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Cleaning up my Vita: Teslagrad


On 03/18/2016 at 01:27 PM by transmet2033

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I love my Vita, in fact the Vita could be my favorite piece of hardware of all time. It plays a selection PSOne games, PSP games, console quality games and a crap-ton of indies. Essentially, the Vita plays all my favorite games.Shortly after I picked up my Vita, Best Buy had a deal of 32gb memory cards for $45. As I assume you know, that is a steal because the retail price for the 32gb is $99. Well, even with a 32gb memory card I have run out of space. I have over 60 games downloaded on my Vita at the moment, with plenty more on my download list and even more coming in the future. I know Salt & Sanctuary just came out on PS4 this week, but I would rather play it on Vita. Bastion, Axiom Verge, and Volume are in the same boat. I just prefer indie games on the Vita.

Either way, I have a ton of games on my Vita and I want to slowly work through them. I need more space. So, I have decided to try and start up a new series, "cleaning up my Vita." The idea is that I will be playing through, or at least giving these games a chance and then coming here and giving some impressions.

The first game I have to talk about is Teslagrad. I had just finished up something, and was looking for something new to play. The bubble icon intrigued me and I knew that I had never booted it up, so I went for it. Teslagrad is a pretty standard puzzle platformer. It is not set up as individual levels, you have a map to explore and can return to areas if you want to/ need to. I am always a sucker for games with that set-up, anything that reminds me of Metroid or the post-PSOne Castlevania games. So, each room is it's own puzzle and you have to figure out how to get to the next room. Throughout the course of the game there are pieces of equipment you acquire to explore the tower further. There are also some boss fights strewn in for good measure.

I did not beat the game, but I am definitely done with it for the foreseeable future, possibly forever. There are moments when the game expects too much of the player. Boss fights suck because they require pattern memorization and sometimes go on a few rounds past where they logically should end. Why the hell does one boss require 3 hits to beat, the next requires 4, then the next 3, and the last one I beat was up to 6 or something. Come on, be a little more consistent. My other big issue is with one or two puzzles, where it seems as though you need precision platforming and timing... and that drove me up a wall, so I am done with it.

Here are two screens that nearly pushed me over the edge.  You have to move to the upper right section of the screens, and I had such issues getting timing perfect.

I know that I am probably coming off as if I hate the game and it is not worth your time.  There are plenty of clever puzzles and exploring the tower is loads of fun.  I just wish that they had gone over those boss battles one last time before they shipped the game and just left out some of the puzzles that required more finesse.  Check it out, there is a good chance it's already in your PS+ backlog.


 

Comments

Cary Woodham

03/18/2016 at 02:50 PM

I got a Vita for Christmas.  In fact, I just wrote a blog about one of the Vita games I've been playing recently, so please go check it out if you get a chance.

I just finished another Vita game called Tearaway and LOVED it.  It kind of helped sell me on a PS4 since there is a Tearaway game on that system, too, but I'm not in the market for a new console right now anyway. So it can wait.

I just started Gravity Rush.  So far I'm not liking it as much as Tearaway, but I only just got started, so I won't judge it yet.

After I finish playing the Vita games I've got, I plan on writing another blog about them, but that may not be for another couple of months.

Are there any Vita games that you know of that you think I'd like?

Casey Curran Staff Writer

03/18/2016 at 10:52 PM

Danganropa might be worth a look since from what I heard the series borrows very heavily from Ace Attorney

transmet2033

03/18/2016 at 11:25 PM

Tearaway was one of my favorite games of that year.

Rogue Legacy was a perfect fit for the Vita.  I haven't played it yet, but the WayForward remake of A Boy and his Blob is on Vita.  I find the screen to be perfect for replaying PSOne era RPGs.  I can't think of anything else at the moment...  I will have to look at my trophy list later.

Cary Woodham

03/21/2016 at 09:57 AM

I didn't know A Boy and His Blob was on the Vita.  I have it on the Wii.

transmet2033

03/21/2016 at 11:03 AM

It just came out a month or so ago

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/18/2016 at 03:12 PM

I have this for PS+ on PS4. I got stuck a bit early and decided never to play it again.

transmet2033

03/18/2016 at 11:18 PM

Nowadays with time being such a precious commodity, of I were in your shoes I would have quit and deleted it immediately...  Well time and hard drive space being precious commodities.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/19/2016 at 12:00 AM

I did. I still have access via PS+, but it's not on my hard drive ... not that it took up more than a few MB ... 

