Justin Baker

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Vita) -

So I’ve been neglecting my blog a bit in favor of writing and (hopefully) selling some short stories, but I’ve still found time to check out Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on my Vita. I’ve been waiting quite a while for this one, and so far it’s certainly given me good reason to remain glued to my Vita for the last couple of weeks.

Now, I didn’t finish either MGS 2 or MGS 3 during their original runs so I was super excited to have an excuse to go through both of them. The exclusion of the first MGS was a little upsetting, especially considering that the Vita still can’t play PS1 games, but with the original two MSX Metal Gear games still included it remains a very full package.

There seems to be some confusion in the gaming world over what exactly an “HD Collection” really is. It is not a remake. It is the original assets displayed in higher resolution. What this means is that the games aren’t going to look much better than in their original forms; they’re going to look sharper, but textures that were originally badly done will still look bad.

MGS 2 was quite an experience to say the least. In traditional Metal Gear fashion, the story crumbled into a mess of philosophy, crazy monologues, and lengthy boss battles. It was memorable, but got a little crazy. The controls were insufferable to say the least, and the shoehorned back touch controls made things even more frustrating. Although the game itself is well worth putting up with the control scheme, it made me put it down several times.

The inventory management was also revamped to be controlled with the front touch screen. To do this they grouped similar items into a sub-menu which tends to bury items that you don’t use all the time, and caused me to forget about many of them when the time to use them rolled around. Obviously the age old complaint that you play as Raiden for most of the game is still there, and it really wouldn’t be as frustrating if Raiden wasn’t voice acted so badly. If you’ve never played either game be sure to play this one first, because while it’s a fun experience, MGS 3 is the real gem in this package.

Now I’m still not quite done with MGS 3, but so far it’s been one hell of a ride. The music, the much improved voice acting, and most of all the controls all make it a shining example in the series. The villains are a little less intriguing than in the previous title, but they do provide some excellent battles. Naked Snake himself (Big Boss if you prefer) feels like a much more relatable version of Solid Snake. The entire game has a much more gung-ho guns blazing feel to it, and I’ve found myself shooting my way through some sections just because it was more fun. I wouldn’t say that you can play either way, but stealth isn’t as necessary as in previous games. That flexibility combined with the survival mechanics really come together to make something special.

Overall, even without the addition of Peace Walker, which the PS3 version had, it’s still quite a package. If you’re looking for something to kill a good thirty hours (or many many more if you play all the bonus content) then this is the title to get. The games themselves look damn good on the Vita’s screen, and being able to take what many consider the best entry in the entire Metal Gear series with me wherever I go feels great.

Mortal Kombat Vita Impressions -

I’ve had the pleasure of playing the new Mortal Kombat game on my Vita, and it sure is a breath of fresh air. I’ve always loved fighting games, but only in the privacy of my own room. I wasn’t fortunate enough to have been into fighting games during their popularity surge of the Nineties as I was kind of busy being a little kid.

I grew to love Street Fighter II on my SNES, and watched my brother play Mortal Kombat. He was always the better player, and as little brothers the world over can attest to: it’s not fun getting constantly trampled by your older brother in fighting games.

So I played them on my own in secret. I’m decent at them, but not decent enough to compete online. They’re a fascination, but I’m not one to count frames of animation or cancel out of hyper combos. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why I end up disappointed in so many fighters. Aside from the arcade mode, there is usually very little single-player content to speak of. This is, I feel, Mortal Kombat’s greatest triumph.

The story mode is lengthy, fully animated, and voice acted. It gives me the fleshed out stories and character motivations that I’ve always wanted from the genre. Now, granted, it’s still Mortal Kombat. That means that the story is a silly gore-filled soap opera about sorcerers, super-ninjas and lightning gods literally ripping each other’s throats out. The story is very unapologetic about what it is, and makes no concessions in that regard. This is MK at its goriest, and finest.

The actual combat within the game runs at a solid 60 FPS, and has a very nice flow. The models themselves are a little jaggy, but the framerate makes up for it by never dipping and never slowing down. The cutscenes themselves also have been compressed to the point that it’s visible, but it isn’t bad enough to ruin anything.

