20 of Vita's best

Thanks to an almost weekly stream of downloadable gems and several 60+ hour epics, I have a bit of trouble keeping up with everything there is to play on Vita. For a system that’s meant to be dying of software drought, I feel oddly spoilt for choice when I flick through the PS Store for something new to play.

What I have here, then, is the 20 of my favourite games that the platform has bestowed upon me in its year and a half lifespan. There’s no Persona (!), no Hotline Miami (!!) and no, not even any Spy Hunter (!!!) because I simply haven’t gotten to those titles yet (I won’t actually be playing that last one). Let’s take a look:

20. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus – NG is every bit as fluid as it was when it released for the first time on Xbox many, many moons ago. It’s not the most ideal choice for a handheld port, but it pulls off the conversion admirably. This is one of gaming’s best combat systems, forcing the player to rely on lightning reactions and perfectly-timed strikes, while rightfully punishing any mistakes. And it’s the first time I’ve been able to score trophies in one of my all-time favourite action games. Woop!

19. Limbo – With Vita currently building a warm nest to keep young indie eggs chirping for sales (weird metaphor, that), it makes sense that one of the triumphs of the scene makes a successful journey over. Limbo is untouched from previous versions, but still every bit a must play with its devious puzzles and memorable narrative. In fact the system’s design coolly blends in with the dark backgrounds and eerie sets to make for an utterly engulfing experience when playing at night.

18. Plants Vs Zombies – Not much needs to be said here, does it? PvZ is a genuine modern classic and finds a perfect home on Vita. This is tower defence taken to its most accessible and playful. It marks the third time I’ve played through its relentlessly moreish campaign. I’m sure the fourth will follow.

17. Rebel – The first of two PSM games on this list (I hope to add more in future), Rebel is a brilliant twist on the twin-stick shooter genre in that you don’t actually, uh, shoot. Instead you rely on witless enemies to knock each other out as you escape gunfire and helicopters. Levelling and unlocks keep you coming back to last just a few seconds more than last time. It’s addictive to the point of sleep loss and showcases the true advantage of PSM through utilizing the touchscreen and face buttons.

16. Wipeout 2048 – Having a solid Wipeout game on a PlayStation platform is a tradition as old as the brand itself (though this will sadly be the last entry). 2048 is a furiously fun, robust racer that takes highlights from the PS3 entry and mixes it with new content. It looks the past running on the OLED screen, and paints a bright picture for the future of the genre on the handheld. There’s a great set of modes on offer as well as the first truly great crossplay integration on the platform.

15. Virtue’s Last Reward – Though somewhat clunkier than its DS predecessor, VLR is a compelling slice
of narrative-driven adventure on Vita. There’s a good 40 hours’ worth of story to unravel between the perplexing puzzles, which starts off as a Saw-like horror and evolves into something more akin to Lost. It’s an obscure gem that validates text-based gameplay more than any other series in some time.

14. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time - Anyone that isn’t a fan of the Sly Cooper series need not bat an eyelid at his return, but those of us are found plenty to love in Sly 4. This is a rock-solid follow up to one of the PS2’s most underrated trilogies, and a love letter to the days where platformers ruled the roost. I hope it paves the way for Ratchet and Jak to set up shop on the system.

13. Super Stardust Delta – The Vita’s launch line-up was strewn with great games, but it was an update of a PSN classic that stole the bulk of my time. Stardust is an irresistible twin-stick shooter that’s slicker than anything else on the system. A ‘quick’ session can easily turn from minutes to hours as you battle your way through waves of enemies and push on to upgrade weapons and strive for perfectionist status. One of the few games I actually care about the leaderboards on.

12. Thomas Was Alone – On the surface, Thomas Was Alone is little more than a modest, inventive platformer that gives you more than your money’s worth in its run time. But the real crux of the game is its cosy narrative that’s told to the player as they bounce along. It’s a tale about friendship, differences and equality and an utterly essential indie staple that proves you don’t need big budget games to tell thought-provoking stories.

11. Rayman Origins – Origins is awesome just about anywhere you play it, but the portable nature of the Vita and its gorgeous screen make this version a winner. If Thomas Was Alone is modest, this is robust, in your face platforming that’s frantic and fun throughout. While completing the main quest is achievable, the real merit lies in the brutal challenges to gain collectibles, where the game reveals its ‘one more go’ nature.

10. LittleBigPlanet – Who’d have thought that the real LBP dream would be fully realised on a handheld? LBP Vita takes the complexities of the console games and simplifies them through intuitive touchscreen interaction, while also adding its own unique tools to utilize the Vita’s features. Its content sharing isn’t so much about showing off levels as it is creating entire apps and games. If there’s anything that proves the system’s potential to deliver full blown experiences, it’s this.

