[PSP] The rich tapestry that is Iraq: recommend a gift pack

Sushi_K

So my brother got word that in a few weeks he'll be leaving his day job in the Navy to be in the Army for 294 days, including a stint in that beacon of democracy and a shining example of the brilliance of neoconservative political theory, Iraq. I figure that in addition to trying to not be blown up by irritable locals and contracting exotic diseases from sand flies, he might enjoy some personal gaming. Thus I would like some help putting together a PSP gift pack before he ships out to the big brown.

So far:
PSP 3000 core pack
Logitech PlayGear Pocket - Slim (hard case)

Thinking of:
Jeanne D'Arc
Patapon
Burnout Legends or Ridge Racer

His tastes:
Gran Turismo
Odd Japanese stuff (Taiko Drum Master, etc.)
not really into sandbox games

So any additions, changes, must have games or accessories?

Dehumanized

If he at all likes action RPGs, Crisis Core is a great choice.

Loco Roco might also be up his alley.

Unco-ordinated

Gran Turismo Portable's meant to be coming out in October but I guess that's too late to give to him.

But your suggestions sound pretty good. For racers I'd probably suggest picking between Burnout Legends and Wipeout Pulse though.

If he likes SRPG's then he can't really go wrong with any one of Jeanne d'Arc, Final Fantasy Tactics or Disgaea.

I've never played Taiko Drum Master but I'm assuming it's a music game? There's Rock Band Unplugged, which is essentially the spiritual sequel to Amplitude/Frequency on the PS2. In the same vein, there's DJ Max Fever and Beats (which is a fairly cheap PSN game that generates the tracks from mp3 files rather than having them built-in) too.

Edit: Persona would be a good pick too, though its US release is on the 22nd of September, so it's probably a bit late.

greeble

Since he liked Taiko Drum Master then think of getting him RB Unplugged. Unless he is sick of those songs already. (Shares many songs with RB1 & 2)

Opium

The PSP was made for Lumines.

It's all you really need.

UnbreakableVow

Rock Band Unplugged should keep him plenty occupied. Blow the extra $30 on the PSP 3000 kit that comes with RB Unplugged and a 4GB Memory Stick.

Also if it's possible to send him anything after he leaves, the remake of Persona 1 hits September 22.

BakerIsBored

Depending on where he is stationed in Iraq he could be in for a dusty ride. Dust (dusty sand that is) and UMD's aren't the best combo. If you can get a downloadable version of any game, I would. To bad the PSP Go isn't out yet.

The only games I have for my PSP: God of War:COO, Killzone Liberation, Metal Gear Portable Ops, Castlevania Symphony of the Night (downloaded off PSN Store)

Taranis

The SOCOM games are great for multiplayer, when I was in Iraq my platoon played the shit out of SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 2. Third party thumbsticks are nice, the nub-joystick that comes with it sucks. I can't remember, but I want to say that the PSP will only charge from a 110V outlet. The outlets in Iraq are 220V, even on the FOBs and COPs. He will need a power converter and an outlet adapter (depending on the power converter some have it built in) if I'm right. Make sure to get him a flash memory card so he can stock up on porn before he goes overseas (he might have to hide it if his unit actually checks for porn before he leaves the US, but it's small and should be easy to hide), because porn is hard to come by overseas and having it on a PSP makes it that much easier to sneak it to the porta-shitter. As for the moon dust, my PSP and games were fine so he should be good. I would advise against getting any movies for it, a portable DVD player would be more practical for movies especially since you can get dvds really cheap in the Hajj shops overseas.

I take it your brother is an EWO? If so he should be fine overseas. I'm certain they don't even leave the wire.

manji

Taranis wrote: »

Make sure to get him a flash memory card so he can stock up on porn before he goes overseas (he might have to hide it if his unit actually checks for porn before he leaves the US, but it's small and should be easy to hide), because porn is hard to come by overseas and having it on a PSP makes it that much easier to sneak it to the porta-shitter.

i was gonna suggest this :P a copy of pspvideo9 off the net will convert avi's to psp sized mp4's. you can then fill a sufficiently sized flash card with all manner of treats.

that aside i'd second crisis core or any other rpg's as they'll prove a good time sink. also tekken: dark resurrection has stacks of replay value and you can dip in and out of it as required...

Sushi_K

Thanks for the pointers, I'm pretty happy with what I've got down then. Might pass on Crisis Core as his anime tastes lean more towards post modern cyberpunk than effeminate teenagers with ridiculous swords.

I take it your brother is an EWO? If so he should be fine overseas. I'm certain they don't even leave the wire.

