10 classic PlayStation-centric franchises that should have come to Vita

PlayStation as a brand has defined itself in so many ways over the years – whether it be the slew of mascot platformers like Crash and Spyro on the PS1 through to escapist adventures like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid on the PS2 and finally to realistic worlds like Grand Theft Auto and Uncharted on PS3 and 4, the platforms always look to reach a broad and varied audience. Along the way, both first and third parties have worked together to create an outstanding library on each and every console to ensure gamers always had something brilliant to play.

Along with this, there have always been franchises which are heavily associated with PlayStation – whether it be helping to shape the console’s demographic (such as Tomb Raider) or simply appearing on every piece of Sony hardware available (WipEout). These tend to be the system sellers that people look for when investing in a platform, even if the specific series have shifted and rarely stayed consistent like Halo or Mario.

Vita is unfortunately the first Sony system which never really took off and its tepid hardware sales meant that multiple franchises which would have been a shoe-in for any other piece of PlayStation hardware haven’t appeared – it’s these series that I’m going to look at in this article (what they were; where they originally appeared; how well they’d have worked on the console as well as suggesting alternatives which are available on the platform). They’ve been part of a vicious circle – not appearing on Vita because of weak sales, but stalling the handheld even further by not showing up.

I’ve had to set some boundaries with writing this – if a series had a Vita-native entry, whether it be remake; port or spin-off, I’ve disregarded it as at least there has been some representation on the handheld. That means series like God of War and Jak & Daxter don’t count (both had HD ports on Vita) nor franchises like Final Fantasy or Tomb Raider (both received Vita-native spinoffs in World of Final Fantasy and Lara Croft Go). I have included series whose only entries on Vita have been free-to-play apps (which I wouldn’t really count as a game) or only appeared as part of a crossover, with the other franchise being the main focus of the title.

 

Devil May Cry

In the first year of the PS2’s life, Capcom birthed a new franchise that would ultimately go on to become one of their mainstays across multiple generations of Sony consoles. That franchise was Devil May Cry – a pseudo-evolution of their Resident Evil IP that switched things up with much faster paced combat and hack ‘n’ slash elements alongside a brilliant gothic story following demon-hunter Dante through the underworld. Two further sequels landed on the PS2; before the a fourth entry on the PS3 followed by a reboot entitled DMC.

The series has as of yet never ventured onto handhelds – probably due to the fact it relies on rapid combat at high framerates which is always more difficult to pull off on weaker hardware. Although its popularity seems to have waned somewhat in recent years (this may be due to the fact that we’ve not had a proper mainline entry in so long), I have no doubt that a Vita version would have helped the console out – even if this was just a port of the HD Collection that PS3 got which would have fit in nicely with the console’s already impressive lineup of PS2 titles.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
Thankfully, Koei-Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden franchise did manage to make the handheld jump where Devil May Cry didn’t and Vita owners have access to both the first and second entries in the rebooted series. The first in particular is the one to get with the second being a slightly inferior game and a vastly inferior port – although if you don’t mind dodgy ports, you may also wish to consider the God of War Collection. If you just fancy playing as Dante, bear in mind that he’s playable in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, although his design is based on the largely disliked DMC.

 

Gran Turismo

If there’s one series which has been synonymous with PlayStation over multiple generations, it’s Gran Turismo. Billed as the ‘Real Driving Simulator’, its releases have remained the highest selling games on the PS1; PS2; PS3 and PSP respectively. It’s a brand with massive selling power and global recognition, known for being top of its class in providing simulation track racing even against tough competition like Forza and various imitators ranging from Need for Speed: Shift to Project Cars.

So it was surprising then that the franchise completely swerved Vita, especially seeing as it was one of the few first-party franchises they have with this kind of potential. A Vita version could’ve fixed many of the issues that gamers had with the disappointing PSP release – assets could have been upgraded; a proper career mode included as well as better online connectivity (as well as a more timely release). It seems like Yamauchi’s stranglehold on the series has continued to hold it back, especially judging by the tepid reception to the most recent entry Sport.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
Interestingly, there are very few sim-racers available on Vita – likely due to the fact that the genre just doesn’t work as well on handhelds due to relying on console power to create the most realistic experience possible. MotoGP ’13 and ’14 provide a decent approximation except with bikes instead of cars, but if you’re looking for the best portable Gran Turismo then the PSP entry (backwards compatible with Vita) is still the best option, even if it’s far from perfect.

