Where does one begin with Sony's new(ish) portable? As an early adopter (I picked up mine in February/March of last year), I've seen the device at it's lowest. Before the ability to run PlayStation classics, before the games section on the store was big enough to be categorised alphabetically and before a slew of different titles made their way onto the system. With Vita's library ever increasing and with Gamescom on the horizon, I feel it's time to tackle one of the biggest criticisms with the struggling handheld.
One of the biggest issues I see constantly raised with the PlayStation Vita is that it doesn't have any games to it's name.As someone who has owned nearly 30 titles on the system, I can safely say that this assumption is a myth that Sony really needs to dispel. It's more a perceived lack of games, than an actual lack of software. The problem here is that every single Vita game is released digitally, but not all of them see retail releases. For new buyers walking into a game shop, the Vita library tends to be a tiny corner with about 5 games on show. I recently took a trip to Great Yarmouth on the East coast of England. Surprisingly their local GAME was a gigantic shop with a huge stock of everything but Vita games, which were collectively hidden in the far corner. This is a problem in perception of course, with the hundreds of games available digitally (or even retail releases that are no longer displayed) not being there for people to see.
One thing I've loved about my Vita recently is the wealth of different experiences available. Recently I decided to splash out on a few digital titles - Sound Shapes, Retro City Rampage and Guacamelee! I instantly fell in love with Guacamelee! in particular, as a charming and well-built "metroidvania" type platformer/beat 'em up to pick up and play on the go. Yet alongside that cheaper experience, I've also been playing Assassin's Creed III Liberation on the system. Then of course I've got a good collection of PSOne classics to finish, including Crash Bandicoot 3, Final Fantasy IX and Resident Evil 3. I've been very happy with the level of diversity on offer. Let's not forget that Vita is now capable of playing games from six different formats - Vita, PSP, PS1, PS mobile, PS minis and PS home arcade.
A large part of the problem that people have with the Vita's library recently has been the over-saturation and apparent focus on indie titles. This isn't really the problem so much as it's the scapegoat. It's a lack of software from established developers and publishers like Capcom, Square Enix and EA that leads to the vitriol towards indie developers. In reality we should be grateful for their efforts in supporting the device with a large amount of software with varying price and quality whilst titles from bigger companies are so far and few between. After all, without the influx of indie games on the system Vita owners truly would have something to complain about in the way of lacking software. The solution to this problem is not to attack the ones who are willing to support the system, it's to convince the bigger companies that Vita is worth making games for by supporting the system with sales.
Sony's Gamescom 2013 conference tomorrow may hold some big surprises or it may be as disappointing as the lackluster E3 showing this year. Either way I look forward to uncovering what secrets Vita, as well as the other systems, may have lying in wait.
