Well, today marks the 12th anniversary of the North American release of the PlayStation Portable. It's kind of hard to believe it's already been 12 years since Sony decided to enter the portable fray. In honor of the anniversary, it only seems fitting (given our theme) to take a look back at the handheld console and talk a little bit about 12 of the greatest games ever to appear on it.

The PSP debuted in the US on March 24, 2005. The first real competitor to a Nintendo handheld since Sega's Game Gear (10 years earlier), the PlayStation Portable quickly positioned itself as a sleek and sexy alternative to the clunkier, chunkier Nintendo DS. The PSP actually had a lot going for it: better graphics, a superior form factor, millions of ardent Sony fans, and a wealth of great games. It also had a few stumbles which were almost all hardware-related, from screen issues on certain models, to the decision to use prohibitively expensive proprietary memory cards, not to mention the incredibly unpopular PSP Go.

​All in all though, the PSP was a pretty incredible little machine. Did we mention the great games? Let's delve into that further, shall we? Here are 12 shining examples of the best gaming experiences the PlayStation Portable had to offer:

This past week looks to have been a pretty decent one on Steam, seeing as several high profile games were just released. The biggest would probably have to be Nier: Automata. You may (or may not) recognize Automata as the sequel to the somewhat forgettable 2010 original. Since Cavia, the developer of the first game, was disbanded shortly after it was released, acclaimed developer PlatinumGames was tapped for the sequel. Judging by all the positive review scores and praise it has been garnering, it seems that PlatinumGames' expertise at making enjoyable action games was just the shot in the arm the franchise needed.

Also out this week, a remastered version of the hit Nintendo 64 game, Turok 2, a port of the Japanese arcade and PlayStation fighting game, Chaos Code, and another entry in the kunoichi hack-and-slash series, Senran Kagura. Glory to mankind! Jump past the break to see more of this week's new releases.

So, the epic Marvel Vs Capcom series finally came to Steam this week with the arrival of the hit 2011 installment, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3. Despite the fact that number three is arguably the weakest entry in the franchise, it's still a ridiculously well-crafted game that always makes for a raucously good time (especially when playing with friends). While it would be nice to see its two prequels also find their way to Steam, even alone, 3 should ably keep the fans entertained until the next sequel arrives, later this year.

Also out in the last three weeks, the newest installment to the Ghost Recon series, a Dynasty Warriors game based off of the Berserk manga/animé series, and the follow-up to the 2016 Atelier game that just arrived last month on Steam. Get ready to go ultimate, then jump past the break to see more new releases from the past three weeks.

This week, Ghost Recon: Wildlands infiltrated the PlayStation Store. Returning to a more realistic, modern-day setting, in Wildlands, you and three squadmates will work together to bring down a powerful drug cartel in an open-world styled Bolivia. The game offers up a plethora of tactical options for completing your mission, so however you choose to go about it is pretty much up to you.

Also out in the last two weeks, the robotic monster hunter game, Horizon Zero Dawn, a very well-received, PlatinumGames-developed sequel to the lackluster 2010 game, Nier, and a direct PS4 port of the PS2 game, Suikoden IV. Become a ghost, team up, and take down the cartel by any means necessary. Jump past the break to see more of this past fortnight's new releases.

Well, Nintendo has finally made the Switch, and with it comes the last big release for the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The third main Zelda title to appear on the Wii U, Breath of the Wild is actually the first new entry to do so; and it's also arrived on the Switch. Despite the fact that it wasn't developed with either system specifically in mind, the word on the street is that this may very well be the best Zelda game ever. We certainly can't wait to find out.

Also out in the last six weeks, a Virtual Console port of the hit Nintendo 64 strategy game, Ogre Battle 64, a selection of 3 more excellent Turbo-Grafx 16 Virtual Console games (finally), and 3 other decent-looking games for Nintendo's new Switch console. Whether you decide to Switch things up or not, you should definitely go check out the new Zelda. Jump past the break to see more new releases from the past month and a half.