If you would've asked me if Unit 13 was one of the best shooters we would see in 2012, I would've laughed and said no. The year is almost over and we have seen only a handful of shooters for the Vita and to this date, I don't think any one of the latest shooters, hold a candle to Unit 13. While it does have its issues, it one of the best launch titles to grace the Vita in 2012.
Unit 13: The Developer, the Operatives and more.
Unit 13 is a Zipper Interactive creation and has to be the best shooter that has graced the Vita in 2012. Unit 13 is a third person shooter, where you control six playable operatives; A Commando, a Technician, a Point man, a Gunner, an Infiltrator, and a Marksman. Each one of those men, have skills that benefit them in the game and the missions you use them in; While the game doesn't require you to play with either one of them in any specific mission. They do offer "Recommend Operatives" that will suit the mission that you are going to attempt to complete. Each operative can be leveled up with the score that you obtain, by completing a mission with them. The max level is 10 and with each level, you unlock a new weapon, scope, suppressor or grenade type. Giving you the ability to change the statistics of each weapon you unlock and how you can attempt a mission.
Unit 13: Solo Mission, Online Cooperative Mode and the HVTs
Unit 13 has 36 different missions, an online cooperative mode and a section where you can kill High Value Targets (HVTs); all the missions can be played cooperatively (Minus the HVT mode), and each mission features an unlock able "Dynamic" Mode, which changes objectives and objective locations, enemy weapons and locations, to random values and points in the environment. The online cooperative mode is what it sounds like; you and one other player can tag team a mission to earn points and level up a lot faster, but you will not earn any stars for that level. The points you do earn, go towards your rank on the online leader board. There is only one issue I have with the online cooperative mode and that is that you have to be close to your partner in order to advance to other areas that are locked.
In order to unlock the High Value targets, you will need to earn Stars in the solo mission mode. There are 9 HVTs in the game and with each one you unlock, it gets a little tougher to get to the target to kill them. In this mode, you don't have a checkpoint, so if you die, you will need to start from the beginning. Overall, making the game challenging, but not making you go insane, because of the varied difficulty.
Once you are done with those modes, you can always take part in the Daily Challenges. You only get one chance to post a high score, so make sure it counts. While there isn't much to it, it's always nice to have bragging rights for a set amount of time.
Unit 13: The Locations, The Enemies and the accessibility.
Unit 13 has about nine different locations in the game, some more enjoyable to go through than others. While some locations are bigger than others, the missions that you play, depending on the length will let you see how each location is different from the others. You could be either in a club, a train station, a building, etc... Wherever you go, you can tell that or adapt to the locations with ease.
The enemies in Unit 13 tend to keep their movement frozen until you; the player enters a specific area. In most cases, when the enemy comes to check out an area, they will react to a gunshot or finding a body on the ground, changing the indicator of the enemy on you mini map from white to yellow and from yellow to red, when they see you and start engaging in combat. The enemies are not the smartest, but they will shoot at you when they don't see you. Or shoot at your last know location until you start shooting at them again. If any point, they don't see you they will go back to just roaming the area and forgetting about you. As the difficulty goes up, you will tend to see how there are some problems with the enemy A.I.
The game is fairly easy to get use to and a great pick up and go type of game that you can play anywhere. It's a perfect fit for the Vita. If you have an online connected Vita (Wi-Fi or 3G), you can also take advantage of the Daily Challenges, to expand the life of the game and compete against people around the world.
In closing, Unit 13 came out, being a great shooter and will end 2012 being the best shooter the Vita has to offer in 2012. Will that change in 2013? Well that remains to be seen. With its varied solos missions (Co-op and Dynamic), HVT mode, the ability to level up 6 different operatives, online leader-board, plus more; Unit 13 has more than enough replay-ability to last the player a long time. Would I recommend this game? Yes, I would. If you are a player looking for a shooter fix on the go or just looking for something to shoot, I believe Unit 13 is the way to go.
It’s sad to see Zipper Interactive go.
Kevin Webb: "While one of Sony's main goals with the Vita was to produce experiences that felt like playing on a home console, the Vita produced a number of unique games that were later brought over to more powerful hardware. And as the Vita got older, independent developers began to take advantage of the console's strong hardware and dedicated player base. For example, PC games like "Stardew Valley" or "Minecraft" that had earned an indie following could be moved to the Vita at low cost, letting players take their favorite games on the go.
The PlayStation Vita may not have been a smash hit, but there were plenty of gems to be found on the handheld if you spent enough time looking."
Frobisher Says was one of the best games on the Vita. There was just nothing like it. It's such a shame that Sony didn't see fit to invest in the Vita long term.
Agreed. Admittedly I brought the console only to travel with (a 41yo gamer here) finished killzone liberation and just started Uncharted odesey and Resistance games. I really only got it to play the games that just never came to ps3/4and surf the net. Its a handy console and it's a shame if has come to an end especially with no replacement in sight just yet!
Yeah, I loved the Killzone Liberation. Although I have to say that since Sony have dedicated their focus only on the PS4 it has gone from strength to strength. I hope they keep supporting VR though - that might be a game changer for them next gen if they do.
Some excellent choices there. I spent so many hours on Soul Sacrifice and Persona 4
As much as I love the Uncharted series I couldn't come to terms with Golden Abyss. It felt like a few steps back in the series
Danganronpa, Stien Gate, and especially Persona 4 are some of the best titles that available on the Vita.
I will miss this console.
No Freedom Wars or Killzone Mercenary?
Both deserve remakes. Mercenary is cannon and Freedom Wars is just one of those ultra rare JRPG games I found fun and think could appeal to a wider audience.
VGChartz's Adam Cartwright: "Thanks to some solid late-in-life Japanese support, and a sea of backwards-compatible games, the Vita’s library of third-person shooters is a lot better than it first appears, covering a variety of sub-genres from horror to stealth to tactical, all the while providing games that are a tonne of fun to play."
Missed so many games.
Also backwards compatibility differs from region to region.
Literally some stores like the NZ/Aus store will allow syphon Filter 1 and 3 but not 2 and the USA store is different again
I haven't done it in a while so unsure if it has changed, but you used to be able to download any PS1 or PSP game to a PS3 and then transfer it to the Vita and it just worked - regardless of whether it showed as something you could buy in store for, or download directly to, the Vita. It opened up a huge library of back-compat titles that way.
The PS Vita has a plethora of titles, that plethora does not contain many shooters on the PS Vita. However the shooters the PS Vita does have can offer gamers a mixed experience. All of the shooters on the system will leave fans teary eyed but not always for a great reason. To prevent fans from dealing with post purchase crocodile tears, the VitaBoys have decided to lay out the best PS Vita shooters.
i have to say i really enjoy unit 13 good review
Good review. When I got my Vita the Unit 13 demo is what convinced me to get the game. Luckily I got it for under 20 bucks and it's fun to play.
I just picked this up on sale on PSN for la little under 13 bucks and I'm really enjoying it. If you have a vita and like 3 rd person shooters give this game a try.
It's a good game. I regret buying it day 1 though same with resistance. It had great mechanics, great graphics, and solid controls. Co-op worked great and the mic on the vita worked well except I got booted after every stage and we had to both have levels unlocked. In all I was disappointed because it needed more levels, a campaign story to tie it together, and a mp mode. Could've had longevity. I would've liked more stealth also. The cameras and traps reminded me of goldeneye which is a good thing. Solid, fun, but not more than 10-15.
Very sad zipper got shafted. I really would've liked an expanded sequel with a campaign and mp and we def need another portable Socom.