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Over the last two and a half years, the number of PSN games has grown exponentially to the point where it can be easy to overlook fantastic titles, leaving quirky or indie titles sadly crying in the corner, alone and unappreciated. So, being PSN junkies who have bought practically every game that has come out on it (even, sadly, Cash Guns Chaos), we decided to whip up a list of the top five underappreciated PSN games. #5 -- Astro Tripper
Astro Tripper is the newest of the bunch. A top down shooter from Pom Pom Games, it successfully merges the sidescrolling action of shmups like Gradius with the unrestricted movement and weapon management of two-stick shooters like Stardust HD. You move back and forth in levels that look like larger versions of the Blast Factor levels, while blasting away enemies and powering up your weapons. It's not the longest game (like most schmups) but throw in crisp 1080p graphics, Trophy support, and custom soundtracks and you have a pretty attractive package. Definitely worth a try for any fan of arcade shooters.
#4 -- GripShift GripShift, on the other hand is by far and away the oldest game on the list. Released back in the barren PSN days of early '07, it's somewhat surprising that the game didn't get more attention. A combination of action puzzler and racer, the oddity of the experience is probably what turned people off at the time. While one would assume that the game is mainly a racer, since you're, you know, in a car -- the game is actually much more of a puzzler as you figure out how to bounce and launch your car around the level in order to reach the goal in time. With over 150 levels and online multiplayer, the game has enough satisfying content that it could almost be a retail product (and indeed was on the PSP). #3 -- Elefunk Elefunk can best be described as World of Goo's sadistic bastard brother. Just as with World of Goo, your task is to build bridges and structures so that you can reach your goal, keeping in mind realistic physics and gravity. You're even saving cute little guys, though instead of saving cute little balls of goo though, you're saving cute little elephants. The major difference in the two games though is Elefunk's crushing difficulty and insane learning curve. The method of building structures is much more complex than in World of Goo, and outside of an incredibly paltry set of tutorial levels, you are given no help in figuring out the rules. You will fail, and you will fail often -- even on the beginning levels. It's really a shame too, because once you get a grasp of the mechanics, the game is really fun and saving the little elephants never fails to bring a smile to my face. Highly recommended but only if you're the sort of gamer who likes a challenge.
#2 -- Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Playing Söldner-X is like a trip back in time for me, a shmup in the most classic sense of the term. Anybody who has played Gradius or R-Type will feel right at home with this hectic, fast paced shooter. The game has all the elements of a proper shmup -- crushing difficulty, tons of guys on the screen, robust weapon upgrade system, and a pounding techno soundtrack. It also looks fantastic, with a fairly unique art style that is vibrant and colorful but never too busy to see what's going on. It even has 2 player co-op (local only) as well as the always appreciated Trophy support. Unfortunately it was released on December 4th of last year, guaranteeing that it would be overshadowed by the avalanche of Winter releases.
#1 -- The Last Guy  Outside of Noby Noby Boy, The Last Guy is easily the weirdest title on the PSN. You play as a Himalayan zombie who must travel the world, rescuing people who have survived a deadly purple space ray that turned everybody it touched into crazed evil zombies and space insects. The game is played from a top-down perspective, using high quality satellite imagery of real world cities like Tokyo and London. You must navigate the zombie infested cities while collecting survivors hidden in buildings and shrubs and guiding them to the rescue point. The more survivors you have trailing you when you reach the rescue point, the more points you earn -- but having a trail of 400 scared people behind you makes it harder to avoid the enemies, adding a satisfying risk/reward system to the game. It also has a very quirky art style that compliments the crisp 1080p satellite imagery and some really weird and funky music. It was even well reviewed, but ultimately the game was just too unique and unusual for its own good. Definitely a great title though and is highly recommended for anybody looking for something completely different.
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