Have you recently dusted off your old PlayStation Vita and wondered how you could best leverage this unique handheld to entertain friends? Well, while the Vita‘s fate was tied to the rise of smartphones, hacking away at AAA titles in solitude wasn‘t the console‘s only strength. Developers filled its library with gems ideal for getting the party started – assuming you keep the guest list tight!
Boasting bite-sized multiplayer experiences wrapped in approachable packages, these Vita party offerings serve up sky-high fun per ounce. Let‘s dig into the machine‘s most boisterous and arresting social experiences!
A Party Game Primer
First, what exactly is a party game? Typically centered around competition or cooperation in light-hearted contexts, party games help break the ice and facilitate merriment in group settings. Favouring simple, intuitive interfaces over complex controls, they allow quick player rotation to keep energy levels high. Subject matter tends toward family-friendly and often humorous themes.
In many ways the current party game archetype was defined by Nintendo‘s Wii, with Ministry of Fun citing its 2006 launch as the genesis of the modern industry subsegment. But well before the advent of motion controls, party-minded titles emphasized approachability and multiplayer – classics like Mario Party and Rampage setting the early template.
While platforms like the Switch may represent the party genre‘s contemporary mainstream, we can‘t forget the Vita‘s own attempts to stimulate festivity among friends. How do its offerings stack up? Let‘s explore!
Vita‘s Party Prospects
Sony‘s well-intentioned handheld entered a market landscape vastly different from the one that bred past smash social hits like Wii Sports. Whereas the Wii rode an influx of casual players, the Vita contended with smartphones eroding much of this audience. Small wonder Sony shifted focus toward catering to core gamers.
Still, despite ceding the casual MP throne to Nintendo, admirable efforts were made to showcase Vita‘s party potential. Playing into the device‘s strengths like touch controls and handheld convenience for quick play sessions, developers brought clever concepts to life.
Could Vita ever match full-blown Mario Party or Jackbox marathons fueled by boisterous banter? Doubtful – the Switch resides comfortably on that throne now. But for intimate gatherings, Vitas in hand, the catalogue herein still certificates a rip-roaring time!
Let‘s spotlight the console‘s most gratifying group-play gems.
Honourable Party Mentions
Beyond the forthcoming elite eight, the Vita‘s library harbours additional downloads passable for parties. They may lack the polished pedigree of the headliners, but still serve in a pinch!
Smart As… – This brain-training compendium packs over 20 mini-games testing skills from math to vocabulary. Supporting up to 4 players locally or 8 online, it brings harmless edutainment fun suitable for the very young to the wise old.
ModNation Racers – Mario Kart clone lets players craft their own vehicles and tracks, then race them in hectic, weapons-filled dashes. Reminiscent of beloved PS3 version; limited scope prevents greatness.
Reality Fighters – Quirky brawler has you battle with offbeat characters based on augmented reality snapshots. Novel AR tech impresses briefly before repetitive melee wavers interest.
While each offers tastes of enjoyment, none satisfy fully as complete party packages. Now, onto the main courses…
7. Crypt of the NecroDancer
- Developer/Publisher: Brace Yourself Games/Klei Entertainment
- Release: February 9, 2016
- Players: 1-4 local/online
- Genre: Rhythm/Roguelite
This award-winning indie combines dancing and dungeon-crawling into an entrancing hybrid. As crypt beasts move to the beat, so too must you guide your hero in timed steps through dark depths brimming with dangers. With its creative merging of reflex-testing gameplay and pulsating tunes in a charming pixel art style, Crypt guarantees revitalized merriment once players loosen up and find their groove.
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Approachable menus allow smooth player swap-outs between three lively gameplay modes. The core campaign challenges you to escort a lute-strumming bard through progressively complex tunes, while Daily Challenges offer fresh tests for veterans. But Crypt truly shines in co-op, where up to four friends can link arms to trounce vile creatures through hundreds of diabolical stages, goddess statues granting rhythmic might.
This critical darling enchanted reviewers with an 83 Metacritic average across platforms, rewarding Crypt‘s risky rhythmic formula with Universal acclaim. Handheld versions add value for on-the-go play, though note Nintendo‘s Switch release offers fuller features. Still, Vita‘s portable pace pairs wonderfully with Crypt‘s bite-sized stages when dancing feet grow weary!
