And Finally... Thunder Force V!

Ever since playing Thunder Force III and IV on the Sega Mega Drive back in the early to mid-’90s, I've been looking for Thunder Force V. I even mentioned in an article way back on this very blog in 2016 (London Gaming Market Hits the Spot) that this game was my white whale.

Well, I never did find it in the wild, as it was never released in Europe at all. However, after all this time, I finally got a chance to play it—sort of. This was on my cousin's PSP mind you (through various mods and suchlike) but I'm glad to have finally played it. So, how is it? Well, it's different, that's for sure. The PS1 polygonal graphics have stood the test of time well enough—at least for those of us who remember them from back in the day, though they're certainly an acquired taste for modern audiences—but the music is as banging as ever.

I'm slowly working my way through it now, but it’s proper challenging—let's just say my reaction times aren't quite what they used to be! It took me a good while to get back into the shmup groove, but once I started to memorise enemy patterns and push my reflexes as far as they’d go, the game sang. I haven’t completed the game yet but so far it doesn’t seem as good as III or IV in my opinion, mostly due to the enemies and backgrounds clashing a lot—especially with enemies flying from the background into the foreground—but there is a real thrill in playing something so delightfully old-school that isn’t a bullet-hell (a sub-genre I do love, but not in quite the same way).

Having recently finished Astro Bot, I know that its final stage featured a homage to the TF5 soundtrack. I've not got there yet, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm sure hearing it in context within the actual game will be a total blast, and once I've finished the game, I'll share my full thoughts.

LINK- Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World- Book Review (and Personal Reflections)

LINK- Looking Back at the Switch

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK- Utopia for Realists- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’

LINK- Elden Ring- Videogames As Art

21 Years of the PSP - A Retrospective

As the Sony PlayStation Portable turns twenty-one this year, I thought it would be an opportune time to reflect on the device that shifted portable gaming expectations. In an era where handhelds were largely defined by Nintendo’s utilitarian aesthetics, the PSP arrived as a sleek, sophisticated monolith. It promised a semi-PS2 visual experience in the palm of your hand and fundamentally altered our expectations of what mobile technology could achieve—four years before the iPhone and App Store released and changed everything.

I remember the impact of seeing a friend’s unit for the first time; a relative had given him an imported model brought over from America. Back then, handling an imported console felt like dealing with a rare artifact from the future—it just didn't happen, until it did. Holding the device, the contrast against the original, utilitarian Nintendo DS (which was frankly ugly until the refreshed Lite arrived a couple of years later) was stark. The PSP boasted a premium black shell that exuded luxury and a widescreen display that, to our eyes, appeared to be high-definition LCD perfection. It was a device that demanded to be taken seriously and left me blown away.

This impression was immediately cemented by its launch software: Ridge Racer! This was not merely a racing game; it was a statement of intent, running with a fluidity and visual fidelity that had previously been restricted to living room televisions. The system’s library quickly expanded to include technical marvels that defined the generation. Wipeout Pure demonstrated the hardware's capacity for futuristic speed and style, while Lumines offered a mesmerizing fusion of light and sound. Franchises like God of War and Syphon Filter successfully translated complex, cinematic gameplay to a portable format, and Final Fantasy: Crisis Core delivered a narrative and visual depth that remains impressive to this day. Meanwhile, original titles like LocoRoco and Patapon proved that the system could produce unique and quirky ideas to rival Nintendo.

However, the legacy of the PSP is also complicated by rampant piracy and the innovative modding scene. With the assistance of a tech-savvy cousin, my PSP was transformed from a locked ecosystem into a gateway for international gaming. This allowed me to play unreleased titles and fan-subbed Japanese imports, bridging the cultural gap and preserving games that might otherwise have been lost to me and others here in the West.

The system also became a haven for retro gaming collections—it was where I first really played many of the Gradius titles via the Gradius Collection. Later in its life, it engaged with Minis like Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies, effectively bridging the gap to the modern smartphone era.

Some of my favourites on the system include: Jeanne D'Arc, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Shadow of Memories, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, Burnout Legends and The 3rd Birthday.

It speaks to the enduring quality of the hardware that these devices are still in operation today—even if the UMD casings are crumbling apart and the UMD movie library is remembered as quirky and pretty awful (Viva La Bam or a couple of episodes of Lost, anyone?).

While the PSP is sometimes looked at as a folly or failure, I feel this is a massive mischaracterization. It was up against the DS, which sold at a much cheaper price point and targeted a casual, family-wide demographic. The PSP sold an impressive 80 million units; a testament to its massive appeal and commercial success.

I loved the PSP because it was a pioneer—a brave attempt to bring high-fidelity multimedia to the pocket. At twenty-one years old, it deserves to be celebrated as a triumphant piece of gaming history.

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review

LINK- Inspector Gadget Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

Keeper of Classic Gaming

As a teacher and a parent many feel that it is my role to impart my knowledge and wisdom to the younger generation. However I got to a-thinking, apart from being older than those I teach what gives me the right to feel that what I say is correct or the choices I present are the correct ones for my wards? Rather shouldn't I help to educate the children so that they can make informed choices independently? These are profound questions which came from a very 'unprofound' place; gaming. What games should I introduce to my nephew as he gained an interest in gaming? My brother asked me to introduce his son to gaming as he had shown a keen interest in the PSP he had been playing.

Now being the Keeper of the Gateway to Classic Gaming, who am I to decide what games he should play? Of course I want him to experience stone-cold classics like Pacman, Sonic and Super Mario Bros. but maybe he should have a chance to experience gaming organically. This could include 'bad' games, like Dragons Lair on the NES or ET on the Atari.

In my formative years I played lots of 'bad' games but isn't taste objective? One only has to look online to find difference of opinion on just about anything. A prime example would be Deadly Premonition, I absolutely loved this game and in my opinion it was one of the best games of the last generation however in much of the gaming media the game was slated for being shonky and awkward. It was one of the most divisive games of the last generation garnering 10/10 on Destructoid whilst also gaining 2/10 on IGN.

Children are explorers, they like to find things out for themselves and decide what they like and don't like. I am not the Keeper of the Gateway of Classic Gaming, rather I am an observer and adviser. If the children ask me what games to play I can advise but I should not impose my tastes on them... let them explore and find their own interests organically.