Weekend Debate: What makes a perfect handheld game? (Update)

Before I got a Vita, I always thought that AAA games (like Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed etc.) are something I want to play, but the more I use my Vita, the more I tend to play games like Lumines, Mutant Blops Attacks or Escape Plan. I, personally, prefer gameplay over storytelling, on a handheld, because whenever I’m travelling, I want to quickly dive into a game, not to listen to long introductions etc. But this is just my opinion and everyone has different tastes, it doesn’t mean that I hate games like Uncharted GA, MGS HD or AC Liberation, I love to play them from time to time and I own lots of them.

But if I would have to describe to a developer, how to make a perfect portable videogame, this is how: Don’t be afraid to experiment and don’t treat the handheld like something inferior, use its full potential instead. Whether you’re making an indie or triple A game, give it your best and treat it like a fully-fledged game. Gamers will surely appreciate your work.

I just had a blast with Persona 4 and Ragnarok Odyssey. I’ve enjoyed Dungeon Hunter Alliance, Army Corps of Hell, New Little Kings Story. Disgaea 3. Platinumed ‘em all in fact

Currently going through Silent Hill BoM.

Yeah RPGs are my poison. I’m so happy to know that both Valhalla Knights AND Ys 4 are being localized. Hoping for more.

Im also eager about Rainbow Moon. Never got to play that one, so patiently awaiting the handheld version.

The sweet thing about RPGs on the handheld, is that even in cutscenes, if you must stray away from your Vita, just put it to sleep, and resume when coming back to it. Works perfectly for me during my work breaks.

And grinding also gets more interesting on Vita.

Loving it!

A game faithful to the console counterpart, but with changes made to suit the console. For example, MGS:PW; I has all of the brilliant features of the console versions plus more. The reason for its success is that it has been specifically designed for pick up & play gameplay – a necessary step that every handheld title must take.

Throw in some unique gameplay, but not too different from the console counterpart, touchpad controls and a the compulsory ‘pick up & play style’ and the title should be perfectly suited for the handheld.

The best handheld games are those that don’t require your whole attention, but can demand nothing but it.

The best handheld games are those you can play in 10 minute blasts. or lose hours to just as easily.

The best handheld games are those that are easy to play, but have a lot of depth for those willing to spend the time.

The best handheld games are those that make you want to have one more go when you mess up, even when yours is the next stop on the bus.

The best handheld games are those that everyone wants to have a go at when they see it, even if that means you don’t get a turn during your lunch break.

The best handheld games are those on PS Vita. Simple as that.

I think the perfect portable game should have that pick up and play feel, it should have the sort of gameplay that is suited to either brief play periods (like when you are on public transport) or longer sessions (like when chilling at home).

A few years ago I would have said that a portable game needed to include the ability to save anywhere or at least a very frequent auto-save system but with modern handhelds having sleep/standby mode this is no longer a deal breaker for me…

Of course the things that ppl usually mention are important (like easy to pick, replayability, short but fun sessions etc). But still a great game is not really a total sum of its elements. The devil is in the details.
And I actually have been thinking recently that there indeed is a type of game VITA still lacks, but which just may be the perfect handheld experience.
So it’s the open world (3rd or 1st person, doesn’t really matter as long as its not bird’s eye view) survival horror, tad like DayZ. Several details can make it a perfect VITA game. Firstly by using the Near function so you can gather supplies from other players as gifts or care packages. Then the game obviously should have an ad-hoc or online mode so you can invite your friends to survive with you from some monster (whatever can satisfy your taste: from chupacabra to zombies). The touchscreen on the vita could be used to craft stuff (and as a great substitute for hot-keys) and the gyroscope is ideal in case some vermin grabs you, so you could push them off. Yeah, that’s smth I’d like to play the most.

An engaging storyline with a simple yet tactical game play always do it for me. Replayability is key as shown with Rpg games such as persona. Experimenting with the battle system is as rewarding as ever as you are on the go. Ahh can’t wait for final fantasy x hd

Traditionally, portable games had a pretty solid formula. Lots of save/checkpoints, shorter levels and simplified control schemes that compliment the hardware (whether we’re talking Gameboy Color, Game Gear or PSP). But w/ the Vita we were sold the “Console Experience” on a handheld, and that has changed our expectations. Now we want Skyrim, or Dragon Age, or Fallout on the go; but none of these games (or indeed the STYLE of Skyrim-eque open world games) fit all that neatly into the realities of playing a game on the train or bus or during a half-hour lunch break—the traditional role of a handheld.

