Holiday Buyers' Guide 2006 - PSP

For the micromanaging spymaster... Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (read our review)

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops isn't just the best-looking, best-playing handheld spy drama we've ever seen. It's also the first game to really look at all of the PSP's features and say, "now, what could we do with that?" In addition to its fun, impressively deep single-player game, Portable Ops milks the PSP's wireless functionality for all it's worth, enabling players to get online and trade the game's collectible soldiers with friends or strangers.

More than that, the game offers some relentlessly addictive multiplayer modes, featuring team play or free-for-all matches for up to six players. These aren't just shootouts, either, and players can use the environment to their advantage, ferreting out hiding spots and setting traps to get the drop on their opponents. They'll also be able to use any of the characters, weapons or gadgets they've collected during the free-form single-player game, turning it into an arms race as well as a gripping espionage story. If the PSP gamers in your life play well with others, then this isn't one they'll get tired of anytime soon.

Second choice: Medal of Honor Heroes

Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.
Latest in PlayStation
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Reclaiming their crown, pacifist Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 player beats the whole RPG as "Merciful Henry": 1,741 strikes blocked, 472 knockouts, and zero kills
Latest in Features
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?
Google Pixel 9a smartphones on a beige background
One Google Pixel 9a feature could make it a better gaming phone than most budget mainstream models
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 3
Reacher season 3 ending explained: Who dies, does Reacher get his revenge, and how does it set up season 4?