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PSone + Portable + Theme Hospital = Sleep Deprivation.

I’m tired. I’m typing at 8AM and I feel like I only just went to bed. To be precise I’ve gotten just 4 hours sleep. I made the fatal mistake of copying Theme Hospital across to my PSP. As you can imagine, loading that up in bed meant one thing, gaming until the battery dies.

At that point, 4AMish, I felt like I should probably just plug in my charger. Of course my bones were deprived of the energy they required to plug the darn thing in. I gave in and was sleeping within the instant.

I’m going about this the wrong way though. I’m making it sound like torture, when in fact, it is not. Playing PSone games on my PSP is something I’ve recently discovered. I knew the functionality was there all along, of course, but I’ve rarely spent the time actually using it. That changed recently when I was asked to pick up a copy of Destruction Derby. We needed a review up for the site, and despite my initial few hours with the game being played on the PS3, I decided I could probably review the game on the PSP in bed and on the train. This was a few months back now, and since then, play sessions haven’t quite been the same.

I played Syphon Filter until 2AM for about a week. I played Destruction Derby until about 3AM on one specific occassion. And now Theme Hospital. Oh Theme Hospital. How tired you’ve made me.

I’d forgotten how great that game still holds up. Recently reading the review of the game on PushSquare, I was pushed into purchasing a copy of the classic. Despite the review claiming it holds up against the PC version, I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. I was wrong. The controls are fantastic, the visuals are fine, and the gameplay itself is so well suited to late night portable sessions. I can testify to that. In fact, if the PSP’s battery was better I’d probably have stayed up longer.

The point of this piece though, is to discuss how much in love I am with the functionality that you can play PSone games on the ol’ PSP. Too much time this generation has been spent looking at what’s been done wrong: the Playstation 3’s removal of backwards compatibility, the price, the bad marketing, etc. The fact is, few people are looking at what’s been done right. And it might be simple things – like PSone games being downloadable to the PSP – but that makes them no less fun.

For a small 100mb file and a measly £3 you can relive classic Playstation moments. And you can do it anywhere. It’s simple, it’s basic functionality, but it’s delightful.

While we’re busy moaning about what could have been, let’s not forget the positives. My body may ache from sleep deprivation, but I got a great night’s gaming out of it.

“Twiggy” is an anonymous PushSquare columnist who has been spotted in three major cities across the globe. It’s rumoured he’s on the run from the British monarchy who accused him of treason.

Previous entries in the “Twiggy” range:

• Sony Must Be Feeling Bullish After An Excellent GamesCom
• I’ll Rue The Day The Singleplayer Dies
• Please Stop Extending Your Games With Annoying Treasure Hunts
• The Scope Of DLC Is Changing
• Why Do People Promote A Single System Future?
• The Digital Download vs. The Peripheral, Is The Video Game Industry Moving In Separate Directions?
• The Ideas Presented In Mirror’s Edge & Red Faction Guerrilla Will End Up Everywhere
• The Importance Of Exposure Against An E3 Splash: Which Is More Important?
• Sony’s Wand Technology Sent Out A Fierce Message To Competitors Hours After They Comfortably Assumed Victory
• Sony’s First, Second & Third Party Alliances Will Ensure A Thrilling E3 2009 Showcase
• Playstation 3 Is Platformed Out With Bionic Commando & inFamous This Week, And It Reminds Me How Much I Love Super Mario 64
• In A Year Dominated By Blockbuster Sequels, Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain Vision Could Be The Diamond In The Rough
• Here’s What I’d Request In The PSP Go! If I Had A Job At Sony & A Say In Such Things
• Does The Playstation 3 Need Motion-Control & How Will Sony Apply It?
• Why Did Guerilla’s Killzone 2 Force Me To Kill The More Interesting Good Guys? I Hate The ISA!
• Sony’s E3 2009 Press Conference Could Be The Biggest In History & A Turning Point In Software Perception
• A Playstation 3 Pricecut Could Cripple Sony So Stop Asking For It