In this case, my good friend Dan Lipscombe enquired as to whether I could give him any Vita RPG recommendations.

Well, of course I can!

Here goes, then. Some Vita RPGs that are either well-regarded or that I have personally enjoyed. This isn't an exhaustive list by any means!

Persona 4 Golden

This is the one everyone recommends, and with good reason; it's great. Even if you played the original Persona 4 on PlayStation 2, Golden is worth playing due to its amount of additional content and tweaked gameplay.

If you're unfamiliar with Persona 4, it's a combination of murder mystery, school life simulator, dungeon crawler and Pokemon. Taking on the role of a transfer student to a school out in the sticks of Japan, you start investigating a spate of strange murders that sees people disappearing then showing up a few days later hung upside down from television aerials. It's up to you and your school friends to discover the truth behind what is going on, which is far stranger than you might expect.

Persona 4 Golden is an excellent game that has transcended its originally niche appeal to become a truly mainstream title that most people have heard of by now. It's well worth playing through to completion — though be warned, it is long. Like, 80+ hours long, even if you don't do much of the optional side content. It's a journey well worth taking, though, and the lengthy slog makes the characters' personal journeys all that more meaningful.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth

There are three Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth games on Vita. There's no real requirement to play them in order, since they're self-contained stories that don't really have anything to do with each other, but playing them in order will give you a better understanding of the characters — plus an appreciation for how the series has continually grown, developed and changed for the better over time.

Neptunia's concept is based on anthropomorphised game consoles going about their business in the land of Gamindustri. The three games' stories veer off in different directions, but there are usually strong anti-piracy messages involved, along with commentary on not forgetting the past, the futility of fanboyism and general satire of both games industry and anime culture.

The Neptunia games are occasionally clunky, sometimes balanced questionably and not the most technically impressive games you will ever see — but my God, are they ever charming and delightful, not to mention rare examples of comedy and satire in games actually working well.

Hyperdevotion Noire

A spinoff of the main Neptunia series, Hyperdevotion Noire focuses on PlayStation personification Noire and gives the tsundere princess her own personal story. Unlike the regular Neptunia series, Noire is a strategy RPG a la Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. A wide cast of characters, each of whom personify a well-known Japanese game series (such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Resident Evil) all have unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses, and "gimmicks" in each stage force you to think a lot more strategically than "charge at the enemy and cut them down in order".

I'm not normally very good at strategy RPGs, but Noire is accessible, fun and enjoyable — plus it continues the series tradition of good humour, charm and satire, and Noire is absolutely a strong enough character to carry her own game.

Demon Gaze

If you liked old-school dungeon-crawlers on PC — I'm talking stuff like Wizardry, Lands of Lore and Might & Magic — then you might want to give Demon Gaze a shot. Creating your own custom party of adventurers, you venture forth into an array of dungeons to battle terrible demons, capture them and make use of their power.

In between your adventures, there's a delightful little soap opera going on in the inn that you and your party call your home, with a cast of colourful characters getting up to all manner of mischief. It's a lovely blend of the narrative-centric approach that more conventional Japanese RPGs tend to take, and the mechanics-centric, challenge-heavy nature of first-person "gridder" dungeon crawlers. It also has absolutely gorgeous artwork, and an unconventional but enormously catchy soundtrack that makes use of Vocaloid voice synthesisers.

Operation Abyss

I haven't actually played this one yet, but it's on my shelf; given that it's from the same folks who made Demon Gaze, though, it's a fair bet that it will be similarly good, and the people I know who have played it have enjoyed it a whole lot.

Trails in the Sky

Technically a PSP game, this is downloadable and playable on Vita, and well worth your time. Following the adventures of Estelle and her adoptive brother Joshua as they attempt to become full-fledged "Bracers" — essentially state-supported mercenaries — Trails in the Sky is a sprawling adventure with a beautifully crafted world, some wonderful writing and a fun battle system.

