I recently purchased the PSVita and while I adore the system, it has some shortcomings that drive me a bit batty.  However, there are also some very exciting things coming down the pike for adopters of Sony’s latest handheld and I thought I’d go over a few titles I’m looking forward to most as some hot new releases make their way to us.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

Part of me feels that everyone should be looking forward to who owns this one-Even if you’re not a particular fan of the series or even genre, the gameplay mechanics and heroine lead look to be a win for gamers- especially so for female fans who are often underutilized as protagonists. Not constantly, mind you, but I think we can all agree that having some stronger female leads that don’t fit into a horrific, marketing stereotype will do some good for everyone- looking at you, Lollipop Chainsaw….

A fresh heroine aside, the graphics and gameplay look to be among some of the best yet offered on a handheld.  I’m a little curious to see if the missions will be shorter, chunkier affairs that better lend themselves to pick-up-and-play sessions between subway rides and waiting rooms, but I guess we’ll have to see. Either way, I’m pumped because I’ve been waiting for a solid stealth-action adventure for a while and Assassin’s Creed: Liberation just might fill that void for me- Not to mention there’s a handsome bundle coming out alongside the game’s launch if you fancy yourself a white PS Vita.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

One need only take a quick look at metacritic to see that recent Silent Hill entries’ reception has been spotty at best.  While transforming my favorite survival horror game into a top-down dungeon crawler sounds iffy at best, I’m taking a cautiously optimistic view of it.  Granted, I’m incredibly biased, but Silent Hill needs some freshness and crafting a world in which you, holding the Vita are literally the main character is fascinating to me.

Will a bold new approach to telling a chapter of Silent Hill’s story be enough to sway the masses and carry this new vision forward?  Yeeesh, debatable. At this point in the series we’ve already seen some classic characters raped time and again for their marketing appeal regardless of whether their presence makes sense in a game’s narrative but I’m sincerely hoping that the plot of Book of Memories ties them all together in at least a somewhat meaningful way.

Other critics have pointed out not to be mislead by static screenshots because the game looks quite good in motion.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen lighting effects yet on the system that look this dynamic so assuming this works out well enough and the gameplay is solid, the daunting atmosphere is intact, and it’s got enough meat on its bones to stand shoulder to shoulder with its big brothers, I’m sure I’ll spend many sleepless nights playing this one in bed.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified

Here’s the deal, while the recent trailer for this looks a bit rough I still think this is going to be a solid experience.  Back in Activision’s hands, Black Ops Declassified takes place between Black Ops 1 and the forthcoming sequel to be released this November.  Having access to a portable CoD experience with dual analog sticks no less on the Vita’s gorgeous 5-inch OLED screen has got me pretty pumped. Whether or not I’ll be able to resist the temptation to take extra-long poops at work to play multiplayer on the WiFi is up in the air of course, but clearly I’m already thinking about it.

I’m a little nervous having the CoD license in the hands of Nihilistic whose track record has been questionable at best, but maybe this will be their breakout opportunity.

This is just a brief sampling but then again it feels like almost every handheld launch starts out this way.  The hardware shows promise and you’re lucky to get a few solid titles at launch with one stellar title like a Lumines to get things started.  Then the drought hits and trolls crawl out of the woodwork online, lambasting the system’s publisher for not garnering more 3rd party support and after a brief wait everyone’s at least moderately happy when more capable titles come pouring in.  Here’s to hoping that this is the first wave of truly great titles to come out of the gate for the Vita.

What titles are you looking forward to this holiday season?

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