That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with wanting that kind of game—the Vita’s ability to leave a game in stasis means that you CAN practically play that kind of game. But personally I feel like if I want that experience I’m not going to be playing it for 15 or 30 minutes, and then I don’t see why I’m not just playing it on a console.

My perfect portable game falls closer to an update to the traditional portable mold. Uncharted: Golden Abyss would be a clear example. Controls built for the system (though a bit overused in Uncharted’s case), great looking, narrative and gameplay built to be digested in smaller chunks and lots of checkpoint. If there is something I would add, I would say that portable games suit themselves particularly well to unlockable mini-games (preferably accessible via menu) as they can be played when you don’t have the time/desire to play the full game (I would point to Lord of Shadow’s Chess mini-game as the kind of thing I could see implemented well into a portable title).

Kind of makes me feel a little bad for Nihilistic. Even though both of their Vita offerings were pretty mediocre (though I liked them more than most) I feel like a lot of the things people didn’t like about their games (bugs aside, obviously) were deliberate concessions to make the games more “portable” without realizing that the audience had changed.

In a broader sense, I think that having a great story can hurt a portable game, because it requires more attention to grasp and digest, and it’s very good to stop a game in the middle of a cut-scene, so a perfect handheld game for me has to have a simple story and gameplay that can be easily digested in small chunks.

Racing games provide this a plenty, that much is known, but not being that great a fan of that genre, I turn my attention to games like Rayman Origins and Little Big Planet, each level takes only a few minutes and you have a clear sense of progress. Lumines and other puzzle games like that are also pretty great at that, because you can easily suspend your session and resume at other times.

Of course, this is nice and well for the everyday life, but for long trips, I prefer to enjoy the exact opposite, something that I can play for long periods of time without becoming bored. Games like P4 Golden and Uncharted are great at that.

So, to me, a perfect handheld game would have a great story and action but also provides mini-missions or challenges with an arcade vibe to it.

Quick typo fix: “…because it requires more attention to grasp and digest, and it’s NOT very good to stop a game in the middle of a cut-scene…”

Playing Tetris on the go for me. Whatever it’s on PSP, 3DS, Game Boy or even on a LCD brick handheld game, this game is a perfect and highly addictive portable game for everyone to play on the go and it is also easy to pick and play.

It never gets old and you’ll never lay your eyes off it. The simple goal is this. You just have to clear as many lines as possible before the bricks or blocks hit the top line considering game over. The more you play the faster the bricks fall. This game is perfect if you’re waiting for stuff.

And Fred,YABADABADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

In my opinion, the perfect handheld game comes down to a few things.

– One of the most important things is gameplay. whether its a shooter, a strategy, or an RPG, it should be well executed to fit the handheld.

– The game should be playable in all situations. Id want to play some side missions on the bus or on my lunch break, then tackle the main story at home.

- The game should be immersive. It should be so involving that im not just playing the game, Im in the game.

- Lastly, the game should be addicting. So addicting that when Im home, I don’t want to play on my PS3, or watch TV, I just want to play my handheld game.

Persona 4 Golden is the best example for these points. Its an fantastic, immersive game that will take over your life. Its easily the best game on vita, and one of the best games period.

A good story.
For me, the story of a game makes or breaks it for me; sure it could be casual and in short bursts, but what ultimately makes me want to go back to it and play it again is finding out what happens next in the story, what’s going to happen to the characters and the progress I’ve made so far. Too many games these days have shallow stories or characters, and that makes me sad.
Another thing is re-playability. After I complete a game I want to be able to continue playing the game, maybe where the game left off at the end and tie up some loose ends, or complete some side quests I might have missed. I hate games that only last one play through, it’s boring!
A good example of these key factors would be Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention on the PS Vita. I’ve clicked Lord knows how many hours on that game, and I completed the main story ages ago! With its great story, characters and game play, it should serve as a good example as to how developers should want their games to be played;forever! (or at least it feels like it)
Thanks for reading

I think the perfect portable game has to something that can that you can pick up to play either for a few minutes like for example Jetpack Joyride or be it an perfect ported adventure like Metal Gear Solid HD Collection.

