All About PSP Gaming


With the exception of stuff you download to your computer and transfer to your PSP via a USB cable, games (Figure 4.1) come on Universal Media Discs (UMDs). UMDs, in turn, come in nice plastic casesminiature versions of typical DVD or console game caseswith enclosed instruction booklets.

Figure 4.1. A shot of the puzzle game Lumines at its finest. Gaming is what it's all about!


I'm not going to tell you to read the instructions. You already know that you probably should, and I'm sure you will if you run into a problem or can't figure out how to do something in a game that you really want to do. I won't even say that you'll probably get a lot more out of your games if you read the manuals. You'll figure that out yourself.


Each game will require memory space on a Memory Stick Duo for profiles and for game saves. You can manage your stored files through the PSP's menu interface and often through the games themselves. I'll give you some hints about that in "Memory management" later in this chapter. First, let's talk about the most basic part of PSP gaming: buying games!

How to Get Games

Back in the olden days, when I discovered video gaming on an Atari 2600, consoles came with a game or twonot in bundles in which the games actually raise the cost, as consoles are sold today. My Atari 2600 came with Combat, a 2D tank simulator in which you moved a little squiggly tank about the screen and tried to shoot someone else's little squiggly tank. It was multiplayer gaming at its finest.

Your PSP probably didn't come with any games, so you were likely to buy some. Because games for any console are so expensive, I've become an expert at getting the most gaming for my money, so allow me to share some of my experience with you.

Primarily, the trick is to shop around. As a rule, I don't even bother with stores that always sell at retail prices or that feature cashiers who tend to babble to each customer for 10 minutes about discount clubs, magazine subscriptions, extended warranties, trade-ins, the girl who works at the coffee shop in the food court, and so on. I prefer shopping at discount stores; more frequently, I take my business online.

If you do shop online, be sure to weigh the cost of shipping and tax (if included) at an online store against the cost of tax and gas at a physical location. Some online shops, such as Amazon.com, offer free shipping if your order totals over a certain price. Beware of online shops that charge an inexcusable amount of money for shipping, and if a Web site makes you place your order before you find out the shipping rate, bail out; don't shop there.


To save on shipping, save up your dough and order several games at the same time, rather than placing more frequent orders for single games one at a time.


Don't be afraid to buy used games. Most stores offer guarantees that they'll work, and many make an effort to include the manual if at all possible. While you're at it, check out the bargain bins; you can nab great titles from months gone by for terrific prices.

The Rental Option

Another nifty way to get games is to rent them. Hit the local video rental shop, and see whether it carries PSP titles. If not, look for online rental boutiques. Usually, these stores require you to set up an account and pay a monthly fee. In return, you can rent a certain number of games for as long as you like, and when you return a game, the stores send the next one from a queue you maintain at their sites. GameFly.com and RedOctane.com are two sites that offer such services.


Beware when shopping online. Just as cities have seedy areas, the Web is full of less-than-trustworthy merchants. You might consider shopping only at established and trusted merchants, such as the afore-mentioned Amazon.com, Buy.com, GoGamer.com, and EBGames.com. If you manage to find an Internet store that's selling merchandise ridiculously cheaper than everyone else, be wary. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.


Finally, to ensure that you spend money only on games you'll probably like, do a bit of research before you buy. Read reviews of games at sites like GameSpy.com and 1UP.com, and check user reviews at online shops. If critics give a game an average score of 4 out of 10, and users average around 2 stars, chances are that you're going to hate it just as much as everyone else does. On the other hand, you might consider checking out a game that's highly regarded across the board even if it wasn't on your radar to begin with. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Memory Management

Your PSP may have come with a Memory Stick Duo. If not, you need one. The vast majority of games require a certain amount of memory for profiles (Figure 4.2), game saves, or both. Whether you score a modest 32 MB stick or go all out and get a cavernous 2 GB beast, you just can't do without it. The PSP doesn't have a hard drive or any other form of permanent storage of its own.

Figure 4.2. Creating a game profile is a common game requirement, as shown for MLB '06: The Show.


I know of two common strategies for memory management. A few people to whom I've spoken have several smaller Memory Stick Duos and some for gaming, some for homebrew, some for photos, and so on. That, to me, is a big fat pain in the wazoo; I take the scattergun approach and use one great big stick for everything. I keep it in my PSP pretty much all the time (Figure 4.3). It gives me plenty of room for game data, music, and everything else I carry around with me.

Figure 4.3. I keep a 2 GB Memory Stick Duo loaded in my PSP at all times.


Back Up Your Game Data

If you love your games, save them. Despite the best efforts of everyone who makes Memory Stick Duos, the little parts sometimes fail, and you can lose every bit (literally!) of saved data on one. To prevent the tragic loss of all your progress in your games, back up your game data on a regular basis.

Backing up is simple. Connect your PSP to a computer via a USB cable; create a folder on the computer in a location of your choice; and copy everything from the Memory Stick Duo into that folder. That's it. With two copies of your game data (one on the Memory Stick Duo and one on your computer's hard drive), you're prepared for a device failure: If you lose one copy, you've got another.

If you're unsure how to make a backup on a Windows computer, just follow these steps:

1.

Connect the PSP to a computer with the USB cable, and navigate to the computer-connection menu option on the PSP.

I talked about this topic in Chapter 2.

2.

On the computer, open My Computer.

3.

