Best of the Best

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Just the other day, I told you about the state of three big video game systems. The Xbox 360 is awesome. The PS 3 is the biggest and brightest but still needs more great games. And the Wii is best for young kids and amateurs.

Now it’s time to revisit the state of the two hand-held game systems, the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS Lite. Both have been on the market for three years, so at this point, both machines have proven themselves well and offer loads of good games to buy.

A lot of players buy the PSP or DS Lite as a secondary system to play in cars, buses and trains. But you could feasibly be content owning only a hand-held, as long as you’re not into online gaming. Here’s the simple deal.

• The PSP ($250) is for serious gamers who want high-end graphics and complex games. The major releases usually are handsome. “Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories” (shooting, rated “M”) is the best of the best. It plays and looks like a great PS 2 game.

There are limitations. “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas” (shooting, rated “T”) is a superior title for the Xbox 360 and PS 3. On the PSP, it’s also cinematic. But there aren’t enough buttons (or joysticks) to make it a smooth experience.

If you buy new or used games, some of the other classics you could pick up on the cheap are “Lumines” and “Lumines II” (“Tetris”-styled games; rated “E 10+”); “Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’07” (golf, “E,” though a new Tiger comes out at the end of August); “Ridge Racer” (racing, “E”); “Field Commander” (role-playing strategy, “T”); “LocoRoco” (kid’s game, “E”); “MLB 2006” (baseball, “E”); and “SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals: Fireteam Bravo” (war, “M”).

You also can find fun, smaller games. I recently got addicted to “Ultimate Board Game Collection” (“E”). It comes with chess, checkers, backgammon, Chinese checkers, anagrams, dominoes, jigsaws, naval battle, snakes and ladders and many other familiar pastimes.

The PSP also plays Sony-approved films. After several years of use, when I watch movies on my PSP, the screen still looks fantastic. I can’t see a single scratch.

And the PSP’s WiFi online engine runs smoother and faster than the Web surfing does on my Blackberry.

• The DS Lite ($120) is a better choice for kids of worried parents and people who like puzzle games. Its visuals aren’t very detailed, so violent games aren’t very bloody.

What’s more, if you want the Nintendo Wii for its interactivity, you may want to look into the DS, too. It doesn’t use a Wii wand. Instead, it has a touch screen. Depending on the game, you use the penlike stylus to direct action, fill in puzzles or engage in drawing games.

A few games, such as “Nintendogs” (pet simulator, “E”), let you heel your virtual pet by calling its name into the microphone. This is cool.

Some DS classics you could look for are “Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day” (math, word and sudoku puzzles, “E”); “Clubhouse Games” (chess, darts, hearts, solitaire and other traditionals, “E”); “Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble” (cartoon action, “T”); “Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land” (skate tricks, “E”); “Tetris DS” (puzzle, “E”); “The Urbz: Sims in the City” (life simulation, “E”); “Super Mario 64 DS” (fantasy action, “E”); “New York Times Crossword” (puzzles, “T”); “Kim Possible: Kimmunicator” (cartoon action, “E”); and “Mario Pinball Land” (pinball, “E”).