Video Game Review: ‘Unit 13’ Illustrates Strengths, Weaknesses of PlayStation Vita

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CHICAGO – When I had my hands-on experience with Sony’s PlayStation Vita a few weeks before its release, one of the most interesting new games was Sony’s “Unit 13,” the first shooter for the platform. It seemed to make a perfect fit for the new system as it blended traditional expectations of the third-person shooter genre with touch screen functionality and an emphasis on online play. Now that I’ve spent some time with the game at home, it still features a number of those strengths but some weaknesses of the system drag it down. It’s a good start but there’s definite room for improvement when it comes to shooters on the Vita.

HollywoodChicago.com Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0
Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Unit 13” is divided into missions, some are heavily focused on stealth while others are timed assaults on specific targets. There is little overall story to the piece as Zipper Interactive instead focuses on creating what could be called a pick-up-and-play shooter. Only have 5-10 while waiting for class to start or a bit of time on your morning commute? Don’t worry about getting too deep into the game to get out of it. The “Unit 13” experience is a bite-sized shooter game.

Unit 13
Unit 13
Photo credit: Sony

There are several categories of missions spread out over 45 assignments and six operative to choose from in playing them. There are Direct Action missions with clear objectives, health regeneration, and checkpoints. These are the closest to chapter in a traditional shooter that you’ll find in “Unit 13.” There are Covert missions, which are exactly what they sound like…get spotted and the mission ends. There are Deadline missions, which require accomplishment in a certain window of time. There are Elite missions, tougher challenges in which your health won’t regenerate. And then there are High Value Targets, which are unlockable over the course of the game (or can be unlocked through your network of friends) and require the assassination of one prime target.

Unit 13
Unit 13
Photo credit: Sony

The player uses both control sticks like they would with a traditional shooter and the mechanics of the game are sound. You can employ a very traditional control scheme or even use the Vita’s touch screen for certain shooter elements like reloading. Players build up scores on each mission for successful techniques and expertise. You’ll get more points for a head shot than random gunfire.

Like most of the PlayStation Vita launch games, “Unit 13” places a strong emphasis on the social experience. There are a number of leaderboards that allow for score comparison and open competition with friends or just whoever happens to be nearby. Players can also use NEAR, the Vita system, to compete with whoever happens to be in the area and even get missions unlocked for them. If someone in your NEAR network has opened a target, they can gift the target to you for a small amount of time. There are also daily challenges meant to amp up the competition.

As for gameplay, you’ll quickly learn that different operatives and different mission types require different skill sets but not all of them are created equal. The foundation of “Unit 13” is sound but there are some flaws in the execution. It too often feels like missions can only be accomplished in a certain manner and so they become more like lessons in memorization than strategy. There’s also zero environmental response. Don’t bother trying to shoot someone through a pot or the corner of a wall. And some of the missions seem downright glitchy at times in their placement of enemies and the odd way that the enemy A.I. responds.

Unit 13
Unit 13
Photo credit: Sony

“Unit 13” has a lot of variety on paper — six operative, five missions types, etc. — but it starts to blend together rather quickly. The mission types aren’t as distinctly different as they should be and often serve to offer annoyance more than variety. The Elite and Covert missions may be similarly structured, so why can I run in guns blazing in the former and can’t make a peep in the latter? And the A.I. is startlingly inconsistent. On one mission, the enemy will track and flank you. On another, they won’t even know you’re there even after you shoot the guy next to him.

So “Unit 13” starts to get a little boring. I love the foundation of this game — using the dual analog sticks on a portable is a shooter fan’s dream and the idea of using a touch pad to reload is wicked cool — but the missions needed to be more creatively designed. They’re all rather dull and overly familiar. The focus in developing “Unit 13” feels like it was too heavily placed on the new tricks of the Vita — the social emphasis, the touch pad, and the emphasis on quick, bite-sized action games — when a few more of the foundation of console development would have helped. Ultimately, those Vita characteristics fade away and you’re left with a very generic shooter. We’ve been here before. Now we can take it on the road.

“Unit 13” was developed by Zipper Interactive and released by Sony Computer Entertainment America on March 6th, 2012. It is rated T (Teen) and is available exclusively for the Sony PlayStation Vita.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Opinion23's picture

Great review

Good review, keep it up! I think Sony and developers need to take the emphasis out of bite-size play and give gamers more of a full experience. If I wanted to stop playing a game I can just save my progress and quit, I don’t need to have 10 to 15 minute missions. It is helpful, but I’d rather have that as extra content and not part of the main campaign.

Anonymous3234's picture

Not worth it.

This game totally sucks, don’t buy it. I was lured by all the hype before its release, after a few hours of playing it I just put it in the unplayable (suck) games. A good game is lumines although its really expensive due to the game content, and Rayman for its graphics.

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