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[Monk]

I mean when you look at console games you think to yourself, hey this might be really good. Looking across the psp and ds titles it is more of a case of "been there done that" for psp games and "maybe fun for five minutes" for the ds.

Where are the RE4's, Halo's, GTA3's for the handhelds?

Atleast the GBA had Advance Wars, and Fire Emblem. And coming from Nintendo themsleves who pride themselves on innovation, looking at their DS games dont give me much hope. Looking at a system with tons of potential only to be used in a gimmicky fasion is REALLY annoying.

The only game thus far to show ANY potential in that sense is that JSS game for the DS. Shame really.

 

[Project Midway]

Pathway to Glory. 8 players controlling 8 soldiers each. Online. N-Gage is teh new innovator.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Less sales. Less attention. Lesser capabilities (not counting DS touch screen). Less profit. So in general less work put into them. If a project seems like it would be a big GTA/RE/Halo affair, they'll develop it for a console where it will do them the most good.

 

[explodet]

Even Pokemon, the GTA of the Game Boy (meaning the crazy sales, not the hookers and killings and stuff) took a few years in the GB's lifespan to come around. Give it some time.

 

[xexex]

Less sales. Less attention. Lesser capabilities (not counting DS touch screen). Less profit. So in general less work put into them. If a project seems like it would be a big GTA/RE/Halo affair, they'll develop it for a console where it will do them the most good.

IAWTP

 

[Schmo Florez]

Handhelds are now nostalgia machines...portable ones.

 

[BreakyBoy]

I'd contend that Halo wasn't truly innovative at all unless you count the AI, and even that I would say is evolutionary if anything. Bungie just managed to push past the stunted growth of many other FPS devs in that area.

GTA3 I'll grudgingly give (it's a contention with my definition of innovative, and also with the idea that GTA3 is really all that different on a fundamental level from previous games in the series aside from the three-dimensional perspective...), but that didn't show up until a few years into the PS2 life cycle.

Advance Wars and Fire Emblem have also technically been around for ages if you look past the US market.

Having said all that, give the DS and the PSP a bit of time, and open your eyes a bit. I'd say Yoshi's Touch n Go has a shot at offering a pretty unique way of presenting an action platformer. Lumines/Meteos also seem to be offering new ideas in the realm of portable puzzle games.

 

[Scrow]

Handhelds are now nostalgia machines...portable ones.

they are? i think the only "nostalgic" game i've got is Zero Mission because it's a remake of Metroid I.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Boktai comes to mind as original in its use of the solar cell, though not exactly a groundbreaking title. Same could be said of Feel the Magic, mainly in the use of the microphone, and to a lesser extent Band Brothers. i think the smaller market and thus smaller budget of handhelds do have a lot to do with the lack of handheld innovation but given the wireless capabilities of both platforms, i expect to see some unique features with the wireless transmission of data. i also think that the N-Gage's mobile network connection holds potential, though there's few games that take advantage of it in a large scale.

 

[MarkRyan]

Both Tetris and Pokémon.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

yea. Pokemon. exciting!

 

[belgurdo]

Handhelds are now nostalgia machines...portable ones.

Only if that's the only thing you buy. I personally avoid ports and remakes (barring FF DoS) and just buy new series

 

[The End]

Boktai and Wario Ware immediately come to mind. Wait a little while, then we'll start seeing some better stuff on the current-gen handhelds. Hell, Lumines and Mercury on the PSP and Project Rub on the DS are already pretty innovative.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Most handheld systems in the past lagged behind console technology by a wide margin, which made them little more then "port machines" for older titles. The GBA has had some very nice games, but the technology still lags greatly. However, the DS and PSP have closed that gap somewhat, which should allow developers to create more innovative titles and offer a more immersive experience.

That said, as others have noted, the handheld market is still given less attention due to economic factors involved. Fewer sales, less profits, etc. I do feel that this newer generation of systems, DS, PSP and eventually GBA 2 may change all that. I think handheld gaming is finally coming of age and will begin to see more titles that push the limits further. The game market has opened up and reached far more people then it did in the past, and there is more of a demand for games on the go. It should be an exciting evolution to watch over the next few years.

 

[dark10x]

GTA3 I'll grudgingly give (it's a contention with my definition of innovative, and also with the idea that GTA3 is really all that different on a fundamental level from previous games in the series aside from the three-dimensional perspective...), but that didn't show up until a few years into the PS2 life cycle.

GTA3 was released less than one year after the PS2 was released in America...

The release date was somewhere around October 2001. The PS2 was released on October 26th, 2000.

 

[Axsider]

Is there any reaon why there arent any groundbreaking titles for handhelds

Yes! Because the PSP is only out in japan.
Wait until it's out in Europe and America ;-)

 

[captainbiotch]

The minigames in Mario 64 DS were pretty groundbreaking in my mind.