Title: Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery
Format: PlayStation Network Download (561 MB)
Release Date: May 15, 2013
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Lucid Games
Price: $2.99 (US), €1.99 (EU), £1.59 (UK)
ESRB Rating: E10+
PEGI: 7+
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is also available on iOS.
The PlayStation Vita version was used for this review.

Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is the name given to an ape-like creature that supposedly  inhabits North American Forests. Only seen in a few blurry photos and never up close, unless of course your named Jacob Jones one of Camp Eagle Feathers newest members. Together they’ll have to solve devious puzzles to find out what’s truly going at the strange summer camp.

Built and designed by Lucid Games, who previously made Travel Bug for the PS Vita. Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is an episodic title set in a papercraft world. But is this mystery worth unfolding or should it be scrunched up and thrown in the bin?

Gameplay:
The game starts off with your character Jacob Jones and his parents, on his way to summer camp. There is a good selection of puzzles which intertwine with the story and can be intelligently ingenious; fans of the Professor Layton games would feel right at home. To move around the world you simply swipe the screen and J.J  moves to the next area, or a touch of the screen to interact with objects or people.

Story wise this game suits all ages but with a wicked adult undertone that’ll appeal to the grown-ups. I found myself not wanting to play until the wife & kids got home so they could enjoy it too. “But what if it’s really gory or explicit later on?” I muttered to myself, “I better complete it first just in case.” I continued on, for my family.

Picking up cans, found littered around the camp adds credits to your phone which allow you to get hints for the puzzles. I know that sounds strange but it makes sense in the game and is a nice way of making you explore the environment.

I used the hints to see how easy it made the puzzles, I didn’t need to, honest. You use your phone to either Check Hintbook (messages), Call Uncle Ed, Call Big Bro or as a last resort use one of three puzzle passes. Your brothers will be doing various things each time you call them and the clues they give are well thought out.

Visuals:
This is one of the most beautiful games I’ve played in ages. It’s a gorgeous treat to the eyes with an excellent attention to detail. Using the Unreal 3 engine to make a paper craft world that oozes with its own personality and charm; Lucid Games have outdone themselves. All of the characters in the game are unique and look great, so much so that I want some figures of them to adorn my PC desk.

In many reviews you may have noticed how the PS Vita screen makes games look better, well this is no exception. Colours look rich and the style really works well, it even looks great when you tilt the Vita – which alters the perspective, allowing you to see around things.

Audio:
Voice work is very good and suits each character well. For such a low priced title, this sounds anything but. Voice talent from the likes of Mac McDonald (Captain of Red Dwarf), Jo Wyatt (Perfect Dark Zero) and even Jay Benedict (Foyle’s War). The music which is composed by Chris Mann who has worked on everything from Aardman Animations to Pepsi Ads.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only.

Conclusion:
As you may have guessed, I really like this game. There is so much to do in this episode and it’s such a great price. You can brag about your completed puzzles on Facebook and Twitter which is nice but the best part of completing a puzzle is the tense ‘am I correct’ moment at the end, even when I know I’m correct I still find myself playing along.

I can’t get over how much this looks & feels like a console game on the go. The quality of graphics, audio and story is excellent. My wife and kids got home and are now playing it obsessively, I didn’t mention the sacrifice I made on their behalf.

As you might have guessed, I’m looking forward to the next episodes and think it’s an outstandingly good game. This papercraft mystery is definitely worth unfolding.

Score:

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Vita’s built in screen capture feature.

Many gamers would argue that the PlayStation Vita has a somewhat lackluster library after its first year on the market. For the most part, this is true, as the majority of the Vita’s catalog consists of ports or spin-offs of major console titles. While games like Gravity Rush, Sound Shapes, and Guacamelee diversify this line up, the PlayStation fan base has been clamoring for a new IP built around a mobile gameplay experience. Enter Soul Sacrifice, an original IP built from the ground up as a PlayStation Vita experience from the minds of industry veteran Keji Inafune and SCE Japan Studio. With an emphasis on quick missions, tons of content, and an unconventional story, Soul Sacrifice cements itself as a solid title on the PlayStation Vita, even if it isn’t for everybody.

Gameplay:
Soul Sacrifice aims to tell a story of regret, choice, and human suffering. At its onset, the player finds themselves locked in a cell by the powerful sorcerer Magusar, an corrupt individual hell-bent on sustaining his immortality through human sacrifice. In this cell, the prisoner is confronted with the mysterious, talking book Librom. He contains the memories and secrets of prisoners and sorcerers past, and through these experiences, the prisoner will eventually become strong enough to confront Magusar. It’s an atypical plot, but its structure facilitates the mission based gameplay at Soul Sacrifice’s core.

The game is structured around missions that take anywhere from two to twenty minutes to complete, depending on objective and complexity. A vast majority of the missions charge the prisoner with slaying a certain amount of enemies in a given area, while others may stress collecting a set number of soul essences or defeating a boss. The lack of mission variety begins to wear thin after a while, but the fluid and addictive combat makes the tedium much more bearable.

Inspired heavily by Monster Hunter, Soul Sacrifice is a third-person action RPG focused on killing monsters. Rather than equipping weapons and armor, the player equips six items to enter each battle with, each with a limited amount of uses. The fighters can only use a spell a finite amount of times before it breaks and becomes unusable. These spells can be replenished through restoring charges in the environment or sacrificing enemies, and they also fully heal if they remain unbroken at the end of the battle.

The spells can be upgraded and fused to create more powerful and longer lasting ones. By combining two duplicate relics, the player can upgrade its level and its durability. In addition, new spells can be forged by fusing existing spells together. The fusion and upgrade system can seem a bit obtuse, as the game does a poor job explaining it to the player in the beginning. Thankfully, it becomes second nature after the first few hours. Every mission rewards you with a steady stream of new and already discovered items, giving the player plenty of opportunity to fuse and upgrade.

At its heart, Soul Sacrifice is a game about choices, and this emerges in its core gameplay mechanic. After defeating an enemy, the player is presented with the choice to save or sacrifice it. Saving it increases your fighter’s overall defense and HP, restoring its health in the midst of battle as well. Sacrificing it increases your attack power and slightly restores your spells charges. For the smaller enemies, these choices can seem trivial and meaningless, but this decision becomes significantly more important after defeating a boss. Saving or sacrificing a boss tends to open up different branches in the mission structure, and you’ll find yourself replaying missions just to unlock all of the paths. In addition, saving a boss gives you an AI partner that can tag along during certain missions. The boss characters also give a significant boost to your life or magic level. Each of these skills can be leveled up, but with a maximum combined level count of 100, the choice is left up to the player. Luckily, the player’s progress can be changed with the in-game currency: Lacrima.

In a strange and out of place “mini game”, (and I use the term rather loosely here) Librom will develop droplets of Lacrima on the outside of his binding every so often. The player can gather this when he exits back to his cell, where Librom will remind you to check for droplets. It’s an arbitrary step that is unnecessary. The game could have just as easily awarded players with Lacrima after each battle, but nonetheless, this resource is necessary to maintain your character’s well being. Besides reconfiguring your health and attack levels, Lacrima can be used for a great many other things. If your combatant happens to use a spell until it breaks, it can be restored to as good as new with a payment of Lacrima. If an AI partner falls in a mission, you can spend this precious resource to bring them back to life. Finally, it can also be used to heal yourself after using a Black Rite.

The Black Rite can be seen as the ultimate form of magic. These spells are a one time use in combat, and they usually have massive consequences. For example, casting the Infernus Black Rite lights every enemy on the battlefield aflame, dealing a considerable amount of damage. In return, the caster has his defense permanently halved. Unfortunately, this status effect does not wear off after battle, and can only be reduced through the use of Lacrima. It’s a cool risk-reward system that makes the player reconsider whether casting this spell is worthwhile.

One of the biggest strengths of Soul Sacrifice is the pure amount of content in the game. After the first hour or so with the story, the game opens up tremendously and gives the player a wide array of missions and objectives to tackle. There are easily over 200 missions in the game, giving players plenty of bang for their buck. Most of these missions amount to little more than kill a certain number of enemies in this area, but the combat is fluid and dynamic enough to keep it interesting. Everything in the game is solid, providing a great experience for players who want a lot of content, but don’t mind the somewhat tedious and repetitive nature.

