drohne said:
there's very little on the gb or the gba or indeed the ds that isn't entirely derivative of console games. the idea that portable gaming has to offer something different isn't supported by the category's history.
I agree there are console like gmes on the GB line, and even the DS. That's a given, but there are a ton of handheld ideal games as well. The standard fare of puzzlers, shorter RPGs, action games that generally cater to the idea of not being able to continue playing for hours on end. Most PSP games seem to at least be able to do that latter in any event. Though I'm not sure about RR itself. But I would assume most RPGs and whatnot would have save anywhere features and such.
i agree that certain genres are basically unsuited to portable gaming. but the early psp library consists largely of the simple arcadey games -- lumines, minna no golf, ridge racers, vampire chronicle, mojipittan -- that have always been perfect for portable play.
I'm not sure about Ridge Racers, not with what we've read today. The other games, minus Lumines, could be affected by load times. I think just the long added wait to a game, makes it less fun to hop into. Perhaps, I'm alone in this thinking and it's just me griping. I agree though, that these games are fine on their own has something you can pick up and play for short periods. But I can't be sure if it'll feel like that in the end.
for my patterns of usage, at least, load times are no more objectionable in a portable game than they are in a console game. i can't think of many instances in which i've turned on and played my gba for two minutes or thereabouts. wario ware isn't the archetypal portable game; it's a curio. the archetypal portable game these days is pokémon, and it's something of an rpg.
This is definitely me too, it was a part of my original post, but I omitted it as it just seemed like bullshit to add in. Am I bothered by load times? Hell no, I generally play handhelds for hours, and much longer than my consoles. But I can't say that's the same for people who are generally not avid fans of handheld gaming. I just see that it could possibly pose a problem in the future.
Though, I think we could all be a little quick to jump the gun. THis is Ridge Racers, probably the most powerful PSP game on the launch lineup. Long load times could just be a problem with this game. We'll have to wait and see. I'm just saying that it could be a problem in the future if this turns out to be a recurring case.