Thanks a lot for that list. I get most of my info from IGN and they haven't reviewed most of those games. How many of them have you played and can you rank them in order of preference? Being a huge strategy fan myself, especially fire emblem, i'd really appreciate it.
Assuming you've not played anything in the way of SRPG's on the PSP i'll break it down more generally, and pare the list down for you -
START WITH THE BEST ONES! These are in my opinion the games that "do it right" and boast gameplay that's solid and a package that's interesting, be it characterisation, story or unique mechanic.
Jeanne D'Arc
FF WotL
Valkyria Chronicles II
Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together
These four are all great and will give you a good handle on PSP SRPG's.
Next there are the NIS SRPG's which i group on separate scale as they're very much an acquired taste thanks to the Nippon Ichi "humour". Personally i enjoyed them in this order -
Phantom Brave The Hermuda Triangle (this is again touch and go for many as it features a non standard unit system. I liked it and it felt fresh, many don't. I'd move this up to sit with the top four.)
La Pucelle Ragnarok (JPN only and non translation - i own the PS2 version, heck, i've even got my save up for download on Gamefaqs, so no English was ok for me...maybe not a great choice for someone with no experience)
Disgaea 1 and 2 (more refined SRPG mechanics than the former choices....also more of a focus on ridiculous power levelling though it's not required really for the main game, just post game)
Coincidentally my opinion of the NIS games translates into order of increasing stupidity of the humour/plot. PB is the darkest and most serious in relative terms, Disgaea is pretty stupid.....call me a misery but i like a bit of grit.
Then the oddballs that are worth a shot, be it because they try something different or are less amazing rehashes of other games i've already mentioned -
Wild Arms XF - if you like FFT then you should like this...difficulty can be a bit arbitrary
Knights in the Nightmare - i'm wary of even classing this as an SRPG but it "kind of" is one. It's a love or loathe game and complicated as can be....if you don't like steep learning curves stay away, but it's certainly unique.
R Type Tactics - It's not as amazing an experience as the first four i've mentioned, but again it offers a different experience that is seldom seen. Worth a try on that basis alone.
Field Commander - nothing like the previous games. Like Advance Wars? This is a PSP rejig of that sort of system....
Gungnir - i've no experience of this but i'm led to believe that whilst a bit clunky and sometimes hard it does enough right to warrant a try.
Warhammer 40000 Squad Command - Old and a bit dated in terms of finesse, but if you're a fan of the universe then it's a fun little play and you'll ignore some of the irks.
And the ones i wouldn't save from a burning building? Many of these are really slow paced (SRPG's need to be relatively zippy to navigate and play else you'll lose interest) or are just not very interesting....
Spectral Souls - Resurrection of the Ethereal Empire - SO SLOW. It's just so poorly made that you'll want to kill yourself rather than endure another hour of very little happening. Really awkward and clunky.
Blazing Souls - See above; slow, boring combat, dull story, stupid map mechanic.
Generation of Chaos - slow and fiddly. It's just a bit dated and surpassed by it's sequel...
Aedis Eclipse ....it's sequel which is still a bit dated and whilst does something different you may get bored. Potentially worth a punt but don't get your hopes up.
Mytran Wars - It's unfair to say this is awful (i had save issues with it which made me abandon it early). BUT it's just plain AVERAGE.....not really interesting for any reason at all....
Dungeons and Dragons Tactics - Your mileage may vary if you're a D&D fan...just felt tedious, and quite bug ridden.
If i've omitted something i've either forgotten it (so please ask) or i've not played it (humiliate me why don't you...)
