Mason

Love the first game, so can't wait for this!

The Division, definitely!

Parappa, Parappa, Parappa, Parappa.

Of these, I'd go for Bully!

I finished Tomb Raider earlier today and, though I enjoyed it, this was exactly the sort of thing on my mind. I understand that it's unavoidable if you want to tell a certain story, but I wish there had been ways I could have got around some sections non-lethally — or, at the very least, had let me kill stealthily using nothing more than bow and arrow.

There were some sections in that game where I felt practically forced to use the rifle and / or grenades because of the number of enemies, and it didn't sit well with me considering the beginnings of the story when Lara was distraught that she had to kill somebody at all.

In the case of that game, it perhaps wouldn't have been quite so bad if it wasn't for the streams of enemies that poured in whenever a guard was alerted to your presence; that was avoidable in many cases, but not in all. If the groups you encountered had been kept smaller, maybe it wouldn't have stood out as much. You'd still end up shooting down a lot of people, but it wouldn't end up like a shooting gallery.

@Azikira OUCH.

@divinelite Patapon without a doubt.

@KALofKRYPTON Glad you got that!

@goldgin No lag out of the ordinary in multiplayer, no problem with online framerate (tested with several other devices connected to the same Wi-Fi performing multiple downloads as well as just on its own). Very smooth.

I couldn't tell you exactly what has been updated in the graphics engine, but there seem to be some improvements to lighting and the facial animation technology is better, mouth movements much more realistic, etc.

It's definitely disappointing compared to the first game, that's for sure.

6 is 'not bad' in our score guide — it's still above average, but it has several apparent flaws that dim the experience.

@rjejr Nope, it's third person still but doesn't fit in with the rest of the game at all.

@Mandoble I loved the visuals!

So excited!

My poor, over-filled hard drive!

Now this is the kind of game I'm after!

This looks pretty cool!

@Arturo Not in an exhibition match there isn't. On the pause menu you get the options to resume the match, offer a draw, resign, save the replay data or adjust the audio volume and music choices. You can save in tournaments, but you can't quick-save in the middle of a single match.

@Slaysme James is right; it's the execution. As I say: "It's a nice idea that lends itself to chess perfectly" — and it should work, because that of course was a common method of playing chess, via letter. As a digital version of that idea, though, designed to be played in bite-sized little goes quickly, it's clunky and takes longer than it should to register moves due to the combination of the game boot-up time and PSN logging in adding a couple of minutes to each turn.

Thanks for reading.

Looking forward to buying this!

Still looks awesome!

30 hours is an insane length for a game like this. I really hope it can live up to expectations!

@SeVok I don't dispute that at all; in fact I say as much in this review. It's by far the best handheld FIFA game, and it is essentially the console version ported over to Vita.

That's part of the problem with it though, in my opinion. The core gameplay is absolutely fine, but it seems to have just been pulled over from the HD console versions. It's not been re-worked for Vita properly, in that the interfaces don't fit as well as they should, visuals occasionally lag and there are stutters elsewhere in the engine (with lists in career mode, for example). On top of that there are modes removed from the console version that many people deem critical to the experience these days (Ultimate Team, online friend clubs); modes that I'm confident will make a comeback in the second Vita edition of FIFA.

The adjustments from FIFA 12 (impact engine, tactical defence) are also not present, presumably because they started developing this alongside FIFA 12 and didn't have the time to get the versions synchronised. With more refinement it would be fantastic, and that's what I think we'll see in FIFA 13.

Thanks for reading.

I pretty much echo Sammy's thoughts. This sounds amazing. Great work Javier.

The first AC was boring, AC2 was fantastic, Brotherhood even better, not played Revelations yet.

Brilliant!

Having played through now, I can say that this exceeded all my expectations. Magnificent, awe-inspiring game; gorgeous, great sound design, one of the best co-op experiences I've ever had.

@Azikira Yes, you can purchase different cues and balls to use with Hustle King credits. You can also pick them up via Near (and in-game avatars, too). I hope that helps.

Even from the short time I spent with it last year I felt like a 10/10 was a possibility come full release. Great job, Sammy, and I can't wait to play this.

So far away!

Ooh, this could be very good...

@Shadow100 I hope not!

Origins was, in an incredibly tough 2011, one of my highlights. Fantastic game.

Arkham Asylum is an incredible game; I prefer it over the second, felt tighter.

MotorStorm RC is well worth it; incredible price point for it.

That flipping spider...brrrr!

@Paranoimia Do you not find it flawed that a reasonably priced memory card that would facilitate the purchase of a decent number of downloadable titles isn't available on launch day, though? Of course the cheapest option, 4GB, isn't much money to drop down and will ensure that all games can be played, but it's not going to last long once you start downloading, and I'd be less inclined to download games if I knew I was going to have to play at file management on my PS3 every time I got a new one.

If the system had stuck with an existing memory format, be that Memory Stick or SD, then that cost would have been driven down. Until the price of cards comes down, I see it as an entry barrier to PSN titles.

The digital download price structure is an industry-wide problem that isn't just restricted to Vita, I totally agree with you. This could have been a good opportunity for a major publisher to buck the trend.

@Paranoimia To reply to a couple of your points:

Surely the fact that physical media is likely to be cheaper than digital downloads is a problem in itself?

Do we really need another memory card format, though? My 3DS, laptop and camera all use the same standard SD card. My phone uses MicroSD. To power all four of these I can essentially use MicroSD cards and put them into the SD adaptors. The cost of these new cards is ridiculous, too: a 16GB SD card sets you back about £10, yet you're looking at four times the price for a Vita card of the same size. Per GB, it's less value for money than even Xbox 360 hard drives (which are also overpriced when compared to other hard drives on the market).

@SandersEvers

I'm sure you can charge while playing, yes, but that's not going to help if you're on a long journey, which is a reasonable thing to expect of a portable.

Digital manuals may be becoming more standard, but it doesn't mean that those of us who grew up with them can't be a bit grumpy about it.

Don't forget that there were an equal amount of positives brought up in this article! We're all really looking forward to the system and many of us have launch day pre-orders locked in or paid for, but there are downsides to everything. Personally, I'm more excited about Vita than I ever was about 3DS.

Fantastic picks, both some of the best games on PS3 for sure.

Well, it is essentially a Zelda clone...but there's quite a bit of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest in there too, at least! Great game.

Enslaved's characters are some of the best I've seen in a game, even if the story as a whole isn't the greatest thing ever. I genuinely cared about them every step of the way, whether it was in the funnier moments or the more emotional sections. Very few games have done that for me.

I love the split in opinion on Flower. For me it's one of those games that instantly clicked; I felt a real emotional connection to it, though I could never put my finger on exactly why. Really interesting to see the different views on it.

What a guy. Hope he's going to be provided with all the DLC!

We can't all pick Uncharted, that'd be no fun! Mr Barker did select a Nathan Drake-shaped game, though...

http://bit.ly/yEejLZ

@ferb That's correct. It feeds in data from other players but I don't believe you can actually play against others directly.

Have you read our interview with the game's director? He explains things a little more: http://www.vitagamr.com/news/2012/01/interview_evolution_studios_motorstorm_rc

Thanks for reading!

For that price you'll definitely get some enjoyment out of it! It's a fun game, but I don't think it comes across as well as intended sadly.

Monkey-cat-dog-octopus-goat-iguana-chicken-thing.

Try imagining THAT one.

Thanks for your comments everybody.