The Vita Isn't Down Yet! 20 Great Games Still On The Way!

In the two years since DrinkBox announced Severed as an upcoming PS Vita game, it's also been announced for iOS and rumored at that it'll be coming for 3DS too, though these rumors may not come to fruit. In those same two years, many other indies have dropped Vita support, while others have delayed their support for it indefinitely. Needless to say, it does look like it's going to be a good Vita game... but certainly not an exclusive one, which used to be one of the criteria for what made Vita games worth looking into.

And even then, "good Vita game" or "great Vita game" is not saying something has to be an "exclusive Vita game," right?

This in mind, I can understand not wanting to believe in the console anymore, all things considered, but at the same time, suggesting that Severed will be "one of the last great Vita games" just pushes a narrative that has literally been around from the console's second year and has done nothing but hurt the Vita. Games continue to be announced for and ported to it even now, and people continue to enjoy them. It's a narrative that only tells people who don't look past it that there really isn't more, and that's not true.

It's simply a matter of recognizing what it has rather than continuing to tell the masses those things don't exist. This, contrary to what most will tell you, can be just as damning a problem for a console as any other. It's a lot easier to blame than it is to recognize that one could to more to help.

So, without further delay, here are some other upcoming Vita games that show some of the other great games coming for the console. And no, they're not exclusive, but if Severed doesn't qualify as one but still can be a great Vita game, then these can be great Vita games despite not always being exclusive too.

By the way, if you're still stuck on exclusivity by the end of this blog, then I'll leave you with this: The Vita is the only console where you can play all of these games. This is true for not only these games, but many combinations of games, genres, series, and more. It's a nifty little thing like that.

Now, on with the games!

GOD EATER: RESURRECTION & GOD EATER 2: RAGE BURST

Bandai Namco is bringing over not only the sequel to the PSP Gods Eater Burst, but the game's remake as well. The game is a hunting style game in the style of Monster Hunter or Soul Sacrifice or Freedom Wars, and these highly anticipated games are both going to be coming to Vitas soon. If you're ready to take up the hunt once more, both of these games will be very welcome on your PlayStation Vita.

THE LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS OF COLD STEEL II

Or maybe you aren't as much into hunting games. That's fine too. You can also look forward to the sequel to the positively-received title Trails of Cold Steel, where you can continue your journey and enjoy another great Nihon Falcom title, kick back, and get swept away by what apparently is one of the best JRPGs still out there. I haven't actually tried TLoH yet myself, but I know for a fact plenty of people are eagerly awaiting this game.

MIGHTY NO. 9

Let's just get this one out of the way early since I don't want to end on it. We don't know when, but as of this time, Mighty No. 9 is still slated for a Vita release. If grinding for gear or levels isn't your thing, then you could always kick back and give this a whirl. Good old fashioned side scrolling action is where it's at in this game, and luckily, if that doesn't quite tickle your fancy either, then there's always...

BLOODSTAINED: RITUAL OF THE NIGHT

This title is also coming to Vita in the future, with all the side-scrolling, castle-crashing fun that you could hope to expect from any good Castlevania in tow. Though it was Kickstarted much more recently than other projects, it sounds like it's turning out pretty well, so hopefully we'll be seeing it on our Vitas sooner rather than later. Physical Vita tier represent!

SHANTAE: 1/2 GENIE HERO

If you still want to deliver justice to your enemies with a kick ass girl, then I have good news for you! And for those of you in the audience who want something brighter and more colorful for your Vita, perk up your earholes, because this goes for you as well. There's yet another side scrolling adventure coming to Vita, this one starring the adorable Shantae of, you guessed it, the Shantae series. 1/2 Genie Hero will be the first entry in the series, but make no mistake, it's quite a sight to look at, and sure to be a treat on any Vita.

SHIREN THE WANDERER: THE TOWER OF FORTUNE AND THE DICE OF FATE

Who likes roguelikes? Everybody likes roguelikes! Coming to us from the hands of NISA, Shiren the Wander: The Long Title, an enhanced port of a DS game that never left Japan, will be exclusively hitting the PS Vita this July. It's the fifth in the series, and supposedly it's a decent one. Check it out, if you dare!

HYPER LIGHT DRIFTER

I don't actually need to say anything, do I? I don't, right? Here's the review. Yes, it's coming to Vita too, at least eventually.

YOMAWARI: THE NIGHT ALONE

This delightful looking horror title starring a girl running around with a flashlight is coming to us from NISA later this year as well. I'm not sure what brought about this shift in aesthetics and game styles from the company, as they've seemingly all but abandoned using RPGs with Takehito Harada's art style to inhabit a fun multiverse like they were in their PS2 and PSP years, but at least what they're creating in the meantime is unique and fun. In this game, you'll be roaming around the dark, seeing all kinds of spooks and monsters, and it's all in the great style NIS have put together to boot. Here's to Yomawari!

SUMMON NIGHT 6

While not officially confirmed for localization yet, English trophies have surfaced and Bandai Namco Europe have already trademarked it, so it seems like a localization is possible. I won't be counting too many other Japan-only games (just ones that seem likely for localization), but suffice to say, this Summon Night sequel will give you more JRPG goodness in this underrated series... so long as it can make the trip over, anyway.

