The PSP easily got a bum rap outside of Japan which is the region where it flourished thanks to games like Monster Hunter. The PSP had some genuinely great games on it from beloved franchises too. If players loved RPGs, this was a great system to own. For example, Final Fantasy 7 and Kingdom Hearts got prequels not to mention a fighting game spinoff called Dissidia Final Fantasy.
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The Sony PSP may not have been as widely successful as other handhelds but it had its fair share of great games.
There were a lot of other solid RPGs too but unfortunately, many of them didn’t make it outside of Japan. Europe got a few exclusives for some strange reason, making the import scene not a big deal for English speakers. Regardless, let’s review some PSP RPG history on games that missed North America.
8 .hack//Link
The Missing Piece Of The Faux MMO Puzzle
- Platform: PSP
- Released: March 4, 2010 (Japan)
- Developer: CyberConnect2
- Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
.hack//Link was one of the few games that did not release in North America alongside a true MMO for the PS2 and a fighting game on the PS3. It seemed like the next proper installment too as it was developed by the creators, CyberConnect2, and didn’t go to a separate team within Bandai Namco. It featured a new hero, Tokio Kuryuu, who goes into a new version of The World and gets to team up with past heroes like Kite and Haseo. The gameplay is close to the PS2 games with an emphasis on hack and slash combat but the arenas were a lot smaller which was fitting for a PSP game. The game never left Japan but fans have mostly completed an English patch.
7 Breath Of Fire 3
An Early PSP Release That Turned To Ash
- Platform: PS1, PSP, PS3, PS Vita
- Released: February 3, 2006 (European PSP Version)
- Developer: Capcom
- Publisher: Capcom
Breath of Fire 3 was originally released on the PS1 in 1998 in North America which was a year after Japan. It was the first game in the series on the console following the two games on the SNES and it gave fans more turn-based gameplay with a dragon transformation hook. It later got ported to the PSP in 2005 in Japan and a year later in Europe. Sadly, it never got a re-release in North America on the PSP for whatever reason but because the European version is in English, it made it an easy import at the time.
6 Digimon Adventure
Change Into Digital Champions
- Platform: PSP
- Released: January 17, 2013 (Japan)
- Developer: Prope
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
90s kids probably got into anime because of two series airing closely together: Digimon and Pokemon. Digimon Adventure is based on the first season of the anime and it’s a fairly decent adaptation. It’s a turn-based RPG wherein players get to choose the kids they control and their corresponding Digimon.
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The PSP was a portable hub for home console-like gaming, and these great action JRPGs often pushed the system to its limits.
It was a late release for the PSP in 2013 because at this point the PS Vita was out. That’s probably why it was never released outside of Japan but there’s a good English fan patch out there for those interested as it’s up there as one of the best Digimon games.
5 Last Ranker
Certainly Not Capcom’s Last RPG
- Platform: PSP
- Released: July 15, 2010
- Developer: Imageepoch
- Publisher: Capcom
Last Ranker is another Capcom-published game that failed to make it out of Japan. It was developed by Imageepoch in 2010 who has worked on a lot of titles although in obscure RPG circles. Fans will probably recognize franchises like Luminous Arc, Fate/Extra, or 7th Dragon. Capcom publishing Last Ranker makes it significant though as they haven’t backed a lot of turn-based RPGs past the Breath of Fire boom in the 90s and 2000s. The game has a Western edge to it with a hint of Monster Hunter, so fans of that series may want to check out the English patch that’s out there.
4 Tales of Eternia
A Game By Many Names
- Platforms: PS1, PSP
- Released: February 10, 2006 (European PSP Version)
- Developer: Namco Tales Studio (PSP Version)
- Publisher: Ubisoft
Tales of Eternia has an interesting history for the Tales of series because it was originally made for the PS1. It was localized in North America as Tales of Destiny 2 in 2001 even though it was not connected to that game. There actually was a real Tales of Destiny 2 in Japan which was a 2002 PS2 game. Now, the real Tales of Eternia got a PSP port in 2005 in Japan with Europe getting it a year later. Even Australia got the game but North America was denied despite it originally getting the PS1 version. As another interesting fact, there was an MMO based on this world called Tales of Eternia Online in 2006 which was shut down in 2007.
3 White Knight Chronicles: Origins
A Prequel No One Knew Existed
- Platform: PSP
- Released: June 8, 2011 (Europe)
- Developer: Japan Studio, Matrix Software
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
White Knight Chronicles was Level-5’s next big PlayStation RPG following the Dark Cloud games and Rogue Galaxy. There were two games on the PS3 and interestingly enough, the sequel was packaged with the original game too.
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The PSP was home to loads of different gaming genres, and these tactical JRPGs are just some of many great games featured on Sony's portable console.
North Americans got quite the treat with that packaged deal but they lost out on the PSP spinoff, White Knight Chronicles: Origins, which was co-developed by Japan Studio and Matrix Software instead of Level-5. It was set thousands of years before the original and it featured the same MMO-like auto gameplay. Since it was a portable game, the co-op made sense for on-the-go meetups when it was released in 2011 in both Europe and Japan.
2 Valkyria Chronicles 3
A Real-Time Tactical Challenge
- Platform: PSP
- Released: January 27, 2011 (Japan)
- Developer: Media.Vision
- Publisher: Sega
Valkyria Chronicles 3 is the only missing game in the series to hit a console or portable system in North America. It was the second game on the PSP which was released in Japan in 2011. There is a fan translation for it thankfully as it is one of the better Valkyria Chronicles entries. The series overall is one of those under-appreciated gems as it changed what typical turn-based tactical RPGs could be. Instead of moving on grids, characters had free movement within a range and then players could manually aim their guns to attack. While characters moved, enemies could take shots freely which could engage players more like they were truly in the heat of battle.
1 Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3
It’s Time To Duel In The UK
- Platform: PSP
- Released: November 28, 2008 (Europe)
- Developer: Konami
- Publisher: Konami
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3 is another curious entry of a missing title in North America. On the PSP, they received the first two Tag Force games, missed the third, but got the fourth and fifth entries too. There are other missing games within this series too but to stay on point, Japan and Europe received Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3 in 2008 and Australia got it in 2009. When it comes to localizing games, even at this point in history, it was a tossup as showcased with many other entries on the list. As for the game itself, it was another card RPG within the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise that dedicated fans have been playing for eons.