Visuals:
There’s no denying it; Soul Sacrifice is a gorgeous game. The environments look fantastic and so do the enemies. This can be attributed to the few enemies on screen at any time, but things never feel too devoid of life. From ice covered wastelands to endless deserts, the levels in Soul Sacrifice are one of the better visual treats on the PlayStation Vita. Unfortunately, repetition becomes an issue. The same environments are recycled from mission to mission, and even though this gives the player a sense of familiarity, it makes it feel like the game has been artificially padded with content.

The enemy design in Soul Sacrifice leaves a lot to be desired. While well designed to an extent, the game seems content with feeding the player the same enemy sets over and over again. Most of the enemy variety in the game amounts to little more than a re-skin and weakness swap, leading to the overall tedium present. While the boss designs are inspired and gruesome, the large amount of repetition in enemy design yet again makes the game feel padded and stretched out.

The interface and menu system, however, are extremely unique and creative. Rather than use a static set of menus to transport players from encounter to encounter, Librom serves his purpose as a book and guides you to different battles through the pages in his books. Every tap on the touch screen adds an ink blot to the screen, furthering the illusion of the book interface. Instead of scrolling through long lists of texts, illustrations and captions pop and animate on each page of the book, making the story sections feel much more interactive.

Audio:
The audio in Soul Sacrifice stands head and shoulders above many other aspects of the game. Recorded at Skywalker Sound, the fantastical orchestra perfectly accentuates moments of grave tension, excitement, and adrenaline. Whether it’s the swells of violins in the menu or the strong percussion in battle, the music in Soul Sacrifice is memorable and perfectly augments the experience. Weapon sounds and monster attacks are on par with what you expect from the genre, with nothing standing out or memorable. The voice work in the game is stylized well, but it can become cheesy and cringe-worthy in some certain spots. The performances deliver a much needed ambivalence, making it complement, rather than detract, from the story’s direction and tone.

Online/Multiplayer:
Most players will find that the multiplayer is the most appealing part of Soul Sacrifice. After completing the first chapter of the campaign, the Avalon Pacts section open up to the player, allowing them to take on missions with the aid of AI or other players. These missions can be tackled solo or with others, but it is significantly more enjoyable when playing with friends. Many of the bosses can be taken down with brute force, but teaming up with other players to strategize equipment selections will make battles go by smoother and easier. Progress attained in the multiplayer portion of the game will carry back to single player, giving players plenty of reason to partake in multiplayer as much as possible. The online lobby system is slick and easy to navigate, and the game’s quick, addictive style makes it extremely addicting and rewarding to play online with others.

Conclusion:
Overall, Soul Sacrifice is an excellent game, held back by some unfortunate design decisions. The recycled landscapes and enemy design make the game feel tedious quicker than it should, but at the same time, I found myself entranced by the rewarding and addictive gameplay. The combat is solid and enjoyable. Online multiplayer is extremely fun, and its short, mission-based structure lends itself for an excellent portable gaming experience.

For players that tend to get bored with a game if there’s not something new around every corner, Soul Sacrifice, with its loose story and simplistic mission objectives, is sure to disappoint. For those who would rather have a finely tuned machine that is well crafted, yet ultimately repetitive, this game will deliver. It’s not the best portable game to come out in years, but it is something unique that Vita owners should appreciate. It’s nice to finally have a unique IP designed for on the go play.

Score:

Title: Guacamelee
Format: PlayStation Network Download (527 MB PSN and 327 MB PS Vita Cross-Buy)
Release Date: April 9, 2013 (US) / April 10, 2013 (EU)
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Drinkbox Studios
Price: $14.99 (US) / £9.99 (UK) / €12.99 (EU) (PS3+PSV) *This is a Cross-Buy title
ESRB Rating: E
Guacamelee is available on PlayStation Network and PlayStation Vita. It is a Cross-Buy, Cross-Save title.
The PlayStation Network and PlayStation Vita download versions were used for this review.

You start as a “simple” agave farmer named Juan. You’re heading into town as if nothing is wrong with the world, but that quickly changes with an strange attack on El Presidente’s home. His daughter is abducted by an unusual and supernatural figure, as he sends you to another existence. In the confusion that follows, Juan comes across a typically simple Luchador mask, and once he puts it on his head, the mission to save her begins.

Gameplay:
‘Guacamelee’ is an excellent addition to the “MetroidVania” genre that has spanned videogaming culture for years. A 2D scrolling action-platformer, your powers are revealed to you one-by-one as you progress through the story. You start with some pretty basic fighting moves, but as you move through the game, Juan/Guacamelee will earn other powers such as a fiery uppercut, a ‘stomp’ move, and even later on, you’ll get to fly! Also, in true “Metroid” style, you’ll search for items such as pieces of stamina and health containers, which when enough are collected, will increase the amount of both. You’ll also collect Pesos as you progress, and will have the opportunity to buy upgrades and new moves at the many altars throughout the landscape.

The action can get pretty frantic, but the tight controls help you pull-off heavy combos and will have you shuckin’ and jukin’ with the best of them. You’ll quickly learn that the dodge button will be your friend, as you’re temporarily invincible as you do so, which helps immensely when the screen is full of enemies, all with differently-colored shields which all need to be broken by specific, color-coded special moves. Every special power that you have is tied to a specific color, so a headbutt is always yellow, and an uppercut is always red, and so forth. That’s not all though because you’ll also gain the ability to turn into a chicken, allowing you to get into tight areas that may hold some shiny rewards. Another major element that comes into play during your adventure is the ability to actually shift between the worlds of the living and the dead, first by jumping into portals, but later at the quick press of a button (or swiping up or down on the Vita’s screen). Speaking of the Vita, ‘Guacamelee’ is the exact same game on both platforms, except that you can’t play cooperatively on the portable.

You can also use the Vita as the PS3 game controller using the Sub-Controller functionality of Remote Play. It’s very easy to setup and use, and unlike LBP2, the visual information on the screen is always the same.

* Instructions on how to use this functionality are at the bottom of the review.

On the screen, you’ll be able to quickly check the world map instead of hitting the “Select” button on the DualShock 3 to do so on the game screen. Also, you’ll be able to instantly see how many Pesos you possess, which is something not normally on the main screen. It may seem like a gimmick, but using the Vita in this way actually works quite well. I did have one instance where the controls felt like they got stuck, but it quickly went away.

In true MetroidVania form, the game gets increasingly complex as you come across some pretty inventive puzzles. Later in the game, you’ll require a good deal of reflexes and abstract thought to get past some of these, especially when you’re swapping between dimensions while invoking a special move at the same time. Yes, I did like some of you probably just did with a *sigh*, but know that I finished this game, so I got through every puzzle thrown at me. At times, you may need to simply stop and take a look at the entire screen to figure things out. It can get frustrating, but it’s supposed to. I can’t count how many times that I cried out something to the affect of “are you serious?!”, but again, a game like this is made for that very purpose. Fortunately, the pacing is setup to give you some much needed breathers. If you need a distraction though, head to town to pickup a quick side-mission, which you’ll definitely want to do if you’re pursuing a Platinum trophy, since some are tied directly to these missions.

I would be an idiot not to mention the dialogue throughout the game, since the writing is pretty great. I’m one of the many people that skip through dialogue bubbles, but in this instance, do yourself a favor and read the text. There’s some funny stuff, and you’ll also pickup some hints at what’s coming up in your travels. The writing is clever, so don’t miss out.

Visuals:
I’m a huge fan of the visuals in every way. The animation is silky smooth with nary a hitch to be seen. The style is almost cartoonish, with a great color palette throughout, and the layers of depth do a fantastic job of adding to the scope of the world that you’re in. Drinkbox also, in a few instances, used a great technique of zooming the camera in and out in stages, mainly to show where you fit in to this large environment, but also at a late point to just be funny (extreme close-up!). At some points, the style even reminds me of another game set in a similar world, that game being ‘Grim Fandango’. But ‘Guacamelee’ is definitely all its own, and you’ll instantly be drawn into the world that Juan lives in.