Ys VIII

Also not confirmed for a localization yet but arguably fairly likely given the series' history, the newest installment of the Ys series is indeed still going to be on the PlayStation Vita. Fans should already have a pretty good idea of what to expect of it, and non-fans will be able to get a taste of something great before they proceed to get all the old ones you can already play on the Vita as is.

CALIGULA

Last of our "these games haven't been yet confirmed for localization" trio is Caligula. This title is the baby of Persona 1 and Persona 2's writer, and has a lot of similarities to the series overall. It's about some students trapped in another world, yada yada. Despite how it might give off a "been there, done that" vibe, it looks like it's going to explore deeper aspects of the cast, and it looks pretty stylish too. The chances of localization aren't as clear, at least to me, as they seem with the other two I listed here, but I'm certainly hopeful.

ODIN SPHERE: LEIFTRASIR

Another VanillaWare title is making its way to the Vita, but this one is special: It's a remake of the PS2's Odin Sphere, with updated gameplay, graphics, and more, and even the ability to play like the old game, or so I believe. This is definitely a game that sounds like it's going to be a must-have for any Vita owner worth their salt. And Vita owners, hoo boy, they've earned their salt over the years, lemme tell ya.

TOUKIDEN 2

Bringing new weapons, new characters, new monsters, new gameplay elements, and the promise of an open world to the table, Toukiden 2 is shaping up to be the hunting game Vita owners have been waiting for for all the years they were actively ignoring Soul Sacrifice, Freedom Wars, and the other Toukiden games for some reason. While it's likely the console versions of this game will be the go-to ones for most folks, since playing hunting games on anything other than a handheld is as illogical as it is sacreligious, so long as the Vita version does well enough, this should make plenty of Vita owners very, very happy.

READ ONLY MEMORIES

How about we take a break from action games and RPGs and side scrollers for something totally different? Also coming to the Vita in the future, or so we've been told at the time of this writing (this does change at times sadly), is Read Only Memories. The game is a cyberpunk adventure game that shouldn't really be that unusual for Vita owners, given how many visual novels (and games using visual novel-style story telling) there are on the console to begin with. I've got my eye on it, and you should too. Here's Destructoid's review of the PC version for those curious.

THE FRUIT OF GRISAIA

... as well as the other related Grisaia titles that got confirmed Vita ports. While Sekai Project has been having some troubles getting their Vita porting in gear, this well received series of visual novels is indeed intended to come to the Vita down the road. You'll be heading off to school with your friends and getting into all kinds of hijinks with them! Actually, it's a pretty serious story, or so I'm told, and I'm still holding out for the Vita port even now, myself. Maybe some of you will be there with me when it finally launches!

ZERO TIME DILEMMA

Need a little more gameplay with your reading game? Then it's time for another Zero Escape game! It's coming to Vitas! Watch out! Escape! Oh no! It's zerooooooooo... Can you tell I haven't played any of these yet? I'm hoping I'll get to before this comes out, though! Cross your fingers for me everyone!

NEW DANGANRONPA V3

It's Danganronpa! Not only that, with the saga that was the first two games and everything else connected to them ended in the anime series that will have aired by the time this comes out, this is the start of an all new story for the series! That's the hypest of hypes! So what more do you want from me? Great game confirmed! It's also not confirmed for localization yet, but fairly likely to get one given the series' past success.

THE MUV-LUV TRILOGY

[Yes, I am!] Like Grisaia, the first of the Muv-Luv visual novels, Extra, takes you on a wonderful journey into a Japanese high school to do Japanese things with Japanese friends. It's good fun, and generally speaking, while cliche, it's... probably still better than a lot of anime you'll see these days. In all seriousness, though, Muv-Luv is a long time favorite of mine, and despite appearances, even if you aren't into the seemingly cliche high school setting of Extra, the payoff by the end is more than worth it.

In fact, I'm going to have to gush a little for this last one. Despite being a KickStarter for as niche an experience as a visual novel, Muv-Luv's raised over $1.25 million, beating out KickStarters for the likes of Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero, Project Phoenix, Divinity: Original Sin, The Banner Saga, Hyper Light Drifter, and more. A reviewer at Kinja's AniTAY site goes into great detail (with minor/extensive spoilers depending on how much you know), and PC Gamer does the same. Though it will be "censored," since this is ideally a game you'll want to come back to, you could always play it "complete" on PC and return on the Vita.

Long story short, if you own a Vita, the Muv-Luv series is one definitely worth checking out, and together, more than make up a few great Vita games that are coming out for the console.

Pictured Above: Probably Not A Great Game

The Vita has had a rough few years, no doubt about that. There are various reasons why, but that's for another day. Today, though, let's just look forward to some of the awesome games that are still on the way. With more still being announced and even more localization announcements happening all the time, I have no doubt that we've at least got some time left before this console really does stop getting great games.

The situation may not be able to drastically improve any at this point, but that doesn't mean the one we're in is as hopeless or unenjoyable as people insist on making it out to be.

LOOK WHO CAME:

OverlordZetta   

Larx   21

Wes Tacos   12

Gajknight   10

Malthor   9

LaTerry   7

Agent9   6

Chris Bradshaw   6

Logeon   5

Nathan D   4

Gamemaniac3434   2

AvtrSpirit   2

Voodoome   1

hlarge4   1

ShadeOfLight   1

Funkotrons Finest   1