I was never a big MK player, but the slower, more calculating flow of battle leads to satisfying battles. Some matches can be several seconds of whiffing and dancing around one another until the first punch finally lands, and leads with ease into a blood-spurting combo.

Luckily, the Vita version includes all the DLC, so the forty dollar price tag feels a little more reasonable for a game that is a year old. It also includes a few touch-based mini games that are part of the new challenge tower, and while they’re really just cell phone games done with MK characters, they work well and are a fun addition to the overall package.

The re-telling of the first three games that takes place in the story has lead me to actually become attached to some of the characters, and as someone not familiar with the lore, I find myself genuinely interested and engaged with the storyline. Again, it’s about as deep as a daytime soap opera, but it’s still a fun romp through Outworld.

Thanks to my lovely tax return I now have a Vita. So far I’ve been really enjoying it, and the few games I have on it. Unfortunately due to finals and multiple jobs I don’t feel much like writing an entire article about anything that substantial, so I’ll just put some impressions below.

Hardware:

The touchscreen and touchpad are the most impressive, and in an age when touchscreens are so prolific, that’s really quite a compliment. It’s responsive, precise, and I haven’t had any issues with it beyond some gimmicky controls. The colors really pop, and the resolution is fantastic.

Unfortunately, the screen does have one slight flaw. In a dark room when the screen is a dark color it looks mottled. At first I thought it was bubbles under my screen, but then I checked my girlfriend’s Vita and it had the same issue. Some short research online showed me that not only is this problem well known, but it has thus far been ignored by Sony. The obvious response is “don’t use the Vita in a dark room” - it’s bad for your eyes anyway - but it’s a little disconcerting that a device that was so touted for its amazing screen has such a glaring flaw. It’s a small one, but it’s still a little baffling that Sony didn’t take care of it.

The analog sticks were what I was most skeptical of, and my skepticism was completely unfounded - they are awesome. They are at least as precise as a PS3 controller, and have a great feel to them, despite their small size. I’ve been playing Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, and I keep forgetting I’m not holding a traditional controller. The small buttons were also a concern, but they are extra clicky and lend themselves well to button-mashing.

The operating system is decent, and has some fun features. The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that you can’t use the buttons to navigate the home screens, but I’ve yet to even accidentally try to navigate with them. This might be due to the fact that, again, I have big hands, thus I had no problem reaching any area of the screen.


Software:

The software included is adequate, but won’t change the way you view small electronics. The web browser works, the keyboard works, and Netflix is a little sluggish. Not being able to browse is a big downside, as I tend to look up FAQs for games while I’m playing.

The frustrating part is that there is a workaround with the Twitter app that will allow you to browse while playing a game, so we know it’s possible just not enabled yet. In addition to that the browser doesn’t load the page until you actually scroll to it, making scrolling a little bit of a hassle. While, again, the browser isn’t a crucial part to the system, it still would have been nice to see them outsource this to someone like Opera.

Running programs work a lot like they did on webOS (for the ten of you that used it before it died). They are made up of little cards that you can swipe off the screen to close, and it all seems to work just fine. I haven’t had any lock ups with the device, or even any interface lag.

Games:

Well all know this is the important part. How are the games? Well, they’re quite impressive. I’m not a big fan of amazing graphics, but I definitely found myself marvelling at the sheer resolution and number of assets on screen. Aside from the launch games, which included several great titles, there has been very little in the way of new releases.

The next big release is Mortal Kombat which will release in a few days, and Disgaea 3 came out recently, but you’re going to be playing the same release titles for the time being. Fortunately, it was a strong lineup and there’s some good variety.

My game of choice has been Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, which is really just a re-release of Sigma, but still one of my favorite action games. Aside from some mildly annoying touch controls, it’s a great title that sacrifices absolutely nothing with its handheld release.

Overall:

The Vita is quite an impressive system overall, and my complaints with it are minor at worst. After purchasing the system I was a little surprised that it was only $250, since that’s how much I paid for my 3DS and it stands a head and shoulders above the 3DS in terms of hardware. Of course, it has to compete with the beast that is Nintendo marketing, as well as various cell phone markets that have indoctrinated people into the ninety-nine cent mindset, but I think Sony has a powerful enough system to really drive demand here in the West.