Thirteen1

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has today revealed further launch details for the hotly-anticipated PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), due for release in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia on February 22^nd 2012.

At a preview event held in London, SVP, Worldwide Studios Europe Michael Denny,   highlighted the message that PlayStation Vita is a state-of-the-art portable device, with games at its heart, by announcing the full range of PS Vita launch titles.

Including two new 1^st Party titles, Unit 13 and MotorStorm® RC, as well as unveiling a range of augmented reality experiences for PS Vita. Commenting on the announced software line up, Denny called it “one of the best launch line ups of any games console, ever launched.

SCEE PS Vita titles confirmed as available at launch on February 22nd 2012:

Unit 13

Designed from the ground up for PS Vita by Zipper Interactive, Unit 13 focuses on contemporary mission scenarios with an authentic ‘ripped from the headlines’ feel.

Players will be tasked with demanding missions in the most hostile regions of the world – to stop terrorists, dictators, gunrunners, warlords and drug traffickers from destabilising the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia.

Players will choose from six different classes – Infiltrator, Sniper, Soldier, Technician, Point Man, and Support – based on their role and your own playing style.

Designed specifically for PS Vita, Unit 13 focuses on portable play, with bite-sized gameplay and a non-linear mission structure that will allow players to jump in at any time, without having to keep up with a story or previous events.

MotorStorm RC

MotorStorm RC is a unique blend of old-school and contemporary racing gameplay, MotorStorm RC is an addictive racer, with social interaction at the fore.

Players will be able to build an impressive garage of vehicles, with 24 vehicles initially available to unlock in the game, with DLC and expansion packs allowing gamers to access new tracks, vehicles, and more, planned after launch.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

With a mix of shooting and platforming elements, including in-depth puzzles which must be solved using various clues from Drake’s personal journal, Uncharted has something for everyone.

A new feature is the ability to use a camera and photographs to identify certain locales. Exploration and puzzles are said to be a major focus of the game, as opposed to gunplay

Games also announced:

• WipEout® 2048
• Reality Fighters
• Little Deviants
• ModNation Racers^TM: Road Trip
• Everybody’s Golf®
• Escape Plan
• Top Darts
• Hustle Kings

The already impressive list will be reinforced by a compelling array of 3^rd party offerings which will launch alongside the console in February. These include;

Silent Hill: Book of Memories by Konami

Book of Memories will utilize an overhead isometric view, follow a new storyline, and feature returning creatures from the series’ fictional universe, as well as cooperative gameplay; the game will be the first installment in the series to feature multiplayer gameplay.

Book of Memories’ gameplay will be largely different from the one established in previous installments in the series, “focusing on cooperative multiplayer action rather than traditional psychological horror.

Street Fighter X Tekken by Capcom

Street Fighter X Tekken is a 2 vs. 2 tag team-based fighting game where players can freely tag in and out between partners.

The game promises to marry the styles of both a 2D and 3D fighting game for a fresh take on the genre! Fans from each series will also be able to play with either Street Fighter’s traditional 6 button layout or Tekken’s 4 button layout!

Players who are new to either series will be able to join in on the fun with an easy-to-understand battle system that promises excitement and countless hours of fun.

Other third party titles include:

• Army Corps of Hell, Square Enix
• Asphalt: Injection, Ubisoft
• Disgaea 3 Return, NIS America
• Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, Ubisoft
• Dynasty Warriors Next, Tecmo Koei
• EA Sports FIFA Football, EA
• F1 2011, Codemasters
• Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, WB Games
• Lumines Electronic Symphony, Ubisoft
• Michael Jackson: The Experience HD, Ubisoft
• Ninja Gaiden (working title), Tecmo Koei
• OddWorld: Strangers Wrath, OddWorld Inhabitants
• Puddle, Neko Entertainment
• Pure Chess, RebelPlay
• Putty Squad Vita, System 3
• Rayman Origins, Ubisoft
• Ridge Racer, Bandai Namco
• Shinobido 2, Bandai Namco
• Stardrone Extreme, BeatShapers
• Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz, SEGA
• Supremacy MMA, 505 Games
• Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Drinkbox Studios
• The Treasures of Montezuma Blitz, Alawar Entertainment
• Touch My Katamari, Bandai Namco
• Troopies, Bloober Team
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, Capcom
• Urban Trials, Tate Multimedia
• Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition, SEGA
• Orc Attack, Casual Brothers
• Ben 10 Galactic Racing, Bandai Entertainment
• Dragon’s Racing, Ignition Entertainment
• Robot Rescue Revolution, Teyon
• Mortal Kombat, WB Games
• Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft
• Bioshock, Take Two
• Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard

Some awesome features was also announced including,

Augmented Reality Brings Your Games to Life

PlayStation has led the way in augmented reality gaming since the launch of the EyeToy® USB camera for PlayStation®2 in 2003. On the current console generation, EyePet burst onto PlayStation 3, introducing a new family audience to this magical technology.

These experiences were not confined to home consoles as PlayStation brought augmented reality gaming to (PSP^TM) PlayStation®Portable, both with EyePet^TM, and the innovative Invizimals^TM franchise.

At the PS Vita preview event, Michael Denny revealed the next phase in augmented reality for PlayStation. Six augmented reality cards will be available at launch with free games to download from PlayStation®Store. These will allow gamers to enjoy a selection of games that make full use of the impressive AR capabilities of PS Vita.

PlayStation also revealed that PS Vita will be the first games console to utilise WAAR (Wide Area Augmented Reality) technology. In contrast to familiar single-card AR, WAAR uses up to six cards and allows for a much larger gameplay area than gamers have previously experienced.

PS Vita will also support markerless AR, that can do away with cards altogether.

The addition of this captivating technology means that gamers will have so much to play, and share, with PS Vita right out of the box.

Cross-play means players can compete via challenges and leaderboards on PlayStation®3, or with PS Vita, as well as continue their experience from one to the other.

3G & Wi-Fi: Connecting PS Vita to a Social Revolution

This is a device packed with powerful social features that connect users to the internet, their social essentials and other gamers.  As well as the Facebook, Skype, foursquare and twitter applications already revealed, Denny also revealed the addition of Flickr to the line-up.

PS Vita will be available in two SKUs at launch; the Wi-Fi only model and a 3G/Wi-Fi model for the ultimate ‘always-on’ internet experience. Vodafone will be the 3G partner throughout selected countries in the SCEE region.

PS Vita boasts a number of social applications that will allow gamers to be constantly connected to their PlayStation life, as well as those of friends and fellow gamers.

• Party enables gamers to enjoy voice chat or text chat with their friends, not only while they play online, but also when playing different games or using different applications such as the internet browser

• Live Area^TM is an interactive portal that enables you to connect to your contacts, and the content. Players can check the latest news; receive instant gaming updates from your friends, and then comment back on what friends have said.

• near is a feature that enables you to find out what your friends in the same area are playing right now and share and discover gifts which can be used in game. Simply by sharing your game information, you can meet your friends and new players, regardless of what games they are playing

• Cross-Play is the ability to play head to head in real time across platforms. PS Vita can connect wirelessly to PS3 allowing PS3 quality graphics to be seen on the PS Vita’s beautiful five-inch OLED Screen