 

Grand Theft Auto

An absolute behemoth in terms of selling power, Grand Theft Auto wasn’t always as big as it is today. Starting life as a 2D crime sim on PS1 and PC, it was the shift to 3D that came with the PS2 that really exploded the franchise – from there, each new entry appeared to break sales records from publisher Rockstar Games, culminating in GTAV which has sold more than 80m across seventh and eighth generation consoles, led by strong sales on PS3 and PS4.

The series was key in establishing Vita’s predecessor PSP in the west too, with two bespoke entries in Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories being among the handheld’s best selling games. Yet, Vita only managed to land the bizarre free-to-play app iFruit throughout its life – even the mobile ports of the PS2 entries didn’t manage to make the jump across. It’s undeniable that any form of portable GTA would have helped the console’s fate in the west, something Sony clearly didn’t realise due to their lack of work helping Rockstar to develop for the handheld – which is a real shame given how enjoyable the PSP entries were.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
Despite the genre of open-world action-adventure games flourishing in recent years with series such as Just Cause and Watch Dogs being born, there’s nothing massively similar on Vita. Retro City Rampage provides a nice dose of 2D GTA-lite (and hopefully its sequel Shakedown Hawaii will expand on this even more), but for now you’re best off with the PSP Grand Theft Auto entries still – of which Vice City Stories is the stand-out game (Chinatown Wars is also very much worth your time if you’re after a retro-styled adventure).

 

InFAMOUS

When Sucker Punch moved away from their beloved Sly Cooper franchise, fans were worried – luckily, in its place came one of the most enjoyable open-world superhero games I’ve ever played in InFAMOUS for PS3. A sequel and spin-off later, the franchise took the jump to PS4 with Second Son which made the most of the console’s graphical power (despite being somewhat lacking as a game); something that was corrected with 2015’s First Light which – although brief – was beautiful and memorable.

As such, the series entered the upper echelons of modern-day Sony IP’s – alongside series like God of War; Resistance and Uncharted, all of which received representation on Vita. Yet somehow InFAMOUS never did – despite producer Nate Fox openly hinting at plans for the console. While the franchise has never been a massive seller, a well-made entry that took advantage of the console’s unique inputs would have a boon to the handheld, especially if they opted to revisit the story of original protagonist Cole McGrath.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
Thankfully, unlike the PSP, Vita managed to be home to a few open-world superhero games – the main one being Gravity Rush, possibly the poster child of Vita’s first year. While Kat’s powers were noticeably different than Cole’s or Delsin’s, the game had that same sense of thrilling adventure where a brand new character is growing to understand their abilities (it’s just a shame we never saw the sequel on Vita – I could’ve lived with Gravity Rush being portable-only and InFAMOUS being home console-only, but we didn’t even get that). There’s also Amazing Spider-man, which isn’t Spidey’s greatest adventure but still has some great open-world freedom (and for a final suggestion, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers isn’t a bad pick either – review here).

 

Kingdom Hearts

Bursting onto the PS2 in 2002, Kingdom Hearts was an interesting proposition – a crossover between Disney and Final Fantasy (as well as featuring a fully original storyline), the series flourished into one of Square-Enix’s mainstays selling consistently well across a number of sequels and spinoffs on DS; 3DS and even PSP. A third mainline entry is due at some point on PS4 and XB1 for the first time in more than a decade, preceded by a number of HD Collections which suggests things are well on track for the franchise going forward.

Honestly, the erratic nature of the series following its initial PS2 entries is probably the main reason Vita never saw a release – it flitted from console to console never really finding a home, before Square finally decided to get things into order. It’s a shame, though – Vita has been a great home to action RPG’s and Birth by Sleep did very well on the PSP – particularly in Japan. The lack of 1.5 and 2.5 HD Collections on Sony’s newest handheld was a letdown, particularly considering how well they would have fit in with other HD ports on the console.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
Sadly Kingdom Hearts is fairly unique in its approach to storytelling and combat, meaning there’s precious little else like it out there. The Ys series provides a similar dose of fast-paced action; as does Falcom’s other release Tokyo Xanadu, although it’s not quite the same. You could also try Tales of Hearts R but again, the experience isn’t quite close enough (and frustratingly, Birth by Sleep was never put up on PSN, likely due to licencing issues with Disney).

