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Uncharted: Golden Abyss (£44.99)
I’ve never had a Playstation 3, but this is the game franchise I always wanted to play, so it was great to check it out as the first game I played on the Vita. It has fantastic, fluid graphics, but I feel they really do need to be seen on a big screen to do them justice. It plays out rather like a Tomb Raider-style game, but I only had a limited amount of time to play this game. Still, as well as getting from A to B, you have to collect trophies, find items, take photos and complete puzzles.
Use of the touchscreen comes up early as you can either use the buttons to leap up onto ledges to climb up a cliff face, or simply tap the screen. Similarly, when it comes to leaping across big gaps, you can lean across using the left joystick or you can tilt the device. The latter is also used when you’re on the ropes, literally, as you can swing back and forth, thanks to the six-axis motion sensing system. However, for this game, I prefer to use the buttons.
Another example of touchscreen innovation comes with going across some stones in a river where it tells you to “paint the path you want Drake to follow”, as well as tapping a baddie on the screen to perform a stealth takedown. Again, I preferred to time things right with button presses. Just tapping the screen feels a bit lazy sometimes.
The rear touchpad also comes into play, if you choose, when climbing a rope. Instead of pressing buttons or dragging your finger up and down the rope, you can drag them up and down the back.
If there is an annoyance in this game, it’s getting used to the fact that the camera doesn’t just turn with you when you turn your left joystick and you *have* to turn the right one.
Score: 4/5
Wipeout 2048 (£34.99)
Anyone who’s ever played a Sony console in the last 15 years has played at least one version of Wipeout and so you’ll know what to expect. Get in your ship and zoom a long at fast speed. Pick up bonuses along the way, avoid those which slow you down, get past the other AI racers (or play online and beat real people) and get in first place if you can. hThere’s also a Time Trial event.
The problem with Wipeout is that, for me at least, it’s a big-screen experience. And while this offers a sharp image, if you have played it on a big screen before, this new version does feel rather underwhelming, so I wouldn’t make it your first choice.
Score: 3/5
Reality Fighters (£24.99)
This is a curiosity, but for me, not much more. Every gamer has player a beat-’em-up at some point, and this one does precisely that, but in a novel way that means you can point the Vita at, say, a table top, and then through your screen (thanks to the rear camera) you’ll see the character going toe-to-toe on your furniture.
I tried it out on my PC keyboard. Good for a while, but longevity will only be for those still engaged in this gaming genre.
Score: 2/5
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.