6. Rocketbirds 2: Evolution
- Developer/Publisher: Ratloop Asia/Ratloop Games Canada
- Release: May 7, 2019
- Players: 1-4 local/online
- Genre: Side-Scrolling Shooter
In this sequel to the beloved 2D shooter, the flightless revolution rages on against an evil penguin regime subjugating Bird Island. As commando chicken Hardboiled and his squad, brave sewers and prisons in running gunfights, rescuing citizens from totalitarian tyranny. With over 12 hours of content, ample absurd weapons, and myriad hostages to free across 30 distinct stages, couch co-op carnage abounds!
Up to four plucky comrades can enlist, blazing through locales like Punchinello Prison and Boiler Bay. Simple controls – fire, jump, switch weapons – mean even newcomers can quickly get trigger happy. Levels balance action with environmental puzzles, as players activate levers in tandem to access secret routes where weapon blueprint collectibles await. With online high score tracking and New Game+ mode too, dim lights for repeat sorties!
As a recent physical Vita release years after the console‘s life support formally ended, Rocketbirds 2‘s existence alone warrants celebration. This exclusive port runs smoothly while retaining all features. And beyond the story campaign lies even more content updates promised ahead. Viva la avian revolution!
5. TowerFall Ascension
- Developer/Publisher: Matt Thorson/Matt Makes Games
- Release: May 20, 2014
- Players: 1-4 local
- Genre: Archery Combat Platformer
At once sensationally simple yet endlessly engrossing, TowerFall centers its multiplayer madness entirely around bow & arrow warfare. Across tiny single-screen dioramas no larger than your Vita‘s display, two to four archers dash about platforms letting loose barrages of arrows attempting to puncture rival adventurers. Think Super Smash Bros. stripped down to projectile poking basics – no frills, all thrills!
With limited life stocks fueling fast-paced tension, rounds last mere minutes yet feel eternally intense. Random item drops granting wings, shields or other augmentations ensure endless replayability. Five vibrant stage backdrops – castle, clouds, ruins, forest, and temple – introduce their own navigational nuances; memorize item spawn points!
Despite lacking online features, TowerFall rated mightily on MetaCritic at 88/100 for its localmultiplayer prowess, declared an “Absolutely Fantastic couch-competition game” by GameSpot. This streamlined archery masterpiece tetrapolizes joy among friends accessible to all quick-study newcomers. Let rivalry reign!
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4. When Vikings Attack
- Developer/Publisher: Clever Beans/Sony Computer Entertainment
- Release: November 13, 2012
- Players: 1-4 local
- Genre: Beat ‘em up
Marauding Norsemen invade British shores, hungry for destruction, and only you can stop them! Gather townsfolk allies in jolly ol’ England – schoolchildren, road workers, pastors alike – to pummel the burly bearded menaces via weaponized punting back into the sea from whence they came! A positively pleasant pummeling for families and pacifists.
Across seven disaster zones like construction sites and church graveyards, fling up to four friends against hordes of belligerent Viking buffoons in weighty physics-driven face-offs. Utilize environmental objects to whack Vikings silly through 100 levels teeming with humorous hijinks. Unlock amusing attire to dress your characters with between events.
At once bizarre and beautiful thanks to a warm, vivid picture book aesthetic, When Vikings Attack crafts chaos ideally tailored for the younger crowd as an ESRB E10+ game. Gather the siblings and offspring for sessions of salubrious, silly schooling of Norse nincompoops even parents can play painlessly! ratings firm Aggregator GameRankings lauded Vikings’ family playability at a admirable 75%.
3. LittleBigPlanet
- Developer: Double Eleven Limited / XDev Studio Europe
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
- Release: September 25, 2012
- Players: 1-6 local/online
- Genre: Puzzle Platformer
No proper party list omits an appearance from PlayStation‘s quintessential creative franchise LittleBigPlanet! This signature Vita entry brings the series‘ DIY delights on the go, letting imaginations run wild. With over 70 story mode levels spanning a half-dozen themed zones, the cuddly burlap sackboy mascot traces a whimsical journey guaranteed to dazzle.