 

Medal of Honor

A staple on PlayStation hardware dating right back to the PS1 where the first release was exclusive to the console, Medal of Honor has always delivered a satisfying dose of military shooting on Sony’s machines. After blossoming into a big seller on the PS2, the franchise eventually made the shift to PS3 (where it was eventually killed after a poorly-received entry) but not before two enjoyable PSP spinoffs set during WWII were made. In today’s market it suffers with competition from series like Battlefield and Call of Duty, but there’s still an argument for its place in contemporary games.

Yet Vita never saw an entry – not helped by the fact the franchise was on shaky ground in the west when the console released, but still. Being the first dual-analogue handheld on the market, it would have been the perfect time for first-person shooters to grab this market and since competitors like Call of Duty were stalling, it presented a great opportunity for EA. News surfaced in 2013 that Slant Six Games were working on a spinoff to the series at one point which was presumably killed due to the handheld’s low hardware sales; and since it has been on hiatus thereafter, Vita never got any Medal of Honor representation.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
In military first-person shooters, Call of Duty pretty much has the market cornered with the abysmal Black Ops Declassified. Thanks to backwards-compatibility, it is at least possible to get the first two entries (which have aged rather poorly) alongside the PSP releases Heroes 1 & 2 (which have held up much better) which is the best way to play the series on Vita (at least if you live in the USA – the games aren’t compatible on the EU store).

 

Monster Hunter

Any Vita fan out there probably knows about Monster Hunter, the massive-in-Japan local multiplayer franchise that managed to give PSP a new lease of life after making the jump across from PS2, which finally settled on 3DS in recent years much to the chagrin of Vita fans who were hoping for a new entry to make the most of the handheld’s dual sticks and increased power. Instead, Vita got the poorly-received online-only Frontier (which I’ve not counted for this article due to being online-only and Japan-only), with the latest entry World heading to PS4; XB1 and PC.

It’s somewhat of an open secret that Nintendo offered incentives (such as helping with advertising) to ensure the series stayed on their handheld in the eighth generation, which helped them to lock down the Japanese market and was a fairly savvy business move. But it was a real shame given the franchise’s long history with Sony hardware – it was born on PS2 and flourished on PSP, where Vita seemed the next logical step to evolve it – it would also definitely have helped to boost sales in Japan. At least fans were well served with a sea of alternatives, but I’m sure many wished for the original (and best) series.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
As previously mentioned, Vita isn’t exactly short on hunting games, making its absence slightly less disappointing. From Ragnarok Odyssey through to God Eater 2, there’s a lot of options available – although Toukiden appears to be the series which closest resembles the Monster Hunter experience. Of course, you can just grab Freedom Unite from PSN which is compatible with Vita – and is still a brilliant game even today.

 

Tekken

If there’s one fighting series which is synonymous with the PlayStation brand (just like Ridge Racer is a racing game equivalent), it’s Tekken. While Street Fighter established itself on the SNES and Dead or Alive moved over to Xbox, Tekken has seen nearly every entry land on Sony hardware – from the original arcade conversion on PS1 through to the latest release (Tekken 7) arriving on PS4. So it seems a shoe-in that there would be a Tekken game on Vita, especially as the handheld came out a few months prior to Tekken Tag Tournament 2, right?

Sadly, wrong. Despite the fact that the series had done well on PSP (Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection was also one of the platform’s top selling titles) and a 3DS entry was made, Vita managed to completely avoid the franchise – unless you count Street Fighter x Tekken, which I don’t as that game was designed heavily around the Street Fighter side. It’s especially disappointing given the handheld became such a home for fighting games with brilliant titles like Dead or Alive 5 Plus; Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Mortal Kombat; a port of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 surely wouldn’t have been too much of an undertaking, but it seems Namco didn’t see it that way.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
As previously mentioned, Vita is home to a great number of fighting games so it’s easy to get your fill elsewhere – although nothing quite scratches the Tekken itch, things like Dead or Alive or Injustice come close. Luckily Tekken 6 (PSP) is available through PSN, which is a fantastic port and a great approximation of modern Tekken – alternatively you can grab the first and second games although these feel much more dated these days.

