PSP fans know that we had a stellar 2007 in terms of game releases. It seems as though the much-lamented drought of quality titles is finally over. As we hurl kicking and screaming into 2008, the question on everyone´s mind is, can the system keep up the same pace of great releases this year? Well, if the month of January is any indication, this year is off to a quiet but promising start. As usual, game publishers rush to get their titles into stores before the big December shopping rush, leaving fewer titles for the traditionally quiet January release period. As a result, things are looking pretty slow compared to the pre-holiday season, but a handful of potential hits will be dropping onto the PSP later this month.
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law — January 8 Everyone´s favorite talking lawyer bird from the PS2 and Wii makes an appearance on the PSP. Objections? Not unless they water down the fun and humour from the console titles. Capcom could have a sleeper hit on their hands if they handle this release with style.
Flat Out: Head On — January 15 With such an aggressive title, one would expect this franchise to be making a bigger splash on the PSP. There are currently four posts about this game on the gamefaqs forums, with titles like ´lulz, whut is this game about?´ We aren´t expecting anything great from this title, either, but if the game turns out to be a surprise hit we will let you know.
Rainbow Islands: Revolution — January 22 Why anybody would want to start a violent revolution in a place named rainbow island is anybody´s guess, but this political simulator promises to blaze new ground on the PSP. Jut kidding, it´s actually a platformer featuring Bub and Bob of Bubble Bobble fame.
Bomberman Land — January 29 This time, without the ´touch´, Bomberman makes his debut on the PSP. Despite the lack of stylus controls, this might be the definitive handheld version to own, as it brings together 50 minigames, a single-player story mode and the all-important multiplayer battles we know and love. The PSP verison also supports game sharing, a feature that was made for party games like this one.
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice — January 29 The next entry in this popular first-party title from Sony promises more of the manic racing, destruction, and one-liners that made the original so much fun. Hopefully they iron out some of the annoying issues from the first game (save points, driving controls) before the game launchs at the end of the month.