9. Sound Shapes – We’ve already seen two top-tier 2D platformers on this list, but here’s one that bests them both. Sound Shapes is an adventure unlike anything else, mixing music into gameplay tools in truly innovative ways. Its campaign takes you on an emotional trip, fuelled by mixes from brilliant artists and its content creation allows users to express themselves in a whole new way. This is gaming at its artistic peak.

8. MotorStorm RC – Evolution Studios are, for my money, one of the most underrated devs out there. They churned out a fantastically fun racing trilogy on PS3 and followed all of that up with one of Vita’s most brilliant launch titles – MotorStorm RC. This is Micro Machines for a new generation, adopting all online features you’d expect of the genre these days and pushing you to go for gold in every one of the game’s challenges. There’s a playful energy to it, a sense that this is a team blowing off steam after pushing themselves for three great titles. That’s a rare thing to find in a game these days.

7. Escape Plan – When Escape Plan launched it was a clumsy, troubled puzzler that was sadly considered to be something of a let-down. What a difference a patch can make. With some tweaking of the game’s scoring system, this went from a frustrating mess to a satisfying, stylish brain tickler unlike anything else on the system. The trial-and-error gameplay resulted in hilarious accidents that would see the game’s cutesy heroes, Lil n Laarg, crushed, burst and impounded.

6. Uncharted: Golden Abyss – Nathan Drake’s exploits may have already gone down in gaming history, but the Uncharted series is still as young as they come at this point in the medium. Oddly enough, then, Golden Abyss is something of a throwback. It’s not the set-piece laden, cinematic masterpiece like Naughty Dog’s sequels, but instead a lengthy, enjoyable adventure much more akin to Drake’s Fortune, focusing on fire fights and exploration. And it’s brilliantly confident in itself for being that, never trying to shoehorn the Vita’s limited power into a big budget sequence. Drake is in perfect hands with Bend; let’s hope a sequel builds on that.

5. Rymdkapsel – PSM is already stacked with great indie games, but this stylish strategy game tops them all. Rymd is all about resource management, mixed into a challenging tower defence setup that pushes you to assess and strategize after every enemy encounter. It’s far too easy to lose hours at a time trying to build the best possible base while trying to survive for as long as you can. Its soundtrack fits perfectly with the eerie dead space that surrounds you. A real gem.

4. Velocity Ultra – The best PS mini evolved into one of the best Vita titles period. Ultra is a shoot ‘em up with a number of brilliant twists that take the focus away from bullet-dodging and emphasise speed, movement and perfection. It’s a painful experience to make it through all 50 levels but one of the most satisfying challenges on the system.

3. Gravity Rush – Gravity Rush will catch you off guard. On the surface it looks like an entertaining action game with a simple twist, but it boasts a lot more than that. Its stunning visuals play host to a diverse open-world which can be traversed in liberating fashion, while protagonist Kat is one of the most memorable members of the PlayStation family to come along in quite some time. Then there’s the combat, which justifies Vita’s hot pot of features with ease, from gyro-aiming to touchscreen dodging. It’s a wonderfully unassuming experience that treats the system like it’s been around for years instead of trying to showcase the new piece of kit. The sum is a gorgeous Vita treat that demands to be played.

2. Muramasa Rebirth – That Muramasa never came to HD consoles after its Wii debut is one of this generation’s many injustices. But Vanillaware more than made up for it this year when they brought the stunning beat ‘em up to Vita’s OLED screen. Muramasa is an effortlessly beautiful adventure with one of the most unique and satisfying combat systems to be crafted in the past few years. While combat usually relies on the one button, brittle blades and punishing difficulty force you to focus on movement and survival just as much as pushing the offense. It’s so confident in itself that there’s even a one-hit difficulty mode that demands strict skills from players. One of the best action games in years and one of Vita’s best period.

1. Soul Sacrifice – What many would say Soul Sacrifice lacks in originality I would say is more than made up for in the game’s relentless playability. Monster Hunter clone? Sure. But this is a MH reimagined without the cumbersome animations (not that I take issue with those in the first place), and bolstered by the accessibility of PSN that in turn plays host to the best co-op on the system. Sacrifice has a surprisingly engaging story mode, but its online side-quests that are the real star of the show. With innovative systems at work that tempt you to sacrifice friends and indeed your own stats, it’s much deeper than it originally lets on, all of which comes to ahead when tackling the most excruciating bosses the game has to offer. We’re talking hour-long battles with flaming phoenixes and, uh, lightning-spouting trees.  For my money, this is the 60 best hours you can on Vita.