The PlayStation Vita

This past weekend the made of awesome people over at PSAccess extended an invitation for myself and a friend (thanks again, guys!) to go to a super secret location in central London (at Piccadilly Circus, just down Haymarket, if you hit TigerTiger you’ve gone too far) to play the PS Vita and what was labelled an ‘an array’ of PS Vita titles all with hands-on opportunities. Expecting to walk in on a small booth, much like the PS Vita stage seen at the Eurogamer Expo, with no more than ten consoles with around five games on show, I was stunned to be greeted with an entire room packed full of PS Vitas and a selection of no less than 24 games! Needless to say I was blown away and struggled my way through as many games as I could before the dreaded “Excuse me, Sir. We’re closing now” moment.

Having done several laps of the show-floor with my partner in crime and shoved a sumptuous free hotdog into my face (so sumptuous in fact that I had to accept very early on that there was no way I was going to be able to eat it with any element of dignity intact), I set off of the epic journey of PS Vita gaming! First though, briefly, before we talk about the games, I’d like to give a quick overview of the console itself. Sorry, I promise, it needs to be done. If you’re already a 5UP3R 1337 GaM3R and know everything about the PS Vita ever, or simply don’t care one bit about hearing me harp on about the console itself and just want to know about the games then skip on down three paragraphs. Otherwise, get comfortable and let’s have a quick talk about this little black beauty on its own.

As we are all aware of by now, the PS Vita is claiming to be the most powerful handheld ever, and has impressive specs in the hardware to back it up. Not to mention it also has a monumental list of extra features which include dual games card slots, two cameras (forward facing and backward facing), a touch screen, a touch-pad on the back, dual analogue sticks and 3G – all within a super thin and light console. That, I think we can all agree, is a ridiculous set of assets for a handheld gaming console to be coming with on launch. Though with a hefty price tag of £220+ expected it needs to be bringing a lot to the table to replace all that food you won’t be eating come February!

The key issue with these new features, though, and one that many gamers have already expressed concern about, is will they enhance the experience of the games and truly make this the most powerful handheld, or will they simply encourage them to be used as cheap gimmicks and unnecessary gameplay elements. I’m pleased to say, as an overall view, that it is most definitely the former rather than the latter. However, to really get to the bottom of it, I believe a breakdown of each game individually is now in order.

During my time at the event I was able to get decent hands-on time with TWELVE whole PS Vita games, and obviously not all were finalised. Some were just demos, and some were event demos that were in Japanese for most of the time. Therefore, I will not be conducting full reviews as that would be GROSSLY unfair and near impossible. What I’m going to go ahead and do instead is dedicate around 250 words to my general impression of each one I tried out. That way you can pick and choose which ones you spend your time reading about. I’ll even have an extra special “Top three PS Vita Titles of Awesomeness” award going to, shockingly, my Top three favourites of the night. This will make this all a much more manageable… 3,000 words?! Damn you, maths. Well, if you’re really excited about the PS Vita (and you should be) and want to know about every single game I played, I hope you can put up with my caffeine fuelled ramblings on them for the next 3,000 words.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss – Let’s start off big. Uncharted is probably one of the most anticipated titles for the Vita, and the visuals alone have left many mouths agape. Mine included. I am pleased to report that the graphics are just as mind-blowing for a handheld as they have been advertised (this is likely to be praise which I shall bestow on many of the PS Vita games being mentioned in this feature). Nathan Drake looks beautiful in your hands (giggity) and it really is a joy to behold such a rich, in-depth game and have the looks to back it up on a handheld device. One particular chapter contained a lot of fire effects and it blew me away. I cannot possibly emphasise just how unbelievable this game looked. What’s better, is that the control also felt extremely fluent with the high end graphics. The gameplay didn’t feel at all limited and in fact the hand-to-hand combat and various clambering Nathan is known for felt just as high-end as any of his PlayStation 3 counterparts. The only new feature of the Vita which was used (at least on the section available) was the touch screen, which was used for solving certain puzzles and exploration of the environment. The key example was having to slash on the screen to get Nathan to cut something with his machete. It didn’t feel forced, and with most of the run, gun, and climb action not using it it’s a welcome extra to a game that already stands tall as one of the Vita’s premium launch titles.

Little Big Planet – Yet another big name right out of the gate, and another launch title, but also the first game to be awarded the coveted “Top 3 PS Vita Titles of Awesomeness” award. This shocked even me because I was expecting just another Little Big Planet game, only on a handheld device, which I could say was bright and colourful and has a cute main mascot and then move on from there. It has all those things, fret not, but this was the game which convinced me that all of the PS Vita’s new features could be used to create some brilliant new gaming experiences on the go. The motion controls were used to move various environmental elements to solve puzzles, the touch screen was used to drag moveable scenery, and the camera could be used to take photos of whatever you want and then import them into the game as textures or scenery or ANYTHING in your own custom levels. My favourite moment being a puzzle where you used the touch screen to push a block to the back, and the touch-pad on the back to push the blocks forward to create a stairway for Sackboy to climb up. Also, ALL of the tools and items from Little Big Planet 1 and 2 on the PS3 are in this game. In your hand. Whenever you want. Thumbs up to Media Molecule for showing not only what the PS Vita can do when pushed but with a launch title no less!