Double-click the C drive (or the hard drive of your choice).

4.

Navigate through the folder system to wherever you'd like to drop a PSP backup folder.

If you're not sure, stay in the root directory: the main C (or whatever letter) folder.

5.

Right-click the folder and choose New > Folder from the context menu.

6.

Name the folder something easy to remember, such as PSP_Backup.

7.

Double-click the new folder.

8.

Open another instance of My Computer, and double-click the removable drive that represents your PSP.

9.

Click somewhere in the PSP's root directory.

10.

Press Ctrl+A, which is a quick way to select everything in a folder.

11.

Drag the folder out of that window and into the window of the folder you created in step 5.

12.

Press the Home button on the PSP, and tell it that you want to disconnect it from the computer.

13.

Unplug the USB cable.

14.

Congratulate yourself on a job well done by playing a round of Daxter.


Typically, there is no ... well, typical size for game saves and profiles. Many games offer the opportunity to create several profiles or multiple game saves. Some saves and profiles eat up just 256 KB or so; others demand a megabyte or more. Thus, if you have a whole bunch of games and a smallish Memory Stick Duo, you may discover the limits of your storage capacity. Unless you want to shuffle data frequently from the Memory Stick to a computer hard drive and back, get a bigger card.

If you buy a new Memory Stick Duo and want to plop all the data from the old one onto the new one, first back the old one up as instructed in the sidebar "Back Up Your Game Data." Turn the PSP off; pop the old Memory Stick out; put the new one in; connect it to the PC; and drag all the stuff from the backup folder into the PSP folder. Simple, eh?


Several PC-based homebrew applications for the PSP take care of file transfers for you automatically. See Chapter 14 for details.


Hints on Game Controls

When you boil it down (not that I suggest boiling your PSP, but if you do, add a splash of olive oil to the water), playing games is a matter of pushing little buttons and moving the analog controller. That would be pretty boring if the PSP were turned off, but when it's on, the other half of the gaming equation kicks in: interacting with and reacting to the stuff that's happening on the display.

Various genres of games have somewhat similar sets of controls. The vast majority of shooters have similar conventions, for example, whereas most racing games have their own methods of control.

I realize what I just said, but don't assume when you pop in a brand-new game that it's controlled exactly like another game of the same genre that you've played. Once again, I'm not going to tell you to read the manual, but at least open the booklet and take a look at the control layout.


Examples of Genres and their Conventions

Let's take a look at the very genres I've just mentioned and their typical controls. Breaking down virtually every genre would be silly; you'll get the idea.

Driving Games

Like most games of its type, Pursuit Force (Figure 4.4) assigns the analog stick to steer the car. You can also use the left and right directional buttons, if you want. The X button accelerates, and the square button controls the brakes.

Figure 4.4. Pursuit Force is an action driving game. Although you do some shooting, much of the game involves speeding down freeways and alleys.


Also like most games, Pursuit Force has conventions of its very own. You can shoot at other vehicles while driving by selecting a target with the left trigger and firing with the right; the circle button allows you to get all action-movie and jump onto another car. There's a whole set of controls to use when you're on foot, too.

Shooters

In the third-person shooter SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo (Figure 4.5), you're on foot and well armed. You move around with the analog stick, turning by moving it left or right. If you hold down the left trigger, you'll sidestep with the analog stick rather than turn, but you can still move forward and backward normally. The right trigger locks onto a target, and the X button fires your weaponry.

Figure 4.5. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo pits you and thousands of rounds of ammunition against unfortunate terrorists.


There are also ways to switch weapons, assign orders to your partner, and perform other duties, but these basics apply to a great many shooters.

This is by no means a bible; sometimes, the X button in a third-person action game makes your character jump; sometimes, the triggers rotate the camera. It depends on the whims of the developers of the game you're playing.


About the Analog Controller

Lots of people have complained about the responsiveness and physical/tactile feel of the analog controller.

Believe it or not, if you can get your fingernails underneath that thing, you can pop the nub right off without breaking it. You can even buy replacements for it at various retailers that will fit right into place; some have improved grips and are larger than the default nub.

I don't mind the controller that comes with the PSP, but if you don't like it, you can "mod" it in a couple of ways. Be aware that you can also ruin it, so don't mess around with it unless you really can't stand it and are desperate for a change.

Remove the nub from your PSP by lifting it straight upward before you start.

I've read that some people use rubberized tape to improve the grip. Simply grab a roll of such tape, cut off a little square, and stick it to the controller nub. Then flip the nub over and, with a very sharp knife, cut the excess tape off around the edge of the nub. Press the nub back into place, and presto: You've got a new surface on your controller.

If you're really adventurous and good with caulk, buy a tube of rubber caulk (I wouldn't bother with the latex stuff), and apply a small dab to the PSP analog controller nub. Make sure that all the caulk is on top of the nub and doesn't goop over the side. You need only the smallest bitthe size of a spring raindrop, and no more. If you want to shape it with a little indentation, gently press your finger into the center of the drop before it sets. Then let it set overnight. With a sharp knife, cut away any caulk that flowed past the edges. Make sure that there's no caulk on the bottom of the nub, and replace it. Voilàyou have a soft rubber grip on your analog controller!





Secrets of the PlayStation Portable
Secrets of the PlayStation Portable
ISBN: 0321464362
EAN: 2147483647
Year: N/A
Pages: 95
Authors: Joel Durham

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