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Holiday Gift Guide 2008 – Classics Video Games for the Sony PSP

By , About.com Guide

When it comes to playing classic video games on a handheld system the PSP is an old-school gamers dream come true. With loads of retro collections and upgrades of old-school hits, the PSP delivers it all with the highest quality possible on a high resolution screen larger than any other handheld system to date. When playing Santa this year consider these gift ideas to get your friends and loved ones hooked on the classic game collections and remakes for the PSP.

EA Replay

Packshot © Electronic Arts Inc.
With all of the Next-Gen big budget Electronic Arts sports, racing and action titles of today it’s hard to remember a time when EA was making 2D action and adventure games for classic console systems. This rarity of a collection featuring some of EA early-90s titles will get your memory jogging. While most in the group are winners there are a few stinkers in the bunch, but with the low price and titles such as Wing Commander and Mutant League Football included, you can’t go wrong with this set.
  • B.O.B.
  • Budokan
  • Desert Strike
  • Haunting Starring Polterguy
  • Jungle Strike
  • Mutant League Football
  • Road Rash
  • Road Rash II
  • Road Rash III
  • Syndicate
  • Ultima VII: The Black Gate
  • Wing Commander
  • Wing Commander: Secret Missions
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Taito Legends Power-Up

Packshot © Empire Interactive Ltd.; Taito © Taito Corporation.
Although the Taito Corporation is best known for the original Space Invaders, an arcade hit and the most popular game for the Atari 2600, they also released a boatload of terrific titles dating back to 1975. This collection puts together 21 of their top hits (although missing a few like Double Dragon and Bubble Bobble), plus four 3D remakes. The titles packed in are...
  • Space Invaders
  • Space Invaders Part 2
  • Return of the Invaders
  • New Zealand Story
  • Crazy Balloon
  • Crazy Balloon 2005 (3D Remake)
  • Chalk 'n Pop
  • Lunar Rescue
  • Phoenix
  • Balloon Bombers
  • Balloon Bomb 2005 (3D Remake)
  • Legend of Kage
  • Legend of Kage 2005
  • Alpine Ski
  • The Fairyland Story
  • Rastan Saga
  • Raimais
  • Kiki Kaikai
  • Kuri Kinton
  • Space Dungeon
  • Qix
  • Space Chaser
  • Elevator Action
  • Cameltry
  • Cameltry 2005 (3D Remake)
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Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition

Packshot © Square Enix Co., LTD.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy, Square Enix merged several previous remakes of the first FF entry into one, making it into an all new update to the game that started it all. In addition to several new dungeon adventures, the art has been giving an update, maintaining the 2D style with the high quality PSP graphics capabilities.

The other remakes come into play with the music and cinematics snagged from Final Fantasy Origins, a PlayStation One collection upgrading FF1 and 2. Additionally, the dungeon level Soul of Chaos was borrowed from the GameBoy Advance remake Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls.

Regardlesd, the story, visual style and gameplay of the original classic are fully intact and just as good as ever.

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Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition

Packshot © Square Enix Co., LTD.

Like the first FF Anniversary Edition, this remake of the second entry in the classic series was also released in celebration of the series 20th B-Day, and borrows many of its features from previous FF II remakes. With music and cineamtics from the PlayStation One remake of FF I and II in FF Origins, plus dungeon levels from GameBoy Advance revision FF I & II: Dawn of Souls.

Regardless of where it borrows from, the FF II Anniversary Edition contains numerous upgrades while keeping in line with its old-school roots. Graphics have been overhauled along with new items and "Soul of Re-Birth" an all new chapter to the game. Although there is a lot of “new” here, the core narrative, gameplay and retro 2D style are all retained from the original.

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Space Invaders Extreme

Packshot © 2008 Taito Corporation.
An update to the classic alien shooter Space Invaders takes a frenetic turn with fast paced action as you try to blast away invading alien ships and save the world. In addition to the increased speed, the aliens now invade in a variety of formations, with levels interspersed with boss battles. The look of the game has also been given an overhaul that maintains the retro feel, but also gives it a cyberpunk techno edge.
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Lemmings

Packshot © Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

One of the highest reviewed computer games of all time is back. Lemmings has been revised, remade and reimagined for just about every major desktop computer and console system since its inception for the Amiga computer in 1991; Having it now available as a remake for the PSP only makes it that much better.

While maintaining all the classic gameplay and whopping 120 levels form the original version, 36 new levels have been added as well as a “User Level” editor which allows players to create their own. To accommodate the PSP’s superior graphics quality the backgrounds have been rendered in 3D, but the gameplay itself sticks to its 2D gaming routs where players work to keep alive an army of everybody’s favorite suicidal rodents.

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