PlayStation Now has been out and about for a few months now. It first launched in the US before hopping the pond to the UK. North American players have been able to pay a monthly fee for their fix of PS3 classics via the streaming service, but the people of Blighty have had to settle for the expensive rentals if they wanted to play some older games on their newer machines.
That all changed a couple of days ago as Sony pushed out the subscription service for PS Now. It’ll cost you £12.99 a month, but you do get a free week to give it a go and see if it’s for you. It won’t be for everyone, but for those with capable broadband and a few compatible gadgets, it’s bound to worth the price.
There’s around 100 game included as part of the PS Now UK subscription, so a few less than our colonial cousins, but expect that list to grow as Sony works with publishers to get more games out onto the service.
We’ve previously given PS Now a short review, but we were mainly focussed on how it worked. Today we’re going to be looking at how it works with the PS Vita. The PS Vita is a handy little console, but unfortunately it’s not being given the love it deserves. With PS Now it’s possible to claw back some gaming hours on the machine, but you’ll have to be careful as to which titles you want to play specifically on your Vita as not every game plays that great. Why? In a word: controls.
The PS Vita is lacking the R2, L2, R3 and L3 buttons which makes some games a damn nightmare to play through. You can also rule out most first-person shooters, too. The Vita’s analogue sticks are decent, but they’re just not on par with what you’ll be used to on a native controller. So, now that we’ve waffled long enough to gauge your interest, here’s our list of 10 PS Now games to play on the Vita that are all part of your monthly subscription.
inFamous (inFamous 2, inFamous: Festival of Blood)
The inFamous games on PS3 were pretty good for their time, even if they were a little difficult. Gameplay translates well to the PS Vita’s screen and controls are easy enough to deal with, though you’ll still have to tap the touchscreen/backpad dependent on your preferred control scheme.
Crazy Taxi
Crrrrrrrrazy Taxi! Yes, the classic arcade game from your childhood can now be streamed by the magic of the internet to your PS Vita. It’s a buzzing little game and it plays nicely on the Vita, even though you’ll use the backpad for accelerating and reversing, it’s not too bad as you’re not constantly going between the two.
Killzone 3
Yes, we said shooters were out of the question, but we’ll make an exception for this one as we’ve found a way of actually making it a bit better. You can use the triggers for aiming and firing (thank god) but you’ll have to use the backpad for your other triggers and stick buttons. It works well enough and is definitely playable, but you’ll want to turn down the aiming sensitivity in the menus as the PS Vita’s little sticks send the reticule all over the place with the tiniest of nudges.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Sly’s latest outing is a blast on the Vita using PS Now. It controls well enough and it looks great, but for the perfect experience we’d recommend just getting the game natively on the PS Vita. It’s pretty cheap on the PSN.
The Last of Us
Yes, The Last of Us. It’s been out for a while now, but if you’ve somehow managed to not buy into Naughty Dog’s moving tale then you can get it as part of your sub. It runs nicely and still looks pretty bloody good.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Pretty much the same dealio as The Last of Us. Not a bad idea to give this one a go if you’ve still not got Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4.
Pure Chess
What better way to tease the brain than to play chess? It’s a really chilled out game and the controls are a non-issue here. Great for grannies, great for gamers.
GRID 2
GRID 2 is a solid racer by any standard, so it’s great news that it’s an excellent experience on the PS Vita. Thankfully, GRID 2 also allows custom player controls, meaning you can switch the accelerate/brake controls to any button on the PS Vita, which is handy for those who despise using the rear touchpad.
God of War (II, III & Ascension)
Sony Santa Monica’s bald bad-arse looks and plays great on the PS Vita. Of course, we do have the option to buy the collection that was released specifically for the handheld, but when the originals run a lot smoother it’s an easy decision to go with PS Now.
Pixel Junk Monsters
Fans of the tower-defense genre need to give this one a look if they already haven’t. It’s also a great fit for the PS Vita and PS Now, though the PS Vita native version does come with all DLC and extra challenges, so it may be worth trying it out as an extended demo using PS Now before going in for the full game on the Vita.
Have you been taking advantage of PS Now on your PS Vita? What games are you playing through on the handheld, and more importantly, do they play nicely? Let us know down in the comments.