Countdown to the PS Vita
on - last edited on by
LordRoss
OK, folks, here's a run down with handy links to the messages. Note that some of the data provided might be a little out-of-date by now.
- 50 – WipEout 2048
- 49 – Ridge Racer
- 48 – Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition
- 47 – Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
- 46 – Gravity Rush
- 45 – Lumines
- 44 – Urban Trials
- 43 – Smart As
- 42 – Final Fantasy X
- 41 – Ninja Gaiden Sigma
- 40 – Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz
- 39 – F1 2011
- 38 – Reality Fighters
- 37 – Touch My Katamari
- 36 – Pure Chess
- 35 – Little Deviants
- 34 – Shinobido 2
- 33 – Street Fighter X Tekken
- 32 – Top Darts
- 31 – StarDrone Extreme
- 30 – Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
- 29 – Super Stardust Delta
- 28 – Silent Hill: Book of Memories
- 27 – Dynasty Warriors Next
- 26 – Warrior’s Lair
- 25 – Motorstorm RC
- 24 – Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath
- 23 – Mortal Kombat
- 22 – Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock
- 21 – Puddle
- 20 – New Little King’s Story
- 19 – Hustle Kings
- 18 – Rayman Origins
- 17 – Escape Plan
- 16 – Dungeon Hunter Alliance
- 15 – Unit 13
- 14 – Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention
- 13 – Modnation Racers
- 12 – Asphalt Injection
- 11 – Army Corps of Hell
- 10 – Frobisher Says!
- 09 – Malicious
- 08 – Resistance Burning Skies
- 07 – Metal Gear Solid HD
- 06 – Everybody’s Golf
- 05 – Sound Shapes
- 04 – Sumioni Demon Arts
- 03 – FIFA Football
- 02 – Uncharted: Golden Abyss
- 01 – LittleBigPlanet
Starting from the 3rd January 2012 – 50 days to go! – I thought I'd count down the days to the Vita's launch in SCEE territories by picking out and highlighting one Vita game per day...
So, without further ado...
days till launch...
WIPEOUT 2048
Sony (SCE Studio Liverpool)
- Release date: launch (Feb 22 2012)
- Official site: (facebook) http://www.facebook.com/WipEout2048
- Videos: features preview / gamescom preview
- Features: online multiplayer; PS3 cross-play; front & rear touch; sixaxis controls; camera
- Blog entries including Q&As and developer interview
For the first game, I thought it only fitting to select Sony's go-to launch title. Apart from anything else, I need to emphasise here and now that I'm not planning to attempt to sort this list of games in order of epicness or any other category. It would be too hard and too subjective.
I say 'launch title'; Wipeout was a launch title for the original Sony PlayStation in Europe and really helped the new console to make a name for itself in Europe with PlayStation installations in cool and trendy locations. So strong is the association between Wipeout and PlayStation that it's easy to forget that at the time it wasn't a first-party title. But it suited the brand that PlayStation was trying to establish for itself, and Sony was quick to snap up its developer/publisher Psygnosis before the end of the first PlayStation console's market life (and indeed Wipeout 3 had been a PlayStation exclusive). Although there was no launch WipeOut for PS2 or PS3, it was a launch title (as Wipeout Pure) for the PSP in Europe and North America; WipeOut 2048 is a launch title for Vita in Europe and NA and each PlayStation-branded system has at least one version of the franchise (except the PlayStation Suite for Android – though it's only a matter of time).
Since its first instalment, Wipeout has maintained an iconic presence in the world of video games, striving for cutting-edge visuals – both in-game and in menus – and drawing on a strong catalogue of techno and electronica for its audio backdrop. The new Vita game is no exception, with tracks from deadmau5 and Orbital (once again).
