Top 5 PSP RPG titles

After owning a Playstation Portable for several months and buying dozens of games, I've finally decided on my top 5 favorite RPGs. Surprisingly, there's a huge market for roleplaying games on the PSP. I find countless new titles every time I go game shopping.

This list is by no means definitive, it is merely my favorite RPGs on the PSP. If you don't like it, just remember that. If you have any suggestions for games I should include, comment away! 

Top 5 PSP RPG titles:

1- Final Fantasy: Crisis Core

I don't like that Crisis Core is the best RPG on the PSP. Because it's a dying franchise, and it's really 'mainstream' to put a Final Fantasy at the top of the list. However, it's easily the best game on the PSP. The graphics are top notch, the combat is brilliant, and it's got hours of content. It is a healthy prequel to Final Fantasy 7, that anyone can enjoy. Even though I didn't want to put this at number 1, there's no doubt in my eyes that it deserves the spot.

2- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable

When I came across Persona 3 sitting lonely on a shelf, I bought it without a second thought. It was a brilliant game for the PSX, and it's even better on a handheld. It's got a great story, that can't be fully experienced in a single playthrough. The combat is challenging, demanding that you climb up over 200 floors of enemies in under a year. Persona 3 Portable is basically tied with Crisis Core for first place.

3- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Birth By Sleep is the best handheld Kingdom Hearts game. It has addictive and layered combat, a brilliant plot, and 3 separate characters to play the story with. The only shortcoming this game has is that it's too short. That and the Disney part, which I'm okay with. Even if you know nothing about the Kingdom Hearts universe, this game is still worth playing.

4- Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

I hated this game at first. It was overly complicated, without much explanation. 5 hours later, I was balls deep in dungeons, recruiting new characters and perfecting them before I could toss them up to Valhalla. Although it has a patchy plot and is difficult to pick up, Valkyrie Profile is yet another game from the PSX that made a wonderful transition onto handheld.

5- Star Ocean: First Departure

I've always liked the Star Ocean games, they've been a solid RPG over the years with less appreciation than deserved in the west. First Departure brings some of that old school spice onto the PSP. The combat is a little basic, but the story and the characters are amazing. You can't recruit every character in one playthrough, and there's loads of side content to complete. I really loved grinding on this one.

If you're looking for PSP games, this list might help you. The PSP almost has more RPG titles than I can buy, but I will keep on purchasing the ones that I can. Feel free to comment if you have an opinion on your favorite PSP games!

Birth by Sleep: Mirage Arena help

Olympus Colosseum has always featured in Kingdom Hearts games with numerous rounds. On the PSP however, the gladiatorial foray has evolved into the Mirage Arena. You can fight huge amounts of Unversed in one battle, followed by a boss. On the first three difficulties it's very easy to complete Birth by Sleep, with the occasional death. However, once you get to Proud mode that game over screen you see once in a while can be a frequent problem.

The arena has quite a wacky environment.

After farming the Mirage Arena on Ventus, Aqua and Terra, I thought I would leave a list of hints and tips for anyone who is struggling to complete all the rounds. Some of the bosses are extremely potent, and you need to utilize every tool in your arsenal to beat them all. So for anyone having trouble with the Mirage Arena, have a read through here and see if you learn anything.

If you can grab a couple of friends to play with it's easy to complete the Mirage Arena.

Mirage Arena: Hints and Tips

- Remember that you can't pause the game during rounds, so get comfortable or abuse the home button.
- Always have at least one Cure spell in your deck. Install more cures as you need them, sometimes when I am taking a lot of damage I will use up to three.
- Shotlock commands are your most powerful weapon. They grant you invulnerability, can buy you time, and put out a fair amount of damage. Master them all, and pick the one you find most useful. I personally like Flame Salvo or Bio Barrage. Remember to get maximum locks for maximum damage.
- When you are outnumbered in the early rounds, play very cautiously against enemies that can combo you to death. Sometimes if you're not careful all it takes is for one Unversed to land one attack and then the rest will keep hitting you before you can recover. Thin out their numbers before throwing yourself in there.
- Find a good deck balance that works for both taking down hordes of Unversed and bosses. It's generally good to pack a couple of long range Blizzard or Fire spells to hit enemies from a distance.
- AOE spells are useful for crowds of enemies, but they can't always hit at distance.
- The dodge ability should be used all the time. It's the same speed as running and can evade nearly all incoming damage. Block doesn't always work against heavier attacks, so don't rely on it in challenging situations.
- Mobility is your biggest advantage. You can avoid attacks until your hearts content. Try dodge rolling, attacking from the air, and using abilities from a distance. Fighting cautiously will always mitigate more damage than being offensive.
- Every enemy and boss has a rotation and attack style. If you learn how they function and what their dangerous moves are you won't get caught by them. Learn to abuse the weaknesses.
- Bosses on Proud mode are not a pushover. If you run at them swinging blindly you will die. Learn to dodge their devastating attacks first, and once you can survive the burst; try to start fitting your own damage in.
-  When in a precarious position and you haven't got any health left; it's always acceptable to dodge and evade until your Cure spell is off cooldown. Don't screw around on less than half health, it gets me killed more than I'd like to admit. Patience is also an important skill to winning.
- Your finishing move can be either a destructive force or a liability. Pick the right one, it's something you can activate frequently.
- D-Links cannot be used in the Mirage Arena, so don't rely on them.
- If you're stuck on the tournaments you currently have and cannot progress further, buy some tickets to the other Arenas. You can often pick up some extra money and Arena levels. The Arena shop also has various useful abilities for you to buy.
- Mirage Arena is fantastic for mastering abilities. Take a full deck of unleveled spells with you for a match and come out with them ready to meld. It's one of the faster ways to experiment, so don't worry about losing just try new skillsets.
- Farm the easier missions if you're having too much trouble. It's also advisable to go and complete the story for a new keyblade or bonus once in a while.

If you are having trouble with the Mirage Arena, I hope this guide helps you. I don't think many people should struggle with Birth by Sleep at all until you set it to the hardest difficulty, Proud mode. If you're getting frustrated try to incorporate the information in this guide to cement your strategy. Or take a short break and come back refreshed and ready to take on the challenge. Good luck, fellow arena goers!

Birth by Sleep review

Check out the top 5 PSP RPG titles here!

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by sleep

Kingdom Hearts has always been a questionable franchise at first sight. Final Fantasy meets Disney? Isn't that a rather awkward and strange match up? You'd think so, until you got your hands on a copy and realize it's a masterpiece. Square-Enix have developed a unique and wildly addictive combat system that fused action into the genre. It pushed the RPG industry into a new intuitive and more engaging era.

Terra and Aqua.

Genre: JRPG
Release Date: 9th January, 2010
Platforms: PSP
Score: 8/10
Similar Titles: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Dissidia
Worth Playing: Birth by sleep was very fun, the story was pretty memorable and the combat was excellent.