Games
| Games, of course, are the reason electronics exist. This section lists a few of my favorite homebrew titles, two of which require Lua Player (covered earlier in this chapter). PSPoolDownload here: http://dl.qj.net/PSP/catid/106 What it is: A nifty 2D pocket-billiards game Brought to you by: Gerrit Jahn; ported to the PSP by BlackPhoenix Pool is an institution. If you don't believe me, go rent The Hustler (which, next to Cool Hand Luke, might be the finest of Paul Newman's films). Then load up this homebrew game and experience the sensation of pool on your PSP. PSPool (Figure 14.8) is a port of the popular game Another Pool, which has made its rounds through the PC freeware community. Figure 14.8. Play pool on the PSP without going to those nasty, smoky pool halls.
The physics are spot-on in this little pool sim. You can play against another human, or you can activate a computer opponent by pressing the right trigger. Use the analog stick to aim your shot; set the power of the shot (how hard you bang the cue ball) by holding the square button and pressing the up or down button; and fire off a shot with the circle button. PSPool presents a classic game of 8-ball, with solids and stripes represented by yellow and red balls. The 8 ball is black. If you don't know the rules of 8-ball, you can get an idea here: www.easypooltutor.com/article98.html. Casino AddictDownload here: www.globware.com/psphomebrew_casinoaddict.php What it is: A simulation of several casino games Brought to you by: GlobWare Casino Addict (Figure 14.9) lets you play a bunch of games you normally can't play in real life without going to Vegas (or at least the nearest Native American reservation). Small and simple, it loads up in a split second and uses an intuitive interface to let you blow virtual chips. Figure 14.9. Gamble without going broke with Casino Addict.
You start with a whopping five grand worth of chips, and you lose it all quickly playing poker, blackjack, roulette, or something called Red Dog that I'd never heard of until I played Casino Addict. I lost about 2,500 virtual bucks trying to figure out how to play it. Although Casino Addict doesn't supply rules for its games, it does give you the list of commands at all times on the right side of the screen, so there's no need to learn an interface. I can't vouch for its fairness, but the game does appear to use standard decks. It also lets you save your progress, so if you're on a run and about to bankrupt the casino when your wife calls you for dinner, you can pick up later where you left off. NetHackPSPDownload here: http://virtuamunstaz.de/nh What it is: A classic role-playing dungeon-crawler ported to the PSP Brought to you by: VirtuaMUnstaz and many others Message boards contain posts from people who have stated that they would buy a PSP just to play NetHack on it. One of the most complicated games to control in the entire universe, NetHack (Figure 14.10) has indeed been ported to the PSP as homebrew. Figure 14.10. The legendary freeware game NetHack has made it to the PSP.
To the nonindoctrinated, NetHack is a dungeon-crawling game reminiscent of the classic pen-and-paper-and-weird-dice game Dungeons & Dragons. The number of commands that are used to control this game is stunning; you can pick up stuff, drop stuff, wield weapons, wear clothing, quaff potions ... and the list goes on and on. I'll be frank: The interface is ridiculously muddled, but NetHack fans don't care.
The thing about NetHack is that gradually, you will learn how to play it, and then you'll get hookedand then it'll be the only thing you ever play on your PSP. This game is that good. The character-creation routine alone is long and enveloping. When you get into the dungeon and start finding loot and kicking monster butt, there's just no turning back. 2D Paintball (Lua)Download here: www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=22894 What it is: A top-down paintball game Brought to you by: Mr. Game It's simple and fun: 2D Paintball (Figure 14.11) is a rare two-player hotseat game (meaning that multiple players play on the same screen) for the PSP. One player uses the directional buttons on the left side of the PSP to move his little paintball warriors around the screen, while the other uses the buttons on the right side of the PSP for the same purpose. Players can fire with the trigger nearest them. Figure 14.11. Paintball comes to the PSP in the form of a Lua game.
You'll need Lua Player (discussed earlier in this chapter) to play this little ditty of a game. Navigate the maze of obstacles, and fire away! Each hit scores 2 points in this version of the game, and the goal is to get to 10 hits. When a winner is declared, pressing the Select button returns the PSP to the Lua Player front end. Lua Air HockeyDownload here: http://dl.qj.net/PSP/catid/106 What it is: Pong on an air-hockey table Brought to you by: Xodiac21 and Vanden9 A simple Pong-type game, Lua Air Hockey (Figure 14.12) doesn't even come with a readme file, as it's amazingly simple to control. Another hotseat game, it challenges two players to keep the ball in play. The up and down directional buttons control the paddle on the left; the triangle and X buttons control the opposite paddle. Figure 14.12. Play a Pong-style game on an air-hockey table with this simple Lua game.
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