 

Twisted Metal

Back when the PS1 was around, car combat games were a big deal. Things like Carmageddon and Rollcage were selling well, while Destruction Derby was going from strength to strength. Enter Twisted Metal, which took a group of psychopaths drawn together in the streets of Los Angeles to blow each other’s vehicles up, with the winner being granted any wish their heart desires by maniac Calypso. It became a major hit in North America, where three sequels and a spinoff released; followed by further reboots on both PS2 and PSP.

The most recent entry in the series – entitled Twisted Metal – released for PS3 in 2012, but sadly managed to skip Vita altogether leaving the handheld without a version throughout its life. While the 2012 game was panned for its brief story mode and lack of playable characters, it still provided the same over-the-top carnage fans had come to expect and would have made a great addition to the handheld’s lineup as a port – especially since a few quick matches could been played while you’re on the go.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
The closest experience that’s available on Vita is probably Cel Damage HD – although it goes for a more cartoony look, it still keeps the same arena-weapons-combat mixed in with races structure that made Twisted Metal so popular (and you can check my review of it here). The original Twisted Metal games are available from the PlayStation Network (2 is only in NA), but these are slightly dated now (review of the first here). Alternatively you can look into PSP titles – amusingly Twisted Metal: Head On is on the store but not compatible with Vita; alternatives such as Street Riders are available but scratch a different itch. Sadly the most relevant PSP game would be Full Auto 2: Battlelines which was yanked from PSN some time ago.

 

Yakuza

Like Devil May Cry; Kingdom Hearts and Monster Hunter, Yakuza was a series born on the PS2 – and hooked gamers with its sweeping crime story and beautiful fictional rendition of Tokyo. Offering open-world exploration with enjoyable brawling, it would go on to see multiple sequels; prequels and spin-offs across PS3; PS4 & PSP (as well as an ill-fated remaster on WiiU, which would be the only time the series strayed outside of Sony hardware).

Given the relative success of the Black Panther spinoffs on the PSP and continued devotion to Sony consoles, it seemed likely we’d get Yakuza representation on Vita – and we did, sort of, with two free-to-play app spinoffs based on Yakuza Ishin and Yakuza 0. While these made a nice distraction, like with Grand Theft Auto I’m not counting them for this article (and matters aren’t helped by the fact that both stayed Japan-only, in spite of Yakuza 0 being localized). A native Vita release would’ve helped Vita sales in Japan – where the series is most popular – and it surely wouldn’t have been too much trouble to add the platform in during their work on the 1 & 2 HD Collection or even the Kiwami remakes.

What can I buy on Vita that’s similar?
This probably depends on what you’re seeking from the franchise. Akiba’s Trip offers a somewhat open world with street brawling; while Uppers provides closer combat at the expense of exploration. Your best bet – at least if you live in North America – is to grab the PSP title Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble from the PlayStation Network which features delinquents brawling on a school trip in one of the handheld’s most under-rated games.

 

Conclusion

Vita has always been hamstrung by the ‘no games’ narrative (that, if you read any of my content on this website, you’ll know is far from the truth) and that in turn has led to tepid hardware sales and its eventual fate as a niche piece of hardware in the west. Despite the fact it has had representation from major PlayStation-focused franchises ranging from Assassin’s Creed to Final Fantasy to Uncharted, many just refuse to look at the console’s library and find anything of value.

Yet at the same time, a number of key franchises which would have made perfect sense on the Vita never made the jump across – which likely helped contribute to its perception among the masses. All of the series listed in this article are relevant in today’s gaming market and all of them had a title release during the span of Vita’s life which would’ve made perfect sense for it; likely would’ve been a fairly easy port and had they released at the right time, would have sold decently on it too.

Why these didn’t happen is unknown – some of them may have required coaxing from Sony to happen which ultimately wasn’t forthcoming (Monster Hunter) while others were going through a tough time justifying their existence in general (Medal of Honor). But some just make no sense – after the brilliant port of Tekken 6 on PSP I was sure Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for Vita was a lock; as I was that Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Collection would make an appearance, neither of which happened.

It’s difficult not to lament what could have been in these circumstances, but at the end of the day Vita got a great selection of classic franchises over the course of its life – it just would have been nice if we’d seen a few more.