Even though Nintendo has predominately owned the handheld market, especially with the Nintendo Switch, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, many gaming companies once challenged Nintendo’s reign by releasing their own handheld devices. One such company was Sony, who released thePlayStationPortable in 2005 and then the PlayStation Vita in 2012.
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And with thePS Vita’s recent tenth anniversary, fans can’t help but recall the amazing titles they were able to play on this device. While many of the titles were later released for the console, many others — such as those below — will forever remain in the form of a PS Vita game card.
10Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified (2012)
Despite having a rocky reception,Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassifiedis the second-biggest game released on the PS Vita in 2012. The game featured a single-player mode that players could replay to improve their score, as well as a Hostile game mode where players had to survive waves of enemies similar toCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’sSurvival Mode. In addition, there was a 4v4 multiplayer mode, but matches were limited to players on the same Wi-Fi network.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassifiedputs players through several black op missions Alex Mason and Frank Woods carried out during the 70s. Perhapsthe rumored Call of Duty 2023 black ops gamewill delve more intoBlack Ops: Declassified events.
9Super Stardust Delta (2012)
Super Stardust Deltais a fun shoot ‘em up exclusive that was released alongside the PS Vita. The main objective of the game is to destroy enemy starships and asteroids while collecting new weapon upgrades. Additionally,Super Stardust Deltaused the motion control mechanics the PS Vita had to switch through a wide arsenal of weapons.
Players could also upload their high score to a global leader board via the PlayStation Network. Ari Pulkkinen (composer of theAngry Birdstheme song) composed most of the soundtrack, which is why it’s still catchy to this day.
8Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (2012)
TheSuper Monkey Ballseries has been aSEGAclassic since the early 2000s, so when Sony releasedSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz,fans were ecstatic. The game consisted of players guiding a selected character (AiAi, Baby, MeeMee, GonGon, YanYan, Doctor, and even Sonic) encased by a sphere through a maze-like level filled with obstacles.
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In addition to the pre-made mazes, players could create and upload their own mazes via the PlayStation Network. A notable feature ofSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Splitzwas that players could generate a maze by taking a picture through the PS Vita’s camera. Even thoughSEGA has left the arcade business, fans can still enjoy the good old arcade-style games with theSuper Monkey Ballseries.
According to many game critics,Dead or Alive 5 Plusis one of the best fighting games for the PS Vita, since it has lots of features that made it stand out from the rest. For example, unlike otherDead or Aliveentries, this PS Vita exclusive had cross-platform capability, which meant players who ownedDead or Alive 5(PlayStation 3) could play against gamers withDead or Alive 5 Plus.
Fans also had the option of purchasing the Collector’s Edition ofDead or Alive 5 Plus,which included lots of goodies. Hopefully, theDead or Aliveseries continues to keep strong, despite theresignation of Yohei Shimbori.
6Killzone: Mercenary (2013)
There’s a reason why many gamers consider theKillzoneseries a “Halo-Killer"and it’s because the series has always delivered one of the best FPS experiences.Killzone: Mercenarywas no exception, since it won 1st place in the PlayStation Vita Game of the Year Award for 2013.
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The game takes place betweenKillzone 2andKillzone 3,and revisits some events fromKillzone: Liberation.Players fight alongside Helghast forces and ISA specialists as a gun for hire. The game also had a multiplayer mode that featured eight iconicKillzonemaps.
5Tearaway (2014)
From the original creators ofLittleBigPlanet,Tearawayis a platformer-adventure game that used nearly all of the PS Vita’s unique features. For example, players could customize the main characters (Iota or Atoi) by drawing on a virtual paper on the PS Vita and then applying it. Or, there would be moments where the player had to take pictures and apply them to different papercraft animals.
Tearawaywon numerous awards for its art style and creativity.The most notable awards were from the BAFTA Video Game Awards, where it won Best Mobile & Handheld Game, Best Artistic Achievement, and Best Family Game.
4Silent Hill: Book of Memories (2012)
Most die-hardSilent Hillfans weren’t too happy withSilent Hill: Book of Memories,since it strayed away from the survival horror genre to the dungeon crawler one. But even with the poor reception,Silent Hill: Book of Memorieswent on to be the fourth-best-selling PlayStation Vita game.
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The main objective ofSilent Hill: Book of Memoriesis to traverse through several monster-filled dungeons andcomplete a series of difficult puzzles, which ARE very common in theSilent Hillseries. Additionally,Silent Hill: Book of Memorieshad lots of replay value since there were several different endings.
3Uncharted: Fight for Fortune (2012)
This PS Vita exclusive is a turn-based collectible card game developed by Bend Studio, where players would play against antagonists from theUnchartedseries or online players. The cards were divided into three factions: Heroes, Villains, and Mercenaries, and each faction featured iconic characters from previous entries.
Unfortunately, despite receiving positive reviews, there were many issues such as card unbalance and lack of new content. But for those who love playing collectible card games, it was a nice way of depicting Sony’smost iconic thiefand treasure hunter.
2MonsterBag (2015)
Developed by an indie company,MonsterBagis an obscure single-player puzzle game where players must complete a series of puzzles while avoiding being detected. The story is about a little blue monster named V who wants to reunite with their friend Nia. But humans are terrified of monsters, so V needs to sneak past them without being detected.
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AlthoughMonsterBagfeatures many adorable cartoonish characters, it contains lots of violent (and sometimes graphic) comedic moments. But for those who don’t mind this, it’s worth playing, as each character inMonsterBaghas a deep story, which players can uncover as they complete puzzles.
1Resistance: Burning Skies (2012)
Taking place a month after the events ofResistance: Fall of Man,this PS Vita exclusive gives players a firsthand experience of the initial Chimera assault on the East Coast of the United States. Throughout the campaign, gamers play as a firefighter, Tom Riley, who wants to reunite with his family after a horde of Longlegs attacks his fire station.
Even though the campaign was short, it still gave fans of theResistanceseries a little more insight into the Chimera invaders. Additionally,Resistance: Burning Skieshad 8v8 online multiplayer game modes as well as iconic weapons like the Carbine and Auger.
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