I've been playing through Crono Trigger again on my DSiXL, and I'm wishing I was doing it on an emulator or something so I could move my save between devices.... and the TV.
Because all you guys above playing the wrong handhelds.
Here's the best:
I think "resentment" is the wrong word, but I do have to agree with several others who have expressed that handhelds were more interesting to me when I was younger and not driving and therefore had time to kill in a car or on a plane or just sitting and waiting. I think handhelds have made great strides in recent years, with better screens and faster processors and graphics chips, but it doesn't change the fact for me that the controller is still built into the unit, the screens are far smaller than any TV I have ever owned and handheld games just can't do the same things that console games can because they simply don't have the same kind of screen real estate available. That's not to say that handheld games are bad or shallow, just that they tell stories in a different way and it's just not a way that I enjoy as much as an adult.
The OP has a valid point. Like the Pokemon games leatherrebel5150 mentioned; why doesn't some of this end up on a home console? Sure, making SMB3 15 years later for a handheld is cool, but there games that are handheld exclusives always did make me scratch my head, at least since the Game Gear came out.
As for actual use, the only handheld I put any real play into at all is my Nomad. It neatly dodges the OP's gripe
I feel the exact opposite. If there is a portable system exclusive, then good for it. It's something that makes the system even more unique. I do have a soft spot for handhelds though.
I also don't understand the resentment I see from some people toward any aspect of the hobby(hating on Nintendo, Sega, handhelds, PC games, or whatever). Respect things for what they are. If you enjoy the games...play them. If not, don't and let others enjoy them. If it strains your eyes, well, see an eye doctor I guess.
"Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...
They did similar things through the PSP life span such as releasing the GTA X City Stories games as a PS2 release and now especially the God of War Origins Collection and MGS Peace Walker HD. I think it would of made a lot of sense earlier in its life span to have PSP emulation capability for pretty much anyone in this thread who weren't interested in picking up the portable console, now I think its time has passed. Sony's business model doesn't hinge on making a profit from hardware and with the upcoming release of vita games for both PS3 and Vita I don't think Sony is splitting hairs about it this time either.
[GUSH]I bought a DS for that exact reason, Advance Wars since the GBA Days has sold me Nintendo portable consoles. I played both Dual Strike and Days of Ruin but perfered Days of Ruin by far, even with the drastic shift in tone. The game was simply super-balanced and the best playing AW game IMO. I just love it and it sat in my DS for months at a time. [/GUSH]Originally Posted by treismac
I really see the "serious game" complaint levied against the PSP far more then the DS and in that arena you do have options. The PSP 2000 and up has a TV output that when paired with component cables let you play your games on the TV. I ended up using this feature a lot for a ton of the systems late releases like the Dissidia games and Peace Walker with both games having great sound when put through a proper sound system and damn good graphics for a portable game. On the flip side the GB Gamecube player allowed you to play GB, GBC, and GBA games all on a TV using the Gamecube which I hear is how many people play those games now. Its unfornatunate that the DS and 3DS will probably never have a proper TV out method but that's also part of Nintendo's strategy of making portable games for portable consoles.
I guess I don't really have a point to this semi-rant other then I find it frustrating given the example I had given in my previous post for those without some physical issue and just don't like playing on portable systems. I've probably put equal amounts of time in both portable and console/PC gaming over the years and missing out on those great portable games just seems wrong to me.
I think it still would've done well. I got mine for Super Mario Land. Primitive as it was even compared to later GB games, it was still MORE MARIO! and that was a way to move systems. I'm really glad it wasn't the pack-in, though, or I might never have even got GB Tetris, and while Mario got me in the door, Tetris kept bringing me back. I still think that's the best version of Tetris around.
Dragon Quest 9 is a DS game. There are also remakes of 4-6, and various spinoffs (Monsters, Rocket Slime, etc) on the DS.
I know this is a retro gaming forum, so this might be like me asking a Republican if they've heard of Ronald Reagan, but have you ever played Military Madness on the Turbografx-16? While I am not certain if it is the grandfather of turn-based military games or not, it deserves a good look by any and all fans of Advance Wars. I don't care for the remakes, but the original rocks. It is a Virtual Console game for the Wii, and I also downloaded it for an old work cell phone I had. Oh, did I mention it that one of my favorite developers made it?
I know Hudson made some crap games, but when they were on, they were on.
Yeah, I agree. Complaining about games being on a portable system is akin to people whining that so-and-so is exclusive to 360 or PS3 or whatever the person complaining doesn't own. It's a tad selfish, I think. If every good handheld exclusive is ported to a home console, then what's the point of the handheld even existing? That would be pretty crappy for the people that are interested in the handheld if there are no good exclusives. If you can't appreciate a system for whatever reason, then either get over your hang-up or leave it be. Don't wish for the system's library to be crappier just because it would make you feel better about it.
Also, in terms of porting over handheld games, there's another problem with that. Handhelds play an invaluable role in the current market. They're preserving styles of design that are mostly gone from home consoles. There are many fantastic games, both 2D and 3D, on the current handhelds that feel like they could've fit right in with the best games of the PS1 and N64. These types of games would almost never be developed for the home consoles, and if they were, they'd certainly have to be different (or perhaps sold as a cheap digital release that the developer couldn't profit on). I think a lot of games are handheld exclusive because that's the only place they could be, to be honest, and I'm very glad the handhelds exist to give developers this outlet. Personally, I'm enjoying the libraries of the DS and PSP more than any of the current home consoles. If you like 90s gaming, they're great.