The game blends the sidequest-centric nature of Western RPGs with the more linear storytelling typically found in Japanese RPGs to great effect. The sidequests each have their own little stories and characters to explore, and really help the world to feel truly alive.

Criminal Girls

This one won't be for everyone due to its relatively explicit sexuality, particularly exploration of sadomasochistic themes. If you can deal with that sort of content, though — along with the fact it's very obviously a PSP port — Criminal Girls tells a fascinating tale of personal redemption for a colourful cast of characters as they come to terms with traumatic experiences from their past and attempt to move beyond them.

Criminal Girls is noteworthy for its exploration of "trust" through both its narrative and its mechanics — I wrote in more detail on this topic here.

Akiba's Trip

Not an RPG in the typical sense, Akiba's Trip is most akin to Sega's Yakuza series in that it provides an open world that covers a relatively small geographical area — in this case, Tokyo's Akihabara district — and a ton of things to do, plus a nigh-unparalleled sense of atmosphere thanks to its detailed world.

Thrown into the underworld by your discovery of — and recruitment into — the ranks of the "Synthisters" (essentially synthetic vampires), it's your job to find out where this scourge has come from and put a stop to it — while simultaneously keeping your little sister happy, taking photos for tourists and attempting to end up in the arms of one of the game's lovely leading ladies.

Akiba's Trip has fun brawler-style combat with a huge selection of upgradeable weapons ranging from baseball bats to bus stop signs and computer monitors. Combat involves smacking Synthisters around a bit until they're in a position where you can grab their clothes and rip them off them, which exposes them to sunlight and, in true vampire tradition, causes them to combust.

Steins;Gate

This isn't an RPG at all, but if you own a Vita (or PS3… or PC) and haven't read this extraordinary visual novel, you need to right now. Blending real-world urban myths (such as the legend of John Titor and questions of what CERN are really up to with that big underground particle accelerator) with a creative yet plausible interpretation of how time travel and parallel worlds might work, Steins;Gate follow the adventures of an impressively unreliable narrator as he tries his best to stop something horrible happening to someone he cares about.

Here's a full review of it.

There are tons more great RPGs and visual novels available on Vita, but I've rambled on for over 1,200 words now, so that should be enough to get you started. Hope you enjoy at least some of these!

The post 2005: Dan's List of Vita RPGs appeared first on I'm Not Doctor Who.

Here we go then. Here's how this works: I write something and offer you a series of choices. You click on what you think is the most appropriate choice and it'll take you to the next bit. Each bit is accompanied by a bit of music. Play the music while you read the bit. Stop the music before you click a link. If I was clever, I'd script it so the music would stop automatically. But I'm not, plus if you're the sort of person who is non-lazy enough to go through with this whole debacle rather than cheating, I'm sure you can cope with an extra click before a link.

EDIT: I have fixed it so you don't have to stop the music. Apparently I am clever.

EDIT: No I'm not. You still have to stop the music. Dammit! It worked in the preview. Now it doesn't. Oh well.

EDIT from 2025: At some point in the last 15 years, the music has gone astray. Apologies. I don't know where it is or what it was any more, so you'll just have to enjoy it in silence.

Here we go, then.

Unknown Time, Unknown Place

All is darkness around you. You're floating through a sea of clouds, and there's a light in the distance. You know you're dreaming, but you're not in control of where you're going. You feel that you're being drawn towards the light a bit at a time, and you know that when you reach the light, you're going to wake up. The question is, how?

How do you feel when you wake up?
Miserable.
Positive.
Super-happy!

9:00am, Your Bedroom

You wake up from your dream, slowly opening your eyes. As the world comes into focus, you remember that you're waking up alone again. You look up at the ceiling for a little while, wondering when the feelings of pain inside your soul will subside. Glancing over at the empty side of the bed, you wonder if you'll ever feel happy again.

