Pure Platinum

Five fantastic titles have just gone Platinum on PSP. These great value games set new benchmarks for the handheld in 2006.

Games that receive a Platinum release are the very best. They're re-releases of innovative, immersive games that impressed critics and game players first time around, often winning accolades and awards. In short they are often the pinnacle of game experiences on PlayStation.

When PSP released in 2005, portable entertainment entered a new era with titles that offered experiences on a par with PlayStation 2 and new offerings designed for gaming on the move. Thanks to the storage capacity of UMD, a wealth of information could be compressed into a medium suitable for a handheld console.

Like PS2 and PS one, the most stunning of these handheld games were destined to go Platinum, and the first wave included iconic titles like MediEvil: Resurrection and WipEout Pure.

Joining these are five games, originally released towards the end of last year, which showcased the PSP system's potential. Their quality and how far game design on PSP continues to evolve is evident from the offset of playing.

Killzone: Liberation
Developer Guerrilla's reinvention of Killzone on PSP as a third person action-strategy game goes beyond UMD with killzone.com offering a variety of downloadable expansions.

LocoRoco
BAFTA winning platformer LocoRoco proves simplicity and a loveable main character go a long way, with its bite sized gameplay perfect for gaming on the move.

MotoGP
Officially licensed, MotoGP is one of the finest real life racing simulations for the PSP system, supporting up to eight players in Ad Hoc Mode.

Ridge Racer 2
New circuits, cars and race modes marked a return to racing form for the classic Ridge Racer.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection
More than just a conversion of the phenomenally successful Tekken 5 on PS2, Dark Resurrection shows that PSP can pack as much punch with a beat 'em up as its older brethren.

Now at a reduced price, if you haven't already tried these games you're missing some of the best gameplay experiences on PSP.