Touch My Katamari – If you’ve never played a Katamari game before I highly recommend that you do so. Nowhere else will you ever be able to find such a bizarre blend of ridiculously simple yet addictive gameplay and straight out ridiculous dialogue. This is one of the more basic games but it fits the handheld market so damn well that I must heap praise on it. You use the dual analogue sticks to control your ball which sticks to things and as it gets bigger and bigger you can stick to bigger and bigger things until the level ends. DONE! You can use the touch-pad and touch screen to morph the shape of the ball, by making it thin and tall or wide and flat. It’s just a basic, highly addictive, flat out crazy game. I love Katamari games, and by glancing at just one of the Tweeted dialogue photos from the night will show you that the gameplay only brings about around half the laughs. This would have been in my Top three, but I’m uncertain if it’s whacky charm is infectious to everyone or if I am one of the rare breed who now have it under their skin and have formed some kind of strange addiction to it.

WipEout 2048 – Ignoring the eternally irritating capitalisation on the title, this is is definitely one of my “Top three PS Vita Titles of Awesomeness” award winners. The graphics are stunning, but even more hard-hitting is the frame-rate and smoothness which comes along with this game. If you’ve played WipEout before you know how hectic and fast-paced it can be, and the PS Vita handles it all beautifully without downgrading any of it to compensate for its handheld limitations. This is a tremendous, uncompromising, high-octane WipEout game which you can play ANYWHERE. There are other racers coming out for the PS Vita on launch but, in my opinion, this one right here is the clear champion. You use the shoulder buttons for air braking, the analogue sticks for basic handling and the camera angle respectively, and, if you’re really feeling fancy, you can use the motion controls and the back touch-pad. Motion control-wise? It’s fantastically responsive, if that’s your kind of thing, but to me the back touch-pad was the King when it came to the PS Vita’s extra features being utilised here. Why? Because you can set it to use your power-ups. Meaning you never have to move any of your fingers off any of the required buttons at any point. PERFECT!

Little Deviants – From what I understand (and don’t quote me on this) this is one of the PS Vita’s downloadable titles. I could be wrong, but it was labelled as an ‘arcade’ game which I’m going to go ahead and take as meaning ‘downloadable’. This gives it a little bit of leeway for not being quite as spectacular as some of the other titles on show. It was still good, but it really was just good. Not great. It’s a selection of mini-games which are clearly designed around the PS Vita newly added features. Some people will definitely be into this, but to me it just felt so forced. Standard methods like using the motion control to direct a character through hoops or tapping on the touch screen at the right time. The only one I honestly enjoyed was a game where you directed a balled up character around by using the touch-pad on the back to lift the ground and direct the ball’s rolling direction. If this ends up being a cheap downloadable I’d say it’s worthwhile just for the ‘iPhone’ disposable level of portable gaming, but I have a feeling this will be taking a good £19.99 out of your wallet and it just felt like a rather long demo reel. At least with the other games the new features being used felt organically implemented. Here they did not.

ModNation Racers: Roadtrip – Another racing game? Alright! This I’m okay with. ModNation Racers have become quite a fan favourite among PlayStation players and the PS Vita version seems to bring everything that made the series as popular as it is to the handheld. Lots of customisable options (unsurprisingly), entertaining cartoon-y graphics, and, let’s be honest here, a rather party-racer feel throughout. The game is amazing fun on its own, but the true greatness lies within the Ad-Hoc gameplay. The PS Vita, like any good handheld should, has an Ad-Hoc network options for many of its games which picks up nearby PS Vitas for some some multiplayer mayhem. ModNation Racers has this option and that alone is what will make this game worth the money in my books. Great graphics, entertaining gameplay and ridiculous Ad-Hoc multiplayer action? That’s how you make a party racer. Sold.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz – Really?! Ergh. Okay, come on, Duncan, be impartial… It’s another Super Monkey Ball game! No. It doesn’t do anything differently. You’re a monkey. In a ball. Collecting bananas. Some of which may or may not have ‘Split’ at some point. You can use the motion controls if you want to lose every level faster, or you can use the dual analogue sticks and get bored before you fail. I’m sorry. I’m done with this game appearing on every electronic device to the point my microwave screen could probably handle it and I’d still find it tedious in the time it took to make a Tesco Value Mini Pizza in the thing. Buy it, don’t buy it, do whatever you want to. If you like the series and must own it on another platform, or just can’t go another second without more banana collecting non-stop thrilling action, this is for you. I can’t bear to talk about this right now when there are so many better games available for me to talk about…

Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 – … Like this one! People who know me know that I am not a massive fighting game fan. Mostly because when I play them I suck harder than Jenna Jameson earning a pay cheque. Marvel Vs. Capcom, though, is a different case because I confess to be rather a comic book geek and Marvel contains a vast majority of my favourite characters (Ironman AND Deadpool?! Sold.). The big issues for fighting game aficionados is the ease of controls and the smoothness of the multiplayer; as I understand it anyway. First off, the controls are fantastic for a handheld fighting game. You can use either the classic PlayStation D-pad or the analogue sticks for the moves, and because the Vita holds so easily in the hands, pulling off combo moves was easy enough that even I was able to master some! (one…) I’m afraid I can’t vouch for the 3G multiplayer, but there was an Ad-Hoc option that was breath-takingly quick. Being able to hold up two PS Vitas together you could see that they were in perfect sync. Plus, as it’s the Ultimate edition, you know it has to be good. It has ULTIMATE in the title.

Resistance: Burning Skies – A first person shooter?! On a handheld device he’s already praised so highly he’d only add more if it were to come with a lifetime supply of bacon?! This must be his final Top three selection. Right? WRONG! Resistance: Burning Skies is an awesome example of how first person shooters can work on handheld devices, but it’s not perfect. With the dual analogue sticks you do finally get the control scheme which all FPS fans have been craving on a handheld device, but it feels too confined. The controls are great, but the gameplay reminds me too much of ‘Coded Arms’ on the original PSP. Even on the hardest difficulty setting I breezed through the demo because it seems that the developers had a crippling fear that gamers would need an easier curve to compensate for the controls. They don’t. The controls and graphics were spot-on. If this were a Call of Duty game Bobby Kotick would already be high-fiving his accountants over it right now. However, if they do a little bit of updating and ramp up the challenge a bit more for release this will definitely be the game which turns the sceptics of FPS on the go. On a side note because this game impression deserves to end on a high note, the music in the game was absolutely phenomenal.

Frobisher Says – This one is an interesting one, because this is a game I admit I really didn’t like but could see that it was quite a terrific game. It is the Star Wars of PS Vita games for me. I know that this is probably very good to many people, but I am not one of those people. This is, basically, a non-copyright infringing version of Simon Says for the PlayStation Vita. You do various things which include pointing the camera at certain colours, saying certain phrases into the microphone, tracing pictures on the touch screen and using augmented reality to catch various creatures around your house using the camera. All within a set time limit of course. It’s a good game and one I can see being really fun for either kids, or a University party full of drunken gamers, but sadly I wasn’t in one of those situations. I was just pointing the PS Vita around like I was trying to ballroom dance with it as everyone who hadn’t tried it yet wondered what kind of drug I was on and where they could get some at that time of night. I would also like to share the anecdote which came from when my partner in crime had a go on it and was asked to say her name, which she did. Then she was asked to say it ‘In Canadian’. There are no words.

Virtua Tennis 4 – Hopefully I won’t be the only gamer out there who cares about this, otherwise I’m about to waste 250 off words of energy harping on about how much I loved Virtua Tennis 4. I’m a big tennis nut and tennis games have always been really good to me, in that there is always a great tennis game on the market for each particular generation of consoles. But there’s never been one for the handheld market. Virtua Tennis 4 is that handheld tennis game I’ve been waiting for. It doesn’t boil anything down. The movement, the feel, the controls, the graphics, the physics and the modes are all there. It was amazing to behold that the lighting effects and the players movements are all just as realistic and fluent as the big brother console games. This is the kind of game that makes me believe, truly believe, that all this smoke that Sony has been blowing about the PS Vita being the best and most powerful handheld of all time may be more than just an advertising campaign. I loved this game. I will buy this game. BUT… I can’t put it in my Top three. Not because I fear I may be one of the few tennis game lovers out there, but because that title has to go to…

Gravity Rush/Daze – GRAVITY RUSH! (Or Gravity Daze if you’re in the NTSC region) That’s right, we now have our final piece of the Holy Trinity that is the “Top 3 PS Vita Titles of Awesomeness”. This one caught me off guard because I had never heard anything about it prior to my partner in crime running over to me and telling me I had to get off WipEout and come and play this game. It’s a third person action/adventure game, as far as I can tell because all the subtitles were in Japanese, where you play a girl who can control the laws of gravity. You press the L1 button to remove all gravity and float, then redirect which direction you want gravity to be and press it again. You can also set it so you can have some sweet mid-air battles with the enemies by pressing L1 and then selecting your flying kick/punch, etc. It was nothing more than a gameplay mechanic but it gave the whole game a fantastic feel. The graphics had a very grungy, animé/comic book vibe to them which made the gelatinous inky blobs which were your main foes quite daunting. I had to put this in my Top three because not only did I adore every second of the game I played, but I haven’t seen or heard enough about it anywhere else and it deserves the attention of gamers. There’s also a cat, for reasons unknown. Did I mention there’s a CAT?! The partner in crime also agreed with this decision and spent a good chunk of the train journey home talking about the game at length and she’s more knowledgeable than me on the subject because she could read the Japanese. So check it out! I’ll even link you to a trailer for this one. I liked it that much!

There we have it! Phew. That was an epic journey across many different genres and games. Thank you very much if you have been able to stick it out with me all the way to the end! I hope I have imparted enough knowledge onto you, fellow gamer, that you now know enough to go out there and tell all your significant other(s) that what you want for Valentine’s Day is a PS Vita! Because we’re sure as Hell not going to be getting this stunning piece of kit in the UK any time near Christmas.