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I want to game all the time, no matter where I might be. It really is a shame that I can't take my television and PS2 wherever I go. I might actually be able to finish some of the games in my backlog that way. Life isn't ideal though. Thankfully, handheld systems have really gotten a hold of the RPG market. In the past year or so we've seen the releases of Final Fantasy IV Advance, a GBA port of Tales of Phantasia, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time for the DS, the disappointing Lunar: Dragon Song, some Fire Emblem games, PSP's Generation of Chaos and quite a few others. While not all of these titles have been epic games, they've at least helped to build up the handheld market. For those RPGamers on the go, we now at least have options.
Back in the days of the original Gameboy, portable gaming was a kind of a side thought. It was nothing to take seriously. Never would you expect a portable game to be near the quality of what the consoles of the time would put out. We had games like the mini-Zelda release, Link's Awakening and some Japanese SaGa titles that were pawned off as Final Fantasy Legend games, just to name a few. And at that time, a few was all that you could name. The portable market was not looked upon as a major source of income due to the hardware limitations at the time, such as the green and black Gameboy screen and the huge battery drain of the Game Gear. Consumers were buying these systems for their kids or for Tetris, but certainly not for top notch RPGs.
"If you build it, they will come," really held true for the handheld market though. The improvement in hardware power starting with the Gameboy Advance (SP) and continuing through the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP has opened doors for RPGamers that would have never been thought of in the past. With the PSP announcements of Suikoden I & II and the Nintendo DS announcements of Final Fantasy III and Xenosaga I & II, RPGamers are seeing some quality titles on handhelds. Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine these games as being possible on a portable system. Also, gamers on the go are not just getting second hand titles. We are getting major remakes or ports like those mentioned above and also brand new, unique titles such as Lost Magic, Contact, and hopefully Mother 3.
This is just the beginning. The Nintendo DS and Sony PSP are still in their relative infancy, so as time goes on, portable gaming will continue to grow and will take RPGamers with it. In the meantime, both systems already offer wireless multiplayer capabilities. Imagine MMORPGs on the go. That would be a totally new level of addiction right there. This influx of new innovations is not just limited to handheld systems, but it is also branching out onto PDAs, cell phones, and other handheld devices. It's difficult to imagine the quality of portable gaming in the next few years.
While some of us no longer have hours upon hours to spend in front of a television, we might just be able to squeeze in a few minutes here and there for portable gaming. As a passenger in the car, on the bus, on a plane, at work, or even in the bathroom, RPGamers are free from their bonds. Time may try to keep us down, but thankfully, we are free to game on the go.
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