Top 5 most anticipated PSP games for 2011

Okay, okay. Sorry. We might have been a tad hyperbolic in our Best PSP games of 2010 feature, when we described the PSP as “on its way out” and “on its last legs”.

It might be slipping into a comatose state while we eagerly anticipate the formal announcement of the PSP 2, but it’s still got some life left in it.

Thanks to publishing powerhouses like Square Enix and Sega, developers are making sure that the little handheld goes out with a bang rather than a whimper. Check out five hotly anticipated games that are going to make the PSP’s last year a year to remember.

Finally, the game to answer our schoolyard brawls over who would win in a fight: Final Fantasy 12’s fancy nancy androgynous blondie Vaan, or Final Fantasy 7’s busty boob-tubed knuckle duster Tifa Lockhart.

Following on from the addictive, satisfying tussles of the first Dissidia game, the unfortunately named 012 Duodecim sequel lets you pit enemies and heroes alike of Square’s illustrious Final Fantasy franchise in one-on-one fist (and sword and magic and gun) fights to the death.

Instead of Dissidia’s simplistic, chess-like map, 012 Dodecahedron's single-player campaign takes you through an RPG-style story mode, actually letting you explore 3D worlds with two other fantasy pugilists in tow. There are also shops, non-player characters to natter to and plenty of different areas to visit.

Right now, Square’s got 012 DoodleJump lined up for a vague spring 2011 release, and five brawlers have been announced: Kain Highwind, Tifa, VIII’s Laguna, Vaan and new chick on the block, Lightning, from the recently released Final Fantasy XIII.

It’s been a long time coming but the third instalment in Square Enix’s popular franchise, Parasite Eve, is nearly here. 11 years since the last game graced our PlayStations, it’s time for series protagonist Aya to save the world, while wearing a skimpy little number, once again.

The crux of this over-the-shoulder shooter is the ability to leap into the bones of other characters, using Aya’s special Overdrive ability. This way, you can pop in to a team member’s body, or even have a stint inside one your twisted tentacled enemies to find out how they tick.

And listen up, boys, if you want to see some digital skin this is one PSP game you don’t want to miss. Not only does Aya get a steamy shower scene (because fans demanded it, apparently), but the princess of death will see her clothes ripped to shreds when beaten up in battle. Sigh.

The 3rd Birthday is actually a very late 2010 release in Japan, but we’ll have to wait until the new year for our hotly anticipated English translation. Publisher Square says some time in “Q1 2011”.

School's out for summer: Valkyria Chronicles III ditches the second game’s academic focus (which had you juggling schoolwork with military missions) in favour of a better story, more strategic gameplay and a bigger, better portable experience.

For example, any soldier can swap between classes just by changing their weapon, meaning you won’t have to rely on having a specific sniper, gunner, or rocket launcher dude in every mission. Still, each character has their own special ability and earn bonuses when kept in their default class, so think wisely before hot swapping loadouts.

And character levelling is so much more in-depth. You can level up the whole squad, and then go in and tweak each warrior through a branching tech tree, and outfit then with special buffs and nerfs to further customise each unit. Heavy stuff.

The anime-inspired game has a confirmed release date of January 27th for Japan, but no sight nor sound of an English version of the game. Its mixture of Japanese art, tough tactics, and a bizarre semi-fictional tale makes it a very niche title, but it also holds a fervent fanbase itching to get its hands on the next release.

Pata-pata-pata-pon. Just reading those familiar beats is enough to send any Patapon obsessive into a shivering wreck of withdrawal symptoms.

Patapon - a tactical strategy game that has you calling out offensive and defensive moves to your cycloptic army by banging out different drum beats - is fiendishly difficult, both in its demanding tactics and unending rhythm. But if you get hooked, you’ll be really hooked.

A big deal for Patapon 3, alongside the 'Superhero Patapon' who actually beats the drum on screen, is a massive multiplayer mode. You can play in four way battles, tackle every single stage co-operatively with up to eight players, and you can team up locally or over the web.

Patapon 3 so far has little more than a vague spring 2011 release date. A little later than the previously announced winter 2010 date, but we need time for our thumb callouses to heal anyway.

On paper, God Eater sounds like little more than a quick and dirty Monster Hunter clone. You team up with a few buddies, head out into the world, take on some enormous beasties, and pocket the loot for later.

But God Eater’s ostentatious gun-wielding action play is far faster than Monster Hunter’s lumbering progress. And its dramatic, futuristic sci-fi tale of human survival is a lot more interesting than Capcom’s loose fantasy drivel.

In fact, alongside a fully featured four-player online game, God Eater promises to be just as fun alone, with non player characters complemented by full voice acting.

God Eater came out yonks ago in Japan, hitting the east to critical - but not so much commercial - acclaim in February of 2010. But it’s taken all year to find a publisher willing to try the game on American and European audiences, after Japan’s wildly successful Monster Hunter games flopped so hard abroad. D3 Publisher has taken the helm, and will release God Eater in March.