days till launch...
Smart As...
Sony (XDEV Studio Europe)
- Release date: tbc
- Official site: http://uk.playstation.com/smartas/
- Videos: Official trailer / Gamescom trailer
- Features: sixaxis and touch controls; camera / AR; online leaderboards taken from friends list, twitter, facebook and Near functionality.
What’s that you've got there, a games console? Then you’ll need a ‘Brain Training’ game to go with that! Yes, the Vita gets its first brain-oriented title. Smart As... is one of the first titles revealed for the new console, back when we were all calling it PSP2 or NGP...
Developed by Climax Studios, this game takes advantage of the many forms of input that the Vita provides, from the touch screen to the camera by way of the Sixaxis gyro sensors, to challenge your logic, memory, arithmetic and more. Once you get started, you’ll get a score in each area and an overall score that you can compare with your friends...
Something like 20 different types of minigame are promised, and the online functionality shown in the video trailers shows that you can compare your score with your PSN friends list, your twitter followers, your facebook friends and, using the Vita’s Near functionality, even your neighbours. When you can see how you score on everything from a local to a global level, you’ll have every incentive to try to improve your score and hope to prove that you can be as smart as, if not smarter than, everyone else.
on - last edited on by
LordRoss
days till launch...
Final Fantasy X
Square Enix
- Release date: tbc
- Official site: ? (EU PS2 site: http://www.ffx-europe.com/ )
Forgive me if I step into slightly more speculative territory today, but details of the high-definition re-release of Final Fantasy X are thin on the ground at the moment. Announced by Square Enix in September 2011, the upscaled port will be made available on both Vita and PS3. The PS3 is getting an increasing library of ‘HD’ ports of old classics and it seems the Vita won’t be missing out on the action. For RPG fans, this is probably a good thing, because traditional RPGs are looking pretty scarce at the moment.
Final Fantasy X was the first Final Fantasy for the PS2 console and also the first in the series to be modelled completely in 3D rather than employing 2D backdrops. It enjoyed huge success when it was first released, ten years ago, both critically and commercially. You take the part of Tidus, a sports star who finds himself thrown into the future when his home city is destroyed by a huge monster called ‘Sin’. He joins an eclectic entourage centred around the summoner, Yuna, a young woman whose task is to collect together a number of powerful agencies called ‘aeons’ which can be summoned for assistance in battle and which will be used to battle Sin and banish it once more.
Gameplay should be familiar to anyone who has played any of the series – explore a variety of lushly detailed locations in turn, as the story plays out, routinely getting involved in turn-based battles with the various fauna and sometimes even flora that inhabit the area. This world’s main sport, ‘blitzball’ – something like an underwater water polo – provides a substantial minigame that can suck up hours if it appeals to you or can be mostly ignored if you just want to follow the main story. All in all it was a great JRPG ten years ago and it will be interesting to see how it plays on the Vita. For all we know, the only innovations will be upscaled graphics and trophy support but even so it should be a happy nostalgia trip for those who’ve played it before and a charming treat for those JRPG fans who haven’t.
Oh, and did you know Final Fantasy XIII-2 is scheduled for release on the Vita too?
days till launch...
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus
Tecmo Koei Europe
- Release date: launch window ('Feb 2012')
- Official site (EU): http://teamninja-studio.com/ngsv/eu/
- Features: sixaxis and touch controls
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus brings all the ninja action of PS3’s Ninja Gaiden Sigma to the handheld console and adds more on top! Take control of ninja Ryu Hayabusa as he seeks to recover the stolen Dark Dragon Blade and avenge the slaughter of his clan’s shrine maiden.
Sixaxis gyro controls are now integrated into the game for targeting enemies and shooting ranged weapons; touch controls are also added, though few details have emerged yet, except that the rear touch pad will be used to power up ninpos (magic spells) (instead of shaking the controller, as was the case with the PS3 game).
A new, easier difficulty level – Hero – makes the game more accessible to newcomers, and new ‘Ninja Trials’ missions round off this release, providing more challenging tasks many of which require you to complete missions with specific limitations, such as only being able to use projectile weapons... Go get your black costume, sharpen your sword and prepare to spill a lot of blood!
zinep wrote:Wow... You're actually doing it -- I am impressed. I hope the forum folks will dig up some kind of forum award for you for this. Have some kudos; it's well deserved.
Thanks for the kudos... It will keep the thread in the most kudo-ed threads list for longer, which is nice gentle promotion... And double thanks for the 'wow'. 
LBP Vita Pod - The place for LBP Vita banter!
Website ©2013 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
All content, game titles, trade names and/or trade dress, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. All rights reserved. [more info]
