Sony recently announced at Gamescon that the PlayStation Vita will be receiving a price cut to $199 and €199. Due to this, I am sure that many consumers are looking forward to picking up the console to see what they have been missing. Do you know what games to buy though? Hell, do you even think there are games worth buying as you remain unconvinced? Well this guide has been crafted to help answer both of those questions in order to promote this underrated handheld console. I invested in the Vita since it’s launch, and have been a big fan of the console ever since. It’s a fantastic device that has a great library of games, a stunningly beautiful screen, and the best gaming OS I have ever experience on any video game console. I hope that this guide helps you get the most out of your new purchase, or maybe even change your mind on whether or not to get one.
Getting Started
So which bundle should you get? The United States have a limited choice in this matter, but consumers should still get the PS Vita 3G/Wifi Walking Dead Bundle. This bundle include the 3G/Wifi Black Vita, Telltale’s The Walking Dead Video game, and a 4gb Memory card. European Audiences can get similar bundles that offer different games such as: Resistance: Burning Skies, Fifa 2014, Assassin’s Creed Liberation, and much more. Why should you get these bundles? Because they are also only $199 / €199.
So what are you going to need before you even invest in the stellar game library of the Vita. You may have been given a memory card, however I would strongly suggest you invest in a bigger card.
- 32 GB ($79.99)
- 16 GB ($39.99)
- 8 GB ($24.99)
- 4 GB (17.99)
So which card should you invest in? A 16gb memory card, combined with the packaged 4gb memory card should work 
perfectly. Downloading games will be big on the Vita, however you can save yourself some money by simply deleting games you have beaten off your 16gb memory card. You will always have this game on your account, and with a PlayStation Plus account you can even store your saves in the cloud. With the packaged 4gb memory card, I would recommend using it for other multimedia purposes so your 16gb Memory card is dedicated to gaming. Touching back on the subject of PlayStation plus, make sure to get a account when you buy a Vita (Or simply transfer your current account.) For $5 a month you instantly receive these games for free: Gravity Rush, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, WipEout 2048, Dokuro, Knytt Underground, Pinball Arcade, Metal Slug XX (PSP), and Darkstalker Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (PSP). Combine this will all the exclusive sales and more free games to be announced, this service is a near must. For $290, you will have The PlayStation Vita, 4gb Memory Card, 16gb Memory Card, and 9 games to enjoy on your console.
Games Recommendations
- Army Corps of Hell Assassin’s Creed: Liberation
- Atelier Totori: Plus Dead or Alive 5: Plus
- Disgaea 3: Absense of Detention DJ Max Technika Tune
- Dragon’s Crown Earth Defense Force: 2017 Portable
- Gravity Rush Gucamelee
- Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R Hotline Miami
- Jax and Daxter Collection Limbo
- Little Big Planet Machinarium
- Mortal Kombat Muramasa: Rebirth
- Need for speed: Most Wanted New Little Kin’gs Story
- Ninja Gaide Sigma: Plus Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2: Plus
- Orgarthym Persona 4: Golden
- Rayman Origins Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
- Soul Sacrifice Sound Shapes
- Super Star Dust Delta Thomas was Alone
- Uncharted: Golden Abyss Unit 13
- WipEout: 2048 Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward
My Personal Picks
Persona 4: Golden – This is a fantastic port of the critically acclaim game on the PlayStation 2. The graphics have been improved, there is a lot more story, and even simple touches to the mechanics allow for a more engrossing atmosphere. The gameplay has also been upgraded sightly, which makes a already addictive game more addictive. It’s a great experience and I recommend this game to anybody who remotely likes RPGS. Don’t pass this game up if you have already beaten it, it is easily worth another play through on the Vita.
Muramasa: Rebirth/Dragon’s Crown – So why buy these games on the PlayStation Vita? Although Muramasa: Rebirth does have extra dlc content that gives you 4 new characters, each with their own story, that is not the reason to invest in these games. It is the fact that these games look the best on Vita. Something about the OLED screen of the PlayStation Vita makes 2D art really pop out, and with Vanillaware already being known for their beautiful 2D hand drawn art, it is a no brainier to own these games on the Vita. Besides that, they are both really good games.
Soul Sacrifice – Here is a great game that you can only experience on the VIta, Soul Sacrifice is Kenji Inafune’s (Megaman creator) latest work and it is fantastic. It’s a gruesome game about a evil sorcerer who devours humans, and some of the enemy designs in the game makes Dark Souls look like Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. It’s a really fast pace monster hunting game and it works really well, I recommend this game to anyone who owns a Vita as it is more approachable then most monster hunting video games.
Unit 13 – The last game put out by the now defunct Zipper Interactive (Socom creators), Unit 13 is a lot of fun to play. It is a third person shooter with simulation aspects similar to Socom, but with a more Arcade feeling. You get scored on each level, and it is a lot of fun to keep raising your highscore and even make up your own challenges. I have done only melee playthroughs, or even avoid all the enemies. It’s a great game because it was made to be a handheld experience and I think a lot of people would enjoy it.
Games to look forward too
There are a lot of great looking Vita games coming out as Sony recently showed a lot of impressive new content coming out for the console. With Indie developers fully supporting the console, we can expect some great looking games that will most likely look the best on Vita due to it’s screen (and due to the fact that a lot of indie games are 2D.) Here is a list of games that are all expected to come out later this year.
- Spelunky Atelier Meruru: Plus
- Rayman Legens Killzone: Mercenary
- Valhalla Knights 3 ZRUN
- Terraria Lone Survivor
- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Ys Memories of Celceta
- Tearaway Ragnarok Odyssey: Ace
- Toukiden Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey New’n’Tasty
- Borderlands 2 Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD
- Binding of Issac: Rebirth (Free with +) Rogue Legacy
- Volume Hotline Miami 2
There are a lot of great games here that anyone should be able to get into: As Sony continues to support the console we can only expect more great titles to be released. Hopefully, This guide help you with your future purchase of a PlayStation Vita, or even made you consider the console at all. It is a great device that I think a lot of people will really enjoy.