For those that possess a tendency to notice some finer detail in games, you’re in for a treat, as Drinkbox has filled the background with nods to not only past Drinkbox titles, but also to other indie developers. Keep an eye especially in towns where posters are on the walls, and the clothing drying on the lines. There’s a lot to see and experience, so every now and then, take some extra time to check things out.

Audio:
So, I was shopping yesterday when I realized that I was humming one of the main songs from ‘Guacamelee’. This is actually pretty surprising to me, because I don’t usually remember game soundtracks as often as you’d expect. The music is fantastic, with a definite Mexican vibe throughout. Equally, sound effects are very well-done, and as a whole, the audio mix did a fantastic job, especially in tense situations or boss battles.

Online/Multiplayer:
Online features are limited to leaderboards for Speed Run times, and being able to upload and download cloud saves, so you can take your game on the road with the Vita, or back to the PS3 to play on the big screen.

Conclusion:
I love this game, truly. Really my only complaints are that the co-op isn’t online, and that one of the later bosses is an absolute cheap bastard. I got past him, but it took some time. Other than that, I truly had a smile on my face while I played this one. If you’re not a completionist that won’t play a second time through in “Hard Mode”, you may consider this one a bit short in the grand scheme of things, but there’s actually a lot of game here, and luckily, you’ll enjoy it from beginning to end. HIGHLY Recommended!

Score:

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle screen capture feature.

Gallery:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

12►

Title: Dead or Alive 5+
Format: PlayStation Network Download (2628 MB) / Game Card
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Developer: Team Ninja
Price: $39.99 (PSN) / $39.99 (Game Card)
ESRB Rating: M
Dead or Alive 5+ is the PlayStation Vita version of Dead or Alive 5, previously released for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Ever since its debut just over one year ago, the PlayStation Vita has been subjected to comparison of its console counterpart.  Aside from being dubbed ‘the most powerful handheld in the world’ the Vita can’t escape the ‘portable PS3‘ moniker or the ‘console in your hands’ descriptor.  Publishers, developers, and industry personnel are not looking to separate the two either, with many titles being released for both platforms and a focus put on cross-save features.

I have however noticed that such comparisons are stated with a bit of hesitation.  It is common to hear ‘it looks almost like the PS3 version’ or my personal favorite, ‘certain features have obviously been taken out’.  Dead or Alive 5+ looks to close this gap between handheld and home console by offering the stunning visuals, extended features, and perfected gameplay that we’ve come to expect from the PS3; all the while adding in a few extras.

Gameplay:
If you’re familiar with fighters and/or the Dead or Alive franchise, you know that these games are comparatively deeper than others in the genre.  I delved into this one head first by checking out the 34 section tutorial, each with more than a few moves to learn, offering hundreds of lessons to master.  It can be a little overwhelming at first, but it is quickly realized that this game will need time and devotion to be thoroughly enjoyed.  There is so much terminology to consider with high, low, and mid holds, combo throws and counter strikes all coming into play at high levels of competition.

One thing in particular that impressed me about Dead or Alive 5+ was the character diversity.  There are wrestlers that focus on holds, ninjas and karate masters that are super quick, and even a drunken fighter.  In many fighting games, the same 3-button input will represent a special move for more than half of the character cast.  This is definitely not the case here, as Team Ninja has created a fighting game with a focus on longevity that has been rare this generation.

The story mode in Dead or Alive 5+ starts off as a convoluted mess of intertwining character storylines but it clears up as you push forward.  We get a little snapshot of what each character was doing leading up to the 5^th Dead or Alive tournament.  There is some humor, a few emotional parts, and everything ends up tying together very nicely.  With more than 70 chapters and over 90 cutscenes, the story mode is more than a few-hour affair.  If nothing else, it serves to familiarize the player with the DOA universe and add dynamic character traits to the otherwise bland roster.

And now, the question you’ve all been waiting for me to answer:   Emrah, how has Team Ninja incorporated touch-screen and gyroscope capabilities?  Even though a DOA fan is probably a core gamer that gives no audience to gimmicky features, I believe that this game has nailed it.  Touch fight is a feature of Dead or Alive 5+ that is completely separate from the rest of the game.  It pits you against an AI opponent in first-person view and allows you to use the Vita both vertically and horizontally.  All fight mechanics are mapped to tapping and swiping and it can be a fun novelty in a mini-game type of way.

Visuals:
With Dead or Alive 5+, the franchise maintains its place at the top when it comes to visual fidelity in the fighting genre and translates that beauty to the small screen.  But what about the boob physics?  They are in full effect for all of you e-pervs out there.  Black market smartphone apps are no longer the only form of pornography in the mobile space.  These ladies barely have to take a breath for their breasts to bounce uncontrollably.

Seriously though, I’ve yet to experience a Vita game with graphics that mirror its console version so closely, especially in this genre.  Mortal Kombat on the Vita lacked character detail, resulting in some downright ugly visuals.  In DOA 5+, you can fight anywhere from an industrial setting to a beautiful island paradise to a silly circus.  Each of these arenas are complete with appropriate lighting and the characters themselves never exhibit the slightest hiccup.

Audio:
There is a healthy selection of background music with a mixture of flowery Japanese dojo music and ass-kickin’ rock and roll.  You can assign any of the tracks to any character and the assigned song will play when using that character.

The attacks in the game also represent a good portion of the soundtrack.  Each kick, punch, throw, and hold come complete with the appropriate karate-action-movie sound effect.  The announcer has that slightly obnoxious voice that we’ve come to expect from a fighter, but it is satisfying to hear him yell ‘K.O.’ at the end of a heated battle.

Online/Multiplayer:
The online multiplayer in the game is very simple.  You can either play a casual or ranked match with ranked matches obviously counting towards your overall win/loss record.  You can choose to fight players in your region or anywhere and I did not experience any lag, slow down, or frame skips.  Online, the game plays impressively close to the offline experience.

Dead or Alive 5+ also supports ad hoc multiplayer and cross-save.

Conclusion:
Dead or Alive 5+ is not only a beautiful reflection of Dead or Alive 5 on console, but it is an overall mechanically sound fighter with deep combos, precision timing, and entertaining gameplay.  It does not have the gory attraction of Mortal Kombat or the super hero following that Injustice:  Gods Among Us will no doubt accrue.  It does not have the projectile or super move appeal of Street Fighter either.  It is a bare-knuckle brawler with virtually no magic or nonsense.  A little bit of ninja mysticism is sprinkled on this close quarters fighter, resulting in intense matchups requiring split-second reflexes.  If any of you fight fans out there are looking for something that will truly test your skills on the go, Dead or Alive 5+ is the game for you.

Score:

***All screenshots used in this review were taken using the PlayStation Vita’s built-in screen screen capture feature***

Title: MLB 13 The Show
Format: PlayStation Network Download / Blu-ray Disc (21.7 GB) / Game Card (3.2 GB Download)
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Sony San Diego Studios
Price: $59.99 (PS3) / $39.99 (PSV) *This is NOT a Cross-Buy title
ESRB Rating: E
MLB 13 The Show is available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
The retail version for both platforms were used for this review.

The beginning of March can signify many things. Winter starts winding-down, commercials for the summer movies fall into heavy rotation on TV, and Spring Training is in full swing. In tandem with Spring Training is also the release of the digital recreations of our nation’s pastime, and every year, I spend countless and sleepless days with a controller in my hand while cursing that last, nasty slider.

I’ve been working on this game for over a week now, and while cosmetically it hasn’t changed much this year, essentially everything else has been improved. The online components aren’t available yet, so any of those observations will be added in a day or two (and could affect the score possibly.)

One thing that’s pretty obvious this year is that the Vita version has definitely matured. I know that some have expressed their desire for it to have all of the presentation aspects of the PS3 version, and those people will be disappointed once again. This is a conscious decision by the dev team though since the Vita is a portable platform. If they left everything in the Vita version, one game could take 3 hours, eating half of the battery. To me it makes sense, but as usual, you can’t please everyone.

