NES, SNES, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Neo Geo, Playstation 1, Playstation 2 - consoles I've known, loved, and tucked away in favor of handheld DS and PSP as soon as my little bundle of joy came out. Spending hours in front of the TV just won't cut it anymore! Thankfully, modern technology has evolved the simple Game & Watch into more sophisticated machines with more memory, better graphics, and less accessories (anyone else remember the bulky magnifying glass you can hook up to your Gameboy to create a bigger screen?) such that I can still enjoy my gaming experience without ignoring my child.
With the advent of handheld devices such as PSP and DS, I can still explore and conquer 3D worlds! And when my baby starts to holler - a menu here, a click there, and my journey is saved, ready to be resumed at the next nap time! PSP gains extra points for me for being able to remember where you left off even after you power down. This is something I take for granted when I pick up a DS. I sometimes turn it off thinking I'm holding my PSP - a true disaster after an hour of level grinding.
As a multitasking mom, I tend to look for "casual" games that are simple and straightforward, but unique and entertaining nonetheless. DS games often top the list in this category, simply because developers tend to inject more creative aspects to the games to make up for lower graphics and memory. Controls such as a touchscreen and a microphone leave plenty of room for innovative, ground breaking game concepts (Scribblenauts, anyone?). Still, PSP should not be dismissed - for where else can we enjoy our classic RPGs with graphics that are at least at par with PS2 games? Games like Patapon prove that you don't need to deviate from standard control buttons to develop something new and fresh.
This series of blogs will tackle my favorite handheld games and is dedicated to all gamer moms who have had the audacity to face the curious toddler who innocently picked up the bubblegum pink PSP and say,
"Sweetie, this is not a toy!"
[...] mentioned in my first post in this series, I lean towards games that do not fry my brain (which is already quite fried as it [...]
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