New Sony PS Vita packs a playful punch

The Sony PS Vita is new portable console from Sony Playstation, a gaming icon that has served gamers for almost two decades. Chris Tarpey puts this "social console" to the test and reviews four launch titles.

 I'd be the first to say that I'm a long-time supporter of the Sony Playstation brand. I can remember saving up for months to buy the original Playstation console and being blown away by the graphics and Dual Shock controller. Years later I would spend hours in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the PS2 (my first DVD player) and exploring the beautiful dystopia of Fallout 3 on my PS3 in 2011.I never labeled myself as a "gamer", not because I was embarrassed by the name but simply I didn't play regularly enough to earn the title. Sure, I stayed up late with Abe, Cloud Strife, Lara Croft, Nathan Drake and Crash Bandicoot, but not regularly enough to warrant the term. Instead what really intrigued me about Playstation has always been the industry-leading gaming technology and innovation. Many forget that Sony was responsible for the demise of the cartridge-based gaming console and the first to bring motion gaming to the mass market with the EyeToy for PS2.That said, the idea of a portable gaming console never appealed to me. I flirted with a Gameboy Color in the late 1990s during the peak of Pokémon fever. It didn't take long for Pikachu and the gang to end up in the Auckland Trade & Exchange after I successfully "caught 'em all". The stereotype of the portable gamer was very different in the 90s to what it is today. They were always the quiet ones, hunched over a little screen on the school bus - not exactly the "social" types.In contrast, console gaming allowed you to plug your controller into a friend's system for hours of competitive gaming followed by an obligatory demo disc trade. The release of a new Tekken or Gran Turismo game was a real social event that culminated in a battle royale for gaming supremacy.Fast-forward to 2012 where firing Angry Birds and chopping up fruit are common ways to pass the time on our smartphones. This hasn't made it easy for the likes of Nintendo which recently announced big financial losses on the back of sluggish 3DS sales.The industry is struggling to figure out if portable gaming is still relevant in a marketplace dominated by easily accessible games on the iTunes App Store and Android Market (Google Play). On February 23, Sony attempted to answer that question with the launch of the PS Vita in both wi-fi and 3G/wi-fi models.  Sony isn't new to the portable gaming market and has released many variants of the PSP (Playstation Portable) since 2005. Unlike the PSP, the PS Vita is focused on the social connectivity that includes many innovative ways to play with others. I spent a week reviewing the PS Vita's launch titles and endeavoured to have a satisfying portable gaming experience. ModNation Racers: Road TripEveryone loves a good kart racing game. Mario Kart is credited for introducing this style of gameplay and not a lot has changed since the format took off in 1992. I thoroughly enjoyed playing fours hours of career mode and completed two of the six circuits (each circuit has five tracks). To complete a circuit, the player has to fulfill tasks like collecting 5 boosts or knocking out 3 other players. This racing itself is a blast with an impressive variety of power-ups and track designs.  What I enjoyed most about MN: RT is the downloadable, user-generated characters and tracks which adds real value to the game. Just about everything can be customised and hours can be spent modifying your kart and character. It was disappointing to find no online multiplayer option and the there are frame rate issues at times. ModNation Racers: Road Trip is a solid kart-racing gaming with an upbeat soundtrack and lots of replay value but slow loading times and the lack of multiplayer are a let down.4/5 

 Everybody's GolfI was shocked to learn that the highest selling launch title was Everybody's Golf when the PS Vita launched in Japan. What is so appealing about hitting a ball into a hole? Admittedly I feel the same way about the sport itself but with Uncharted: Golden Abyss also available at launch, this fascinated me. Everybody's Golf put the PS Vita's hardware to good use with the ability to plot your swing with the touchscreen and back panel. The player can also control their view by rotating and tilting the console. It's fairly easy to learn how to play the game and courses do get progressively more difficult as you progress through the single player campaign. The multiplayer/online capabilities are awesome and challenging players from around the globe is an exhilarating experience on a portable console. The cute character animations are an additional bonus but I quickly got bored after scoring my first par. Golf in the virtual world (and real world) just simply isn't my game. Maybe it's the ability to pick up multiple J-Popesque character with your fingers that has Japanese players going wild?3/5  Reality FightersThis augmented reality fighting game is the perfect way to show off the PS Vita to your friends. Using the built-in camera to create your own fighter and then battling it out in your living room is a hilarious experience. Taking a photo of a friend,  giving them a ridiculous outfit and adding about 100kgs to their virtual persona makes it almost worth the NZD$50.00. The fighting itself isn't too responsive if you are used to the Tekken or Mortal Kombat games. It's ridiculously easy to win a fight by button-mashing and it doesn't take any skill whatsoever. All the stock characters have their own personalized moves but the character design is boring and unimaginative.  Story mode feels very tacked on and can be completed with your eyes closed. The game does support online leaderboards and the ability to use Near to challenge fighters from around the globe.2.5/5   Uncharted: Golden AbyssIf you already own a PS Vita, you'd be crazy not to pick up this nail-biting action adventure that would impress your most stubborn console gamer. Uncharted: Golden Abyss follows Nathan Drake from the successful third-person shooter franchise launched on PS3. It's easy to forget you're playing a portable console on the impressive 5 inch OLED screen with dazzling graphics, story and gameplay. The player can use the front and rear touch controls to solve puzzles and a quick swipe can be used to throw a punch at an enemy. I was skeptical about the use of a touchscreen in an Uncharted game but it feels totally natural and it's an added bonus to the dual analog sticks. Another handy feature is the ability to tilt the console which can be used to aim your weapon's crosshair at enemies. I was a bit annoyed with the lack of multiplayer but with 34 chapters of kick ass gameplay, I quickly forgot.5/5   The sleek PS Vita packs a punch with two quad-core processors, dual analog sticks, touch panels and social features that make the portable console a worthwhile purchase. The device's front camera is weirdly positioned to the right of the screen and the speaker volume isn't as loud as I would like. If you are thinking of buying the PS Vita, I highly recommend spending an extra $100 for the 3G/wi-fi model. Using the wi-fi model felt like an incomplete system and being unable to use Near or access the Twitter app on the go was frustrating. If felt like using an iPod Touch when you know the iPhone is available for a few more dollars.As I spend more time away from my home console, the more I think the PS Vita is an adequate (and portable) device to fill my gaming needs. Firing up Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a far less passive experience than playing Angry Bird but it's not a fair comparison. Playing a portable game using tactile analogue sticks and clicking real buttons is a far more immersive experience, albeit an endangered one.