KnightDriver

03/18/2016 at 04:33 PM

I'm not big on memory anymore for consoles or handhelds. The game is always up there on the cloud (or rather the license for it is) so I can redownload it anytime I want. I don't need to have everything installed all the time. Still, the memory that came with my Vita is seriously tiny. I'd like to get some more space so I don't have to erase something every time I buy something new, but the prices are too rediculous to consider right now.

transmet2033

03/18/2016 at 11:20 PM

I am still wrestling with the thought that I can just download the games again if I want to play them again.  I am certain I am done with Mad Max on ps4, but I haven't deleted it yet, just in case I want to put more time into it.

KnightDriver

03/19/2016 at 04:23 PM

Yea, I leave 'em there 'til I really need the space. You never know.

mothman

03/18/2016 at 05:39 PM

I have both a 16 and 8 GB card for my PS TV and both are full. If I ever get a Vita I have a ton of PSN+ games for it. I almost bought a used one the other day for $135 but they didn't have any first gen models left and that's the one I want.

transmet2033

03/18/2016 at 11:17 PM

I appreciate my original Vita, but I would be curious to see if how the OLED really compares to the LED for myself.  I am sure there are plenty of benefits to having the second generation Vita.  Part of me wants a backup Vita, and if I get one, I want a colored one.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/19/2016 at 12:03 AM

I kinda wish PS+ would just automatically put these games in my library each month. I have to get on my laptop just to claim the PS3 and Vita titles. I feel like those and the PS4 titles should just automatically be in my library as long as I have a PS+ sub. 

Homelessrook

03/18/2016 at 08:40 PM

I love my Vita. I think it is a great hand-held system.

transmet2033

03/18/2016 at 11:14 PM

It is everything I wanted out of the PSP and so much more.  That second analog makes all the difference in the world.

Homelessrook

03/19/2016 at 08:35 AM

I could not agree more. I think it is sad that most retail stores are pulling support for the Vita, which I am not sure if that is Sony's dicision or not. Luckily Game Stop still carries them, with new games coming out all the time. I preoredered Assaisans Creed Chronicles because it looks like it will be better on the handheld.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

03/18/2016 at 10:53 PM

I wish I had more reasons to like my Vita. There's just not enough original software on it for me personally. I end up playing my 3DS a lot more

transmet2033

03/18/2016 at 11:13 PM

I had to give up trying to keep track of Indies on the PC.  Nowadays I don't even bother with an indie game unless it is on Vita.  I know I am missing out on a lot of great stuff, but I don't have time or patience to play them on PC.  Indies are one of the biggest reasons I love the Vita.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

03/18/2016 at 11:52 PM

There's a better solution than just waiting for indies to hit Vita. It's called occasionally listening to Blake's ramblings

transmet2033

03/21/2016 at 11:09 AM

I do normally listen/read Blake's ramblings, but for some reason he seems to sell me on games, even if he hates them.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/19/2016 at 05:28 AM

I love my vita too, it's a great piece of hardware, and I love holding it, but I'm more into RPG's and stuff so it's library is kind of lackluster.  I love playing my psone games, don't get me wrong, I just wish there was more original content.

transmet2033

03/20/2016 at 01:35 PM

I really wish Nintendo would move away from the dual screen crap.  I enjoyed yhe DS and 3DS a lot, but the shape and weight of the consoles turns me off right now.  

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/20/2016 at 02:04 PM

you know I was kind of thinking the same thing, but about the mobile versions of Dragonquest 4,5,6, which still have the dual screens from the DS versions they're ported from, but vertical on the phone/tablet.  Kind of a lame way to port things. 

transmet2033

03/21/2016 at 11:10 AM

That is so dumb.

daftman

03/20/2016 at 11:44 AM

I should really do this too. I don't have a ton of stuff downloaded (maybe two dozen games, tops) but my backlog is full of stuff just waiting for me to have time for them. Have you played Velocity Ultra and Velocity 2X? I absolutely loved this games on the Vita. Got them both through PS+

transmet2033

03/20/2016 at 01:37 PM

Yep, I have both of them on my Vita right now.  I think I finished up through level 43 or so of the first game, set it down and am having difficulty getting back into the swing of things to officially cross the game off my list.

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