Yet the real draw lies in community creations through one of most versatile set of gamemaking tools ever pocketed! Over 3 million user-generated stages beckon across the LBP multiverse thanks to an incredible array of decorative environmental assets and logic systems simplifying coding. Want to design everything from pinball machines to first-person shooters? This burgeoning toybox empowers such ambitions and beyond with sheer possibility!
With acclaimed pedigree spanning a decade, LBP‘s craftsmanship requires no defense. Between joyous co-op quests, creative tinkering sessions, or browsing the voxel masterworks of fellow architects, LBPs social joys seem bottomless. When Playstation Lifestyle reviewed the Vita version an exemplary 9/10, they declared it “a showcase for the platform itself”. What higher endorsement exists?
2. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
- Developer: Sumo Digital
- Publisher: Sega
- Release: November 20, 2012
- Players: 1-8 local/online
- Genre: Kart Racer
Sonic and friends blaze onto roads, seas, and skies in this turbocharged karting spectacle sporting the most flexible social options on Vita. Gather up to seven nearby friends across supported systems for speedy showdowns between classic Sega mascots. With a playful approach keeping controls elementary, even novice racers rapidly get rolling!
Separating itself from comparably basic Mario Kart, All-Stars Transformed dynamically shifts track terrain during events from solid to liquid to airborne surfaces. Asphalt roads sprout buoyant waterways mid-race before concluding in aerial stretches transforming vehicle handling demands completely! Adapt tactics based on conditions while unleashing wild offensive items – stealthy squids to disrupt vision, even giant killer wasps!
With over 20 familiar characters selectable from Sonic, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia and more, nostalgia roars loudly. Meanwhile 16 ever-evolving circuits set to catchy creative tunes should keep gatherings humming for hours. Achieve high scores solo or unite to triumph cooperatively in Tag Team races! When GamesRadar crowned it among the best kart racers ever made, know they spoke truthfully. Engine revving, let’s roll!
1. Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz
- Developer: Marvellous AQL
- Publisher: SEGA
- Release: October 23, 2012
- Players: 1-4 local/online
- Genre: Mini-game Compilation
Since debuting in arcades two decades ago, SEGA‘s signature simian sphere-steering series has sparked simian mayhem for fans worldwide. Guiding balls housing cute capuchin companions through whimsical worlds using finely-tuned tilting movements, Super Monkey Ball‘s intuitive interactions intoxicate crowds with carefree cooperative craziness. This curated edition packs series‘ greatest hits into one fan-pleasing package perfect for parties petulant to pooped!
From mainstay Monkey Target where primates fly farthest for highest scores, to odder additions like watermelon-smashing Monkey Sniper, Banana Splitz bundles eight outstanding events. Each 5-minute mini-game supports up to four in-person players, while wireless connectivity lets friends fling overseas competitors across continents into palm tree punch bowls! Custom camera-captured stages supplement wackiness. Most importantly, play flows fast as monkeys; brief instructions ensure participants swing into action swiftly.
In an era where multiplayer amusements often forgo accessibility, Banana Splitz unpeels dependable entertainment for visitors both green and seasoned. Approachable interfaces inspired NintendoLife‘s 8/10 review praising visuals and mini-game diversity over short single-player content. Roll over, Mario Party – SEGA still reigns supreme spreading social silly satisfaction!
Farewell to Portable Parties
And there you have it – a primate-approved proclamation of the PlayStation Vita‘s eight finest festivity furnishers! While the sun sets on Sony‘s dedicated portable hardware efforts as smartphones dominate mobile gaming, the Vita‘s party heartbeat persists thanks to enduring community support.
Indeed, the listed games above freely welcome fresh players even today. And options for custom firmware mods introduce ongoing enhancement like LCD resolution upgrades. Why not organize a dedicated Vita gathering among friends this weekend to toast the console‘s legacy? Just promise you‘ll label me an honorary attendee!
Now then…where did I leave my Vita? Rumor suggests SEGA may soon port the arcade classic Monkey Ball 2. And until the guests arrive, high scores await pummeling! Let the party play on…
