Ones To Watch 2014 Recap: PlayStation Vita

For Sony’s latest portable console, things just keep getting better and better. The PlayStation Vita might not be selling like hotcakes though the sheer variety of games available for the system peg it as a must have, especially for those who enjoy smaller, downloadable titles.

With that said, those who are searching for a timesink to last them for weeks on end will just as enthralled flipping through the console’s growing roster of games. From Borderlands 2 and Toukiden to the delightfully bizarre Danganronpa, there’s something for everyone.

Gravity Rush was somewhat of a surprise hit when it launched for the PlayStation Vita back in 2012. Though it may have narrowly missed the handheld’s release window, the SCE Japan Studio title was generally well-received thanks to its gorgeous open world and unique action gameplay.

Having starred in underrated brawler, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, it was clear that Sony had plans to take Kat further than her successful Vita debut. We had no solid confirmation, however, until last year’s Tokyo Game Show, where a brief trailer was screened.

Since then, however, there has been little else revealed about the upcoming sequel and whether it will make the jump from PlayStation Vita to the big screen. What we do know is that development on the project is now in full swing, Gravity Rush 2 being helmed by Japan Studio’s internal “Team Gravity”. No doubt we’ll see more at this year’s TGS.

There wasn’t a lot we didn’t already know about Final Fantasy X & X-2 leading up to their re-release back in March, but that’s not to say we weren’t excited. Since the first wave of HD remasters touched down some years ago, Final Fantasy X was easily one of the most-requested games on fans’ wishlists. The fact X-2 was also thrown into the mix was just icing on the cake.

Following the stellar HD port of Kingdom Hearts in 2013, we knew Square-Enix was more than up to the task as Final Fantasy X & X-2 went under the knife. A simple makeover wasn’t enough for the publisher though, Square adding a all-new audio drama to the collection along with a glut of content never before seen in the west.

Still, beneath its shiny new HD exterior, the games remained largely unchanged. When Aran and Tuffcub got to sit down and play through both games for a TSA feature, they were still impressed at how well their numerous systems and mechanics still held up. Many other critics felt the same way, the X & X-2 being tagged with glowing reviews across the board.

It was a solid post-launch title all round but, in the end, Souls Sacrifice wasn’t perhaps the killer app we’d all secretly been hoping for. Still, the game proved relatively popular in the west, no doubt picking up a few fans when it hit PlayStation Plus last year.

Given its moderate sales performance and Sony’s desire to push it as a leading IP for the PlayStation Vita, it wasn’t long before they announced Soul Sacrifice Delta. For those still unsure what the game actually is, think of it as Soul Sacrifice 1.5. Dom reviewed the game a couple of months back and, though mostly familiar, he commented that Delta managed to pack in enough new content and revisions to keep things fresh. Aside from an additional faction of enemies to face, Delta improved its online multiplayer and finally gave players the freedom to customise their in-game avatars.

The game’s status as an updated relaunch has limited its reach, however. For a start, some will be content enough with what Soul Sacrifice has to offer without needing to pick up a copy of Delta. Then there are those who perhaps wanted to give the game a spin only to find that it was digital-only outside of Japan.

Speaking of digital-only games for the PlayStation Vita, a few weeks ago there was a real scare surrounding Japan Studio’s futuristic action RPG, Freedom Wars. Whether due to the lack of a solid European install base or a desire to drive down production costs, it was previous announced that EU gamers could only access the title via download.

After fans responded, Sony soon changed its mind, recently announcing that a retail version will launch alongside its digital counterpart on day one. Did you hear that, Vita owners? That’s your tiny, overpriced 8GB memory card breathing a sigh of relief.

Back to the game itself, we’ve seen more and more of Freedom Wars as months roll on by. Weaving a dystopian tale of corrupt city-states and the ongoing war for limited resources, Freedom Wars has players venturing into the unknown in order to recover captured citizens and battle rival factions.

Aside from its bizarre backdrop, the main draw here seems to be the action-heavy gameplay and online multiplayer. Using a contraption known as the Thorn, you can navigate areas with ease while also using it as either a weapon or defence mechanism. Freedom Wars was received well in Japan, grabbing top spot in the charts during launch week.

Finally, one of the two games not to come from SCE Japan Studio, we have Ovosonico’s Murasaki Baby. Due to release later this year on PlayStation Vita, it’s certainly shaping up to be one of the platform’s more abstract titles.

Sporting a simplistic, hand-drawn art style, players are tasked with leading the main character, Baby, through a series of worlds, interacting with objects in order to change their mood. The game may not be far away though it’s still a largely unknown entity. Still, with its Tim Burton aesthetic and direction from one of the minds behind Shadows of the Damned, it could be a winner.


That’s all for the PS Vita, but come back tomorrow to see how 2014’s crop of Nintendo 3DS games have fared so far.

6 Comments

  1. This isn’t a criticism of your choices or article Jim but if this is what I’ve got to look forward to on my Vita then, aside from the curious appeal of a new Gravity Rush, I’m a bit disappointed. I think I’ll be going back to do some trophy hunting until Volume arrives.

    • I’d have to echo your thoughts. The more time I’ve spent with my Vita, the more I see this going the way of the PSP.
      A number of good titles, a few interesting concepts but generally under supported and lacking in console shifting experiences.

      • I agree, i didnt buy the console for the sheer volume of indies that keep coming for it. I was promised AAA mobile gaming.

        I can count on one hand the number of AAA console type titles that have been released and are worth playing, and it makes me feel sick that i got sucked into the hype and bought one on release.

      • I bought one on release too, and was chuffed at the time of the amount of games they had out for launch, and the commitment I thought they were gonna have, after learning from the PSP.

        Flash forward to now, and it seems the PSP was a more successful than the Vita will ever be, and had about 100 times the support from developers as well.

        Looking back, I think the PSP had a great array of games over its lifespan, all which I would say are AAA or big brands. With some big ones like GTA and wipeout, and other like Daxter which I thought was a little gem. There’s tons more I could mention, and I’m baffled that Sony haven’t encouraged more first parties at least to get some more games out, or ‘HD’ the psp ones! Hear this mr Sony!

  2. It’s a little odd. I originally bought the Vita for the console in hand experience and I have that with Uncharted, Killzone, LBP, Borderlands 2, 5x HD remasters and Need for Speed. More recently I’ve enjoyed the other content much more, Danganronpa in particular has been amazing. Unlike the comments above I’m finding the Vita ever more essential and as long as a few AAA appear alongside the wealth of Indie and Japan games I will be very happy.

  3. I bought my vita from argos .great deal killzone,v-tennis and memory card for £159.initially thought it was a serious piece of kit.since then my only physical purchases have been FIFA and tearaway.the rest I have bagged from plus.
    Slowly the AAA titles are dissapearing and there seems to be a flurry of jap rpg’s.this is the same route the PSP took.had one of those but devs seem to lose interest in it.sadly I sold it.
    My biggest fear is that the vita is the next betamax.drip fed support and will quietly drop from the map.sure there are some great indie titles but there are some even better android games that look great on tablets and decent spec phones.
    Cmon Sony let’s see if can breath some life back into what is an amazing gadget!

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