The PSP easily got a bum rap outside of Japan which is the region where it flourished thanks to games likeMonster 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 7andKingdom Heartsgot prequels not to mention a fighting game spinoff calledDissidia Final Fantasy.
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
.hack//Linkwas 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.
7Breath Of Fire 3
An Early PSP Release That Turned To Ash
Breath of Fire 3was 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 fansmore turn-based gameplaywith 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.
6Digimon Adventure
Change Into Digital Champions
90s kids probably got into anime because of two series airing closely together:DigimonandPokemon.Digimon Adventureis 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.
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 thebestDigimongames.
5Last Ranker
Certainly Not Capcom’s Last RPG
Last Rankeris 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 likeLuminous Arc,Fate/Extra, or7th Dragon. Capcom publishingLast Rankermakes it significant though as they haven’t backed a lot of turn-based RPGs past theBreath of Fireboom in the 90s and 2000s. The game has a Western edge to it with ahint ofMonster Hunter, so fans of that series may want to check out the English patch that’s out there.
4Tales of Eternia
A Game By Many Names
Tales of Eterniahas an interesting history for theTales ofseriesbecause it was originally made for the PS1. It was localized in North America asTales of Destiny 2in 2001 even though it was not connected to that game. There actually was a realTales of Destiny 2in Japan which was a 2002 PS2 game. Now, the realTales of Eterniagot 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 calledTales of Eternia Onlinein 2006 which was shut down in 2007.
3White Knight Chronicles: Origins
A Prequel No One Knew Existed
White Knight Chronicleswas Level-5’s next big PlayStation RPG following theDark CloudgamesandRogue Galaxy. There were two games on the PS3 and interestingly enough, the sequel was packaged with the original game too.
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.
2Valkyria Chronicles 3
A Real-Time Tactical Challenge
Valkyria Chronicles 3is 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 betterValkyria Chroniclesentries. The series overall is one of those under-appreciated gems as it changed what typicalturn-based tactical RPGscould 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.
1Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3
It’s Time To Duel In The UK
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3is another curious entry of a missing title in North America. On the PSP, they received the first twoTag Forcegames, 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 receivedYu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3in 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 wasanother card RPGwithin theYu-Gi-Ohfranchise that dedicated fans have been playing for eons.