Gameplay:
This year, the team has included a brand new mode to enjoy, and even though you might not think so, you will definitely like it. Post Season Mode allows you to experience October Baseball at its finest, which can be pretty awesome if you’re a fan of a team that rarely makes it that far (like me and my beloved Brewers.) The options allowed are pretty beefy, with the ability to set every team in the post season manually, or you can choose to randomize them all. You can also choose how many games comprise each level of the playoffs and the World Series. The mode is really well done, and it can be a lot of fun to play “what if” in a bunch of different scenarios. We did catch the commentators talking about some things that probably wouldn’t come up in the playoffs, but it only happened a couple of times. The biggest disappointment though, was after the Brewers won the World Series (I know, total fantasy) there wasn’t much fanfare after the game. They didn’t even announce/present the Series MVP. It’s a great mode, but there are definitely a couple of things they could do to make it even better next year.

As usual, most of my time has been focused on Road to the Show (RttS), which gets a huge makeover this year. The push to bring you, the player, deeper into the game is palpable, with changes to the entire presentation, all with the goal of making it seem more like you’re actually on the field. Before I get into all of the changes, understand that most everything is optional, so if you don’t like any of the new options, they can be changed back in the options menus.

First-up, the presentation has been changed in almost every way. The commentators are now only heard between innings, since you wouldn’t hear them while you’re actually on the field. Visually, they’ve gone the minimalist route this year, with only the score bug in the corner when you’re batting. Any other info you’ll get from the stadium announcer, a scoreboard, or from someone on the field. As a fielder, instead of hearing the commentators, you’ll hear communication from your teammates and opponents. The first time you hear a fielder call you off a fly ball is weird, but it definitely improves the experience. Also, your default fielding view is now switched to an almost first person look, as you track the ball as a real fielder would. It takes some time to get used to, but I actually prefer this method now. Another change though, is the ‘catch button’. It’s definitely a cool idea, and it does work, but you’ll need pinpoint timing to make it work consistently. Basically, as the ball gets close to you, the ball halo will turn green if it’s catchable, and that’s when you’ll need to hold L2 to catch the ball, either in the air or on the ground. The function ties directly into your player’s field ability rating, so even if you think you’re right on the ball, you WILL drop or bobble it at times. It can get frustrating, but hey, this is meant to be a simulation. Honestly though, I turned the catch button off after a few hours. I love that they added it, but it’s just not for me.

One thing that many people have asked for in the past was to know why your team seemed to be losing game after game, so now they given you the opportunity to know. Between the times that you’re up to bat or in a fielding situation, the game will now give you a visual representation of what’s happening in the game in the form of a simple play-by-play text window, and by showing player positions on the bases. This can be skipped at any time by hitting Circle, but if you choose to view it, it’s a great but simple way to show you what’s actually happening. You can also change the speed of the feed to slow, medium, or fast.

Probably my favorite change in RttS though, is how your coaches will talk to you when you’re on the bases. It’s obviously the overlying audio design for the entire mode, but when you’re running the bases, it’s just great to hear your coach tell you what to do instead of you trying to keep your eye on his hand motions. They’ve revamped the grading system too, and no more will you be judged on your hit-and-run abilities or lack thereof. There are still times when you’ll feel like you’ve earned more training points for a hit then you’re given, but it definitely feels more accurate this year.

As I said, I’ve been playing the game quite a lot already, thanks to Sony getting the game in our hands earlier than usual, and it’s really paid-off. After messing with the other modes, I dug-in to what I play the most, Road to the Show. The character creation is a bit deeper then last year, allowing you to even choose things like your follow-through (1 or 2 hands) and an expanded roster of stances (you can finally wear a batting glove with your number, and your player’s index finger can stick out of he fielding glove now.) There are a ton of additions and changes, and it would be lunacy to attempt to list them all here, so I won’t even try.

When I created my player, I essentially just randomized everything, and I suspect that either they really did make it easier to work your way up the ranks from AA to the majors, or there are some key dice-rolls behind the scenes when character creation happens. The reason I say this is because my player is a MONSTER! In both Double and Triple A, I’ve batted over .400 with a slugging percentage of over .600. In my first season, I was called-up to the Mariners, but was knocked back down to AAA when the injured player I subbed for was healthy again. In my second season, starting in AAA, again I was putting monster numbers up until a leg fracture that put me out for 60 days. When I was finally on the mend, another new addition helped me recover even faster, since now you’re awarded a decent amount of additional training points after an injury, to help speed your recovery fully.

The fact of the matter with RttS is that you’ll definitely need some time to adjust to the essentially complete makeover, but when you do, it’s incredibly rewarding.

The Franchise and Season modes have also seen some tweaks over last year, including a brand new team budget system, primarily based on a reward-penalty based system that’s affected directly by the team’s on-field performance. Also, as you heard from Ramone Russell when he joined us on the podcast, the arbitration system has been completely overhauled, and is light years ahead of where it’s been in the past.

There are other modes and options available, such as Diamond Dynasty “2.0″ (I still don’t understand the mode, but early feedback from the community that played it recently is very favorable,) and the new “The Show Live” which allows you to play the games actually happening in the MLB that day, round the package out nicely. There’s even more, but I only have so many days to write these reviews.

Visuals:
Visually, the game still looks fantastic on both platforms, but there isn’t much of a change this year. On the Vita, I will say that the games looks cleaner this time though. Stadiums have definitely been tweaked, including the dimensions change at Safeco Field (Seattle) and their new scoreboard as well. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City) is another that definitely looks cleaned-up, especially the Hall of Fame and scoreboard. No matter what Major League stadium you hit, you’ll definitely notice the updates, no matter where you are.

PS3

Speaking of stadiums, they’ve added even more to the roster of Spring Training and Minor League venues, and above that, any of the existing stadiums in these classes have been tweaked as well. I love the new stadiums by the way, with standouts being one that’s right on a lake, and another that has huge monster trucks where the bleachers would be.

PS Vita

One last improvement visually, is the new ball trajectory system, which combined with the even more improved ball physics, finally brings the action very close to the real game of Baseball. The addition of push-pull tendencies, including the accuracy of the ball popping off of the bat really makes it feel like you’re watching a real game. Tailing line drives, little dunks into a shallow outfield, and even spin affecting a ground ball will amaze you in every contest. Plus, in the over 40 hours that have been put into the game so far, I’ve only seen two ground-rule doubles, which is a huge improvement over last year.

This is where things can be deceiving though, but when you realize how much has been improved in the back end, you’ll know that even though it’s not a new graphics engine, nor have they replaced the player models, a lot has been changed for the better this year, with an emphasis on “the little things.”

Audio:
As usual, this is the best audio representation of the game of Baseball on any console (or PC for that matter.) Joining the commentating crew this year is Steve Lyons, who brings a lot to the table, including even more variety. Also, I’m a fan of Matt Vasgersian (he used to call games for the Brewers before he moved to San Diego), so I’m happy that they’ve retained him once again. The other biggest improvement, as I noted earlier, is the on-the-field environmental audio. You’ll hear the base coaches and other players talking about different things, and you’ll even hear more from the crowd. The difference can initially feel subtle, but the more you play, the more you’ll notice the improvement.

Online/Multiplayer:
Once again, the development team has stated that they’ve improved online play, but until the game is released, we can’t know for sure. Added this year as well is the ability to play the Home Run Derby across the platforms, but again, the servers won’t be active until release day. Additionally, you’ll now have a Universal Profile, displaying all of your stats from both platforms, which brings things together even more than simply using cloud saves. They’ve also added an online leaderboard system for RttS that covers both the PS3 and Vita as well.

The Online League system has also been completely revamped, but since the servers aren’t live yet, and since I probably wouldn’t have had anyone to try it with anyway, I can’t really report in it.

