Princess Maker 4 has turned into quite a popular entry in the famous Princess Maker series. Maybe its because of the cute visuals (by Tenhiro Naoto), perhaps its the nostalgia factor (its reminiscent of Princess Maker 2) or it could be because its just a quality game.

Whatever it is that has made Princess Maker 4 such a hit, can also make it quite a difficult decision for importers. With four different versions of the game available on four different platforms, it can be tough deciding which one is worth purchasing.

That’s where this guide comes in. Since all four versions of Princess Maker 4 are essentially the same game at the core, this guide is designed to highlight the best and worst features of each edition. So if you’re interested in the title, now that the DS version has just come out, you can determine which one is right for you…

So last week Important Importables discussed DS games North Americans have slim to no chance of ever seeing localized and released. It seems only fair that we look at the other major portable console on the market.

With the recent PSP game drought, many people are likely lamenting the lack of titles. A look at Gamefaqs’ release list shows nine NA PSP releases between now and June 24, 2008, compared to 28 NA DS releases in that same time period.

The thing is, there are plenty of viable, Japanese and European PSP games which could be released in North America. For some reason though, they aren’t. So let’s look at four games that should have received NA releases, but haven’t.

The PSP just doesn’t get the love or respect that it deserves. It is the Jan of handheld video game systems. At least it is until the new NGage comes out. Then it might get to be Cindy for a while. The worst part is that this tendency towards it seems to be fairly universal.

Japan does offer a little more love for the system than other countries, so there at least a few extra games which never made it here. There happens to be two inconveniences to deal with when importing these games, and they are language and peer assistance. Most Japanese PSP games are text heavy. This results in very few import PSP games with user-created guides.

At that point, it is almost easier to search online for some of the free Japanese game demos released by Sony of Japan.

If you are really dedicated and willing to expend some effort, then there are quite a few titles out there worth looking at. In fact, I couldn’t distinguish between the two runner-up games today, because both are so fantastic and fun in their own ways. So if you love your PSP, pull up a chair and read about DJ Max Portable 2, Genso Suikoden I&II and Princess Maker 4 Portable.