I think the most important thing is the story and the gameplay.
When the story is good it don’t let you go away from your console just playing,playing and playing.(and that’s a good thing)

The gameplay must be good too because if it’s not good (repetitive) you play the game for max 5 hours and 5 hours is not too much. + Good controls

It must have checkpoints often (or manual save option) because if you are playing for 10-20 minutes it is pretty awful if you cant save your game and you have to put it down.

Music is don’t needed to be soo good as the home consoles because you are playing on a train or a bus.(or anywhere)

And when developers add touch,tilt,microphone,camera extras to the game it is awesome because it’s a new playing mode what you can’t do with your home console or Pc.

When i bought my vita i bought only AAA titles but now 1 year later i have more Indie and not AAA titles, because often indie titles have more interesting storyline and better gameplay.

I’d like to see open world games on my vita like far cry,skyrim because they give freedom to the player + side quest’s + explorable thing’s.

Huh this was long!

I love my vita!!!

While a lot of console games have taken the format of Call of Duty, at least for the multiplayer component, on handhelds the Monster Hunter style has proven to be popular.

Even established series like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy have adapted to the formula well, with Peace Walker and Type-0, and PW even goes as far as including an amazing crossover with Monster Hunter, with monsters to fight and talking cats to… talk to.

What makes these sorts of games special is the co-op element, which makes tackling the huge amount of content much more enjoyable. I’m dying to see Vita ports of Peace Walker and Type-0 some time in the future, and hopefully see the return of Monster Hunter to the platform that made it such a success.

Well, that depends on what your situation is:

For example, if I’m on the bus for 30 minutes I don’t think I’d be able to get into a story-driven game like Uncharted, I’d much rather have something that’s “pick up and play” friendly. However, a somewhat shallow game like “4 pics 1 word” won’t keep my interest for 30 minutes every time I take the bus, I need something deeper, but still easy to get into. That’s where I think fighting games are great for handheld consoles! They can be deep and challenging, yet it’s still easy to pick it up and play a few battles while riding the bus.

If I’m simply somewhere away from my PS3 (like this winter, where I spent a week in England), when I’m not really doing anything for a longer amount of time, I like to have a game that can give me that home-console experience. When I spent a week in England, I loved playing Gravity Rush in the spare time I had, it really sucked me into the game-world like a PS3 game would.

So it depends on what you need it for, but generally I think it needs to be either really easy to pick up and play, or give a full home-console experience.

While there are strong arguments as to how quirky and sometimes unconventional games can make a real impact by offering sized chunks suitable for portable format, imo the real case for a great portable game lies in adapting/modifying the game to suit the strengths of the system.
Recently played Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus on the Vita. The game often frustrated me. A game so difficult simply cannot be ported without incorporating atleast an autosave feature. While this may be done intentionally to ramp up the difficulty, it simply makes no sense in a portable game. I die a dozen times and feel absolutely bummed at having to start from a predetermined point(which is frequently very far off). The gamer takes a while to get into the groove. Assume that I have been fighting a difficult boss while travelling and had to put my Vita to sleep cos I had reached my destination. Resuming the game would more often than not end up in getting my a** kicked.
I think the best of portable games exploit the conveniences that the handheld system offers while effectively making the gamer forget the limitations of the hardware(not technical per se)… In short, allow save states…. Will make gaming on the go a real pleasure to a lot of people

My personal favorite portable game is Sony Bend’s Resistance Retribution, because for the first time it felt like a home console experience in your hands.

Even with limited buttons on the PSP, it didn’t detracted from overall experience of telling a deep and interesting story, with tight gameplay, and a fun and entertaining multiplayer on the go. Also it looks great graphically and the controls are greatly improved by the PS Vita’s two analog sticks. The only thing missing from the game is trophies.

Something casual, not stressful.

