as far as my pretty ivory white psp is concerned, it's not so much a gaming device as it is a portable media player. it's not a very good PMP at that. ever since i found out that the dicks-for-brains down at the local computer repair shop neglected to hook up my sound card, i've used it to watch television shows or clips that require sound. it's become invaluable, thanks to both their incompetence and my laziness.

sadly, good psp games are few and far between. once in a blue moon something like locoroco or exit comes out (i'll be reviewing both when they are gamefly'd to me, exit is next) but usually it's a lackluster, handicapped port of a ps2 game. until daxter. it was made from the very moment of its conception to be a psp platformer, taking into account everything; from the uncomfortable analog nub to graphical ghosting and the off disc loading.

visually the game is stunning. once you swing the camera around and take a look at daxter, you can see how much work was put into this game. his eyes are smooth and round, big as saucers. his fur is a bright orange and actually looks fuzzy! little animations like the way he walks, crawls, climbs, swings, jumps and attacks are fluid and comical. your very first mission is in a ritzy hotel. this stage alone pushes the graphical capabilities of the psp. other characters and enemies all have details and characteristics that make them unique, and some look better than most ps2 games.

if you plug in your headphones and listen to the game, you'll find a level of sound design rarely implemented in portables. background noise, such as hovercars passing by or steam from a sewer grate complement the clicks and whistles of daxter's enemy bugs, or our hero's padded paws slightly sticking to the ground he walks on. the voice acting is surprisingly well done also. besides daxter and a few other main characters, the voices are unique and fresh. the dialogue can, at times, be quite superb. ...action movie superb, but superb nonetheless. "speak up before these barrels become both ends of the conversation." classic.

the controls are tight, with the usual jump attack shoot and special move button scheme being standard. it's nice not to have a syphon filter laundry list of controls to remember. also, it either detects whether your psp is japanese of not, or simply uses the circle confirm x cancel default. either way, my psp is japanese, and the circle and x buttons' meanings are switched, and i usually have a tough time with american games because of this (think mgs), so brownie points. if you find it uncomfortable controlling the ottsel with the analog stick (who doesn't), you can change that and the camera controls in the options menu.

checkpoints are well placed, most of the time allowing you to continue from a point more convenient than you'd expect, perfect for a portable. load times are the shortest i've witnessed on the disc loading psp, and the trademark graphical ghosting i'm so used to seeing in other psp titles isn't present at all. it would be a massive understatement to say i'm looking forward to more portable games from ready at dawn.

yesterday super princess peach finally came via gamefly. it slowly got pushed below games like tomb raider legend, chibi robo, oblivion, etcetera... etc. but now it's in my ds, and guess what? it's great! it's a bright, colorful 2d sidescroller from the guys who brought us mario. what more could be asked of this game? apparently, alot of nintendo fanboys found it to be way too easy, because they were able to blast through it in a few hours. true, i started the file and beat bowser within 5 hours; but afterward, i went back and looked for the hidden toads, played the numerous minigames, and collected puzzle pieces and songs. the game is deeper than most of these speed run braggarts will admit.

mario, luigi, and a bunch of toads are kidnapped by bowser, and the mushroom kingdom is sent into emotional chaos. one toad cries, one toad is angry, another is happy as a clam. this is all due to a magical vibe sceptor blah blah blah. point is, peach has to save them utilizing a magical talking parasol and on-cue mood swings. these aren't just gimmicks, however, as they come in handy for everything from puzzles to accessing hard to reach areas. the happy vibe spins her like a tornado, which can be used to float or fly up to higher levels. it also gets rid of clouds that block doors and spins windmills. making her cry has several advantages. she runs faster, can make beanstalks grow, spin waterwheels, diffuse sand blockades, and in the icy levels, make slicker surfaces to slide on. making her angry envelopes her in fire, which kills just about anything she comes in contacts with, makes every landing an earth-shattering stomp, lights torches, and even works with hot air balloons. making her calm uses up the vibe meter to refill health. this comes in handy on some of the more frustrating boss fights.

the levels are expansive, well designed, and colorful. each has its own pallette, look, and enemies. you can complete the main campaign in a few hours, but that's probably because you won't want to put it down. like mario vs donkey kong for the gba, the gameplay is fun and addictive, but the campaign is short and somewhat easy. overall, this is still a great addition to your ds library.

verdict: 08/10; worth purchasing. probably looks brilliant on the dslite.