Because they're portable. That's like the whole thing, isn't it?
Wait, why? I don't understand why it would matter if they were exclusive or not. Good games are good games.That would be pretty crappy for the people that are interested in the handheld if there are no good exclusives.
Real talk. I'd expand and say they'd fit in best with the 32 and 16-bit generation of games. A lot of DS games remind me of SNES titles than N64 or PS1 titles.Handhelds play an invaluable role in the current market. They're preserving styles of design that are mostly gone from home consoles. There are many fantastic games, both 2D and 3D, on the current handhelds that feel like they could've fit right in with the best games of the PS1 and N64. These types of games would almost never be developed for the home consoles, and if they were, they'd certainly have to be different (or perhaps sold as a cheap digital release that the developer couldn't profit on). I think a lot of games are handheld exclusive because that's the only place they could be, to be honest, and I'm very glad the handhelds exist to give developers this outlet. Personally, I'm enjoying the libraries of the DS and PSP more than any of the current home consoles. If you like 90s gaming, they're great.
The portability factor doesn't matter that much to me, and not to many handheld players. Even as a kid, almost all of my handheld gaming was at home. I buy handhelds, first and foremost, because they offer a different selection of games that I want to play. I don't think my PSP has ever even left my house.
Every system I've ever purchased was bought for exclusives. If I can get every game I want on another system, one that I may potentially already own, I'm not going to bother to get a new system. If I bought a handheld for an exclusive and then all following interesting games were multiplatform, I'd feel gypped. Although it's only been this current generation in which this stuff is even a factor since the vast majority of games I'm interested in weren't multiplatform in the past (that was more of a Western game thing back then).
No clue. I would guess that it's a big factor for parents purchasing handhelds for their kids since they're probably thinking "This'll keep him/her occupied and shut him/her up during errands and trips", haha. Kids usually don't have a ton of games, though, and they get so excited to play them that I can't picture them "saving" a game for a trip out. They'll play when and wherever they can. And adults lose opportunities for outdoor gaming as they get older, like how people already mentioned that they're the driver now and such. Plus some adults may want to avoid the stigma of playing a "child's toy" in public. (Your mileage may vary with that depending on what handheld you're playing, how old you are/look, and what your gender is. I feel more judged as an adult female gamer since I'm seen as more of an oddity than an adult male gamer.)
While I guess it's an aspect of the portability, I more so love the comfort of not being tethered to anything. Even playing a home console with a wireless controller isn't quite the same. I can sit or lay in just about any position I want and still get a good view and play. I can also have the TV going at the same time or whatever. It's much more relaxed, comfortable gaming, and it's works better for spending time around others than being absorbed in the screen of a home console game (outside of multiplayer gaming, that is).
I don't understand why anyone would've played one of these things as a kid in a car. You have a whole world of interesting things going by outside your window, why would you have ever kept your head stuck to the screens of a handheld instead of the show going on outside the car windows?
When I'm playing a handheld, I'm not holding it three feet away from my face. The screens are plenty big enough and probably compare well to sitting 5 or 6 feet away from something like a 20" tv.
A good game is a good game. Enjoying those games is the entire point of them. I don't care if it's being played on my tv or the screen of a handheld. I don't even buy handhelds for their portable nature, I buy them to enjoy the great games that are released on them. They rarely if ever leave the house and 99% of the time, they're played within sight of a television and game consoles.
Handheld screens were never to my standards for many years, which is ashame where the Game Gear, Lynx, and NGPC are concerned (I'll have to hack my PSP1000 someday so I can better enjoy those systems). Nintendo's screens were so poor that I completely avoided their handhelds for years and stuck with my Super Game Boy and later, the Game Boy Player to enjoy their handheld software.
It wasn't until around the time the Nintendo DS was released that they were good enough quality for my satisfaction and I bought one. And quickly afterwards with the PSP, the backlit revision of the SP, the GBA Micro, and the DS Lite, they became more than just satisfactory.
Beyond a bit of motion blur, I'd be hard pressed with brightness fully on my backlit SP to find any deficient areas with the screen. That's when I finally had a screen that really seemed like a small television on a handheld.
It isn't 1995 now, your complaints about handheld screens are long out of date.
They have a PSP emulator on the PS3. But it's not very good and is only compatible with PSP Minis (With significant issues sometimes, and a couple which are completely incompatible with the emulator). It's no where close enough to run a top of the line PSP game.
They make the vast majority of their money on software sales, not hardware sales. And with how easy piracy is on the PSP, I'm sure Sony would love to sell lots of PSP software for use on the more secure PS3.
Last edited by Leo_A; 11-28-2011 at 08:28 PM.
I rarely take portables anywhere, but I tend to play those the most. I don't need to use the TV which is a plus as we only have one set up for use, if I'm using it nobody else can. Plus I don't feel like having to set up systems to play something so I just use the portable systems instead, I don't have the space to just leave everything hooked up.
It helps that the portable systems are basically getting the types of games I want to play, most are sticking close to older style games instead of modern full 3D games so I like the portable stuff more.