A broken controller is much easier and cheaper to replace than say, a broken vita!

I don’t think a ‘perfect’ portable game can exist simply because that would imply that the platform would be made for a specific type of game. You could say quick and short games are ideal for a smartphone, but the same isn’t quite true of other dedicated gaming handhelds.

It’s certainly true that certain types of games, puzzle games like Lumines for example, shine on portable platforms when they wouldn’t be as likely to wow us on home console, but that’s simply one of the positives of the handheld gaming device, not it’s sole purpose. You can see this in games like Gravity Rush or Monster Hunter, which are pretty unique to the consoles they’re on, you can’t get an experience quite the same on a smartphone because the platform isn’t made with gaming in mind, but they also gain from being portable on top of that.

The thing about portable gaming systems is that they’re often fairly unique and quite unlike each other in design and power, so are more likely to have a higher density of exclusives than home consoles and other gaming systems. So what makes a portable game ideal to me is when it makes the best use of what the device has to offer individually by being designed from the ground up around the device.

A perfect handheld game is one that you can get into wherever you are.

Because the play sessions might be short or infrequent, a sense of progression through the game world isn’t as important as it would be in a home console game that you expect people to play for an hour or two at a time. It’s more important that you can start up the game and be engaged in the core gameplay immediately.

I think that’s why platformers and shooters and the like work so well. There’s one core gameplay mechanic and no matter where you are in the game you know what to do. Twin stick shooters aren’t a genre I’ve ever liked, but played Big Sky Infinity a lot on the Vita. Not so much on the PS3. My other favourites like Loco Roco and Patapon embody this style perfectly too.

Triple A blockbusters will always have a place on any PlayStation but handhelds are also a safe haven for puzzlers and rhythm based mayhem!
Basically any game that can be picked up and put down at the drop of a hat, or the crack of a whip – cos you never know when the wife is gonna find you at put you back to work.

Of course she’d never find you if it wasn’t for singing Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon!

bit of a stupid question…the perfect portable game is one that is omni present and can be played anywhere and everyone has different views on games and how they should be some peoples idea of the perfect portable game is that it has full functionality with a stationary console version of the game….others like playing with there friends and conversing while on the move ive planned a holiday to spain with a few of my friends purely via the ps vita using the browser and getting feedback over a game of uncharted golden abyss

For me the perfect portable games are ones that can be played in short spurts as well as long stints and be equally enjoyable no matter how much time I have spare.

Prime examples of this are games like Everybody’s Golf and Lumines, both are enormous amounts of fun and very addictive. Everybody’s Golf is dripping with charm that seems to always be politely asking me to play just one more course and I’m always more than happy to have another blast. As for Lumines, well its insanely addictive and easily the game I couldn’t go without over long periods…it’s that addictive I even play it in the bath

The perfect portable video game requires earphones or headphones, no doubt about it. The game itself, however, depends on where rather than how much time.

Many posts here have pointed out small missions, simple controls are needed for buses, trains, etc since they have 5-10 minutes or so. I’ve found even on long journeys (say 1 or 2 hours by train) these games still work out as the better choice. Taking a ride across the border from Scotland to England, I found my PSP playing Pix ‘n’ Love Rush and The Impossible Game- both Minis with one button controls (plus d-pad for the former in two modes).

On the other hand, I think a handheld is great for playing in bed; when PS3 ends, Vita begins… Here, in-depth games are perfect, even when I don’t expect to play long. FFVII:Crisis Core (arguably best PSP title), both PSP God of War titles and Uncharted:Golden Abyss were completed there. I don’t want to fall asleep thinking about jumping blocks, I want an adventure; when Vita ends, dreams begin.

NB Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is Vita’s best game and is a combination of all the above- can pick up and play but has plenty depth at the ready.

i think the perfect handheld game must be something which possibly makes use of the nimble screen or the environment around you, but has to be also something which has a story like a normal “full” game, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss manages to do quite well, and also delivering quite a well written story!

