Although Nintendo has a longer and more successful history with handheld gaming devices in the form of Game Boy and Nintendo DS, Sony took a crack at it as well in 2005. The PlayStation Portable (or PSP for short) was the first attempt to adapt the PlayStation experience into portable form, and it has since made a place for itself in gaming history. The PSP was well ahead of its time, but most importantly for gamers, it was a powerful little device boasting some truly incredible handheld graphics for the time.
Many of the games being developed were fully 3D, with a visual fidelity that fell in line somewhere between the original PS1 and its successor the PS2. Several of the PSP's launch titles showed off this graphical capability, but one title that was rapidly building hype was Death Jr, an action platformer set for release a few months later. The game may have been slightly forgotten as time went on, but its unique Tim Burton-inspired visuals and wild sense of humor make this title worth a look for any fans of retro gaming.
Killer App
Death Jr's place in the PSP library was a fairly significant one early on, especially since it was the first PSP game ever revealed to the public. Being a showcase for the handheld's graphical capabilities, there was a lot riding on the title to impress as it was being positioned as the must have killer app for the PSP. At this point in time, the competition's Nintendo DS was already a year old and established in the market. Although Nintendo's offering was an impressive handheld in its own right, Death Jr's stunning visuals were giving Super Mario 64 DS a run for its money in terms of what a portable game could like like.
Initially beginning development as a spin-off of the Spyro the Dragon series, Death Jr was impressive for being able to fully render huge environments to explore, all while still maintaining a certain level of graphical finesse. Death Jr was significant in this regard, as it paved the way for how Sony was advertising the PSP as console quality gaming on the go, a trend which continued over the years with some of the best PSP games like Daxter, Resistance Retribution, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. So technically speaking, although it may not be as remembered as fondly today, Death Jr was to the PSP what Super Mario 64 and other launch titles were to those respective systems in terms of setting industry expectations.
Bare Bones
A pretty face can of course only get a game so far, as a glistening outside can only cover up so much of a shallow interior. While some titles like the Uncharted series have proven to be able to balance both great graphics and gameplay, others unfortunately rely far too much on the former as a key selling point. A modern example of this (and another Sony property, ironically) was the disappointing launch of The Order: 1886 back in early 2015. Being hyped through the roof for its outstanding visuals and a technical showcase for the PlayStation 4, beyond that the game was sadly lacking in gameplay, with very basic cover shooting and exploration segments.
Although not terrible by any means, Death Jr unfortunately fell into the same criticisms, even at the time of its release. The technology and style were praised; however, the gameplay and camera controls were a mixed bag. Even with this, the game was able to ride on that initial hype and become enough of a success to warrant a sequel one year later in Death Jr 2: Root of Evil, although it too received similar criticism. So even though Death Jr didn't grow into anything more than a novelty for its time, the game still maintains a special place in gaming as an important early technical demo to show off how what the PSP was capable of.
Death Jr is available for the PSP.