The Playstation Vita Catch-All

Fyedaddy wrote:

I did receive a Vita for Xmas after all and have been able to spend a little time with it the past couple of days. It truly is a wonderful piece of technology, and I'm all in on it like I did with the PSP (I signed up to PS+ today), but I hate feeling like I'm playing a system that is already on it's way out. Regardless of that, I'm certainly not going to let it hamper my enjoyment of the platform.

I went through the Google doc spreadsheet this morning and sent out friend requests to each name (though there were a couple that bounced due to their request settings). Looking forward to eyeballing the top scores like I did on the 360 (especially pinball).

I don't think it's on it's way out. I honestly feel that the system is establishing it's base and will do fine. I like this system so much better than I ever did the PSP.

Working my way through Uncharted a bit now and it does look & feel pretty on the system. A couple of complaints though so far - is the entire game on rails? I'm into chapter 5 now and it just feels like I've been following one prompt after another since the game started.

on rails is a bit of a strong word. The game is pretty straightforward and it's always pretty much evident where you need to go next but I can guarantee that you'll get stuck a couple times.

Fyedaddy wrote:

Working my way through Uncharted a bit now and it does look & feel pretty on the system. A couple of complaints though so far - is the entire game on rails? I'm into chapter 5 now and it just feels like I've been following one prompt after another since the game started.

No more than the 'regular' Uncharted games from my experience.

wahwah wrote:

For people with an EU account: They're giving away four minis (Velocity, Breakquest, Wizorb, Canabalt) on their facebook page if you share/like/tweet: https://www.facebook.com/SonyPlaysta...

Thanks for the heads up on this, i claimed my four games

LeapingGnome wrote:
Fyedaddy wrote:

Working my way through Uncharted a bit now and it does look & feel pretty on the system. A couple of complaints though so far - is the entire game on rails? I'm into chapter 5 now and it just feels like I've been following one prompt after another since the game started.

No more than the 'regular' Uncharted games from my experience.

If it's like the previous Uncharted games, think of it as if they took Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and converted it to a more action-heavy game with an Indiana Jones-style theme. Uncharted is basically an action/story game with adventure trappings (obstacle courses and puzzles).

I haven't tried the Vita one yet, because I don't have space on my memory card to download it from PSN.

It does have an Indiana Jones feel to it, and I'm grateful for the collecting opportunities along the way (collecting photos or artifacts to unlock other goodies and trophies), but it doesn't feel like there is a lot of replay value once the items are collected.

In an unrelated question, have any of you guys found a way to connect the Vita to a television to watch videos from the PSN? I don't own a PS3.

So Touch My Katamari is on sale for $12.24 for ps+ members. I loved the ps2 games and the ps3 one. Can anyone sway me to or from this one? Is it just more of the same?

Jamull99 wrote:

So Touch My Katamari is on sale for $12.24 for ps+ members. I loved the ps2 games and the ps3 one. Can anyone sway me to or from this one? Is it just more of the same?

There should be a Demo available. It is really much of the same but translates pretty well to portable.

Having never played one before, I enjoyed it alot. Very un-discernible and obtuse, though. AKA, Japan.

A week into this experience and it continues to improve. I'm looking forward to the smaller PSN apps just as much as any of the full game releases too. Any chance we'll see more iOS/Chrome games here like JetPack Joyride?

Fyedaddy wrote:

A week into this experience and it continues to improve. I'm looking forward to the smaller PSN apps just as much as any of the full game releases too. Any chance we'll see more iOS/Chrome games here like JetPack Joyride?

Pretty much a given, since Sony's pushing into the mobile space, and is explicitly targeting their games to be compatible with both Android phones and the Vita. Have you tried the Lemmings port?

Stupid Hot Shots Golf and its stupid addictive gameplay!

Tanglebones wrote:

Pretty much a given, since Sony's pushing into the mobile space, and is explicitly targeting their games to be compatible with both Android phones and the Vita. Have you tried the Lemmings port?

