-player multiplayer and the ability to create your own quests. Fingers crossed that XSEEDbrings the game out outsideof Japan.
(Parasite Eve) The 3rd Birthday(PSP)Developer: Square EnixPublisher: Square EnixTo be released: Q1 2011 (NA) / Q1 2011 (EU)
I’m most excited forThe 3rd Birthdayout of all the games on this list. The originalParasite Evegames for the PlayStation were such a memorable experience, mostly because my young mind was fascinated by the horrific (for a kid) visuals.
The 3rd Birthday’splot sounds like one of the mosttwisted I’ve seen in a game yet too. Aya has lost her memories and she doesn’t really have an idea of why she’s fighting. Plus she now has the ability to swap bodies with others.
The 3rd Birthdaywas announced way back in 2007 and just recently came out in Japan. Hopefully the wait won’t be much longer for America and Euro audiences.
Josh Tolentino
Monster Hunter Freedom 3(Monster Hunter Portable 3rd) (PSP)Developer: CapcomPublisher: CapcomTo be released: 2011
You know it. I know it. We all know it. TheMonster Hunterfranchise is almost single-handedly responsible for the PSP’s renaissance and continuing domination of hardware charts in Japan. And for good reason, for they’ve given the experience of killing large monsters and wearing their hides its most comprehensive simulation yet. Or so the players who’ve happily poured hundreds of hours into the game believe.
And if the reactions toMonster Hunter’sthird PSPoutingacross the pondare any indication, putting it on this list is a no-brainer.
God Eater Burst(PSP)Developer: ShiftPublisher: D3 PublisherTo be released: June 02, 2025 (NA) / TBA 2011 (JP)
Want theMonster Hunterexperience without all that goofy medieval fantasy vibe? Prefer an edgier, grittier, more cosplay-friendly atmosphere? Namco Bandai and D3 Publisher have your back, withGod Eater Burst. Set in a post-apocalyptic world infested by “Aragami” beasts cribbed from theShin Megami Tenseischool of creature design, fashionably-dressed players will, er, hunt monsters with their God Arcs, weapons that can transform into guns, giant swords, or monsters themselves.
Besides the whole new look,God Eater Burstalso promisesa more directed single-player narrative, as well as all the improvements and DLC added onto the game since its original Japanese release.
Valkyria Chronicles 3(Sega)Developer: SegaPublisher: SegaTo be released: July 25, 2025 (JP)
If there’s any game out there to prove that handheld games aren’t some kind of design ghetto compared to their “big boy” console counterparts, it’d probably beValkyria Chronicles 2, which I thought was evenbetter than its PS3 predecessor.
For those who didn’t quite agree with me, know that this one will be hewing closer to the traits that marked the originalValkyria Chroniclesas oneof the best strategy games around. Better visuals, stronger stories, and an exploration of the darker side of wartime Gallia all await Japanese players in January, and English-speaking players whenever Sega sees fit to announceValkyria Chronicles 3release.
Hurry up, Sega!
Patapon 3Developer: PyramidPublisher: Sony Computer EntertainmentTo be released: August 01, 2025 (NA) / August 04, 2025 (AUS) / TBA 2011 (EU)
It’s been years, and there’s still no game quite likePatapon. Its amazing aesthetic and mix of rhythm and tactical gameplay ensured the game a lasting place as on one of the PSP’s greatest offerings. From the looksofPatapon 3, the victory drums might set the beat a third time, with expanded eight-player co-op and improved character progression. Also, it turns the player into a superhero Patapon. Game of the year confirmed.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling TogetherDeveloper: Square EnixPublisher: Square EnixTo be released: Jul 21, 2025
Before there were tactical games likeValkyria Chronicles, there were tactical games likeFinal Fantasy Tactics. Before that, there wasTactics Ogre.Let Us Cling Togetheris a re-imagining of that very firstTactics Ogregame, except now you don’t need to shell out mad bank for an original SNES copy or use shady emulators and fan translations.
Still helmed by series creator (andFinal FantasyTactics creator) Yasumi Matsuno, the game features new characters, gameplay refinements, updated visuals, scenarios, and a crisp new localization. Come February, it’ll be the best way to play one of the games that kick-started an entire genre.
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