Conclusion:
On the surface, MLB 13 The Show will probably “look” the same as it did last year, but this is one of the deepest updates they’ve ever done to the actual core of the game. The updated presentation in RttS will require some getting used-to, but once that’s done, you’ll really love what they’ve done. Not being able to test any of the online components, there’s only so much that I can grade the game on. As soon as the servers go live, I’ll obviously test as much as I can, and will adjust the review appropriately. I love what they’ve done this year though, and now that the team has figured out how to get the Vita and PS3 version working together, buying both versions makes a lot more sense. I’ve only had a couple of days with the Vita version so far, but it definitely looks and plays much better than it did last year, which is saying a lot because I really liked it on the Vita last year.

As someone who plays Road to the Show for a majority of the time, this is definitely worth the upgrade. Luckily for everyone else though, they’ve made ample upgrades to the rest of the modes as well. While it may not “look” like a very big upgrade, looks can be deceiving, and in this case, that’s definitely the reality.

Play Ball!!

Score:

We identified an issue where no matter what swing follow-through that you choose for your player in Road to the Show or Franchise, it reverts back to the default version. This was also verified by a forums member at Operation Sports that somehow got the game early. This issue has been reported to the dev team and they have acknowledged it.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

1234...8910►

Title: Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Format: PlayStation Network Download / Blu-ray Disc (18.9 GB) / Game Card (3.3 GB)
Release Date: February 5, 2013 (US) / March 27, 2013 (EU)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Sanzaru Games
Price: $39.99 (PS3+PSV) / $29.99 (PSV only) *This is a Cross-Buy title
ESRB Rating: T
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time is available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It is a Cross-Buy, Cross-Save title.
The PlayStation 3 Blu-ray and PlayStation Vita download versions were used for this review.

** This will be a completely spoiler-free review. All screen shots are from the first time period and were discussed in our preview coverage of the game. **

Gameplay:
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time picks up directly after the events of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. If you haven’t played previous games in the series or even if you forgot what happened, fear not, a built in Prologue is available to get you up to speed. It can be skipped but it’s worth watching for the visuals alone, even for Sly Cooper veterans. Pages are disappearing from the Thievius Raccoonus, a book detailing the skills of the Cooper ancestors, and the gang has to reunite to save Sly’s past.

Built on stealth-action, the Sly Cooper games have always had a Saturday Morning Cartoon feel to them, with wild capers and wilder villains, humor, action and a fleeting touch of seriousness make all of them an experience to remember. Pop culture references abound and Thieves In Time lays them on masterfully. Some of the more obvious ones hit Back to the Future, Star Wars, The Bionic Man and Indiana Jones but you may pick up some more obscure bits along the way.

The Sly Cooper formula involves arriving at a location and executing a series of jobs from a Hideout that’s been set up in the area. You’re always free to go out and explore the area with any of the characters whether they have a job available or not. Along the way you’ll spot Sly Masks, Clue Bottles and Treasures.

There are sixty Sly Masks hidden throughout the game and finding them will unlock alternate costumes and such in the Extras -> Unlockables Menu. The differences are all cosmetic, but a fun change up. Collecting 30 Clue Bottles in a level allows you to unlock a safe hidden somewhere in that level which contains a rare and valuable treasure. The Treasures can be the trickiest of all because they each have a timer attached to them. You have to get them back to your Hideout without taking any damage before the timer runs out. Collecting all the Treasures in a level unlocks the Arcade machine back at your Hideout which is well worth the effort. A ping pong table is also available for a quick match between Sly and Bentley at any time. It’s pretty simplistic with only two types of shots available and it’s impossible to hit the ball out of bounds but its a nice little diversion and an opportunity for another Trophy.

You’ll still be moving from location to location around the world to complete your quest as in previous games, but this one adds the dimension of time. You’ll finally get to not only meet a number of Sly’s ancestors, but also play as them, each with their own signature moves or skills. You’ll also find a costume in each time period which will not only help you progress through the story, but also find hidden treasures in other time periods.

While the costumes are a fantastic way to add new moves to Sly’s repertoire without making drastic changes to the core gameplay, they also extend the gameplay quite a bit. You’ll find a number of inaccessible areas across the different levels and it quickly becomes clear that with the right costume, you’ll be able to reach them. The costumes are also flat out fun, each giving you one or two unique abilities wrapped in a silly outfit. For the PS3, switching between them is as simple as holding down L2 and selecting the outfit you want. On the Vita, an icon appears in the lower right hand part of the screen, tapping on it brings up the costume select.

That brings up the control differences between the PS3 and Vita versions of the game. Sanzaru did an excellent job mapping L2, L3, R2 and R3 controls in an intuitive and simple way with the front and rear touch screens. All the touch icons mapped to the buttons are discretely placed in the lower left or right of the screen, out of the way of any action and easily accessible.

Using your Binocucom (R3 on the PS3) is handled by touching an icon in the lower left area of the Vita screen. Bringing up your Compass and current Collectible count (L3 on the PS3) is as simple as double tapping the Rear Touch Screen on the Vita. The other L2 and R2 controls are handled with icons on the Front Screen. I found it immensely easy to jump back and forth between the two versions never having to think about the controls, it’s that intuitive.

Speaking of jumping back and forth between the PS3 and Vita versions, it’s dead simple here. Hitting Start to bring up the Pause Menu, you’ll see an option called “Cross-Save”. You’re given the option to “Upload to Cloud” or “Download From Cloud”. When downloading, you’ll be asked which save slot you want to use for the new data and you’re good to go. The save files are just over 100KB so the whole operation is super quick. When finishing up a game session on either system, I always make sure to upload the current save so I can pull it down to the other system if I happen to continue there.

With a working time machine, you’ll be able to jump back to any time period previously visited at any point in the game. You don’t need to wait until you complete the main story for any of this which is a nice feature to have. For, ahem, completionists, this makes things much easier, not worrying about getting every Clue Bottle and Collectible in a level before moving on. You can also replay any Jobs from a menu in the Van/Time Machine allowing you to go back and grab any collectibles you may have missed.

The Jobs have a wonderful variety to them, with a few surprises along the way. Fans of the series will find many familiar ideas but quite a few twists as well. Murray and Bentley get in on the action again with their own Jobs to complete and thankfully, for me anyway, there’s only one RC Helicopter mission in the game. The real fun comes in playing as the Ancestors, each getting to show off their unique abilities. I won’t spoil anything but just wait until you get to the montage. That’s right, like any good 80′s flick, Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time includes a playable montage, and it’s fun!

The game play, while fantastic, will only get you so far. It wouldn’t amount to much of anything without a great script to hold it all together and progress the story. I can safely (and happily) say that the script is just as good as, if not better than, all of the previous games in the series. Giving Sanzaru extra time to polish the game was the right thing to do as this was one of the tightest, cleanest and most bug free experiences I’ve had on the PS3.

Visuals:
The Sly Cooper games have always been known for their brightly colored, cel-shaded graphics and Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time takes it to an all new level. It’s the first full game in the franchise to be built entirely from the ground up for High Definition and it really shines. This is a franchise that always looked great on the PS2, but the detail, the colors and the lighting just bring the characters to life in a wonderful way.

The costume unlocks and power ups add some nice variety to your playable characters and the effects of those power ups are shown with really cool lighting effects, explosions and more.

3D is an option of course and it looks great but I’m surprising even myself by saying this game looks better in 2D. I’ve always been of the opinion that if it’s available, I always play in 3D, however, after switching back and forth between the two options, the 2D just seems to have more pop to it.

The Vita version looks absolutely fantastic in its own right. While it can’t quite match the overall visual fidelity of the PS3 version, you’d be hard pressed to spot the differences without a side by side comparison. The only thing I ran into on the Vita was some pop in of characters and objects in the distance. It’s funny but it’s something I didn’t even notice until I completed the story and started running through previous levels looking for the collectibles. It won’t come up as much during normal game play since the game tends to reward stealth and more cautious movement over running around like a wild man, but it’s there.

Audio:
All the signature sounds you’d expect are here. The tell-tale sound of a dancing Clue Bottle, the plucked strings of each footstep as you sneak around, the whirring of the Binocucom, everything. Details are what counts and Sanzaru really nailed even the littlest of them.

