Like Xbox Live Arcade and DSiWare (to name just two of many digital distribution hubs out there), PSP Minis are bitesize gaming experiences at pocket money prices. But with iPhone ports, remastered classics and tweaked Indie games, PSP Minis’ 13 game launch line-up isn’t exactly packed with must-play games.

That’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to delve into this oasis of gaming snacks and find out which Minis are worth the cash.

Brainpipe

Brainpipe
Hands-On Mobile Inc – £3.99

Joining Rez and Audiosurf as an “it’s like [traditional game] on [hallucinogenic drug]”, Brainpipe is like falling down a well… on PCP. You hurtle down several psychedelic tunnels, collecting glyphs and avoiding nasties as the multicoloured backdrops ooze and pulsate, the music constantly altering rhythm and tone.

But while Pipe tries to emulate an acid trip with its visual and audio triumphs, it’s ultimately a very shallow and boring game. Your movement is slippy and tough to grasp, and your own only other control is to slow down time momentarily. The collect/avoid dynamic is unvarying and, at its fastest pace, relies more on sharp reflexes and luck, than skill and learning systems.

The stages may be randomly generated, but in the confines of a cylindrical tunnel and with the limited palette of about four different enemy types, it’s barely even noticeable. Once you’ve beaten the 10 stages, you’ll probably never touch it again.

All style, no substance, Brainpipe is the most uneventful acid trip you’ll ever have. Not recommended.


Fieldrunners

Fieldrunners
Subatomic Studios – £3.99

This addictive Tower Defence game has made the jump from iPhone to PSP completely unharmed –its grid based layout and elegant control scheme mean that Fieldrunners is by no means crying out for Apple’s touchscreen.

Runners has the standard TD setup: a torrent of unrelenting enemies, a home base you must protect and a handful of turrets. The main difference is that enemies won’t travel along a predetermined path, but instead follow any path you make with your defensive structures. When the game throws helicopters at you, however, your game plan may need some tweaking.

The game ramps up difficulty nicely. Runners only gives you access to four different towers and unleashed a limited bunch of enemies on the first level, but as the game progresses more turrets will be made available and more complicated and troublesome goons will try to rush your fortress.

Fieldrunners looks great and is packed with content for the lean £3.99 price point – you’re getting five maps, each with three difficulty settings and three modes (Classic, Extended and Endless). This beautiful game takes a simple formula and, before they even realise, lowers players into its potently addictive trap. Recommended.

Hero of Sparta

Hero of Sparta
Gameloft SA – £3.99

Don’t let the CG intro and spiffy 3D graphics fool you – this is a trashy mobile phone game, stretched to fit on the PSP. Its controls are unresponsive, the framerate is dire and it’s filled with bugs and glitches.

Mobile phone giant Gameloft has drawn ire from gamers lately as their range of handheld games mimic big screen giants, cautiously balancing over the pit of copyright infringement. Space shooter N.O.V.A emulates Halo, Gangstar is a brazen GTA rip-off and Modern Combat: Sandstorm and Guitar Rock Tour are too obvious to even state.

Hero of Sparta’s 300 and God of War collage is just as shameless with QTEs, mythological beasts and remarkably similar controls. Compared to the awesome God of War: Chains of Olympus though, Hero of Sparta is a near-unplayable joke. Why Sony let Gameloft pollute PSP Minis, is an absolute mystery. Not recommended.

PSP Minis can be downloaded straight to your PSP (Minis work on all models, not just the Go), or via your Playstation 3. Games range from 20 to 200MB and, so far, all games are less than £4.