6 Best PS Vita Games to Look Forward to in 2019
Hamsterdam
Despite the looming end of the PS Vita, and perhaps Sony handheld consoles in general, there are still some great games coming this year. Here are the best PS Vita games to look forward to in 2019.
The future does not look very bright for the PS Vita handheld, especially when Sony announced last May it would cease to create physical game carts for the platform after March 31, 2019, and then said a few months later it would end production on the handheld itself in 2019.
Luckily not all is lost. As there are developers that will continue to support the console digitally.
Hamsterdam is a “brawling hamster-fu” beat-em-up created by Muse Games, developer of Guns of Icarus Online. It combines button-mashing with rhythm mechanics to defeat the chinchilla Marlo and his Vermin Gang from taking over the city of Hamsterdam.
There are also scrolling platforming levels with a scooter, and players can fully customize the hamster hero Pimm with clothes and accessories that contain bonus stats. Hamsterdam is scheduled to launch for the PS Vita in March 2019.
6 Best PS Vita Games to Look Forward to in 2019
Catherine: Full Body
Catherine: Full Body is a remaster of Atlus’s puzzle platformer Catherine, which released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2011.
The game still retains the story of slacker Vincent Brooks as he is caught between his marriage-talking girlfriend Katherine and his affair with a younger stranger similarly named Catherine.
Also, Vincent is caught in strange nightmares where he must climb block structures or be destroyed by giant monsters, thus killing him in real life.
The game is a mix between conversing with Vincent’s friends and lovers during the day, and overcoming puzzling block obstacles with quick thinking at night.
The remaster includes a third love interest called Rin, new gameplay features, an online mode, and additional chapters and endings.
Catherine: Full Body will launch for PlayStation Vita in Japan on Feb. 14, and is planned for western countries and Europe sometime after.
6 Best PS Vita Games to Look Forward to in 2019
Shovel Knight: King of Cards
It is hard to believe that Shovel Knight is still receiving new content since launching in 2014.
Besides the original Shovel Knight campaign, developer Yacht Club Games has added the Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment campaigns, complete with new characters and mechanics.
The upcoming King of Cards campaign is no different with players controlling King Knight in this prequel telling how he became one of the eight members of the Order of No Quarter.
King Knight has a dash attack to bash enemy and clear gaps, while his royal cape can be used to deflect projectiles.
The expansion contains 30 new stages, enemies, bosses, and a playable card minigame. Shovel Knight: King of Cards is a free expansion to PS Vita owners of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, the game’s complete edition, and is launching on April 9.
6 Best PS Vita Games to Look Forward to in 2019
Shakedown: Hawaii
Shakedown: Hawaii is the next game by Vblank Entertainment, developer of the open world action-adventure game Retro City Rampage DX. The new title sees the previous game’s protagonist 30 years older and the CEO of a massive company.
Similar to how Retro City Rampage DX was a parody of retro games and crime culture in 8-bit graphics, Shakedown: Hawaii is a parody of white collar crime with missions of “acquiring businesses, sabotaging competitors, ‘rezoning’ land, and shaking down shops for protection money” in 16-bit graphics.
Players can use their expanded cash flow to buy more weapons, vehicles, upgrades, clothes, and more.
Shakedown: Hawaii is scheduled to launch for PlayStation Vita sometime in Q1 2019.
6 Best PS Vita Games to Look Forward to in 2019
Monster Crown
Monster Crown seems little more than a darker version of Pokemon at first glance. The game does have over 200 monsters to collect and battle, but another focus of the title places a big emphasis on breeding.
When two Pokemon breed to make an egg, the offspring is usually the lower evolutionary form of the parents. Monster Crown spins that concept by creating an entirely new species of monster through crossbreeding.
“Your creations are truly independent, new species,” according to the game’s Kickstarter page. “Appearance, color, moves, typing, stats, and even the moves the monster is capable of learning are all inherited. After a few generations, it will be impossible to tell what monsters you even started with.”
Monster Crown is scheduled to launch for the PS Vita in February 2019.
6 Best PS Vita Games to Look Forward to in 2019
Hardcore
Before Battlefield developer DICE turned the multiplayer shooter into a gigantic franchise, the studio mostly created pinball and racing video games.
One game it planned to release in 1994 was Hardcore, a 2D run-and-gun with lots of power-ups and enemies to shoot.
The game was originally developed on the Commodore Amiga, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sega Mega-CD, and was “about 99% finished,” according to the game’s website.
The game was put aside to start game development on next generation hardware, mainly Sony’s PlayStation.
Now, DICE co-founder Fredrik Liljegren and Strictly Limited Games will be finishing the game after 25 years with both digital and physical releases. Hardcore is planned to finally launch for PlayStation Vita sometime in 2019.
Those are our picks for the best PS Vita games to look forward to in 2019. What other games are you excited for? Let us know in the comments down below.
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