(Editor’s note – please check out my newest, up-to-date list of the 100 best Vita games ever made!)
Carrying on from my previous post, here’s the middle section of my top 50 Vita games – 40 – 11:
40. Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen
It’s clunky and janky in that budget Japanese way, yet Acquire’s second game on this list is still a blast to play. The sandbox-style levels are brilliant – encouraging you to tackle them in whatever way you feel like, while the multi-route story allows you to side with whichever faction you feel deserves to win this ninja conflict. Check my review here.
39. Atelier Ayesha Plus
The first entry in the Dusk sub-series of Atelier games is aesthetically gorgeous, showing a world in the twilight of its life. Ayesha’s adventure to find her missing sister may not hit the emotional high notes of Totori’s quest, but it’s still a lovely slice-of-life with some more sinister tones, making for a fantastic portable RPG.
38. Gundam Breaker 3
The first Gundam Breaker game to receive an English release (thank you Bandai-Namco SEA!) is also the best – a streamlined; enjoyable hack ‘n’ slash action game with a huge amount of customisation. You don’t need any knowledge of the IP to enjoy it either, which is a huge plus.
37. TxK
An acid trip like no other, Jeff Minter’s spiritual successor to his seminal Tempest series is everything fans had hoped it would be – a tube shooter with psychedelic visuals; a banging soundtrack and plenty of intricate gameplay to keep you coming back for more (it’s tough as nails, too). Check out my review here.
36. Downwell
Starting with an inconspicuous scene of a little man looking down a well, Downwell runs with this idea and has you constantly falling while fighting off monsters with your gunboots. It’s as addictive as hell, constantly pushing you for just one more go to see how far you can progress – check my review here.
35. Jak 3
So it’s the weakest of the trilogy, but that still makes a magnificent game worth checking out in spite of its Vita-port flaws. Jak 3 takes all the lessons learnt from its predecessors and mashes them into an open-world, third-person-shooter platformer with heaps of charm and an enjoyably humorous story – check my review here.
34. Trillion: God of Destruction
Compile Heart often create new IP’s loaded with lewd elements, but with Trillion they pulled off something unexpectedly amazing – a raising sim meets rogue-light with an incredible amount of heart, making for one of the most surprisingly fun experiences on Vita. Check out my review of the game here.
33. Modnation Racers: Road Trip
It got ridiculed at the Vita’s launch for missing features (and the lack of a proper online mode still hurts), but Modnation Racers: Road Trip is still a fantastic kart racer on Vita that does a brilliant job of providing the most robust offline modes available in the series. The content-sharing servers are down now but it’s still worth playing in my opinion – check out my review here.
32. Ar NoSurge Plus
It’s long-winded, incredibly dense and at times frustrating, but Ar NoSurge is also the most brilliantly ambitious, expressive and unique RPG I’ve played on Vita. Its trans-dimensional story attempts things I’ve never really seen tackled in videogames while its combat remains a highlight – check out my review here.
31. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
How Criterion Games managed to cram the entirety of Fairhaven City onto the Vita I’ll never know, but it makes the game one of the most essential part of Vita’s library. A massive open-world full of racing challenges awaits that’s beginning for exploration and speeding – it’s brilliant.
30. Guacamelee!
The game which properly introduced me to the metroid-vania genre is still among my favourites thanks to its gorgeous Mexican aesthetic; tight exploration-based gameplay and spree of moves which can be chained together to overcome even the toughest of platforming challenges.
29. LEGO Marvel’s Avengers
The LEGO games have always relied on popular IP’s to make fantastic games, but their collaboration with Marvel pays dividends in TT Games’ most ambitious Vita title to date. Manhattan is a joy to explore while the missions remain varied and the cast of characters from household names to obscure references are brilliant – check out my review here.
28. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
It’s lengthy and requires a significant time investment to truly reap the rewards, but Trails of Cold Steel is otherwise a JRPG masterclass between its fantastic character development; tale of political intrigue and unique strategic battle system. Throw in a brilliant Falcom soundtrack and you’ve got a classic – check my review here.
27. Teslagrad
A thoughtful 2D platformer starring a young boy in a Soviet-inspired world, Teslagrad features a touching minimalist story but most notably presents a well-thought out magnet mechanic that allows you to manipulate the world around you. A really pleasant surprise – check out my review of the game here.
26. Root Letter
It’s definitely not for everyone, but Kadokawa Games’ tale of the mysterious disappearance of a pen-pal manages to shine among a crowded genre on Vita thanks to its gorgeous visuals; beautiful soundtrack; relaxed atmosphere and clever investigative gameplay. Check out my review here.
25. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
It got an unfair reputation thanks to its similarities to Super Smash Bros, but Sony’s PlayStation All-Stars manages to stand on its own two feet with a great (for me) cast of characters and some really enjoyable combat. It could’ve done with a better story mode, but this is just a minor blemish on an overall great package – check my review here.
24. Neon Chrome
Between the fantastic neon-soaked aesthetic; gorgeous electro soundtrack and tight twin-stick gameplay, there’s a hell of a lot to love in 10tons’ Neon Chrome. The way the game is structured makes it brilliant for handheld play too, encouraging just one more go to beat the next Overseer – check out my review of the game here.
23. Papers, Please
Sneaking on to this list thanks to a late December 2017 release, Papers, Please brings all the brilliant document-checking from the PC release to the handheld in style. The tone of the authoritative Arstotzka empire makes for a fantastic setting to wage your secret rebellion and it’s far more enjoyable than the premise suggests. Check out my review here.
22. Gravity Rush
Once the poster child of Vita’s capabilities, Kat’s defection to the PS4 hasn’t left her original handheld adventure any less enjoyable. Hekseville is a gorgeous city to explore and Kat’s gravity powers are amazing to mess around with – throw in an intriguing mystery story and you’ve got one of the Vita’s greatest games.
21. Super Stardust Delta
Housemarque have made a name for themselves on Sony platforms and in Super Stardust Delta they’ve created arguably their finest iteration of the Stardust formula – a twin-stick shooter packed with content that’s gorgeous to look at and listen to, which fits the handheld perfectly. Check out my review here.
20. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak’s original outing was a technical marvel on the PS2 and hasn’t lost its lustre on Vita, even if the port job is a bit of a mess. It’s a classic platformer full of collecting relics; making tight jumps and fighting off enemies and has a whimsical style that’s undoubtedly its greatest strength – check out my review here.
19. The Walking Dead: Season 1
Proving that handhelds really are the best place for narrative adventures, The Walking Dead creates a layered, fascinating world full of morally grey characters and tough decisions to be made – leading to a memorable adventure that’s very difficult to put down. You can check out my review of the game here.
18. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Media Vision have long been among my favourite developers thanks to the Wild ARMs series, but their take on the Digimon IP is up their with their greatest works as it’s a fantastically content-rich; fun and enjoyable JRPG. It’s a gorgeous game to look at and creature-raising has never been more addictive – check my review here.
17. Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Force
It may have disappointed long-time Gundam Vs. fans but their loss is my gain. The mix of action and strategic gameplay is brilliant – allowing you to issue commands to units while taking control of the battlefield yourself in a unique 3D fighting game system. It’s sadly overlooked, but make sure you play it if you get chance – check my review here.
16. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD
Years after it was initially released, Metal Gear Solid 2 was given new life on Vita where it managed to outshine many of the handheld-native titles being developer. The narrative is a little loopy, but the stealth-action gameplay has never been better and the boss battles are among the best in the industry – it’s a modern classic.
15. Lost Dimension
Truly one of the Vita’s most under-rated games, Lost Dimension is a budget strategy-RPG that somehow still manages to pull off an interesting story; unique traitor mechanic alongside some fantastic tactical combat that make is among the best games available on the handheld. Check out my review of the game here.
14. Tales of Hearts R
While the home-console games were messing with the formula, Tales of Hearts R took the series back to its roots and in the process made one hell of a JRPG. The combat system is the best it’s ever been thanks to chase links; the story is a unique take on emotions and the return of the world map is a subtly brilliant choice – check my review here.
13. Ys: Memories of Celceta
Falcom’s first Vita title remains their best, an action-RPG that tells a predictably cliched story but manages to make up for it with everything else that has historically made the series so great. The soundtrack is fantastic; the combat is fast and frantic; the exploration is top-notch and everything gels together perfectly. Check out my review here.
12. Jak II: Renegade
When Naughty Dog decided to take Jak & Daxter from whimsical platformer to gritty shooter many fans were understandably pissed off – but few could have envisaged what an all-time classic they would make in the process. It’s uneven, but it hits far more often than it misses making one of the most brilliant titles on the PS2 which comes across well to Vita, with a few performance issues – check out my review here.
11. DanganRonpa 2: Goodbye Despair
Ramping the zaniness of the original up to 11, DanganRonpa 2 doesn’t quite maintain the consistency of its predecessor, but the highs it hits are phenomenal in this tale of murder and mystery in a beautiful island resort. A thrilling investigative visual novel and well worth anyone’s time.
My top 15 PSP games playable on Vita coming up tomorrow!
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