So I got my PSP...

[Dopples]

And I got Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth with it. So far, I'm loving it, however, I'd like to try some homebrew also, you know, for some variety. However, when I checked google, the only thing I can see so far is "Firmware version 3.11 can't be homebrewed". Am I royally screwed in this department?


Also, another question, how do you load PSP games onto your memory card so you can play them without an UMD?

 

[Mega Flare]

Also, another question, how do you load PSP games onto your memory card so you can play them without an UMD?

I dont think thats legal... try not homebrewing... The PSP has many good games for it. atm i own 18 PSP games and theres like 6+ games out right now i still need to buy and about 10 games that are coming that i want. its a great system dont ruin the awesomeness of it with homebrew

 

[Dopples]

Right....that doesn't answer my question though. I need something to stave my hunger til I can import Tales of Destiny II, and Tales of Eternia.

 

[Mega Flare]

hmmm from what i know you are screwd to it when it comes to homebrew... i think you need 3.03? or something like that I can't remember. Also about ToE, look in gameshops. they might have it. some games stores import game. i got ToE for my PSP at microplay.

 

[Dopples]

I'm just gonna look at http://www.play-asia.com for my imports, it's what I did for Tales of Destiny:Remake and Namco X Capcom.

 

[Cruelty]

Firmware 3.11 can't be downgraded.

FW 2.81 through 3.03 CAN be downgraded with the use of the unpatched GTA: LCS exploit. FW 2.80 and lower can all be downgraded without GTA.

Homebrew is usually just watered down versions of PC apps, hardly worth the effort. It's kinda cute having odd little things like emulators and stuff on your PSP at first.. but it just get's old.

 

[Mega Flare]

t's kinda cute having odd little things like emulators and stuff on your PSP at first.. but it just get's old.

yeah... it was fun for a week or two then it go boring.

 

[Andy6000]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Homebrew dev and playing my PS1 games without having a TV was practically half the reason I bought a PSP to begin with, and also why I plan on ordering a 1.50 firmware version PSP in the near future (I got robbed and thus lost my PSP ;-.

At the moment yes 3.11 is not downgrade-able, just be patient though, someone will come along, find the next cool exploit, and you'll be chugging along with the rest of the crowd. Do note however that downgrading is kind of risky, given that you're over-writing a large amount of the flash memory, and that in general is quite dangerous, though I've had no problems with it personally.

Homebrew is nice, watered down PC apps, yes, like an IR controller for random shit, because every PC does that. And fits in your pocket. Oh also a while ago I found some guy that was making a PSP homebrew game using RMXP graphics, and I had to make him feel sad and tell him that was illegal :<

EDIT: oh and in the meantime of waiting for someone to find that exploit, there are a lot of very, very good games for the PSP. Metal Gear Solid PO, the Metal Gear Acid games, Lumines is awesome, if you're a fan of Guilty Gear they have like the 30th remake of Guilty Gear XX on there.

 

[Dopples]

Alright, that's all I wanted to know. Thanks Andy.

 

[kip]

you should have bought it used that what i did with mine

 

[arcthemonkey]

I also recommend BREATH OF FIRE FRIKKIN 3 for PSP, Killzone Liberation, and Burnout or Wipeout games you can get your hands on, and, of course, you need GTA:LCS to get started with homebrew (I suppose you could rent it, but it's a good game).

 

[Dopples]

I played GTA:LCS, and honestly, call me weird, I prefer Vice City to all of them, even San Andreas. Dunno why. As for Burnout, that's a definite must. I love the series. I don't like Killzone, nor Wipeout.


As for Andy's recommendations, I'm planning on getting Lumines, but I wanna know if I should get Lumines 2, or just the first one. Don't really like Metal Gear, and I didn't know there was a Guilty Gear on the PSP....I'll have to search Gamestop again...well, for that, and Darkstalkers.

 

[Andy6000]

It's called Guilty Gear Judgement I think, and the 'main' part of it is a semi-amusing side scrolling arcade version of the game that's really just not very good. A little 'added bonus' thing is another remake of GGXX, which = awesome, though I found it pretty hard to use the nub or the dpad to do a lot of the more difficult moves fast enough (I-No's cheap aerial special comes to mind, the thing's almost bloody impossible with the PSP, but you don't see the computer not abusing it to death constantly no)

Also the load times for BOF3 remake on the PSP are atrocious, if you own the original PS1 version (which godamnit you should), just copy the image and use that once you can do homebrew, it's so much better. Less there's like added bonuses for the PSP remake or something that you actually care about.