Avionics tech, but spent a shore duty tour as a UAV pilot. Specific nature of the IA assignment is unknown, but my guess is that he'll wind up kicking around a FOB shooting video for the snake eaters.

We've both did deployments in the region before, so the sand is nothing that we haven't seen before, but the voltages are new to me. He's taking a laptop, so that should negate and pornagraphic applications of the PSP and might be another issue for the voltages.

Rent

Don't get him a PSP Go, whatever you do- download rates over here are a bitch and a half

I'd disagree on the bolded, since downloading anything here is a bitch and a half to do. Get him a PSP that can play UMDs so he or you can send him games easily
Also, seconded on the porn thing. God I wish I brought more porn than I did

NAVY SUCKS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO ARMY :P[/spoiler

greeble

Maybe you should get a sports game or two. Sports games seems to be pretty popular on the psp so if you got him one there is a good chance that he could play vs. someone at the base. (Though I guess you might just use a regular console for that.) I dunno, perhaps someone that is stationed over there could tell you if thats a good idea. (Looks over at Rent)

maximumzero

There's no game I would say that hasn't been said, more or less, but I'd definitely recommend this:



Extended Life Battery. It almost doubles the PSP's usable battery life.

Edit: If he likes odd Japanese stuff you can't go wrong with Gitaroo Man Lives!, Loco Roco, Patapon, or Me & My Katamari.

cj iwakura

Disgaea could easily take up hours upon hours on its own. DJ MAX is also great if you like music games.


I didn't know there was a Taiko PSP game? DJ MAX Fever was localized, so there's that.

Renzo

If you can get a nice capacity memory stick to go with it and load it up with games from PSN before he leaves, that'll be ideal. Running off the memory stick extends battery life.

mere_immortal

If hes into stuff like it Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will last him for ages.

Also Patapon 2 makes me smile the entire time I'm playing it.

maximumzero

Grab him a 16GB memory stick and load it up with his favorite movies/TV shows as well.

mere_immortal

Not sure if it works/is legal without flashing but you could buy a copy of GT2 for the PS1 and rip it to an ISO.

Bartholamue

maximumzero wrote: »

There's no game I would say that hasn't been said, more or less, but I'd definitely recommend this:

img

Extended Life Battery. It almost doubles the PSP's usable battery life.

Edit: If he likes odd Japanese stuff you can't go wrong with Gitaroo Man Lives!, Loco Roco, Patapon, or Me & My Katamari.

I second this. I tested it out, and while the original 2000-3000 battery gives a 7:15 hour battery life, the one in the picture gives out a whopping 12:30 hour battery life (tested out in idling state). The battery bulges out around 5 mm, but you get used to it. Theoretically, it can get around 5-9 hours on a charge just playing a UMD/Game.

Rent

greeble wrote: »

Maybe you should get a sports game or two. Sports games seems to be pretty popular on the psp so if you got him one there is a good chance that he could play vs. someone at the base. (Though I guess you might just use a regular console for that.) I dunno, perhaps someone that is stationed over there could tell you if thats a good idea. (Looks over at Rent)

We honestly do almost exclusively console gaming over here. And the only portable gaming devices that any of my section (there's seven of us) has are DS's (three of us have them)
So, really, I'd recommend getting him a DS personally, but that's neither here nor there

Lunker

I definitely third buying an extended battery pack, but just be careful about buying cheap ones online, as they might be knockoff third-party batteries that will shit out on you quickly.

If he likes quirky Japanesey titles, Loco Roco 2 and Patapon sound like they're right up his alley. Gitaroo Man and DJ Max Portable (Korean import, but the PSP is region-free and game is in English) are also good candidates.

Jubal77

Don't forget that there is also a few old school console JRPG remakes you can get for cheap most likely. With FF1/2 and Star Ocean 1/2 being the most prominent.

cj iwakura

Lunker wrote: »

I definitely third buying an extended battery pack, but just be careful about buying cheap ones online, as they might be knockoff third-party batteries that will shit out on you quickly.

If he likes quirky Japanesey titles, Loco Roco 2 and Patapon sound like they're right up his alley. Gitaroo Man and DJ Max Portable (Korean import, but the PSP is region-free and game is in English) are also good candidates.

DJ Max Fever is probably the one to get, since it's the localized version. All the newer imports are in English(Portable 2/Clazziquai/Black Square), but Portable 1 is only in Korean. (And it's also the hardest version, strangely enough)

Kyougu

There's the Dissidia PSP pack coming out soon. I would reccomend that, as it seems like your brother's time of game.