Since Gamespot has rebooted the forums, I figure now is a good time to reboot the Vita thread. Here's a link to the old thread.
http://www.gamespot.com/forums/games-discussion-1000000/half-as-long-twice-as-bright-the-ps-vita-thread-28954001/
The PS Vita is the first Mark Cerny designed system and while its been a disappointment for Sony due to strong competition from the 3DS and smartphones, its found a niche among core gamers due to strong support from indies and Japanese developers (like the PSP, its much more successful in Japan than outside of it).
A Vita slim has been announced which is somewhat controversial because its LCD is a noticeable downgrade from the amazing OLED. Sony claims that they are going to continue to sell both systems side by side, though the cynic in me believes that they will just sell the older more expensive model of the Vita (which costs the same as the new model) until they clear out inventory.
Vita TV (a $100 system which plays PSV games and can stream PS4 games through wifi) has been released in Japan and last I heard it was a big success. Sony hasn't decided whether or not they will release it abroad.
Anyway, on to the games. My personal top 10 is below. Its missing quality games I don't own such as Killzone
1. Dragon's Crown - I love Double Dragon style games and Dragon's Crown takes the genre to new heights. It boasts an insane amount of content including six distinct characters who can fight on and offline in groups of up to four, nine massive stages each with two distinct paths, three difficulty levels each of which introduces new enemies with new powers and incredibly gorgeous graphics).
2. Gravity Rush - I've fallen millions of times in hundreds of games, but never enjoyed it until Gravity Rush. As an open world game the design is a bit odd. One can freely wandering around the massive world (riding trains from city to city) but one never runs into random trouble (though there are lots of missions and minigames scattered around one can engage in when one wishes). Still, the great movement, thrilling boss battles, fun combat (you have a lot of powers at your disposal) and charismatic main character make this a game I highly recommend to anyone.
3. Littlebigplanet - An amazing game which boasts the best campaign in the series, a powerful creation toolkit and some extremely impressive user created levels.
4. Persona 4; The Golden - This game broadly sticks to the template established by the revolutionary Persona 3 (which as I said at the time, was a last gen game that embarrassed 'next gen' jrpgs) so you play a guy who tries to juggle school life, friends, a job, a girlfriend and dungeon crawling. One's social life impacts the personas one uses so it pays to be friendly, though climbing the many multilevel dungeons and beating their bosses requires putting a lot of time into them, so balance is the key.
5. Luminees Electronic Symphony - A brilliant puzzler with stunning visuals and a hypnotic soundtrack. I suck at it like I suck at most puzzle games, but I love it. Give it a try and you will too. Headphones are always a good idea for the Vita, but for Luminees they are absolutely essential
6. Sound Shapes - A simple but beautiful music themed platformer in which everything moves in time to the music because everything onscreen is generating the music. The community has done some really amazing things with the level editor.
7. Guacamelee - A really brilliant Metroidvania style game in which you play a pro wrestler who is fighting to rescue the mayor's daughter from the evil undead that seek to take over the world. Fun moves, great control, colorful graphics and a wonderful sense of humor make this well worth playing. I also recommend Mutant Blobs Attack (not quite as awesome, but in the same vein).
8. Playstation Allstars Battle Royale. The PSV boasts a quality version of every fighter not named Virtua Fighter, but when I am looking to kill a half hour or so, I prefer to do so with the brawler PSABR. Its gorgeous, smooth (60 fps) reasonably deep and it doesn't end with a cheap boss fight.
9. Rayman Origins - Its SP only, but otherwise this is a perfect rendition of the classic game.
10. Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut - Pretty much a 2D take on Silent Hill with heavier survival elements (stuff like ammo and batteries are limited and you need to worry about eating and sleeping). Primitive graphics but topnotch audio and a great environment.
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