Big Names of the Small Screen - Widespread Support for PSP

Sony have defended their decision to hold back the European PSP release date until September 1. The hardware giant explained that launching the machine earlier would make it impossible for them to meet demand. That's unlikely to be of much consolation to those desperate for the machine's release, but here's a round up of some of the more interesting titles you can expect to see.

It wouldn't be a PlayStation without a Gran Turismo game. GT Mobile is Polyphony's name for their PSP version, and will be identical in pretty much every way to the gorgeous GT4.

On the subject of racing, Electronic Arts have released some screens of the upcoming Burnout Legends on PSP. The game looks pleasingly similar to Criterion's Burnout 3, which EA published last year on Xbox and PS2 to great acclaim and a long-running chart position.

A version of the Psygnosis classic Lemmings has been announced too. The puzzler, in which you guide your expendable green-haired chums across a hazardous landscape, was an instant classic in the Amiga days. We're relieved to report that the screenshots look like a stylised version of the original sprite version, rather than bearing any relation to the franchise-killing Lemmings 3D.

2D fighting fans can rejoice too, as hot on the heels of Capcom's Darkstalker Chronicles is a version of Street Fighter Alpha. The joy is further compounded by the news that VIE will be releasing a version of their beautiful GG series to the PSP in the form of Guilty Gear Judgement.

Square Enix do their best to have something for everyone. Xbox 360 gets Final Fantasy XI and the Revolution will have Crystal Chronicles. Final Fantasy VII has become a compilation project, with separate games coming to mobile phone and PS2. PSP gets its own version in the form of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Also coming to the console on UMD disc is a version of the upcoming FFVII DVD movie: FFVII: Advent Children. Advent Children was for a long time rumoured to be a playable sequel to VII, one of the most popular FF games. Instead, the CGI boffins at Squenix have turned it into a film, which takes place two years after the original PlayStation game.

Metal Gear spin-off Metal Gear Acid raised eyebrows when released recently, melding as it did the genre of turn-based strategy card games with the world of the popular stealth-em-up. It's now been announced that Metal Gear Acid 2 will appear on the PSP. Hideo Kojima has hinted at connectivity with MGS 4 on PS3.

As well as all these there's Virtua Tennis, as we've recently reported, and versions of new PS2 games such as the better-late-than-never Konami-published Ys: Ark of Napishtim and Capcom's flash looking Monster Hunter, though oddly it seems that this may not have the online mode that is the PS2 version's best feature. Capcom have also announced that Viewtiful Joe: VFX Battle is coming to PSP as well as DS. This version of the popular title will have two player vs. modes on both handhelds for the first time in the series.

Yes indeed, worry about the PSP's hefty price tag, worry about battery life, worry about the lack of emergent online support, but for heaven's sake don't worry about software: there's more great games than you'll know what to do with coming to PSP.