RPGWatch Feature: The Whole Game in My Hand #5

What's going on in the RPG world for portable gaming systems? Can you get a decent role-playing experience on the go? Join Mike Anderson as he continues his monthly quest to keep you informed on the hits and misses of RPG's on the GBA, DS and PSP!
Read it all here.
More information.

The Zelda game is the only one I'm looking forward to, although it's still quite a bit away.

Awesome! I was re-reading the last one at work today (slow day ;-) ) and was thinking about enquiring about the next installment.
For me, Mr Handheld n00b, these articles are a peek into an interesting and alien RPG landscape. As enjoyable read as ever, keep it up.

Originally Posted by bjon045
The Zelda game is the only one I'm looking forward to, although it's still quite a bit away.

Early looks from Japan say it is an absolute classic!

They always say that for every new FF and Zelda game.

"If you own a DS and don't have a copy of this game yet, by the time you read this you'll likely be in the minority."

Or Irish
We are still eagerly awaiting release over here… it is due to come out at the end of next month (my daughter would be able to tell you more precisely, she's counting the days.

Thanks for yet another great article, Mike I'm playing FF III at the moment after reading your review, and am having lots of fun with it.

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
Or Irish
We are still eagerly awaiting release over here… it is due to come out at the end of next month (my daughter would be able to tell you more precisely, she's counting the days.

Yeah - managing what games come out in which countries when is a real nightmare … I forgot that Pokemon hadn't hit the EU yet. It is amazing how games like Tales of Eternia *still* haven't made it to the US a year or more later …

Nice Sartre reference, Mike.

I'm another one for whom the world of handhelds is an alien universe. I am curious as to how you can be immersed in a larger game on something that has to require such dexterity and concentration just to find! I visualize trying to play a game on something the size of my checkbook and my mind boggles. the mouse function and keyboard on a laptop are pretty challenging to me.

Hey Mike, which handheld has the best strategy/tactics games? And which has the best RPG games? I think you did an overview of each platform in your first article, but I can't find it. Thanks!

What about this Etrian Odyssey thing?

Originally Posted by Dhruin
What about this Etrian Odyssey thing?

Exactly! Mike's drooling over that is what's primarily got me interested in taking the handheld plunge at this point.

Originally Posted by Dhruin
What about this Etrian Odyssey thing?

You'll have to wait for #6 to get the full review, but suffice to say that it is one of the very best - and hardest - games I've played this year. The 'meta-score' average tells you it is 'average' at ~75. It is wrong - perhaps for the mass public, but for hardcore RPG-ers it is much better.

Originally Posted by chamr
Hey Mike, which handheld has the best strategy/tactics games? And which has the best RPG games? I think you did an overview of each platform in your first article, but I can't find it. Thanks!

Yeah, I did the initial articles over at the Dot, but those were at the end of '05 and so are quite out of date.

At that time there wasn't a whole heck of a lot, but since then there have been some decent additions. Here is a quick view:

Strategy / Tactics:
- DS: Advance Wars DS, Age of Empire: Age of Kings, Battles of Prince of Persia, Sim City DS, Mage Knight: Destiny Soldier, and others - with The Settlers, Anno 1701, Warlords, Disciples II and others on the way.
- PSP: Field Commander, LotR Tactics, Generation of Chaos I & II, and upcoming D&D Tactics on the way.
- Comments - the two best current handheld strategy games are on the DS. Field Commander is a pale rip-off of Advance Wars DS 'for grown ups', LotR Tactics is crap, and while Generation of Chaos 2 is decent, it is not in the same league as the DS games.
- Winner: DS

RPG:
- DS: Lunar Knights, Etrian Odyssey, Izuna, Final Fantasy III, Lost Magic, and the upcoming Final Fantasy XII game and Dragon Quest IX.
- PSP: Valkyrie Profile Lenneth, Dungeon Siege PSP, Gurumin, Untold Legends I & II, Legend of Heroes I, II, III. Silverfall and Final Fantasy I and II are upcoming.
- Comments - At the end of '05 I called this for the PSP. At the End of '06 I would have done the same. But with the upcoming games (FF and DQ and Heroes of Mana) and the three games mentioned - Lunar, Etrian and Izuna - the DS is now delivering truly deep and challenging games all over the map of RPG's. The PSP is largely delivering 'diablo clones' and PS2 ports.
- Winner: DS … by a tight margin.

These 'declare a winner' things are as useless as 'top 10 lists' of course, because either platform can provide more solid gaming experiences than you can play in a reasonable time! The PSP is a great system, but the developer presence is lagging significantly - the DS is now everyone's fave. In '05 everyone was thinking about the PSP ad leaving the DS for traditional GBA stuff, but it has really hit its' stride now.

Awesome! Thanks, Mike!