I think the best handled game is jetpack joyride because when it exist For another console or os you buy again and again amd again…

Hey! first time on the Blog
What i really thing is freaking great about my vita is that everything is appealing for me to play on it.
i have playede games like persona 4 and uncharted in hours after hours an still loved it!
BUT i have also been playing a lot of the minor games on vita and throughly enjoyede it! something i never did on my ps3, i mean a game like big sky infinit would never seem appealing to me on my ps3, but on my vita it’s truly addicting.
So yearh i would rather play ALL psn games on my vita!

Also love, playing the classic ps1 games! (fond memories when playing spyro!)

A portable game should be…

Playable – this has to be top over everything else
Oratory experience – particularly with headphones on to create that virtual world experience
Replayable – portable games tend to be played over again more than console games
Tactile – it needs proper thought given to the controls, with Vita that’s how best to use the touchscreen
Accessible – It shouldn’t take too long to get into the main game, no overlong cut scenes please!
Broken in to smaller bits – it’s no good if the next save point is an hour away and your bus shorter
Lovely to look at – but without compromising clarity on the smaller screen
Everything a full console game should be – probably only possible on Vita.

You see what I did there?

Most importantly it has to be accessible and quick to play, but deep enough to delve into and keep you interested. Gran Turismo on psp had me hooked for a long time with its pick up and play experience, same goes for Tekken. Loved Unit 13 too, as this piled on co op on top. But with the Vita now, I’m more interested in games that are both quick to play, and offer a deep experience. Gravity Rush and Uncharted come to mind. Although it loses some of its replayability this way, it’s just astounding that something so close to a console experience can now be played portable. I’m extremely excited for Killzone Mercenary at this point, which looks like it has a perfect balance between a deep experience and quick and assessible gameplay sessions.

Tough Question. -Part 1

Portable gaming has always been a sort of diluted gaming experience… To an extent. The challenges set from packing so much hardware into a confined space make grandiose ventures set by game developers unrealistic. Were people may see limited hardware as a negative, I have to disagree. These early limitations of portable gaming have made for some great innovations. These innovations have carried on to an era of portable gaming I genuinely feel lucky to be a part of.

My best example for this would be Metal Gear Ac!d. Although I did not play much of the game I admire the approach they took in making MGS approachable on a handheld. The whole design and feel of the game made it very clear that this was MGS, but at the same time gave you a comfortable play style and game play. That otherwise would have been compromised if they had made it like other games of the series so early in the development cycle of PSP.

-Part 2

Then we have the latest installment in portable gaming; the PSVita. Suddenly we find these limitations no longer exist. Games like uncharted are almost like-for-like with there console counterparts. To really prove this fact however I go back to MGS and the ability to play, not only MGS two and 3, but MGS two and 3 HD collection. It just really blew me away how far we had come in such a short time. For this reason I would say MGS HD Collection, and to think it was free with PS+, just amazing.

Another thing I’m amazed by is how games like Persona 4 G can have so much content and take so little storage space, but that’s for another weekend debate I guess.

Thanks for the post, this one really inspired me to post.

(Sorry it was two posts – Forgot about the limit.)

-Part 2

Then we have the latest installment in portable gaming; the PSVita. Suddenly we find these limitations no longer exist. Games like uncharted are almost like-for-like with there console counterparts. To really prove this fact however I go back to MGS and the ability to play, not only MGS two and 3, but MGS two and 3 HD collection. It just really blew me away how far we had come in such a short time. For this reason I would say MGS HD Collection, and to think it was free with PS+, just amazing.

Another thing I’m amazed by is how games like Persona 4 G can have so much content and take so little storage space, but that’s for another weekend debate I guess.

Thanks for the post, this one really inspired me to post.

(Sorry this was 2 posts – Forgot about the limit)

A nice game with alot of puzzles to do like broken sword would make a hand held more appealing to all ages, with cartoony graphics and a long gamme storyline to go with it and an option to make the puzzles harder or easier depending on the players play style.

I think the Vita makes handheld games perfect.

Before the Vita arrived I was getting very bored of handheld gaming. I’d had my fill IOS games with those terrible virtual d-pads and silly accelerometer steering controls. I got my Vita on launch day and haven’t touched my iPhone since.

Having proper analogue sticks and buttons means you can actually have a decent, playable, console like experience. The Vita screen is the perfect size and is fantastic quality. The touch screen and rear trackpad are a great to have for extra controls too.

