Reviews

PS Vita Game Reviews

  • Review BlazBlue: Continuum Shift EXTEND (PlayStation Vita)

    The deep end of the pool

    After the original BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger wowed fighting game fans with its amazing depth and character variety, developer Arc System Works took things a step or two further with its follow-up, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. Not only did the follow-up continue the in-depth fighting experience of the first release, it also...

  • Review Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted (PlayStation Vita)

    Breakin’ bones and genres

    Modern fighting bouts are glamorous events these days, but it hasn’t always been this way. Fighting for honour, societal positioning or for the unadulterated brutality and adrenaline rush, the warriors of Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted are so highly trained in the art of fighting that their bare hands are lethal weapons...

  • Review Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PlayStation Vita)

    Captivating

    Ever since X-Men vs. Street Fighter way back in the 1990s, Capcom knows its fans want to be able to fight Ryu with Wolverine. As popularity increased, Capcom expanded the roles from just X-Men and Street Fighter to include various characters from the Marvel and Capcom line up. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (UMvC3) builds upon that initial...

  • Review Plants vs. Zombies (PlayStation Vita)

    Cherry bomb

    If you have an electronic device released in the past few years, there's an extremely good chance that a version of Plants vs. Zombies is available for it. Since its original release back in 2009, the game has become somewhat of a measuring stick by which most tower defence games are judged. Now, PopCap Games has created a version for...

  • Review A-Men (PlayStation Vita)

    Get to the chopper!

    In the description on PS Store for A-Men Polish developer Bloober Team has thrown down the gauntlet to players by stating that its tactical 2D puzzle game is built for “hardcore gamers.” PlayStation gaming has a modest history of character swapping puzzle games; as far back as 1997 the PSone had Lost Vikings 2: Norse by...

  • Review Unit 13 (PlayStation Vita)

    Suited and booted

    Unit 13 is an answer to critics who claim Sony’s handheld endeavours don't match their platform. Zipper Interactive’s third-person shooter seamlessly combines the depth of a fully functioning action title with the accessibility of a smartphone game, and it serves as an example of what developers can achieve when they design...

  • Review Touch My Katamari (PlayStation Vita)

    Roll with it

    Katamari Damacy began as a happy ball of creativity, an innovative concept revolving solely around the simple act of rolling. Eight years after it first arrived, the novelty has dissipated, the industry nary raising an eyebrow at the series any longer. Time, and a lack of forward movement, has normalised the Prince and King of All...

  • Review Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (PlayStation Vita)

    Niche ninja

    The ninja career path is only for the chosen few. Mercenaries for hire, using stealth and the edge of their blades to cut out their living — life is hard for these hidden warriors. Those with enough skill can even turn the tides of war, and in Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen, each contract taken has a long-lasting impact; your blade holds...

  • Review Super Stardust Delta (PlayStation Vita)

    Shining star

    Although the Stardust series began life as a simple Asteroids clone on the classic Amiga computers, it wasn't until the release of Super Stardust HD on PlayStation 3's download service that it began to garner worldwide recognition. Lauded for its intuitive play controls and vibrant visuals, the twin analogue stick shooter quickly became...

  • Review Army Corps of Hell (PlayStation Vita)

    Test your metal

    When the gates of the netherworld open and the King of Hell comes for our souls, his evil army of minions will rain death on all mankind with might, magic and so, so much metal. At least, that’s what the prophecies laid forth in Square Enix’s Army Corps of Hell would lead us to believe. When a game is labelled as being...

  • Review Frobisher Says (PlayStation Vita)

    If Monty Python did mini-games...

    Although Nintendo’s WarioWare wasn’t the first game to compile quick-fire mini-games (it’s pre-dated by Sega’s Tanto-R and Konami’s Bishi Bashi), it remains the most famous example of the genre. While so many modern games try hard to immerse the player in engaging and time-consuming missions, WarioWare...

  • Review Hustle Kings (PlayStation Vita)

    The royal touch

    Following the success of Hustle Kings for PlayStation 3, VooFoo Studios' Hustle Kings on PS Vita has arrived. Whether you live in pool halls or just whisk through them once in a blue moon, Hustle Kings is enticing thanks to a variety of options that look out for everybody. The game's pockets are stuffed with enough content to make it...

  • Review Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition (PlayStation Vita)

    Pocket ace

    Virtua Tennis is no stranger to PlayStation platform launches. An iteration of SEGA’s arcade sports series accompanied the release of Sony’s previous handheld, as well as the PS3. But while Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition isn't a new entry into the franchise – it’s derived from last spring’s PS3 release – it’s a title...

  • Review Ridge Racer (PlayStation Vita)

    Spare parts

    Ridge Racer and PlayStation fit together like hand in driving glove. Namco's racing series has helped to ignite the launch of each Sony console to date, but with such a strong launch line-up for Vita its finishing position is not quite as assured this time around. With a new online-focused approach, Vita's Ridge Racer is Namco's attempt...

  • Review Table Soccer (PlayStation Vita)

    Hand ball

    Long before FIFA, long before Sensible Soccer, the only way football enthusiasts could get their kicks without going outside was with Subbuteo, a table football game in which your flicking fingertips did all the talking and scoring. Staring the more complex emulations of football right in the goal mouth, Four Door Lemon has brought back...

