Games Database
PSVita
Shoot 'Em Up
| Viewed: | 3D Third-person, over the shoulder | Genre: | Shoot 'Em Up |
| Media: | Cartridge | Arcade origin: | No |
| Developer: | Zipper Interactive | Soft. Co.: | SCEE |
| Publishers: | SCEE
(GB) |
Released: | 9 Mar 2012
(GB) |
| Ratings: | PEGI 16+ | ||
| Connectivity: | WLAN Connection, Ad-Hoc Mode | ||
Video
Summary
Sony wants the PlayStation Vita to be the handheld for ‘hardcore’ gaming. Things like first person shooters, third person shooters (and probably second person shooters as well). This didn't always come off on the PSP, but Zipper Interactive’s Unit 13 finally gives us hope that the genre can succeed in portable gaming.
The developer, known for its previous work in SOCOM and MAG, has gone for something a little bit different with this game however. Unit 13 takes more of an arcade approach to level progression, eschewing a beefy campaign storyline and simply offering you a set of jump-in missions that need to be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
There’s a huge variety of characters to choose from when diving into one of the 36 solo missions - from the heavily-armoured Gunner to the agile Technician, each soldier has their own statistics and skills on the battlefield. Each operative can earn experience points as well, and leveling up will unlock improvements to their skill set - as well as brand new weapons for your loadout.
Graphically, it’s a great showcase of the PlayStation Vita’s hardware. Detailed environments burst with colour and texture fidelity, and the lighting effects and level mapping will make you forget you’re playing a handheld game.
The controls are quite solid - a mixture of traditional button controls and intuitive touch-screen interactivity. You soon get used to tapping the weapon icon to reload, and various other HUD buttons for leaping over barricades and activating sniper shots. It works really well. The map is fantastic and will be your best friend too, detailing where enemies are and how alert they are of your presence. Depending on your choice of soldier, you can also see traps such as trip mines and security cameras on the HUD.
Once you’ve cleared a particular mission, you can play it again in a ‘Dynamic’ scenario, which randomises the objectives and adds a little spice to the proceedings. 36 levels quickly become at least 72 in this way. A fun and rather engaging co-op mode via PlayStation Network is a nice addition, along with a ‘High Value Targets’ boss rush feature, that gives you one life to run through a stage and take out a deadly foe.
The developer, known for its previous work in SOCOM and MAG, has gone for something a little bit different with this game however. Unit 13 takes more of an arcade approach to level progression, eschewing a beefy campaign storyline and simply offering you a set of jump-in missions that need to be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
There’s a huge variety of characters to choose from when diving into one of the 36 solo missions - from the heavily-armoured Gunner to the agile Technician, each soldier has their own statistics and skills on the battlefield. Each operative can earn experience points as well, and leveling up will unlock improvements to their skill set - as well as brand new weapons for your loadout.
Graphically, it’s a great showcase of the PlayStation Vita’s hardware. Detailed environments burst with colour and texture fidelity, and the lighting effects and level mapping will make you forget you’re playing a handheld game.
The controls are quite solid - a mixture of traditional button controls and intuitive touch-screen interactivity. You soon get used to tapping the weapon icon to reload, and various other HUD buttons for leaping over barricades and activating sniper shots. It works really well. The map is fantastic and will be your best friend too, detailing where enemies are and how alert they are of your presence. Depending on your choice of soldier, you can also see traps such as trip mines and security cameras on the HUD.
Once you’ve cleared a particular mission, you can play it again in a ‘Dynamic’ scenario, which randomises the objectives and adds a little spice to the proceedings. 36 levels quickly become at least 72 in this way. A fun and rather engaging co-op mode via PlayStation Network is a nice addition, along with a ‘High Value Targets’ boss rush feature, that gives you one life to run through a stage and take out a deadly foe.
Artwork