Taking a backward step, the game's main career is set (unsurprisingly) in 2048, the earliest date in the franchise, some four years before the supposed setting of the original Wipeout. As a result, as well as the soaring vertical structures that the series is famous for, you'll also see large sections of tracks taking place on ordinary city roads and even over grassy terrain in places. And there are only five classic teams in this 'Season 1' setting: Feisar, Qirex, Auricom, AG Systems, and Pir-Hana. The tracks are reputedly wider, to allow for greater combat possibilities, but presumably also to leaven the difficulty curve and make this one of the most accessible iterations of the series.
A variety of classic and updated game modes are supported (though sadly, no 'zombie mode'), including the much-vaunted online cross-play against PS3 WipeOut HD/Fury players. Look forward to this on launch day!
days till launch...
Ridge Racer
Namco Bandai Games
- Release date: launch (Feb 22 2012; already available in Japan)
- Official site: (EU) http://www.uk.namcobandaigames.eu/product/ridge-ra
cer/ps-vita Official site: (JP) http://rr.namco-ch.net/rr_psvita/
Official Ridge Racer fan site: http://www.facebook.com/ridgefan
- Videos: Are you ready?
- Features: online and local multiplayer; exchange of ghosts via Near functionality
From one classic launch title to the daddy of them all... It’s hard to imagine a PlayStation launch without a Ridge Racer to accompany it. The Ridge Racer arcade machine was ported to the original PlayStation console for its worldwide release in December 1994. Ridge Racer V and Ridge Racer 7 followed as launch titles for PS2 and PS3 respectively in 2000 and 2006. The confusingly-titled Ridge Racer was a launch title for the PSP in 2004, and now once again we get a new game with the same title... Particularly confusing because presumably the PSP’s Ridge Racer will also work on the PS Vita and is already sitting on the PlayStation Store. But enough about the name...
The gameplay, as with the series as a whole, features high-performance cars racing on detailed tracks with a highly-improbable-but-fun drift mechanic. Online play includes the ‘Planetary League’ in which you must join one of four racing teams and race for the honour of your team in 8-player races. There is also the ability to exchange ghosts with other players you pass by in the street using the Vita’s Near functionality. Car customisation does not extend nearly as far as many of the game’s rivals, but you can change the look of your vehicle, upgrade ‘functional parts’ and even alter the drifting mechanic to best suit your racing style.
Namco Bandai are also really pushing the micro-transaction concept, a fact that is going to divide the community and critics (and I suspect the division will fall very heavily in the ‘against it’ category). The basic game comes with just three courses and a correspondingly low price-point; then you can pay to download additional courses, cars and background music from the PlayStation Store. In Japan at the moment, most new music tracks are free but a few come in at 100 yen (~£0.84); cars are 250 yen (~£2.10) and courses 400 yen (~£3.36). But a multi-pack with the first eight vehicles and six courses offers much better value for money (it's like the DLC 'licences' that have appeared for a number of PS3 games in the last year) and – in Japan at least – there are discounts and freebies for early adopters.
Level 3
Lots of respect if you can keep this up for another 48 days! 
I bought ridge racer at launch with PSP, was a great game, it was actually the first I played in the series, loved the drifting etc!! and the fast tempoed music!
My brother had ridge racer on the PSP, used to load up a race, take the UMD out put in my PSP and then we raced against each othered wirelessly.
ocelot07 wrote:Do you think it is worth getting Ridge Racer at launch or waiting a month or so as there is only 3 cars from what I have read.
I know it is only £15 to buy but I can see this coming down to around the £5 mark not long after launch.
From my recent research 
I found that the initial game came with 5 cars and 3 courses. Early purchasers could buy the season pass for 1000 yen (£8.40) that would give access to another 8 cars and 6 courses. This is a special offer, with the season pass going up to 1600 yen after the first couple of weeks.
It would be worth seeing how Namco set out their pricing strategy over here. I reckon you could buy the DLC when it's on special offer before you buy the game - play the system. 
trubadman wrote:Lots of respect if you can keep this up for another 48 days!
Yeah, I've begun to realise what I've let myself in for. I'll be pleased if I can, not to mention glad when it's over. 
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