APE ESCAPE

Sony CEA • March 2005

Netting wild monkeys never gets old, but Escape’s time-tested gameplay will likely suffer a bit due to the lack of two analog sticks. Fans can also look forward to a second Ape title—a collection of monkey minigames.

TALES OF ETERNIA

Namco • March 2005

This epic RPG actually came out for PS1 under the title Tales of Destiny II, but hardly anybody noticed. Hopefully it will find a new audience in this expanded portable form.

DYNASTY WARRIORS

Koei • March 2005

Thwacking legions of burly Chinese warlords works well on a small screen, but we wish Koei hadn’t decided to use a third of the screen for a map. What is this, the Nintendo DS?

HOT SHOTS

GOLF PORTABLE

Sony CEA • March 2005

Sony’s cute and quirky golf romp simply belongs on the PSP—crisp visuals, zany character customization, and pick-up-and-play network multiplayer over Wi-Fi should make it a winner.

NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND: RIVALS

EA Games • March 2005

All the tricked-out, lowered, and neoned rides from EA’s blockbuster console series transition nicely onto the PSP screen, though it didn’t run quite as smoothly as Ridge Racer....

GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX

Sony CEA • March 2005

Sultry cinematic cyborg Major Kusanagi jumps back into action in this first-person shooter based on the hit anime series. Expect action more akin to that in the older PS1 Shell title than in the ho-hum PS2 job.

WHY IT’S HOT:

• Some games look graphically amazing

• Huge, high-resolution screen

• Several games already use Wi-Fi network play

• Promise of massive future third-party support

WHY IT’S NOT:

• Some games look like butt

• Analog stick takes some getting used to

• Too few must-have titles shown

• Where are the Square Enix games?

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.