The sleep feature on the Vita overcomes any issues you might have with mission length as you can just drop in and out of a game so quickly. Looking forward to this feature on the the PS4 when it arrives!

Having a young family means my time for gaming is limited these days but the Vita helped me get a couple of hours in a day on my commute. Love it!

The only thing I don’t love about my Vita is that there is no Ninja Gaiden 2 on it – Can any one help me out with this?

A perfect portable video game must be…

“Bite sized”
- I love a quick level on ‘Sound Shapes’, followed by ‘Escape Plan’, then ‘Lumines’, all on my way to work

“Re-playable”
- Who doesn’t want to play continuous rounds of ‘Everybody’s Golf’ whilst sitting on the train?

“Intense”
- Everyone at the bus stop thinks you’ve developed Tourette’s when you get ambushed in Uncharted for the tenth time

“Random”
- I love using AR to shoot aliens on Little Deviants whilst on the Tube; you get some funny looks!

“Addictive”
- If you’ve played ‘Smart As’, then you’ve lost hours of your life to the basic numbers game

So what would my perfect portable video game be?
“Worms Vita”! Add a story campaign, AR capability, and dramatic music, and you’ve got the perfect portable video game! >_<

Its quite ironic that the game you are giving away, I have found out, is the very opposite of what makes a good handheld game. I am a lover of difficult challenging games and their Platinum trophies, what makes a better Platinum to have than a very difficult and therefore rare one? Ive just finished Vanquish for instance.

But, having now hit a brick wall when it comes to Ninja Gaiden Sigma 1 on Vita I have to say that Team Ninjas PATHETICALLY difficult game is a terrible handheld game. Purely because you will have to physically stop yourself throwing your Vita at the wall in sheer frustration.

Never before have I come across such a horribly cheaty game that does everything in its power to make you hate IT and everyone that was involved in making it.

Also, I hear that NGS+2′s Platinum isn’t even ACHIEVEABLE because TN have removed online co op and the missions just are not possible in single player.

Team Ninja, they just want to make you suffer! LOL

I prefer the games that makes you go “ok, I’ll just have one more turn”

I tend to mostly use my Vita right before I fall asleep, or during commercial breaks if I’m watching TV, so therefore I think arcade type games are the best fit. Treasures of Montezuma, Big Sky Infinity and Jetpack Joyride has been my three most played games since I bought the Vita. I bought Uncharted along with the console, but I never find the time to play it.

My favorite handheld title is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories though, so AAA games are great as well.

Well having played, loved, and finished UC Golden Abyss, AC Liberation, Resistance Burning Skies, but also titles such as Mutant Blobs Attack, I must say that while the AAA Blockbusters are a lot of fun, I find myself wanting more (in the nicest possible way..) mindless fun on the vita. I only have about 30 minutes bus ride to work every day, and by the time the smoke has cleared on blockbuster cutscenes, it’s time to start work! those titles would have been perfect for my long trip to the Emirates Stadium last year, but not much good for everyday “portable” gaming. More games like Mutant Blobs please, which was fantastic fun!

Though lately, I have been re-watching my Goodnight Sweetheart boxset in bed each night, and playing the Spyro trilogy on my vita. 120 percent completed on Spyro 1 – take that Gnasty Gnorc! Currently half way through Glimmer now, can’t beat the classics, absolutely love! However, perfect portable game play, as the relatively short levels allow for an easy pick up whether 15 minutes a day or 3 hours a day. I must say I think my platinum hunting instincts were born with these games back on the Ps1, when I was determined to attain full completeness!

I think what it comes down to is that people want a game they can play in small doses, whether it be on a commute to work, sat waiting in an airport, or whilst your girlfriend is hogging the TV.

I think the key formula is bite-size game play. Small mission based games that you can blast through in 20 minutes, or more difficult 5 minute missions that you can try over and over.

I also think a currency based system in the games ie: cash to buy better guns, or Armour, or even new levels is essential in handheld gaming, as it must have that addictive quality to it that makes you want instantly play the game to unlock all the extra content.

