The Vita Ladder (March 1 2014)

My how times change. The last Vita ladder I posted at the end of September looks almost nothing like my current list; and that's a good thing. Quite a few new games have come out, and the Playstation Plus freebies and sales have really boosted my library.

Here's how my ladder shakes out today:

1. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker: In anticipation of MGS5 Ground Zeroes, I'm going back to this PSP classic available on Vita. I've never played it, and I picked it up during a PS+ sale for $12. The controls are a bit wonky because the PSP didn't have a second analog stick, but the story presentation is rad and the gameplay works quite well. When I'm finished, I'll go for MGS3HD on Vita.
2. Soul Sacrifice was free on PS+ for a short time in November. It is a very unusual action RPG which goes back and forth between dull and interesting, easy and hard, good and evil, fun and frustrating. I can't say it's totally worth the full price ($36), but it's gone on sale I think at least once since. There is a ton of content, though it can be a grind.
3. Spelunky thrilled me for about a week. It's brutally difficult and completely unforgiving. I was having a great time making slow, painful progress... and then the final tunnel man challenge sank in. I'm sure it's not impossible, but the time it would take me to get it done is not worth the effort so I haven't been playing much since.
4. Persona 4 Golden: People who like this game really like this game. After a few hours, I'm not all that hooked. I enjoy it when I play, but I haven't chosen to do so very much.
5. The Walking Dead Season 1 is another beloved game that isn't grabbing me like I thought it might. I'm beginning to think most gamers don't read books, because if this game is supposed to be an example of amazing storytelling, I'm not all that impressed. I'd rather read "The Stand" or something.
6. Stealth Inc. is a clever 2D platformer with a good mix of puzzle and timing challenge.
7. Unit 13 is a shockingly good third person action game. Instead of having a story mode, it simply has individual levels with specific goals. Beating any level is fairly easy, but getting five stars in it's Angry Birds-esque grading scheme is usually a challenge. I come back to this one regularly to knock out another mission or two. Apparently it's coming to PS+ this month, definitely download it!