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[Ponn]

I really don't understand why people actually think that the PSP EU lineup is anywhere near to amazing. It's more or less the same as the US launch lineup but a bit more than 5 months later - that's not amazing to me, but more or less bullshit
And even if you would ignore the fact that the USA got most of these games 5 months earlier and would simply look at the games, you should see that it is a good lineup in terms of racing games, but nothing more.

Compared too.......come on finish your post, you need some comparisons to back up your opinions too

 

[dark10x]

I really don't understand why people actually think that the PSP EU lineup is anywhere near to amazing. It's more or less the same as the US launch lineup but a bit more than 5 months later - that's not amazing to me, but more or less bullshit
And even if you would ignore the fact that the USA got most of these games 5 months earlier and would simply look at the games, you should see that it is a good lineup in terms of racing games, but nothing more.

The US lineup was amazing, so adding in stuff like Virtua Tennis, Medievil, and a number of others only beefs it up.

Of course, I now see that a number of US launch titles aren't included (like Metal Gear Ac!d and Twisted Metal). So, perhaps it isn't as good as I thought. Still, there are some fantastic games on the system. Ridge Racers, Wipeout Pure, Lumines, Metal Gear Ac!d, Virtua Tennis, Twisted Metal, Everybody's Golf, and a number of others. Those are GREAT games right there. Then think about all the titles coming out this fall. Tons of variety and lots of quality.

 

[Frankfurter]

@Ponn My post was complete

I you want me to compare it to the DS lineup, yeah of course, that's another thing. The US one was more or less a joke, the japanese...ok(nothing to celebrate), the lineup for Europe wasn't that bad, especially cause DS launched 5 and a half months earlier here than the PSP.

@dark

The US lineup was amazing, so adding in stuff like Virtua Tennis, Medievil, and a number of others only beefs it up.

The US lineup was good, no question about that(personally I wouldn't call it "amazing", but that's quite subjective), but the Europe lineup isn't much better than the US one and you simply get the PSP 5 months later.

Of course, I now see that a number of US launch titles aren't included (like Metal Gear Ac!d and Twisted Metal). So, perhaps it isn't as good as I thought. Still, there are some fantastic games on the system. Ridge Racers, Wipeout Pure, Lumines, Metal Gear Ac!d, Virtua Tennis, Twisted Metal, Everybody's Golf, and a number of others. Those are GREAT games right there. Then think about all the titles coming out this fall. Tons of variety and lots of quality.

My point is that the Europe PSP lineup isn't even near to a term like "amazing" if you just think of the US lineup and compare them. How many games were launched with PSP in the USA? I think a bit less than 20(perhaps 18 or sth.). In Europe the PSP now launches with 20 titles 5 months later. I'm sorry, but this just isn't fantastic. DS launched a bit less than 4 months later in Europe than in the USA compared to the more than 5 of the PSP(and the more interesting point - when the system first launched(~Nov 21 DS vs. ~Dec 12 PSP is) - is much more destructive) and I would say that the Europe DS lineup was really MUCH better than the US one.

 

[Lionheart]

Of course, I now see that a number of US launch titles aren't included (like Metal Gear Ac!d and Twisted Metal).

Metal Gear IS a launch title in Europe.

 

[Ponn]

@Ponn My post was complete

I you want me to compare it to the DS lineup, yeah of course, that's another thing. The US one was more or less a joke, the japanese...ok(nothing to celebrate), the lineup for Europe wasn't that bad, especially cause DS launched 5 and a half months earlier here than the PSP.

No, I didn't say I wanted you to compare it to the DS, though people jump right onto it thats fine. I mean comparatively to any launch list really. Launch games are usually all pretty mediocore and rarely stand the test of time. There are a few gems in the rough usually but if it meets pretty much all the genres then the list is doing pretty damn good. The bleak spot is RPG's but traditionally most console launches fail in this area anyways because they take time to develop. Well, the good ones take time anyways. Do I buy all the launch games for PSP? Hell no. Do I respect that it reaches most of the genres needed like sports, puzzle, racing, fighting, etc...yea. Make a launch game list for every system and I think you will find the US and EU PSP launch list falls pretty squarely in the top tier of most well rounded launches.

You are questioning why people think it's an amazing lineup. Aside from a few outspoken maybe calling it "Amazing" I don't think many are calling it that, but it is pretty good. There are a couple new titles on the list, but said again and again and again "Summer Drought" for all systems so what more games would you be expecting at launch? And the Holiday is right around the corner, you think publishers are going to blow their loads early and get lost in the launch game mix with the Holidays right around the corner? It's certainly not the "bullshit" or just "racing games" like you said. If you want to try to understand then don't mix your personal opinion with general understanding of the consumer.

 

[kaching]

Frankfurter,

The problem with your logic that the 5 month delay somehow makes the PSP game lineup that's coming to the EU less than "amazing" is that you do nothing to establish a significant event or events that have occurred in that 5 month period that would render the PSP or its games obsolete or less enticing. Passage of time is insufficient on its own - the vast majority of the EU still hasn't had a chance to experience the PSP game lineup, regardless of how 'old' that lineup is in other areas of the world and there's no other handheld technology on the immediate horizon that trumps the PSP in every way.

 

[Gregory]

So has it been comfirmed yet if european UMD movies works on jap machines ?

 

[Frankfurter]

@Ponn

No, I didn't say I wanted you to compare it to the DS, though people jump right onto it thats fine.

