What I'm Playing 5/11/06

Biggest news in what I'm playing: I just picked up a cheap PSP. Therefore I fully expect the normal retail price to drop to just about what I paid for mine. Anyway, I'm now just one system short of being able to play any game released in the United States, something I haven't been able to do since... uh... the PSP was originally released. I only have two games for the system thus far, as I haven't been able to find a reliable local source for used games. They are:

(1) Lumines - An awesome, addictive puzzle game. Simple to learn but hypnotic to play. From the creator of Rez and Space Channel 5. And only $20 brand new. If game systems still came with pack-in games, this one ought to be given away to every PSP owner.

(2) Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - I picked this one up mainly for the homebrew uses, but I played it a little bit. So far I hate it. The game looks great, but the controls are awful. I didn't even realize the PSP had an analog stick until five minutes into the game (I thought it was a speaker). Turns out the PSP is an ergonomic nightmare. If I could plug a plain old PS2 controller in somewhere I'm sure I'd love the game.

Also, I'm still playing and loving Cities, a lighthearted MMORPG. Play a little every day like KoL, but you can see other players as you wander the graphically sparce landscape. Very amusing!