There’s a whole new cast of characters in the villains and the Cooper family ancestors and the voice acting is fantastic for each of them, especially Bob (no spoilers). The original actors are back for the main cast as well which, of course, was critical in making the game feel right. Having worked together in the previous games and with a script as tightly written as Thieves In Time is, fans of the series will be giddy with the dialogue and delivery.

The music steps it up as well. Along with the signature pieces that fans will recognize, each of the time periods have their own distinct aural blend. Each bit of background music compliments the story beautifully and just adds a layer of atmosphere to the game without ever being overbearing or getting in the way. This is a soundtrack I definitely want to add to my collection.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only.

Conclusion:
Sanzaru has always said that they’re huge fans of the Sly Cooper franchise and it’s on full display in Thieves In Time. The attention to detail in the look and feel of the game, the missions, the character development and the script make this the perfect continuation of the series. This game is well worth a $60 price point, but the fact that you can get it for $40, with the Vita version makes it the best bargain you’ll ever find on the PS3.

I was initially worried that the game may be too short or that the story might not live up to the previous games, but after playing for the past few weeks, I can’t find a single weakness in this game and I can’t recommend it enough.

Score:

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Vita’s built in screen capture feature.

** ADDENDUM
So, I completely left out the information about the AR Functionality between the Vita and PS3, rough week. Well here it is:

Connectivity between the two versions is done with a nifty feature called AR Treasures. This is all detailed in the sweet Digital Manual included on the disc, but for those of you who don’t like to read (including, apparently, many reviewers of the game…), it’s easy to get it up and running.

To make this work, you need to go into the Options -> Game menu on the PS3 and turn the AR Server on. The choice is saved so you only have to do this once, it’ll be on every time you start the game. Next, when you start the Vita version of the game, there’s an option at the bottom of the Main Menu called AR Treasures. Select this and the Vita will connect to the PS3 (as long as you’re signed in to the PSN on both).

You can then hold the Vita up to your TV screen when you’re in one of the open world areas, press R1 and you’ll see an overlay of the screen with all the Clue Bottles, Sly Masks and Collectibles highlighted. The nice thing is that by pressing L1, the entire AR overlay is brought directly to the Vita’s screen. That way, you don’t have to constantly juggle the Vita and your controller.

It’s really cool functionality and can be used to find those last few pesky Treasures, but you can easily use it to “cheat”. Personally, I found it more fun to explore and find them on my own as it was a much more rewarding experience for me.

Title: Need for Speed Most Wanted
Format: PlayStation Network Download (2162 MB) / Game Card
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Games
Price: $39.99 (PSN) / $39.99 (Game Card)
ESRB Rating: E10+
Need for Speed Most Wanted is also available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WiiU, Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire.
The PlayStation Vita version was used for this review.

Criterion Games, best known for its over the top Burnout series, is back again to try its hand at another entry in the venerable Need for Speed series. After last year’s semi-disappointment that was Need for Speed: The Run, fans are itching to see if Criterion can produce another stellar game. The result is Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Similar in only namesake to the 2005 entry in the series, this title comes across as more of a spiritual successor to Burnout Paradise. Whether you think this is a good idea or not, the results are clear. Need For Speed: Most Wanted is one of the best racing games of this generation, second only to Criterion’s other games. The portable version (which this review focuses on) is nearly identical to its console counterpart, giving us the best racing game on the Vita thus far.

(Editor’s note: Even though this game is similar to the console version, I will be giving it my own review. If you are looking for just the Vita differences, check the last paragraph of each section. It’s worth noting that this is NOT a cross buy title, so gamers looking to get the Vita version on top of the PS3 version must pay an additional $40

Gameplay:
If there’s one thing that Criterion knows best about racing games, it’s the gameplay department. Most Wanted is most structured like Burnout Paradise; it’s an open world that urges the player to explore and drive the city. There are billboards to be smashed, gates to be opened, and cars to be found. It harkens back to what made Burnout Paradise so much fun; explore the city at your own pace and have fun doing so. Every car is unlocked from the beginning, allowing players to find a car that fits their style with little competitive effort. (I say competitive effort because you still have to find them on the map. Every car may be unlocked, but you can’t use them until you discover them.)

The city, known as Fairhaven City, is large and diverse. There’s a lot to do and see, and it is a blast just driving around the city. Unfortunately, I found most of the city to be forgettable. Intersections blur together, and only certain pieces of scenery stand out in my mind. If you asked me to describe some memorable locales from Burnout Paradise or Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, I could go on and on. I find myself having a hard time recalling scenes from this game. That’s not to say it isn’t well designed; it just isn’t as memorable as their past games.

Every car in the game has its own set of goals and unlockables, giving completionists a wealth of content to play in the game. Each car has 5 events tied to it, and about a dozen or so unlockable parts. This greatly extends the length of the game, but at times it can seem almost artificial. I’m one who likes to stick to a great car when I find it, and being forced to change cars in order to gather more speed points left a sour taste in my mouth. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter when a game is this fun.

The overall objective of Most Wanted is to climb up the most wanted ladder and challenge the 10 most wanted drivers in Fairhaven. As you accrue more speed points, new challengers open up to the player. If you are successful in challenging and defeating these drivers, you earn the right to use their car. These 10 drivers are the main motivator to continue the story, but the rest of the side objectives and car parts to unlock will keep you busy way beyond the main story.

Driving around is a blast and can be fun, even if parts of the city do blend together. In order to change cars, you must find it in the environment, which can become a pain after a while. You have the option to change cars from the easy drive menu, but it still forces you to teleport to where the car is. (This issue seems to not be a problem online however). Overall, these little annoyances do little to hinder such an amazing experience.

As far as Vita performance goes, this game stands right up with its console brethren. There are some slight differences, such as reduced traffic and only 3 AI opponents in a race instead of 7, but the fact that this game is running as smoothly as it is should be praised. This is the best and most realistic racing game to ever grace a handheld device. There are no gimmicky Vita control implementations at all; this truly feels like the PS3 game shrunk down.

Even though there is not cross play, the speed points you earn on your Vita (and any other platform for that matter, including the iOS versions) will carry over to your PS3. It became slightly annoying to have to unlock the same parts on the Vita as I did on the PS3, but the increased speed points allowed me to move through the most wanted races at a significantly faster pace.

Visuals:
As far as visuals go, Need for Speed is quite the looker on Vita. The lighting effects are very nice for a portable racer, and the car details are sharp and crisp. Damage and scuffing isn’t as apparent as its big brother, but it’s still noticeable. Everything that you’ve come to expect from the PS3 version is here, yet on a smaller scale. The scaled back processing of the PS Vita prevents certain things, such as the dust on the windshield, compression and artifacting in the cutscenes, and nitrous blur, but these are nitpicks. It’s still astonishing that Criterion was able to fit the entire game on the go.

Audio:
Audio wise, the same criticisms from the visuals can apply here. In essence, everything from the PS3/360 versions are here, albeit in a lesser form. Car sounds sound over compressed, police radio calls happen with less frequency and tend to repeat more, and the city just feels quiet overall. Thankfully, the same strong soundtrack from the console version is present in this release, and it’s got some of the best music in a racing game in a while. I would still have to say Hot Pursuit and Burnout Paradise have better soundtracks, but what’s here is good. (Especially the opening title sequence with Muse’s Butterflies and Hurricanes)

Online/Multiplayer:
All of the online play modes from the PS3 version are apparent on the Vita, and in my opinion, the same feeling transfers over. The actual experience of playing with friends is a awesome, even if it feels like there isn’t much to do. The playlist style makes driving around Fairhaven a blast with friends, but without the incentive to unlock new things or check off specific goal lists (like in Burnout Paradise), I found myself not playing online much. The play sessions I have with my best friends are extremely memorable, but unless you have a group to play with, it can be a bit boring.