I had to jump onto that, but I thought that you probably didn't mean that primarily

I mean comparatively to any launch list really. Launch games are usually all pretty mediocore and rarely stand the test of time. There are a few gems in the rough usually but if it meets pretty much all the genres then the list is doing pretty damn good. The bleak spot is RPG's but traditionally most console launches fail in this area anyways because they take time to develop. Well, the good ones take time anyways. Do I buy all the launch games for PSP? Hell no. Do I respect that it reaches most of the genres needed like sports, puzzle, racing, fighting, etc...yea. Make a launch game list for every system and I think you will find the US and EU PSP launch list falls pretty squarely in the top tier of most well rounded launches.

Of course you are right and that's the reason I call the US PSP launch lineup "good"(I would call it amazing, if there would be one or more 100% must haves for me and that of course is subjective).

There are a couple new titles on the list, but said again and again and again "Summer Drought" for all systems so what more games would you be expecting at launch?

I didn't expect anything. The point just is that I - as a more or less potential handheld buyer - see that nearly all of the EU PSP launch games were also available at the US launch(that is more than 5 months ago). The either should have released the PSP earlier in Europe(just look how many units Sony ships to NA and JP, it wouldn't have been a problem to launch earlier in Europe from the hardware side) or they should have brought us more games.

And the Holiday is right around the corner, you think publishers are going to blow their loads early and get lost in the launch game mix with the Holidays right around the corner?

Now you are talking about the way publishers think and act, but that's not my point of view. I am the consumer, I just want to play something and there are a few consumers here that called the Europe lineup "amazing".

It's certainly not the "bullshit" or just "racing games" like you said.

1.) I didn't say that the lineup is only racing games, but that it is a good lineup in terms of racing games(which implies that I think that the rest of the lineup is more or less average).
2.) I didn't say that the Europe lineup is "bullshit" in an absolute way, but that it is bullshit if you compare it to the US one(where you got most of the games 5 months earlier).

@kaching

The problem with your logic that the 5 month delay somehow makes the PSP game lineup that's coming to the EU less than "amazing" is that you do nothing to establish a significant event or events that have occurred in that 5 month period that would render the PSP or its games obsolete or less enticing.

Aehm, what? I'm sorry, but are you trying to say that - for example - the SNES would be as "amazing" as it was when it launched ~15 years ago, when it would've only been released in the USA and Japan and Europe would follow in year 2005? Of course, that's an abstract comparison, but the direction is the same(~5 months vs. 15 years).

Passage of time is insufficient on its own - the vast majority of the EU still hasn't had a chance to experience the PSP game lineup, regardless of how 'old' that lineup is in other areas of the world and there's no other handheld technology on the immediate horizon that trumps the PSP in every way.

Again(I will put it a bit different): would PSP and it's EU launch lineup of 20 games be as amazing as it is on Sept. 1 if it would be released in 2 years in Europe? I mean the answer should be absolutely clear(of course it wouldn't be amazing at all), but according to your logic it shouldn't make any difference cause "the vast majority of the EU still hasn't had a chance to experience the PSP game lineup" and "there's no other handheld technology on the immediate horizon that trumps the PSP in every way".

 

[btutterrow]

The thing that you are not taking into consideration, Frankfurter, is that:

1. This is not a change of console generation, let along the multiple console generation difference you were quoting with the SNES example.

2. There has been no significant releases between the US launch and the EU launch that is not being included.

They are getting all the good releases the US got, plus MORE, on a system they have never experienced (ignoring importers), and they are lacking nothing that has been in-between (with even the newer driver for web browsing). It is a great launch lineup for a system no matter how you look at it.

 

[kaching]

Frankfurter,

As with any technology driven industry we assume that there will be something better along to drive current products into a state obsolescence. But the rate at which that occurs is not fixed and is wholely dependent upon the rate at which more advanced tech and can be put into a reasonably priced, consumer-friendly package as a replacement for that which came before it. In regard to the handheld gaming sector, there's nothing like that coming along in the near future to make the current PSP lineup seem less worthwhile and there's nothing in the PSP lineup itself that renders the initial US launch lineup any less engaging.

 

[DCharlie]

"As with any technology driven industry we assume that there will be something better along to drive current products into a state obsolescence."

we are in a gameplay driven industry i'd hope.

the EU PSP line up looks fricken HOT.
Ridge , Wipeout, VT on there own should keep people going and as you mention the EU has been kept in the dark.

PSP's problems are going to be
1) "phase 2" but with GTA and WE waiting in the wings, even that shouldn't be much of an issue.

2) the price.

 

[Mrbob]

I can make predictions, but mine are much more reasonable.

Sony will not, during the PSP's life, sell more portable system SKUs than Nintendo does in any given year.

Even if (very big if) PSP manages to become the bestselling single portable hardware platform, PSP will not sell the most games. And if I were a shareholder, I'd care a lot more about games than systems.

Don't understand. There are a couple factors going against you, here.

The first one is that the PSP hardware price is not static. Neither are Sony's costs. They will not lose money on the hardware forever. Plus the system price won't e $250 forever. the system will spike in sales at $199, $149, etc. More hardware sales leads to more software sales which leads me to my next point....

PSP has already passed the DS in total software sales in USA in five months. Sony will never outpace Nintendo if you just compare the two companies. But on a whole PSP software is already ahead of DS software in sales. If you are a 3rd party why would you want to make a game on DS where Nintendo gets most of the pie? If you are including GBA software sales, well duh. But GBA is slowly being phased out.

Third, it takes time to make changes in a market that's been dominated by another company. I don't see PSP selling GBA hardware total numbers overall but then they don't have too. Jarrod likes to compare the PSP to the Xbox but then I never knew the Xbox had about a near 50 percent and growing marketshare in NA and was primed to be the leader in Europe. Also, it isn't like the PSP is sellling poorly in Japan, either. Just that the DS is in an amazing stretch at the moment.