  • Review Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (PlayStation Vita)

    A cut above

    Taking up the way of the ninja is to accept a life of constant challenge and sacrifice, as death dealing is a ninja’s foremost priority. While many will try, very few will ever hold the necessary skills it takes to walk this path alone. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus has slashed its way onto PlayStation Vita as a launch title and puts the...

  • Review Escape Plan (PlayStation Vita)

    The Lil and Laarg Show

    Lil and Laarg aren't the type of guys to make their prison beds and lie in them. Captured by the tyrannous Bakuki, the duo quickly embark on an escape mission through roughly 80 rooms of Escape Plan's labyrinthine prison. It's never as simple as jimmying open a well-placed window with a convenient crowbar, though – in fact,...

  • Review Top Darts (PlayStation Vita)

    Double top?

    Released in late 2010, Top Darts for PS3 was a detailed and addictive recreation of the sport with a distinct party emphasis. Now Top Darts on PS Vita is here and is arguably the most focused of the system's launch titles. Despite the very obvious temptation to toy with the shiny new inputs, developer Devil’s Details has limited itself...

  • Review Rayman Origins (PlayStation Vita)

    A portable platforming masterpiece

    When the original Rayman was released in 1995, it was lauded for its lush and vibrant visuals, and it didn't hurt that the game featured some incredible level designs either. But after jumping aboard the 3D platformer bandwagon for the better part of a decade, the series recently took a trip back to its 2D roots...

  • Review Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PlayStation Vita)

    Full Drake or half-baked?

    As the first portable entry for the Uncharted series, Uncharted: Golden Abyss sets itself apart from its console counterparts in a variety of ways. Firstly, the game isn’t directed by franchise creators Naughty Dog, helmed instead by Bend Studio, the team that brought Resistance Retribution to the PSP. Secondly, the...

  • Review MotorStorm RC (PlayStation Vita)

    Micro machines

    Evolution Studios might not have intended to, but it’s inadvertently created the best game in the MotorStorm series. Pitched as a spin-off handled by a small team of elite employees, MotorStorm RC takes the franchise’s established off-road racing staples and shrinks them down to shoebox size. Despite concerns to the contrary,...

  • Review Fireworks (PlayStation Vita)

    Bangers and flash

    Fireworks and the great indoors don’t usually make for the most advisable of combinations, but the PlayStation Network holds the answer for those that really need a fix of sparkly light shows and expensive wastes of gunpowder. Better yet, you don’t even have to leave your armchair to play PS Vita’s Fireworks, a free download...

  • Review Reality Fighters (PlayStation Vita)

    Reality pales

    Novarama’s not new to the concept of augmented reality: the Spanish studio’s been layering polygonal worlds on top of our bed sheets for years now with the Invizimals series, but Reality Fighters is a change of direction for the studio. The developer’s kicked out the cute creatures and laborious combat from its Pokémon-inspired...

  • Review Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PlayStation Vita)

    An ill-suited alliance

    The popular dungeon crawler Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, previously seen on PlayStation 3, iOS, and Android platforms, slashes its way onto PS Vita with a few new features at a surprisingly inflated cost. The concept is simple: travel from map to map killing enemies in order to level up and snatch up loot to improve your...

  • Review F1 2011 (PlayStation Vita)

    200mph+ bus ride

    Nearly everyone has had the itch for speed at one point in their life. Whether it’s while driving a car on the highway or redlining a motorbike, many of us have experienced the thrill of speed and enjoyed it. The ultimate form of adrenaline in racing is Formula 1 (F1), where the world’s best drivers race extremely quick cars on...

  • Review Cliff Diving (PlayStation Vita)

    Making a splash

    With augmented reality being all the rage right now, it’s no surprise to see a camera-exploiting trio arrive on PS Vita at launch to further expand its Swiss army knife-rivalling feature set. In Cliff Diving, the alphabetical first of the three, you take control of Dave and help him become the greatest diver in the world through...

  • Review Lumines Electronic Symphony (PlayStation Vita)

    Brain and eye candy

    Lumines Electronic Symphony seems simplistic, but it still offers a challenge for even the best puzzlers out there. As blocks fall, you’ll have to rotate falling cubes to build blocks of the same colour into a four-by-four square; once that square is built, more blocks can be combined onto the initial block until a bar passes...

  • Review WipEout 2048 (PlayStation Vita)

    Adrenaline on the go

    WipEout has been the staple for futuristic racing titles since 1995 when SCE Studio Liverpool — then Psygnosis — launched its début title on the original PlayStation; ever since, there's been a steady stream of games released across the PlayStation family. The newest addition to the series speeds its way onto PlayStation...

  • Review Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (PlayStation Vita)

    Blobstopper

    When the first Tales from Space: About a Blob hit the PlayStation 3, it caught most people off guard with its wild 50's sci-fi theme and engaging puzzle-platformer gameplay. Now with the release of the PlayStation Vita, developer Drinkbox Studios has crafted a sequel that not only features every ounce of playability and charm of the...

  • Review ModNation Racers: Road Trip (PlayStation Vita)

    Go-kartin' with a creative touch

    “Let’s go on a road trip!” The thoughts of the adventures just waiting to be explored sends you rapidly packing and out onto the open roads. But once the adventure starts you soon realise that even though you're having fun, in the rush you’ve left home a bit under-packed and you'd have enjoyed the trip far...