Previews

We've already previewed some of the top titles coming to the PlayStation Vita. Here's a round up of three more exciting games that we're looking forward to.

WipEout 2048

Featuring stunning graphics and a pumping dance soundtrack, WipEout 2048 is the prologue to Sony's futuristic racing series and sees players speeding across ten brand new tracks. Using a mixture of traditional, touch and motion controls, players navigate their ships in adrenaline-fuelled events through the streets of Nova State City in solo or multiplayer modes supporting up to eight players.

The gravity-defying racing plays out at a breakneck speed across tiered courses that show off futuristic architectural details at lower levels and modern, futuristic elements of the city at higher ones - zip between high-rises at impossible angles and scale skyscrapers before taking violent vertical plunges back towards street level. Tracks are wider than in previous series entries, making things a bit more accessible and allowing for more varied use of offensive and defensive weapons and items.

The game also offers cross-platform play with PlayStation 3 WipEout players, allowing handheld and home console owners to compete with each other. Among the current Vita software line-up, WipEout 2048 is arguably the most visually dazzling game, and the closest approximation of an existing PS3 title yet.

Everybody's Golf

The Everybody's Golf series has been one of the unsung classics of Sony's gaming library down the years, and the new PS Vita version looks set to be one of the most accessible, enjoyable editions yet.

There are a variety of visually stunning courses to play on that make excellent use of the PS Vita's touchscreen controls, motion sensor and an innovative new shot system that allows players to drive, chip and putt their way to the pin. You can tap and drag the front touchscreen to interact with each course, and use the rear touch pad for shot-aiming, making plotting your route and taking aim less fiddly and more interactive than ever before.

The game also offers all of the quirky characters, costumes and collectible items players have come to expect from the franchise, as well as a range of game modes to suit all tastes, from practicing or playing a round of golf solo to enjoying a leisurely, turn-based round with friends, or chatting with other players and getting stuck into thrilling live tournaments online via the PlayStation Network.

Unit 13

Hot on the heels of the PS Vita launch is Unit 13, arriving on 9th March and looking to be one of the standout action titles. The latest game from MAG and SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive, Unit 13, was designed from the ground up exclusively for Sony's new portable, a fast-paced, hard-hitting third person shooter which offers a unique twist on the highly competitive genre. Without a traditional single-player story or a conventional multiplayer battleground, the game focuses squarely on bite-sized, highly re-playable scenarios designed to be experienced on the go, either alone or with a friend cooperatively using Vita's voice chat functionality.

Players can choose from six operative classes with upgradeable abilities to tackle 36 standalone missions set across nine different locales, each of which is playable in any order. Objectives such as rescuing hostages, destroying weapons caches or taking down high-value targets vary in size and difficulty, ensuring there's something here for less experienced players as well as seasoned shooter fans.

The PS Vita's precision dual analogue sticks a re used to great effect, making for a comfortable, natural-feeling shooter experience, while touch controls are used to interact quickly with in-game elements, like picking up and reloading weapons, vaulting over barriers, and accessing a tactical map.

Unit 13's scoring component has been a major focus for developer Zipper, which hopes to keep players coming back on a regular basis to challenge their friends for a position at the top of the game's online leader boards. The game tracks and reports the player's virtual exploits and broadcasts them to the community, and Daily Challenges, which will bring a unique mission objective to the game every day, are also planned to keep things fresh.