Conclusion:
I find myself in a strange position when analyzing this game. The more I look at the game, the more I feel disappointed. The city feels bland, the progressions system seems arbitrary, and the online doesn’t seem as engaging, but the more I analyze, the more I realize that I’m comparing it to one of my favorite games of all time: Burnout Paradise. Though the comparison is warranted in many ways, it would be doing a disservice to what this game is. This is one of the strongest racing games of this generation. The amount of content is astounding, the polish and tuning done by Criterion is unmatched, and the pure experience of racing and outrunning the cops cannot be matched by any other racing series. Even though it’s a bit rough around the edges, the Vita iteration of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a must play for racing fans, and is by far the best racing game on the system.

Score:

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Vita’s built in screen capture feature.

Title: Jetpack Joyride PS Vita (US) / Jetpack Joyride FREE (EU)
Format: PlayStation Network Download (29.7 MB)
Release Date: December 31, 2012
Publisher: Big Ant Studios
Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Price: Free
ESRB Rating: E
PEGI: 12+
Jetpack Joyride is also available on PlayStation Network, PSP, iOS, Android.
The PlayStation Vita version was used for this review.

Most free to play games come with some sort of catch where you have to pay for something to progress a little bit further, or in some cases it feels like you pay for enjoyment as most seem to lack it without the costly upgrades. Now I know what you’re thinking, you can buy things in this game, but I never felt like I needed to and was having a lot of fun without even looking in the store. There’s also a Minis version titled Jetpack Joyride and it’s $3.99/£3.49 for a lesser version, without trophies. No need to buy that one.

Halfbrick Studios, the same people behind Fruit Ninja didn’t really bother with a story apart from the opening three seconds of each game. There is an explosion from which you (Barry Steakfries) emerge wearing a jetpack on your back. It seems like the place is in panic mode and you have to get as far away as humanly possible. That’s it, and in my opinion, it doesn’t need anything more. So what makes this so game addictive that even my wife and kids are hooked?

Gameplay:
With just pressing the rear touch pad on the Vita you take off in your jetpack, the screen automatically scrolls right, very slowly gaining speed. This game is all about timing, when to fire your thrusters to gain height or when to drop to the ground and continue running.

There are coins & tokens to pick up. Coins are for use in The Stash to buy anything from a new jetpack to an upgrade. Tokens are only used at the end of the go in a little fruit machine which can give you a variety of bonuses, like a head start on your next go, extra coins or even a second chance from where you died.

There a few vehicles in the game which when hit with an obstacle you’ll lose but are fun and upgradeable. There is a mechanical dragon called Mr. Cuddles, and even a Crazy Freaking Teleporter, yes that’s it’s name!

All the backgrounds are random but do nothing to affect the gameplay, but the obstacles are random as well which obviously do alter how you play. The goal as mentioned earlier, is to get as far as possible, making for some excellent score chasing. You can post your accomplishments to Facebook to brag even more if you like.

Missions are also a nice inclusion to the game which add a bit of variety and is another way it keeps me having just one more go to rank up. Some of these could be to travel a certain distance without collecting any coins or near miss X number of  missiles.

Visuals:
It’s not anything to write home about. It’s easy on the eyes and the characters are cute and simple, which is probably for the best as when you get far into the game it can get very fast. Obtaining different items from The Stash can change the look of certain things, items and people in the game. The PlayStation 3 version can look strange if you have it on the maximum screen setting but the Vita iteration looks fine.

You might have noticed the first jetpack you use is a machine gun-pack simply because it was that way in the first stages of the games development and it just stayed that way.  As you progress in the game you can buy different outfits or jetpacks but are just visually different.

Audio:
A fun little tune plays in the background which surprisingly does not get annoying. Sound effects are okay too. Nothing distracts you from the game and I never felt the need to turn it down.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only.

Conclusion:
I would have happily paid for this game which makes it even better because it’s free. There is nothing stopping you from picking this up and becoming very obsessed with it. I have had a quick go on every version and the best is the Vita as there are no obstructions to the screen and it looks good without any noticeable slowdown. To keep the trophy whores happy they included 12 of them, which also helps with the replay value. Take note game developers, this is how you do it.

Score:

Title: Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
Format: PlayStation Network Download (1446 MB)
Release Date: December 18, 2012 (US) / December 19, 2012 (UK)
Publisher: Oddworld Inhabitants
Developer: Just Add Water
Price: $14.99 (US) / £9.99 (UK)
ESRB Rating: T
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is also available on PlayStation 3.
The PlayStation Vita version was used for this review.

Gameplay:
Stranger’s Wrath is based on an interesting mechanic of being able to switch between a first and third person viewpoint on-the-fly; with the gameplay consisting of shooting, physical combat and platforming. A major triumph of the game is just how effectively the two distinct genres have been meshed together. Rather than being a poorly-implemented gimmick, the entire game has been built on it, so each section demands a different approach.

Another way the game always stays fresh is through the FPS element – mainly thanks to the ammo you use. Stranger doesn’t use bullets, he uses creatures. Creatures that you first need to hunt and capture, which adds another layer of depth to the gameplay. Once you have hold of them, they can be utilised in countless different ways, making for a surprisingly tactical affair. In a world of cookie-cutter shooters’, Stranger’s Wrath is a welcome change that has an enjoyable style and a unique sense of identity.

The story is pretty decent overall, while Stranger himself is weirdly endearing. He’s certainly not the archetypal hero, with a slightly dull demeanour, but you do become attached to him. Other characters you meet and even random people not directly involved with the story are all full of personality. Added to that is the awesome game world which is brimming with life and charm. It’ll quickly get tiresome to say this aspect of the game is ‘unique’, but it’s true. You can’t help but fall in love with it. Most importantly though, it’s not just different – it’s different and good.

In terms of controls, Stranger’s Wrath is suited to the Vita quite well. The face buttons are mapped as you’d expect, while the rear touchpad is used to punch. Switching viewpoint is done by double-tapping the screen, which is a smart method of implementing it so you can’t change by accident. Selecting ammo via the touch screen is an example of a suitable new addition that makes use of the hardware without being intrusive or gimmicky. The only real issues I encountered were with the camera, which at times can be a little fiddly and can get stuck behind walls. To pick on this rare occurrence as my main problem speaks volumes about just how great the game is.

Other than the slight control differences, the game is nigh-on identical to the PS3 in terms of gameplay, which is a double-edged sword. It means that for existing owners there’s not a standout reason to buy the game, but for new players, this is the complete experience with insanely high production values. Fantastic from start to finish, this is a must-buy for those who missed out on the big brother version, especially at the relatively low price point.

Visuals:
Stranger’s Wrath displays brilliantly on the Vita, though the visual fidelity is not quite as the best-looking titles on the portable such as Virtua Tennis and Wipeout. That said, the original game was meticulously crafted with such love for the game world that the sharpness and resolution is somewhat irrelevant. This is epitomised by examples such as the detail put into the ammo, which are always squirming around whilst sitting on your weapon ready to be fired. Some of the views into the distance are nice too – looking above you’ll often see vultures circling in the sunset. Some of the cinematics haven’t translated too well to the Vita and there’s a few jagged edges here and there, but all in all, there’s not too much to fault visually. It dwarfs some big budget titles like Resistance and Call of Duty, which is testament to how much effort Just Add Water poured into this project.

Audio:
As you’d expect from a last-gen title, there are a few annoyances, like enemy lines being repeated over and over again during a single section and Stranger’s jump being accompanied by a really grating grunt. However, the background music and improvements to the dialogue outweigh these factors. Generally speaking, the sound is passable. I would definitely recommend using headphones though as I did encounter some horrible noise from the speakers, which immediately ceased once I plugged in my Sennhesiers, through which the game sounded crystal-clear.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only.

Conclusion:
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD has the look and feel of a full Vita retail release; so much so that at times, you’ll be left scratching your head wondering how this only cost you $15. Is it worthy of another purchase if you already bought it on PS3? Probably not. It doesn’t have enough unique features, and while it looks great, it’s not quite up there in the highest echelons of Vita titles that are almost identical to their console counterparts. For newcomers however, this is absolutely one of the best titles currently available on Sony’s new handheld. Unique gameplay, a sense of atmosphere, wonderful charm and a solid length rank this as a must-buy PSN download.

