Summary
Throughout gaming, handheld consoles have been home to some of gaming’s biggest titles and sleeper hits. They’ve also been home to a host of console ports of games that weresuccessful on their native system. These ports often range in quality, depending on how much effort the developer working on it put in.
When a port worked, though, itreallyworked, often showing that it was indeed possible to pack a home gaming experience into a little box with a screen that players could take on the go. It also worked to show the validity of these little systems, proving that they were worthy of player’s time and money.
Max Payneis an iconic 3rd person shooter that pioneered the use of bullet time in video games. The game follows Max’s life after his wife and child are murdered. Max is later framed for a crimehe didn’t commitand turns to a life of vigilantism out of necessity.
The GBA version of this game was special, shifting the perspective to an isometric one. It retained the monologue-driven cutscenes and overall style that made the PS2 version so distinct. In doing so, the mature story that was such a draw to the game originally was able to stick around.
Skating games have always been about making the player feel cool by allowing them to pull off some incredible stunts that they otherwisewouldn’t dream of. The typical behind-the-back camera angle does a great job of emphasizing this by placing the player as close to the action as possible.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2’s release on the GBA managed to keep this feeling, even after pulling the camera above the player’s head, as well as keep a lot of the depth in each stage. While it couldn’t keep the great licensed music from its console version due to the handheld’s limitations, it still managed to keep that punk feel that the games are known for.
The debate between 3D and 2D Sonicis a constant one, as the series has put out hits and duds in both styles. For a moment, however, the debate was decided, asSonic Colorsmade its appearance on the Nintendo DS. Yes, the Wii version featured a lot of 2D stages itself, but it wasn’t nearly to the same extent as the handheld version.
The two screens on the DS are put to work as players bounce between them throughout a given stage. There are also some exclusive bosses, wisps, and side quests in the DS version.
Personagames are well known for having multiple versions of their titles. ButPersona 3 Portablewas probably the one with the most drastic changes between the handheld and base versions. Most notably, players can choose to play the entire game as a newlyadded female protagonist, with access to some additional social links.
The game also allows the control of all party members during combat, something that has proven a vital game changer in following mainlinePersonaentries. While things like the FES edition’s epilogue, as well as the fully animated cutscenes are all missing, it remains a worthwhile port for the strides it did make.
For a lot of franchises, the move on the PSP was to create entirely new games that, in many cases, were good enough to induce the feeling of needing Sony’s handheld. But the release ofSid Meier’s Pirates!told a different story. It stayed relatively the same as the PC and Xbox versions, just with some UI changes.
Pirates!has players step into the swash-buckling britches of a rogue sailing the Caribbean insearch of fame and fortune. While the gameplay is inherently pretty disjointed, there’s a lot of it, making it a marvel that it works so well on a handheld console.
Re-releasing games that originated on previous-gen hardware makes sense as a way to extend the life of a game and keep it relevant for future gamers to whom it might appeal. If the game makes the jump to a new console nearly flawlessly, likeFinal Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, it’s just icing on the cake.
War of the Lionsadds some new battle scenarios, cutscenes, and characters. It also reworks some of the script to update thedialogue for the modern day, which is something that most fans could take or leave. Regardless, it’s essentially the same critically applauded tactics game that fans love.
The Game Boy Advance was one of the first handhelds to essentially pack the entire power of the previous generation into a portable machine. Nintendo proved the concept with the port ofA Link to the Past, one of the most beloved games in the franchise.
The sights and sounds ofA Link to the Pastare everlasting, from the views of Kakariko Village to the sounds of the rats in the palace dungeons. Every inch of this game is delivered faithfully through theGBA’s screen and speakers.
