New PSP games deliver chills, thrills
— -- Traveling over the holidays? A portable gaming system can help keep you entertained while waiting for a flight, riding on a train or passing time in the back seat of the family minivan.
While the Nintendo DS seems to get much of the attention for its wealth of family-friendly games, Sony PlayStation Portable owners will tell you they prefer the PSP's more mature thrillers, many of which offer console-like graphics.
The following are two new — and creepy — PSP adventures from Konami (www.konami.com) that deliver chills and thrills while gaming on the go. Both titles cost $29.99.
'Silent Hill Origins' (rated Mature; 8 stars out of 10)
One of the most beloved "survival horror" video games has crept its way to the PSP. Silent Hill Origins serves as a prequel to the 8-year-old franchise, where the game's protagonist, a truck driver named Travis Grady, steps into the mysterious town of Silent Hill in pursuit of a little girl wandering around the freeway.
Grady's nightmare begins after he awakens from a blackout and visits the local hospital, only to find he's been locked in and forced to ward off nightmarish creatures, struggle with disturbing hallucinations and solve puzzles to find a way out.
Played from a cinematic third-person perspective, the goal of the game is to unravel the mystery surrounding this town, figure out Grady's connection to it and leave the city limits alive.
Most of the enemies we've seen in past Silent Hill games are back in Origins, and amazingly, they look just as good — and as scary — on the PSP as they did on TV-based consoles. This includes the twisted bodies and faceless beasts that look like they've been wrapped in bloody cellophane.
Extraordinary graphics and a fantastic music soundtrack add to the immersive experience.
'Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles' (rated Teen; 8 stars out of 10)
The first Castlevania video game for the PSP is in fact three games in one: two versions of the Japanese exclusive, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for the PC and a revamped version of the celebrated Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but with new content and re-recorded voice acting.
But don't look for all three games available from the main menu: You must find special objects in the new 3-D version of Rondo of Blood to unlock the original 2-D version of the game from 1993 (but now in English) as well as the remake of Symphony of the Night.
In Rondo of Blood, you play as either Richter Belmont or Maria Renard, heroic vampire hunters determined to destroy the maniacal Count Dracula. The side-scrolling game, where you move your character from the left side of the screen to the right, has you battling demons, jumping over chasms and defeating tough "boss" characters. While the game is easy to control, the 10 stages are increasingly difficult, so expect a serious challenge.
Symphony of the Night, where you begin as Dracula's son, Alucard, improves on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 2 versions by adding Maria as a playable character (along with Richter), redoing the script and voice acting, and fixing some technical bugs found in the original game.
Fans of the Castlevania games might also be interested to know The Dracula X Chronicles features new character designs by renowned Konami artist Ayami Kojima, an optional wireless "boss mode" with another PSP gamer and the ability to mix and match music soundtracks from the various games.
Contact Saltzman at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.