Videogame Releases: Week of February 19th, 2012

It’s time to get excited. The release of the PlayStation Vita is upon us. Also being released are a glut of launch titles, a few of which actually look pretty impressive. While already existing consoles aren’t getting anything worth talking about (an exercise in quick time events and another FPS version of a tactical PC game), the 3DS version of ‘Metal Gear’ may prove worthy of a purchase for fans.

PlayStation Vita (Vita)

Whether you think it’s bound for greatness or destined to flop, there’s no debating the importance of the PlayStation Vita system. If the Vita finds success, it will show that phones are not yet a replacement for a dedicated handheld gaming system. If it doesn’t, well, it could very well spell the end of them, at least for Sony.

GameStop janked things up (big surprise) and I didn’t end up getting the 1st Edition Vita that I preordered. So, I’ve gone ahead and switched to the 3G version on Amazon. I’m counting down the hours until I can finally get my hands on this thing. If you happen to pick one up, make sure it’s the 3G version. For $50 more, you get the option of 3G, a $30 memory card, a free game and some free 3G time. Oh, and if you order from Amazon, you get a free screen protector kit, so that’s neat.

The only launch title I’ve ordered is ‘Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3‘, though I do have ‘Shinobido 2‘ on the way for an upcoming review. I’ve never been an ‘Uncharted’ fan, but I’d love to hear a take on ‘Golden Abyss‘. It might be worth checking out whether that transitions well to the small screen.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (3DS)

A handheld re-release of an existing game is nice for fans that want it on the go, but the 3DS version of ‘Snake Eater’ adds a few things beyond portability. The first is, of course, 3D visuals. Also new are the addition of tilt-sensitive controls, custom camo and a touch-screen menu for easy weapon selection.

7 comments

  1. I think the Wi-fi version of the Vita is the best deal. The 3G on the Vita is almost useless. You can only surf the internet and can’t do almost anything else with it. No multiplayer, no downloading games above 20 mb, and it’s AT&T running it. I say save the money or spend it on a bigger memory card is the best buy then the 3G model by far.

    • I can see where you’re coming from, but functionality like GPS which Brian mentions below makes the 3G really appealing. Add to that existing and potential streaming options like Netflix and Spotify and I wouldn’t mind having the option.

      I especially like that the 3G service isn’t contract based. If I go on a road trip and I want 3G, I can get it for the month. For essentially $20 extra, you get potentially awesome functionality – seems like a no-brainer to me!

      • 250mb or even the 3Gb plan a month data plan for netflix is stretching it a little but it is possible for a short movie. (note from use on phone: You almost have to have full bars for netflix to even look decent on a smart phone)

        My full recommend is if you have a smart phone with a data plan you should just get the wifi version no question and spend the extra money on games and a memory card. But if you have no phone data plan,smart phone and no GPS nav device it might be worth looking into the 3G version.

        I just see the 3G as something that’s not very useful for what you can do with it on a device you can’t really fit in your pocket and walk around with easily and the GPS functionality is going to be very basic.

  2. Brian H

    The word is that the 3G version has GPS functionality that is lacking in the wifi version. Having recently been in Europe with my US iphone, this kind of GPS functionality that works regardless of whether you are paying for service can bee extremely useful. Basically I could go into a wifi hot spot, pull up the google maps, then leave the hot spot and navigate using the GPS.

  3. HuskerGuy

    If I read correctly this morning, Netflix will not work on the Vita over 3G.

    I’m loving my Vita so far (got it last week) and have to recommend Hot Shots and Super Stardust right off the bat. I’ve been to distracted by those to get very far into Uncharted. The hour or so that I did play I found to be very enjoyable and it looks very, very nice.

    • Aw, boo for no 3G Netflix.

      Glad to hear you’re loving it. I’m frantically hitting F5 on the UPS tracking. MvC 3 and the Vita will be in my hands soon, plus whatever I end up downloading, which will probably be far too much :p

      • HuskerGuy

        Exactly what I was doing last week, which happened to coincide with UPS’s tracking being on the fritz. It was rather annoying.

        For anyone curious, the official headset that sells for $20 is actually pretty darn nice imo. The sound is strong and it has an inline mic for some party chat action.

        Now I have to try and resist the buy 2 get 1 deals going on 🙂

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