I haven't played Lumines 2, but I'm sure it's more of the same, which isn't bad.

Oh and Metal Gear Acid doesn't play like the other metal gear ones, it's a weird strategy/card game kind of thing... PO IS like the other MGS games, just incredibly harder to control due to lacking a right analog control. The way I had my controls was so that I was aiming with the face buttons, moving with the nub, and controlling actions with the dpad, except for aim which was L and shoot which was R. That took some serious getting used to, but I'm proud to say I'm almost as good at that control style as the console MGS styles now! Wee!

 

[Dopples]

Well, I wasn't talking about Acid, I generally don't like MGS. I dunno, they just never caught my interest.

 

[kip]

i love acid for me playing msg normal with my hand is too hard

 

[Dopples]

How big are PSP games usually? Are they around 3 or so gigs?

 

[arcthemonkey]

Killzone Liberation is nothing like Killzone, Dopples.

Completely different genres, seriously.

And the load times are, seriously, not that bad on Breath of Fire 3.

I've sat down and compared it directly with the PS1 version - the only thing that pisses me off is talking to inn-keepers or the journal in your camp. That takes too long.

 

[Mega Flare]

OH OH Killzone for PSP rocks! also I recomend Ridge Racer!

 

[Dopples]

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEE RRRRRAAAAAAAACCCCCCCEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!

Sorry, I can never take Ridge Racer seriously.

 

[Marcus]

Killzone Liberations is a top down strategy shooter that's actually pretty fun (at least 10x better than the generic FPS game on the ps2). You actually have to use duck and cover tactics as the AI is pretty vicious.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror remains as the PSPs "unheard of gem." It's seriously one of the better 3rd person shooters I've played on ANY system in a long while... then Gears of War came out so it's the best 3rd person shooter on any handheld console.

If you like turn-based strategy, get Field Commander. The loading times are a little slow and it's a plays a lot like Advance Wars but it's incredibly in-depth and has a plethora of multiplayer modes plus a mission/level editor.

I also like Generations of Chaos: Aedis Eclipse which is miles ahead of the first GoC. Great turn based strategy there.

Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is a great addition to the series and plays just like the console versions. Death Jr 2 is another excellent platformer/shooter.

I have about 30 PSP games but those just happened to cross my mind. There's a couple of good looking ones coming out this year like Dungeon Maker (you build a dungeon to capture monsters and then send adventurers in to hunt them down), Dungeons and Dragons Tactics (which uses the 3.5e ruleset), Brave Story (a pretty decent looking RPG), Disgaea Portable (which has a plethora of extra features), Final Fantasy Tactics S (NEW TRANSLATION GOD YES!), Joan D'Arc, AND Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (a remake of Dracula X as well as A FULL VERSION OF SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT... 2 games for 40$ YES PLZ)

Seriously, I just want Disgaea Portable. It has ETNA MODE, a what-if scenario where Etna kills prince Laharl in the beginning and tries to take over the demon kingdom. I also can't wait for FF Tactics; Tactics is my favorite Final Fantasy game but the translation was downright GARBAGE so a new tran will be good.

As far as Homebrew goes, it's only sweet, sweet icing on the cake. Don't let anyone tell you it's garbage. No other handheld system lets you play all sorts of roms, SCUMMVM (yes, I play MONKEY ISLAND on my PSP with perfect speed), as well as PS1 games. There's also several accessories available like a wireless tv tuner which sends RF signals so you can watch TV on the PSP with no cables, a GPS tracker (why you'd be lost in the woods with a PSP is beyond me), a DIVX encoder (there's actually several dozen homebrew encoders available like AVI and mpeg1-4), and even adaptors that let you play your PSP on a large screen monitor.

Seriously, PSP is the best handheld available in my opinion. The only thing that sets it apart from the DS is that Nintendo has killer 1st party support with a lot of strong titles. Simply having "Zelda" or "Pokemon" in the title is INSTANT MILLION DOLLARS.