Score:

Title: Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified
Format: PlayStation Network Download (2.5 GB) / Game Card
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Nihilistic
Price: $49.99 (PSN) / $49.99 (Game Card)
ESRB Rating: M
Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is exclusive to PlayStation Vita.

More than any other franchise, Call of Duty has dominated this console generation. When most people think of the series, however, they don’t think of the handheld versions. After a fairly average debut on the PSP in 2007 , Activision hopes to strike gold with Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified on Sony’s flagship handheld, the PlayStation Vita. All of the pieces of the puzzle are here: a handheld with two analog sticks, a brand name that people will recognize, and an online infrastructure to support on the go frag-fests. Unfortunately for both the fans and Activation, Declassified is not a good game. It feels like a slap in the face with a lackluster and thrown-together story, average multiplayer mode, and high price.

Gameplay:
If you’ve played a Call of Duty game before, you know you are getting in to. It’s the standard for first person shooters, and it transfers relatively well over to the Vita. Controls are what you expect: jump with X, shoot with R, aim down the sights with L, and so on. It was very easy to pick up and play on the handheld, but at the same time, something felt off with this iteration.

Even though most of the controls transfer over fairly well, the gameplay experience does not. With the smaller analog sticks, sensitivity was a constant issue. No matter how much I tweaked the in game sensitivity settings, I couldn’t find one that fit my play style. With Uncharted and Unit 13, I didn’t have any issues aiming or lining up head shots, but with Declassified, I found myself in a constant struggle with the controls. One of the nicer features implemented is the “always-on-sprint”. This ensures that your character will always be sprinting when he is moving in a straight line. It’s a bit more reliable than the double rear tap implemented by Resistance Burning Skies, and I found myself enjoying it. Other Vita FPS’s should take note and use this control option. The touch screen controls for knifing, grenade throwing, and perk activating work better than those found in Resistance, but I found myself constantly re-tapping the onscreen icons in order to activate. A game that relies heavily on precision and speed should have tighter controls than this.

Speaking of speed, the speed at which you complete the single player portion of this game is quite alarming. Consisting of only 10 missions, Declassified can easily be beaten in one sitting (even as fast as 45 minutes if you’re good). Each mission is tied together with an extremely loose story, consisting of bland voice overs, pixelated slideshows of documents and other “classified information”, and small in game quips about progressing through the level. Declassified aims itself as a score chasing game, as playing on higher difficulties and doing speed runs will earn you more points. There’s no motivation, however, to play faster, as there are no unlockables, other than a few trophies, for completing each mission on the highest difficulty. It can be fun at first, but at only 10 missions, it feels thrown together and lazy. Unit 13, a similar game focused around high scores, had many times more levels than this, and its a shame that Declassified doesn’t hit this larger scale.

In addition to the campaign, Declassified also throws in a few other single-player modes. The time trial modes feel ripped straight from some of the Spec Ops missions in Modern Warfare 2, and they’re fun, for a while. The same control issues that plague the game overall make this mode seem less skillful and more like a random game of chance. If you can push past the control issues, this mode will probably feel fun and challenging, but with only 5 levels, your fun will run out rather quickly.

Nihilistic attempts to ride the coattails of Treyarch by including Hostiles mode, a mode designed to appeal to the Zombie lover of the console versions. In this mode, you try and last as many waves as you can to, you guessed it, take the top score on the worldwide leaderboard. While this mode has a lot of potential, it eventually falls flat on its face. The enemy AI in awful; it can either be extremely cheap and unforgiving or completely idiotic and nonsensical. The biggest flaw is the lack of multiplayer. What could have been a fun mode is eventually boring and stale. Trying to survive wave after wave of enemy can only be so fun on your own, and multiplayer would have easily made this mode significantly more enjoyable.

Visuals:
There’s a reason that there are no screenshots in this review; the player is unable to capture any screens them self. Similar to Resistance Burning Skies before it, Nihilistic has disabled the screenshot feature, in what looks like an attempt to hide the visual quality from the general public. Let me tell it to you flat out; this is not that great looking of a game.

At first glance, it looks like Call of Duty. The environments, the animation, everything looks right from the start. When you start to look at it for more than a passing glance, you start to see the seams. Every character looks like a re-skinned character from Resistance. Character models are basic. Textures are blurry and pixelated. This game, does not look good once you start playing it.

At the same time though, I never found the visual quality a barrier to my “enjoyment” of the game. Once you start playing, the smooth frame rate makes the game look not as bad. The game moves at a quick frame rate (I cannot tell whether it’s locked at 30 or 60, but I rarely experienced slow-downs), and it functions. The game never breaks or becomes unplayable.

The strongest aspect of Declassified’s visuals is actually in the UI. When you boot up the game, you will be pleasantly surprised at how well the menus function and work. The menus, perhaps more than any other part of the game, feel most like the console versions. The popups in-game after every event feel like the console versions, and it tries to make you feel like it’s the same game. Unlike the console version, the unlocks after each level up are hidden deep in the barracks menus, making it a bit harder to track what you’re unlocking. I’ve played better games with worse UI, so it’s a nice change of pace to see a game take UI design seriously.

Audio:
Like Nihilistic’s previous game, audio continues to be a problem for this team. Guns sound fake, thin, and “popcorny”. Without bass or other audio processing, the guns feel completely unrealistic and underpowered. Games generally sound hollow and empty with the lack of players, lack of music, and lack of powerful guns. The game, overall, feels strangely quiet. It’s nothing that’s awful or game-breaking, but the audio does little to add to the “immersion” that this game strives for.

Online/Multiplayer:
Like it’s console brethren, Declassified aims to position the multiplayer as the major selling point for this game. Surprisingly, it pulls it off, to an extent. Declassified’s multiplayer offerings are a competent and at times, fun, version of the Call of Duty formula. It’s just a shame that it’s so scaled down that it becomes stale.

Declassified brings over five of the most popular modes from Black Ops 2: Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Drop Zone, Team Tactical, and Free-for-All. It’s a shame that Domination didn’t make the cut, but the modes that are here function as normal. Team Deathmatch is fun and fast paced, while Kill Confirmed remains a favorite of mine. Each game feels fast paced and unique, and after a while, it feels just like you’re playing the console game on the go.

Except that it’s not quite. Matches are only four on four versus the normal six on six. The decreased number in players has changed the map sizes. They feel significantly smaller and more intimate than the console versions, and at time, it can be quite hectic. Nukehouse, a scaled down version of Nuketown, falls victim to this the most. There were times where I would literally spawn in front of an enemy, causing a quick death.

In addition to the scaled back modes and player numbers, the number of maps have also been scaled back. With only 6 maps, you’ll find yourself easily getting bored with the selection while playing. The game, though feeling like Call of Duty, feels scaled back and watered down. It’s a real shame too, this game could have been amazing. Imagine if Activision took after EA and tied in multiplayer progress between the Vita and PS3 versions of Black Ops. Cross-play, though nice, wouldn’t be as necessary as cross-stat-saving in my opinion. Had my progress/unlocks carried over to the console version, I would feel more compelled to continue playing. Without it, I’d rather play the console version with more maps, more players, and more community.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: At this time, Ad-Hoc multiplayer had been added through a patch. I did not have the opportunity to test it out, as no one near me had the game. It contains the same modes as the online.)

Conclusion:
Overall, this game, while functional and competent, fails at what it sets out to do. It positions itself to be a score-chasing single player game, but the bland story, lack of objectives, and lack of depth provide little to no incentive to continue playing. The survival and time trial modes, while good in theory, are hard to enjoy when the controls impede your ability to play. The multiplayer modes, while quite enjoyable, feel watered down and incomplete. Even though this game is far from great, it’s also far from broken. What results is a hodgepodge of a game that had so much potential, but it squanders it with its execution. Do yourself a favor. Don’t pay $50 for this. Wait till it drops in price. Pick it up for <$15. Hope that it gets added to PS+ to increase the community size. In the mean time, sit back and hope that Killzone Mercenary finally delivers on the promise of a good FPS for the PlayStation Vita. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is not the game you were waiting for.

Score: