New hardware launches bring with them a flood of new software, perfect for early adopters eager to show off their new kit. Unfortunately, this wave of titles usually overlaps with new releases from the previous generation, causing the latter to get lost in the mania typically caused by superior hardware. As the 3DS takes Nintendo's center stage and the Vita hogs Sony's portable attention, games for the original DS and PSP are still on the way -- albeit quietly.
Since it'd be a shame for some of these games to slip through the intergenerational cracks, let's take a look at some of the late-comers that may run the risk of being left behind.
Kirby: Mass Attack (DS)
Release Date: September 19
Over the last few years, developer HAL Laboratory has slowly turned Kirby from just another adorable mascot to one of its most creative test beds for innovative game play ideas. Though he's been featured in more traditional titles as well, Canvas Curse was a DS system-seller for those looking to prove the hardware's capabilities, and Epic Yarn used the Wii's (lack of) graphical prowess to push an interesting style that actually influenced the gameplay.
Mass Attack looks like a slightly more traditional platformer, but only just. You'll take up the stylus again to command ten Kirbys, ordering your pink army to attack enemies, flick them as projectiles, and collect items. Kirby games might not get much attention -- especially this late in the game -- but they're consistently solid and always creative.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP)
Release Date: September 20
The Persona series has a long history, and has already seen five main installments over the years. But Persona 2: Innocent Sin (originally released in Japan in 1999) is mostly unknown to western audiences, seeing as it never came to our shores. The game was meant to be paired with its sequel, Eternal Punishment, which Atlus localized and released in America -- but it was a bit like having peanut butter without the jelly.
Now that the PSP has transitioned into a JRPG machine in its waning years, Atlus is finally bringing Persona 2: Innocent Sin to the US. The remake promises to keep the charm of the original old-school Persona games intact, but also offers overhauled visuals, adjustable difficulty levels, and the ability to make your own quests. Eternal Punishment was praised in its day, so fans of the classic should be glad to finally complete the other half of the story.
Solatorobo (DS)
Release Date: September 27
Dogs and cats living together -- mass hysteria! Solatorobo anthropomorphizes America's two favorite house pets (sorry, fish) and paints a rich canvas for an action RPG. A long-awaited sequel to Tail Concerto, Solatorobo has been in the works for almost a decade. We even highlighted it as an import preview a while back. If you're still bummed by Capcom's unceremonious killing of Mega Man Legends 3, you can find some of the same mechanized action-RPG spirit here.
Despite its action elements, though, it's an RPG with plenty of meat on the bones, sporting a total of 80 quests altogether. Even in an overcrowded autumn marketplace, this one should keep you busy for quite a while.
Aliens: Infestation (DS)
Release Date: October 11
The Alien franchise is tailor-made for video game adaptations, but only recently has Sega started capitalizing on this property in earnest. Gearbox Software is working on Aliens: Colonial Marines for next year, but you won't have to wait that long to take down some acid-dripping space monsters; Aliens: Infestation, an original title, is being published by Sega this year.
Even if slobbering phallic monsters aren't your favorite trope, you might want to pay attention to the pedigree. Gearbox is working with WayForward, the 2D wunderkind studio that brought us revamps like A Boy and His Blob, Shantae: Risky's Revenge, BloodRayne: Betrayal, and probably most relevant to this property, Contra 4. The studio has come to be known for its great animation and tight mechanics, and we expect Aliens: Infestation to keep their reputation intact.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS)
Release Date: October 17
Our favorite proper English gentleman's final DS outing doesn't just sit in the uncomfortable crawl space between portable generations -- it also runs the risk of being upstaged by not one but two Layton games for the 3DS. With Mask of Miracle and the Phoenix Wright crossover grabbing headlines and fanboy hearts, Nintendo's long wait before even announcing Last Specter made some wonder if the game would even reach us.
It's a good thing it is. This prequel tells the story of how the Professor met his young ward, and delivers the same brain-scratching puzzles that have set our brains ablaze through three Sherlock Holmes-esque mysteries. On top of that, Japanese studio Brownie Brown created an original, lengthy RPG called "Professor Layton's London Life," which will be unlocked from the start in the game's US version.
Corpse Party (PSP)
Release Date: Fall 2011
Horror games are usually reserved for consoles, where the ambiance of a large screen and dim lighting can create some serious scares. But Corpse Party promises to cause pants-wetting horror on the small screen, which we might have doubted until we saw the genuinely disturbing trailer.
The XSEED title crosses a taboo that even most horror movies don't breach: dead children. An elementary school was closed after a series of murders, and a high school opened in its place; as one of the high school students, you find yourself trapped inside, separated by your friends, and uncovering the terrible past. The adventure game takes a focus on narrative, and offers branching paths with one true "salvation" ending. The others are a bit more grisly.
Grand Knights History (PSP)
Release Date: TBA 2011/2012
It's rare to see such slavish devotion to traditional, 2D graphics, but Vanillaware has made perfecting this seemingly lost art their trademark; from Odin Sphere to Muramasa, this relatively small developer's titles shine with an attention to detail that's rare to see in a Japanese RPG these days. Needless to say, it was slightly depressing to see Vanillaware choose the PSP as the platform for their latest game, as we're still waiting with bated breath for an English language version of Valkyria Chronicles 3. Thankfully, the benevolent people at XSEED granted Grand Knights History a stay of execution just a few days ago, meaning that the many PSP JRPG fans will have a reason to hang onto their handhelds until the Vita is populated by their genre of choice.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (DS)
Release Date: TBA 2012
"Huh? A new Devil Survivor for the DS? Didn't we just see a new one for the 3DS?" If these questions passed through your head after reading the above title and platform, don't worry; you're not going crazy. While Atlus decided to revamp the original 2009 Devil Survivor for Nintendo's newest handheld, the game's sequel will return to the original DS. It's not too much of a surprise, though; the Devil Survivor remake didn't exactly push the 3DS's hardware, and Atlus already has a pretty healthy install base with Nintendo's world-conquering dual screen device. And hey, even if you own a 3DS, there's nothing stopping you from playing yet another great Atlus strategy RPG -- unless you hate this particular type of game.
Black Rock Shooter (PSP)
Release Date: TBA 2011/2012
Just what the heck is Black Rock Shooter? A manga? An anime? A music video? Well, it's actually all of these things, but the piece of polymorphic content that's most relevant to this discussion comes in the form of a PSP game set to hit store shelves (or perhaps just PSN) in the near future. If you're not familiar with the Black Rock Shooter franchise -- and really, we don't blame you -- the newest PSP game appears to be a third-person shooter in the vein of Square-Enix's The 3rd Birthday. And just like in Aya Brea's long-awaited Parasite Eve sequel, Black Rock Shooter will also put you in direct control of a young woman in various states of undress. It's all part of a legacy that Nippon Ichi has been building for well over a decade.
Source: http://www.1up.com/features/blaze-glory-final-games-psp-ds
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