Summary
ThePSPis one of the most beloved handheld systems of all time. It was Sony’s first attempt at a portable console, and it was the first serious competition Nintendo had in the handheld market after years of dominance. While the PSP still ended up losing its battle against the Nintendo DS, it still managed to build a dedicated community, thanks to a huge software library.
The PSP has games for all tastes, including stealth games. The system was home to a new chapter in iconic franchises, some exclusive to the console. But which stealth games were the best on the PSP?
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlineswas Ubisoft’s first attempt at a true portableAssassin’s Creedgame, even if the final result doesn’t quite get there. The game takes place after the first game in the series, as players once again take on the role of Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad. Story-wise, this represents a nice continuation of Altaïr’s storyline, giving the character a little more depth,which he desperately needed.
From a gameplay perspective,this feels like a watered-down version of anAssassin’s Creedgame. It basically plays the same, but it doesn’t feel the same, as every element of the game had to be downsized to accommodate the much less powerful hardware. There are fewer options for stealth, almost no civilians on the map, and even combat feels quite lackluster. Despite all this, the game can still offer a solid experience, especially for dedicated fans of the franchise.
Tenchu: Shadow Assassinswas originally released in 2008 for the Nintendo Wii, but it received a surprisingly good port for the PSP in 2009, which is arguably the best version of the game. The game lets players take the role of Rikimaru and Ayame in 10 story missions and over 50 side-missions dubbed “assignments.” Each character has its unique strengths and weaknesses. For example, Ayame is faster than Rikimaru, but she’s also weaker, meaning that it’s harder for her to hide bodies.
Levels are also somewhat different. Rimikaru stages are more straightforward, while Ayame stages offer more chances for players to use the environment to their advantage.Compared to other entries in the series, the game has a much greater emphasis on the plot, which sees Rikimaru and Ayame investigate rumors of an imminent betrayal of Lord Gohda. While its control scheme may be less than ideal due to the PSP’s lack of a second analog stick, this is still a great choice for a stealth experience on the go.
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Opstakes place three years after the events ofMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but its place in the chronology of Metal Gear is debated. While initially conceived as a canonical entry in the series, Kojima was not involved with the game,and he does not consider it part of his canon, rather viewing it as some sort of alternative timeline.
From a gameplay perspective, the game takes heavy inspiration fromMetal Gear Solid 3, but it consists of brief missions instead of one single adventure.Another difference from the main games is that the game is based on a squad-based approach. At the start of a level, players can choose up to four characters they want to deploy into battle. Each character has its unique strengths and weaknesses, and if a character is killed in action, their death becomes permanent. However, new allies can be recruited during missions through various methods, so that players are never short of soldiers to use. While the game is far from being on the same level of quality as mainline games, both story and gameplay-wise, it is still a stellar stealth game on the PSP.
The best PSP stealth game couldn’t be anything butMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Hideo Kojima directed the game,and he initially conceived it as the fifth and final chapter in theMetal Gear Solidfranchise, before coming back to directMetal Gear Solid 5a few years later. The game continues Big Boss’s story arc as he runs the mercenary unit Militaires Sans Frontières. The game has a similar structure toPortable Ops, meaning that it’s composed of brief missions instead of a single adventure to deliver a better handheld experience. In this case, however, there’s a much greater emphasis on the plot, as each and all missions are heavy with lore details, as is to be expected in a Kojima-directed game.
The game also introduces a ranking system, which rewards players at the end of each mission based on how well they did, something that is meant to encourage replayability. Another big addition is multiplayer, as many missions allow for up to two or even four players to tackle objectives together. The game was not as successful as earlier entries in the franchise, probably due to the lower sales of the PSP, but it received universal acclaim from critics and fans,and it’s still one of the best handheld stealth games ever made to this day.