That's encouraging news. No, I haven't tried the Lemmings game yet but it is on my to-do list. I've been caught up in Zen Pinball (all but the Marvel tables) and various minis like the Breakout clone.

Farscry wrote:

Stupid Hot Shots Golf and its stupid addictive gameplay!

Yes! It's gorgeous on the Vita though I was thinking this newer release was going to be easier than the PSP games until I hit the brick wall known as the fifth (?) course option. The one with the crazy, constant wind. I think I invented some new words playing that course.

Fyedaddy wrote:

A week into this experience and it continues to improve. I'm looking forward to the smaller PSN apps just as much as any of the full game releases too. Any chance we'll see more iOS/Chrome games here like JetPack Joyride?

I'd recommend Rebel on the Mobile store. There's at least a few hours of play until you fully upgrade, which is my only problem with it. I think $2 for a fun, arcade dodge-'em-up is a fair price.

I tried the Soul Sacrifice demo off the Japanese PSN. It's a really cool premise, as its action-focused approach to magic reminds me of Dragon Age 2 or Dragon's Dogma rather than blander RPGs where it's just a flashier source of damage. I'll need to read some reviews to make sure the customization is up to snuff, though.

I've put more time into Uncharted (starting chapter 25 of 34) and can admit that I am enjoyed it. Mostly. It does feel like it has opened up some from my earlier complaint of it being on rails (though you're still pushed through the story without making any choices) but I can accept that with the genre and way the game is turning out. It's even gotten me to dip my toe into the new Uncharted card game and it's not half bad.

However, by far and away, my biggest complaint is the unnecessary ways in which the Vita's tech capabilities are being crammed down my throat. How many time will I be forced to:

-Gather a charcoal rub (force this once to showcase the tech if you must, but leave the multiple additional times as optional collector's quests)
-Rub the dirt off an item 100% of the way when uncovering the clue/purpose of the item would suffice
-Force me to lose my balance walking across a beam so I have to use the system's gyro tech to regain it
-Force me to futz with taking a picture "100%" of the way when it would budge from 95%
-How many times do I need to drag my finger across the screen a certain way to a) lift someone up b) punch someone or c) hack down some bamboo

I nearly had a last straw moment with the game and walked away from it all together (but just decided to take a break for a couple days instead). I had been playing the game late one night when I actually had some time to myself over the holiday break. Sitting on the living room chair, nothing lighting up the room save for the game's light bouncing off of my face. The house fully shut down and quiet for the night. When what does the game throw at me? I have to drag my arse out of my comfy chair at 2 AM to stumble to the kitchen in the dark and turn the overhead light on to illuminate some parchment. There I was, a 39 yr old man, standing in the middle of the kitchen at 2 AM holding the back of the Vita up to the overhead light for X amount of time so some runes can shine through. WTF? Typing it now is actually making me angry again.

The game is a solid accomplishment (especially given the platform it is on) but Vita game devs (all two of them) need to learn from this mistake.

Yup. That's been a common complaint about it; it's a solid entry in the Uncharted series aside from the blatant shoehorning in of Vita "features" to make the game partially a tech demo for the platform. It's also why I haven't been too impatient to play it; I still have Uncharted 3 to play anyway.

If you don't like swiping the screen to punch things,

Spoiler:

you're going to love the final boss.

A question and a complaint:

Question: I've been buying a lot of stuff I missed on PSP. Does anyone know the details regarding PSP titles with data installs? I have two, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Duodecim 012: Dissidia Final Fantasy. My instinct was that a data install would be unnecessary because the game is already installed to the memory card. However, Google is giving me conflicting answers, none of which are official in any way. Some say the installs still help load times, some say that games have features (voices in MGS:PW, item previews in MHFU) disabled without the installs, some say the installs are totally useless.

Complaint: I have come to dislike the PSP's analog sticks. They're okay for analog use, if a bit finicky, but they are all but useless for digital use. Navigating menus using them is troublesome, but most critically they are terrible for controlling the camera in MHFU (twin sticks is one reason I gave this game another try). Vertical camera control in MH has always been digital, and it's very hard to keep the vertical orientation level while rotating horizontally. It's not just a universal analog stick issue, either - it is the same setup on Wii and controls much better.

