Saturday, November 30, 2013
So you've got a new Vita...
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Over the last few days, there were some fantastic holiday deals
to be had on Sony’s Vita handheld. If you were one of the lucky ducks that
swooped in for some savings, you might now be wondering… “Well, what do I play
on it?”
Got you covered. Although this isn’t an exhaustive list (and
of course, tastes vary) there is a ton of great gaming to be had on the system once
you realize you’ve got five marketplaces to browse: In addition to the Vita’s
native software, it also offers selections from the PSP, PSOne, PS Mini and PS
Mobile libraries.
By the way, with all the games you’re sure to be downloading,
you might find that you run out of space fairly quickly. Although Sony still hasn’t dropped the price
of their proprietary memory cards, a good thing to remember is that it’s
incredibly easy to backup Vita software in order to make room for new stuff. Just use the included USB cable and hook it up
to a PC, PS3 or PS4. The media manager
software that comes on the Vita is totally painless to use, and makes these
backups a snap.
So what do I recommend? Here are some selections in
alphabetical order…. If @Gamecritics has a review for the title in question, the link is
included. If not, there’s a brief description from me!
Black Rock Shooter
Dante’s Inferno
An underappreciated action-platformer that delivers solid action and a peek at Satan's penis.
Dokuro
Dragon’s Crown
Castlestorm
Build your own castle and demolish your opponent's!
Chrono Trigger
Often cited as one of the best RPGs of oh, I dunno, all time.
Cyberbots
A long-forgotten Capcom fighter with loads of robots.
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
Monster-on-monster action in this classic Capcom fighter.
Dino Crisis 2
Fate/Extra
Final Fantasy…Tactics, III, IV, VII and VIII
I don't really need to explain these, do I?
Flow
An experimental game of eating and evolution.
Flower
Gladiator Begins
Gravity Rush
An Amelie-flavored adventure through the air.
Guacamelee!
Half-Minute Hero
The speediest JRPG that's ever existed.
Haunt The House
Be the cutest ghost haunting the cutest town.
Hotline Miami
A psychotic mask-wearing murder spree.
Jacob Jones & The Bigfoot Mystery
Episodic Professor Layton-lite with an adorable aesthetic.
Jumping Flash! 2
A heroic robo-rabbit leaping miles into the air.
Killzone: Mercenary
Klonoa: Door To Phantomile
An uber-tight platformer with a tear-jerking ending.
Limbo
Locoroco
Malicious: Rebirth
A heavily Japanese boss-rush game with esoteric style.
Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3
Another set of games which need no introduction.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Mortal Kombat
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
First-person action with a crossbow that shoots animals. As ammo.
PaRappa The Rapper
Parasite Eve 2
Patchwork Heroes
Take down huge enemy airships by cutting them to pieces.
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
A JRPG murder-mystery starring a female reporter in modern times.
Persona 4: The Golden
Playstation All-Star Battle Royale
A surprisingly competent brawler on par with Smash Bros.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords
A true RPG where battles occur on a puzzle board.
Rymdkapsel
A space-based station sim using tetrimino shapes.
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
Sine Mora
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Character-heavy third-person platforming with an agile edge.
Spelunky
A side-scrolling Roguelike platformer that's tough as nails.
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
Humorous blob-rolling action.
Tearaway
A fantastically creative game, and the best use of Vita hardware EVER.
The Jak & Daxter Collection
Naughty Dog's classic platform adventure series before Uncharted was born.
The Red Star
The Walking Dead
The breakthrough point-and-clicker set in a post-zombie world.
Thomas Was Alone
Anthropomorphic shapes with unforgettable personality.
Tokyo Jungle Mobile
The city's empty and you're a hungry Pomeranian. Go!
Tomba!
Surreal platforming and evil pigs. Also, lots of pink.
Uncharted: Fight For Fortune
Nathan Drake does battle in a Magic: The Gathering format.
WipeOut 2048
Futuristic racing that goes... Well, it goes pretty fast.
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…And there are hundreds more that I didn’t list here, so the next time someone tells you that the Vita doesn’t have
any games, laugh right in their face as you dive deep into Sony-flavored handheld bliss.
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