PS Vita mini-review round-up #2

Updated on February 27, 2012 by Tom Orry

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There are so many Vita games hitting stores at launch that we just can’t deliver reviews for all of them. What we can do, though, is give our quick verdicts on as many as we’ve been able to get our hands on.

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Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus

A port of an enhanced-port, of a revision of a remake – I think that is the situation with Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus on the PS Vita. Even if I’ve got that wrong, it’s fair to say that this game has done the rounds, but it’s for good reason: the original Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox stands as one of the best hack ‘n’ slash titles ever made. This Vita game is a port of the PS3’s Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

I’ll get the disappointment out the way first: this runs at solid 30fps and not the preferred 60. If you’ve never played the game on home consoles you probably won’t care as much, but if you remember how smooth you’ve seen the game before, it’s something you need time to adjust to.

Frame rate aside, Sigma Plus looks great on the Vita’s screen, although character models are lacking compared to recently developed titles. There are some competent motion controls for ranged weapons, and an easier mode for complete novices – something not entirely cowardly to use, seeing as the game is very hard.

Should you buy it?

This is the very definition of a hardcore console game on a handheld. It’s a great game for the Vita library and is easy to recommend as long as you don’t absolutely object to the frame rate.

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Asphalt Injection

Asphalt has seen considerable success on mobile devices, with Gameloft establishing the series as one of the premier mobile racing games. It’s also seen a few entries on consoles, including a version on the 3DS – which incidentally wasn’t very good as more is expected of racers on consoles than on phones. The same is true of Injection on the Vita, which is a horribly dated-feeling port of Asphalt 6 that costs roughly 20 times as much as the iOS game and offers very little to justify it.

Driving with a analogue stick is infinitely better than using tilt, but with a series of tracks and cars recycled from the phone version, Injection simply can’t stand up to the Vita’s other racers – I moaned about Ridge Racer in the first Vita game mini-review round-up, and while that is a rough, bare-bones release, I’d rather play it than Asphalt Injection.

In terms of making use of the Vita’s selling points, there’s a garage you can explore by holding the Vita up and making use of the gyros, but it’s a token gesture at best and can’t make up for the shonky driving model, uninspired track design and aged appearance.

Should you buy it?

Absolutely not. It, like Ridge Racer, is one of the Vita’s cheapest titles, but in this case you certainly won’t be getting a bargain.

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Dungeon Hunter Alliance

This is another one of Gameloft’s games developed for iOS and then ported to Vita and released at a much higher price.

Most RPG staples are here, and it’s probably possible to get something out of the constant loot drops and drive towards more XP, but put up against the majority of Vita titles this feels like a poor effort.

Online and local multiplayer are supported for you and another three players, and as is the way with almost every game ever made, this is better when played with friends – but the starting point is so “action RPG game development by numbers” that Dungeon Hunter never feels like anything more than serviceable.

Should you buy it?

No. If you’re after this kind of dungeon crawler action RPG experience on Vita, you’re probably better off waiting for Sony’s Warrior’s Lair.

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Michael Jackson The Experience HD

The Vita version of Ubisoft’s Michael Jackson dancing game clearly can’t feature the body controls seen in the home console games, but the publisher has done an OK job in translating it to the touchscreen device.

Instead of body moves you now perform finger swipes and presses, and make use of the Vita’s rear touch panel and the gyro sensors. Tap and swipe in time with on-screen icons and a virtual Michael will dance well to fifteen of his most famous hits.

Presentation is decent, with each of the music tracks having a video to go with it, and there are leaderboards for each performance, as well as local multiplayer for head-to-head dance offs.

Should you buy it?

Michael Jackson The Experience is a basic rhythm game, but it’s not terrible. The track list is small, though, and there are far better Vita games to choose from.

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Our full PS Vita reviews

PS Vita launched in the UK on February 22 and can be yours for as little as £197 from Amazon.co.uk. Add a selected game – FIFA Football is included – for only £15. An 8GB memory card is another £20.