This nerdy love struck Domo measures about 6 inches tall and will run you $18. Order here.

We’ve had a Japanese Vita since December, as well as a good number of games that will release here. I’m certain you’ve read up on these elsewhere, so will keep the write-ups on each title brief.

The Games:

Uncharted:

This was the one I was most excited to get my hands on. It helped that the Japanese version had an option for full English, which made working my way through the game far easier than some of the other offerings.

I’ll come right out and say it: I was let down.

Despite the fact that the game is not running at the Vita’s native resolution, it still looks very pretty. The problem is, once you get past the nice visuals, you realize the game is repetitive, obnoxious at times, and even boring.

You spend the game confined to a jungle (on foot) without many of the over the top sequences that the PS3 versions had (Uncharted 2’s train sequence comes to mind). What you’re left with it running from checkpoint to checkpoint and getting into gun battles.

Gun fights can be cool, but those were always the weakest part of the Uncharted games, and is compounded here. Enemies can be hard to target and take an unusually high amount of damage before going down. Wrap this around forced touch screen interactions (It seems that every door you come across requires several swiping motions), and you have a game that feels very mediocre.

I doubt many people will take my word for it (those who buy a Vita), but you’ve been warned J

Marvel vs Capcom 3:

Not much to say here; a great port of a cool fighter. If you enjoyed the console versions, you’ll enjoy this. The combos can be tricky to pull off on the d-pad (or analog if you prefer), but if you’re a fan of the series, you won’t be let down.

Dynasty Warriors:

Yup, it’s dynasty Warriors. Runs smooth as hell with a ton of enemies on screen. The big issue is pop-up. There are many instances where 20 guys will appear on top of you. Someone on the dev team also seemed to like Infinity Blade, as multiple “Boss” fights come down to one on one affairs with you slashing the touch screen in directions to counter the enemy’s. Not a terrible idea, but the implementation is poor, with the end result feeling very clunky.

Virtua Tennis 4:

Perhaps the title I spent the most time playing. The game looks sharp (one of the few games that seem to be running at full resolution). The game features a cool Create A Player mode that does that best job I’ve seen to date of mapping your face on a custom character. The game takes a picture of you using the Vita’s front facing camera, and you then line it up on a model’s head. Seeing myself playing against tennis stars made me that much more invested in the game.

The game’s Tour Mode is similar to previous entries in the VT series. You play against other pros from around the globe while you build up attributes for your created player by playing a series of mini games. One game would have you hitting a soccer ball into a defended goal using your tennis racket. The more you do this, the more points you garner. Another has you playing against an opponent while collecting gold coins that drop on the court, while another has you leading freshly hatched chicks to their mother while avoiding oncoming tennis balls and predators.

The game can be played using the standard controls, or either of the touch screens. Touching the screen where the ball is coming will have your character run to that spot an hit it back. While I prefer the standard controls, it was nice to see them make use of the touch screens in a way that didn’t feel forced.

Wipeout:

Future racing at its finest. This game is fast, smooth, and responsive. Visually, the game is sharp, but like many others, seems to be running at less than the Vita’s max rez. Here you race in themed races, ranging from straight up races (no weapons) to battle-only endeavors (The object being to blow up as many rivals as possible). There’s a good amount of variety here to keep the game from getting stale, provided you’re into Wipeout to begin with. The series has been around now since the PS1 launch days, so the bottom line is: If you like Wipeout, then you’ll love this. If not, then I doubt you’ll be converted.

Mod Nation Racers:

I just started playing this last night. Very Mario Kart in nature, the game has you racing around in a custom built kart in a series of races. There’s a robust track, character, and kart editor on board to keep things interesting for those that are into the creation aspect. My main gripe here deals with the visuals. The game feels like it could have been done on a PSP. Career races only consist of 6 racers, on very simple looking tracks. Not a terrible title, but not one I feel obliged to keep coming back to.

Ridge Racer:

Big disappointment here. No career mode! The game seems to rely on your desire to play against online opponents. Nothing great visually, and nothing to keep single players motivated. Stick to the 3DS version if you have it.

The Hardware:

By now, you may have seen or played a Vita in a Best Buy or Gamestop. It feels sturdy, has a great screen, and is somewhat portable. If the launch games show anything, it’s the promise of what’s to come. While few games seem to max out the Vita’s resolution, they are still visually a step above anything we’ve seen to date (iOS included). It’s a powerful little machine that does give you compelling experiences. I also dig the ability to buy my games via PSN the day they’re released. To date, I have 3 titles on my 8 GB mem card. With the one physical game I keep in the slot that gives me 4 titles at any given time just by carrying the unit itself. Pretty cool.

I know price can be an issue for many, and this thing certainly isn’t cheap. However, there’s a good variety of games at launch, and the promise of more to come down the road. While handheld gaming is becoming more and more crowded, with phone gaming on the rise, there’s something to be said about having a full on console experience from your device. Something a phone can’t give you with just a touch screen.