Blind_Evil wrote:

A question and a complaint:

Question: I've been buying a lot of stuff I missed on PSP. Does anyone know the details regarding PSP titles with data installs? I have two, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Duodecim 012: Dissidia Final Fantasy. My instinct was that a data install would be unnecessary because the game is already installed to the memory card. However, Google is giving me conflicting answers, none of which are official in any way. Some say the installs still help load times, some say that games have features (voices in MGS:PW, item previews in MHFU) disabled without the installs, some say the installs are totally useless.

Complaint: I have come to dislike the PSP's analog sticks. They're okay for analog use, if a bit finicky, but they are all but useless for digital use. Navigating menus using them is troublesome, but most critically they are terrible for controlling the camera in MHFU (twin sticks is one reason I gave this game another try). Vertical camera control in MH has always been digital, and it's very hard to keep the vertical orientation level while rotating horizontally. It's not just a universal analog stick issue, either - it is the same setup on Wii and controls much better.

The only response I have to your complaint is, PSP games were not designed to be used with two analog sticks, so when you map that function to the right stick it may be a little clunky.

EverythingsTentative wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

A question and a complaint:

Question: I've been buying a lot of stuff I missed on PSP. Does anyone know the details regarding PSP titles with data installs? I have two, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Duodecim 012: Dissidia Final Fantasy. My instinct was that a data install would be unnecessary because the game is already installed to the memory card. However, Google is giving me conflicting answers, none of which are official in any way. Some say the installs still help load times, some say that games have features (voices in MGS:PW, item previews in MHFU) disabled without the installs, some say the installs are totally useless.

Complaint: I have come to dislike the PSP's analog sticks. They're okay for analog use, if a bit finicky, but they are all but useless for digital use. Navigating menus using them is troublesome, but most critically they are terrible for controlling the camera in MHFU (twin sticks is one reason I gave this game another try). Vertical camera control in MH has always been digital, and it's very hard to keep the vertical orientation level while rotating horizontally. It's not just a universal analog stick issue, either - it is the same setup on Wii and controls much better.

The only response I have to your complaint is, PSP games were not designed to be used with two analog sticks, so when you map that function to the right stick it may be a little clunky.

It is much less clunky playing MHFU with the right analog stick. You no longer need the "MH Claw" to see things.

The menu navigation issues aren't unique to PSP titles, though. On 360 and Wii I can often use the analog sticks interchangeably with the d-pad. It just seems these sticks aren't as well engineered as they could have been.

Blondish83 wrote:

It is much less clunky playing MHFU with the right analog stick. You no longer need the "MH Claw" to see things.

Indeed it is, but it's suboptimal considering it works better still on Wii. Of course it'll all be moot once MH3U comes out, but I think it's worth mentioning in context of the general issue.

In answer to your first question, there is no reason to do the data install when you're playing the digital copy. That feature was only for people who bought UMDs and wanted slightly faster load times, you're already getting the fastest load times.

But, going back to his original query, some older games don't have the smarts to realise when they are running off a memory card instead of UMD and may disable features anyway. Which games is the question I guess.

Mr GT Chris wrote:

But, going back to his original query, some older games don't have the smarts to realise when they are running off a memory card instead of UMD and may disable features anyway. Which games is the question I guess.

I never encountered any PSP game that had features that were only enabled when you did the data install, and I used a homebrew PSP for a good 6 years. Not saying there aren't any, but if there are they are few.

Anyone getting EDF 2017 Portable?

Hesitant on EDF. The appeal of edf is how endearingly bad it is. Not sure that "endearing bad" wont become "bad bad" on a portable.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

Anyone getting EDF 2017 Portable?

If the reviews are positive enough, I may be all for it.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

Anyone getting EDF 2017 Portable?

$40, to which I say hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to buy it, but not at $40, f that.