Throw in the AAA quality features such as Stunning HD graphics, big sound and a great story to go with it, and I think you have what makes the perfect handheld game.

Sorry for going off-topic here guys, but can I just put a very quick question out there for Fred and/or my fellow Playstation Bloggers?

I noticed the “Acclaimed Indie Adventure Machinarium Coming to PS Vita March 26th” post on the NA Blog earlier today, but there seems to be no news here on the EU Blog, or indeed any news of an EU release anywhere. Can someone please confirm whether it’ll release the following day (27 March) for us European Vita owners??

I’m a huuuuuuuge fan of Amanita Design and positively NEED to have Machinarium on my Vita!!!

1st of all i dont know the reason why i dont like consoles and love handhelds.I think its because the experience with handheld is so deep and personal for me, i have the game in my hands so i can dive in to it so easily. The best games i ever played where the Patapon series, Loco Roco series, Gravity Rush, Sound Shapes. So i think that the best game on a handheld is that let u dive in to it easily and i realy like games that let you use your creativity to create some thing beautiful like Sound Shapes and Little Big Planet. (i would love to play Journey on my Vita )

Tetris on the original gameboy back in 1990′s and i still have the game in my collection to this date, spent many hours on the late bus home playing that game #classic

Sorry Part 1:

No,no,no Fred….(Btw Hi)
You have it all wrong,I accept it is at large down to personal opinion in many respects but, it shouldn’t be down to “oh i want short game or a blockbuster” because this is restricting the market in a sense. For instance, many publishers and game companies will start catering for a ‘select audience’ and will effectively alienate the others from enjoying. I’ll put this into context say i may have only 30 minutes when traveling to university on the bus I may choose wipeout 2048 or even Jet pack joyride for a short trip, but I still want the opportunity to mix it up and play games like metal gear solid, as even if I make 1% progression in the game I still enjoyed my time on it. The same can be said the other way round I could spend hours on a game such as lumines etc. I just don’t want companies to cater for the casual fan’s or solely hard core fans we need a blend of both to make a perfect cocktail.

PArt 2:
Sorry about the rant! I just feel to get an understanding of the best game isnt actually a game itself but its the variety the vita offers to the general population. But if i must pick a game with great honor (i’m sure many will agree with me is 100%)is ‘Monster hunter Freedom’ I would say it is pick up and play for one quest here and there…But as you know one quest turns into a six hour grind for gear and material’s which is fun in itself. That for me is a perfect blend of accessibility and pure adrenaline for the hardcore fan’s done with precision and with over 600 hours im sure no matter where i’am (in a meeting,plane,bed,toilet) i can slay dragons wherever i want!

p.s You at SCEE are a bad influence, i was supposed to be doing an all nighter with my Politics essay, oh well! Thanks for reading *Good Luck everyone*
p.s.s Don’t know if you can mark 2 parts together, just had a lot to say

the perfect handheld game is something that picked up – played – then put down at any time. the perfect thing about handheld systems is that you can play them no the go, or play them as you are waiting to go somewhere and for this it needs to be easily stopped and then started at a later date without losing progress. examples of this are Pokemon which at any time you can simply save and turn off and resume from where you left off. an example of a game that doesn’t do this is the gta handheld games. where you have to make a trip all the way to your safehouse in order to save your game. if i was playing gta while waiting on the bus, id have to make a whole trip to the safehouse and there isnt exactly ttime for that which would result in having to turn it off without saving.

but the perfect handheld game shouldn’t be limited by this. there are to many game publishers who aim for the pick-up-put-down gameplay by making their gameplay very limited or without story.

in summary the perfect game should be made similar to ps3 games in which gameplay and story is present but with the ability to put it down at any time, through quicksaves that will resume at the exact same spot you were in.

For me there is no perfect handheld game as the range of experience is both healthy and important in my eyes in terms of genre. Handhelds are at the point that you can have a full blown immersive experience like Uncharted or Persona 4 but you can also scale back, have a ps1 classic or even simple, elegant but fun little thing like Sunflower. I think the problem with PSP development was that no one embraced that the psp could be all those things, not one or the other. I hope it continues to be this way with the PSvita. You can have the big titles, but you can have everything else too.