Sony had plenty of Vita announcements at its E3 press conference last night, and we've compiled them all into this one post. The highlights, as Sony tries to rebound its struggling handheld, include the Assasssin's Creed III spin-off Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (featuring a female protagonist), PSone Classics support, and a Blacks Ops spin-off to be added to the system in the coming months.
Assassin's Creed III added another platform to its roster, with Sony announcing a Vita spin-off of the game. Fans looking for a unique AC III experience will relish in Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. The game will be the first in the series to feature a female Assassin -- something Ubisoft considered for Assassin's Creed 3. Additionally, a Vita bundle will be available containing the game, a Crystal White Wi-Fi Vita and a 4GB memory card, and will launch day and date with the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed III. Check out the trailer for the game below:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1rizB4vF18&feature=plcp
Sony also unveiled the oft-talked about Call of Duty Vita title at their press conference. The game is titled Black Ops: Declassified, and aside from the name and holiday release date, no further information was given. The developer was not revealed, though it's possible it could be n-Space, the team that worked Modern Warfare 3: Defiance for the DS.
The Vita will also receive an update to enable PSone Classics support -- a feature gamers have clamored for since the system's release. Sony has said the feature would be coming for the longest time, but it's nice to finally have a solid timeframe. At first, the following games will be supported: Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII, Wild Arms, Twisted Metal 2, Cool Boarders 2, Arc the Lad, Resident Evil Director's Cut, Crash Bandicoot and JetMoto, with more games to come.
As evidenced by the new game announcements, Sony will be putting an increased focus on cross-platform features between the PS3 and Vita. Street Fighter X Tekken and All-Stars Battle Royale will feature cross-play support, allowing Vita owners to face off against PS3 users. Players can also use cross-save support between All-Stars, Sound Shapes and Sly Cooper Thieves: in Time. More games are also being added to allow the transfer of in-game goods, namely Street Fighter X Tekken, Assassin's Creed 3/Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, Sound Shapes, LittleBigPlanet 2/LittleBigPlanet PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
A new selection of PS2 HD remakes will support remote play, Sony confirmed. Gamers will now be able to play Ico/Shadow of the Colossus or God of War/God of War 2 while on the go. While not a remote-play feature, LittleBigPlanet 2 will receive an update allowing Vita users to use the handheld as a controller for the PS3 version.
Finally, Vita owners can look forward to more apps in the near future. In addition to YouTube support, the PS Vita will receive apps for Hulu Plus and Crackle, the former of which is already available on US PS3s. Sadly, there is still no word on PlayStation Plus for the Vita.
Sony says there are more than 60 games coming out for the Vita this year, though unfortunately it seems to be keeping most of them under wraps. The company's E3 conference didn't showcase many new experiences -- though titles like Soul Sacrifice were announced just a few days prior. We've still got Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show to look forward to though, so maybe Sony will announce some new games at one of those trade shows.
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Source: IGN