Telltale Games' The Walking Dead

One of this generation's most critically acclaimed games, The Walking Dead from Telltale Games, has been ported to the PlayStation Vita. Though I have played season 1 of The Walking Dead on the PS3, I couldn't help but buy the game again for my handheld. The Vita version of the game includes the entirety of season 1 and what Telltale is calling a "special episode", that was released as DLC on other consoles. 

The first season of The Walking Dead is made up of 5 episodes, each lasting around 2.5 hours. The gameplay is similar to that of a point and click style game paired with some intense decision making. Each time you play the game you experience the story differently as your decisions can heavily alter the story's outcome. 

The game runs on the Vita at native resolution and looks very impressive. The game is plagued by some performance issues but these are the same issues that are present in every port of the game. The Vita version of the game doesn't perform any worse than the game does on its PS3, Xbox 360, or PC counterparts.

Graphically the game looks great, and I feel as if it falls somewhere between the graphic capabilities of the iOS version and the PS3 or 360 versions, however, the graphics of the game are definitely leaning more towards the PS3 or 360 versions. 

The game allows you to choose between using the physical controls of the Vita or playing the game with the touchscreen. The physical controls are the same as those found in the PS3 port of the game and it seems as if the touch controls are the same as found on iOS. I would have preferred a way to play the game with both touch controls and physical controls but the game only allows one or the other. Before you start the game you have the option of choosing your preferred control scheme, but during the episodes you cannot change from one to the other. You can, however, change the control scheme of the game in-between episodes. I chose to play the first three episodes with the physical controls and then play the last two episodes with touch controls. I personally feel as if the touch controls made the game easier to play because the game highlights things you can interact with. All things aside, both methods of controlling the game work well and don't interfere with immersion.

The music and sound effects of The Walking dead are very well done. I felt as if the music added a great deal of emotion to the game's settings and plot. The game's sound effects are very realistic and don't become stale or feel overused. 

The Walking Dead is a game worth experiencing for yourself. There is a good amount of replay-ability with this game, as your decisions alter the game's timeline and story. With the Vita version offering the entirety of Season 1 and the DLC, I find it to be a great value. This is a game everyone should experience and it works very well on a handheld like the PlayStation Vita. I have yet to play through the "special episode", 400 Days, but I'm eagerly looking

forward to playing through it.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony

A few years back, when I owned a PSP, I frequently heard that one of the console's must have titles was a little game called Lumines. For one reason or another, I never had a chance to give Lumines a shot. Despite friends, and the occasional game store clerk, telling me that it was worth whatever the game cost back then, I just didn't have any interest in what looked like just another puzzle game. 

However a few months ago, I noticed that Lumines: Electronic Symphony, the PlayStation Vita title, was going for under $10 on Amazon. I felt that I could justify spending $10 on such a highly regarded franchise, so I went ahead and ordered a copy of the game. A few days later, the game was in my hands and I was immediately hooked on Lumines.

Lumines is a puzzle game where the player has to create blocks of four matching colors. Matching four of the same color will clear those blocks from your "well" and if your "well" becomes full, you lose the game. 

The game might sound simple, but Lumines offers quite a challenge as the blocks fall on your screen to the beats of a satisfying variety of fast paced, electronic music. The PlayStation Vita installment of the game offers power-ups, known in the game as avatars, and some surprisingly well integrated uses of the rear touch-pad. 

The game makes use of the PlayStation Vita's full resolution and the various levels, or "skins", are beautiful when paired with the Vita's OLED screen. The game is colorful and eye-catching as each "skin" is uniquely designed from the others.

The Lumines series is known to have an excellent electronic soundtrack, and there is no doubt that Electronic Symphony stays true to such claim. I enjoyed most of the songs in the game and those that I wasn't so keen of at first, grew on me and became some of my favorites.  I felt like the game's music choices paired perfectly with the pacing of the gameplay.

Lumines is certainly a staple for the PlayStation Vita. The game is well designed, beautiful, and perfect on a handheld. The game controls well on the Vita and does a great job of integrating its use of the rear touch-pad. Lumines: Electronic Symphony is a must buy that offers you a ton of gameplay and with its cheap price, buying the game is easily a no-brainer.

Chrono Trigger - PS One Classic

For months I wanted to experience Chrono Trigger, the game by Square that many enthusiasts consider to be the best RPG ever created. I had missed out on Chrono Trigger back when it was originally released in the 90s and I always felt as if I was doing myself an injustice by not having played it.

Many fans of the game warned me that the PlayStation 1 port of Chrono Trigger was inferior due to load times. Many advised that I would best play the version released for the Nintendo DS as, apparently, the Nintendo DS version of Chrono Trigger features all the cutscenes of the PlayStation version with none of the load times.

Due to my lack of a Nintendo handheld, I held off for a long time from playing the game. I asked around on forums if the load times of the PlayStation version were really as bad as people say, and most people seemed to feel like the load times were game breaking.

Allow me to ensure you that the load times of the PlayStation 1 version of Chrono Trigger hardly leave a damper on, what I would consider, a masterpiece. If you only have a PlayStation console do not let your doubts stop you from experiencing Chrono Trigger.

In my own personal situation, I chose to download the "PS One Classics" version of Chrono Trigger from the PlayStation Network because it plays on both the PS3 and the PlayStation Vita. Up until now, I've been playing the game on the Vita as Chrono Trigger is the perfect game for a handheld console.

The Story

Without spoiling the game for anyone who has yet to experience Chrono Trigger, I can tell you that Square has given you, what amounts to, hours of enjoyment and replayability. Chrono Trigger features a diverse amount of characters and environments and is fully engaging throughout. Never did I feel as if the game was tedious or as if the game was a grind.

The Presentation

The visuals of the game look immaculate on the Vita's OLED. The fact that the game is in 2D makes the visuals look hardly aged and the Vita's bilinear filtering seems to enhance the jaggedness of the sprites even more so.

The game sounds great and has, arguably, the greatest soundtrack of any video game out there. The Vita, however, does not have a powerful external speaker -- the game's music is best enjoyed through your favorite pair of headphones.

Controlling the game was a joy with the Vita. The controls of the game are fully customizable, as are all PS One classics played on the Vita, but Chrono Trigger is one game where you will want to use the incredible D-Pad provided by the Vita.

Overall, Chrono Trigger is an excellent buy for the PlayStation Vita. The game is not only one of the world's greatest RPGs, but it is also the perfect title for a handheld. Though Chrono Trigger might be old, it surely is one of the greats. I am eagerly awaiting the game's sequel, Chrono Cross, which is also available on the PlayStation Network.