You clamber out of bed, pull on some clothes and decide what to do with your day. You think going outside might be a good idea, so you open the door to your place and look out into the morning.

What's it like outside?
Grey and miserable.
It's OK, but not great.
It's a beautiful day!

9:00am, Your Bedroom

You wake up from your dream, slowly opening your eyes. As the world comes into focus, you remember that you're waking up alone again. But it's all right, because you have good friends, and you know that you can rely on them in this difficult time. There's a message waiting for you on your phone that one of them left for you last night after you fell asleep. It causes you to smile a little. It's nice to know that someone is thinking of you.

You clamber out of bed, pull on some clothes and decide what to do with your day. You think going outside might be a good idea, so you open the door to your place and look out into the morning.

What's it like outside?
Grey and miserable.
It's OK, but not great.
It's a beautiful day!

9:00am, Your Bedroom

You wake up from your dream, slowly opening your eyes. You look around and realise it's a new day, and it's going to be a good one. You have an immediately good feeling about the things which are going to take place throughout the course of today, and it puts you in a good mood straight away.

You leap out of bed, pull on some clothes and decide what to do with your day. You think going outside might be a good idea, so you open the door to your place and look out into the morning.

What's it like outside?
Grey and miserable.
It's OK, but not great.
It's a beautiful day!

9:30am, Your Street

You step outside and you're immediately struck by the grimness of the morning. You can't help feeling a little dejected at the sight of the slight layer of damp on everything, the misty, low-hanging clouds and the overwhelming sense of "greyness" that permeates everything. It doesn't look like it's going to be a great day.

Suddenly, your phone rings. You whip it out of your pocket and answer it.

Who's on the phone?
My mother… a family member just died.
My boss… I forgot to show up for work and I'm in big trouble.
The girl/guy I fancy.

9:30am, Your Street

You step outside. It's not a particularly unpleasant morning, but it's not an especially pleasant one, either. There's a slight breeze blowing, and there's quite a few clouds in the sky, but occasionally the sun peeps through. It looks like it might rain later, but you should be all right for a few hours at least.

Suddenly, your phone rings. You whip it out of your pocket and answer it.

Who's on the phone?
My mother… a family member just died.
My boss… I forgot to show up for work and I'm in big trouble.
The girl/guy I fancy.

9:30am, Your Street

You step outside and have to shield your eyes against the bright sunshine. It's a beautiful morning! It's warm, but there's a very slight breeze meaning that it doesn't feel too hot and humid. The sun beats down on you and warms the bare skin of your arms. The beautiful weather puts you in a great mood, and you feel ready to face whatever the day might have to throw at you.

Suddenly, your phone rings. You whip it out of your pocket and answer it.

Who's on the phone?
My mother… a family member just died.
My boss… I forgot to show up for work and I'm in big trouble.
The girl/guy I fancy.

9:35am, Your Street

You answer the phone and have an immediately bad feeling when you hear your mother's voice cracking as she says hello to you. She tells you that she has some terrible news for you, and breaks it to you gently.

You feel pangs of regret that you didn't know your family member better than you did, and you wish you'd spent more time with them. But you remember the good times, too. You'll miss them very much, but you'll never forget them.

You put the phone down with a feeling of melancholy and decide what to do next.

What do you do now?
Head to the gym to get out of this grey mood I'm in.
Head for the shops.
Meet up with some friends and hang out.

9:35am, Your Street

You answer the phone. It's a blocked number. That usually only means one thing – work. But you didn't think you were due to go in today.

As soon as you answer the phone, your boss starts yelling at you. You're in big trouble. It was a huge new product launch today, and you were supposed to be there to make sure it went smoothly. You weren't there.

You quickly race to your place of work to try and placate your boss, but they're not having any of it. Their aggression is infectious, and you end up shouting back at them. Within ten minutes, you've lost your job and are escorted off the premises.

You stand in the street looking around, still rather annoyed. You try and decide what to do next.

What do you do now?
Head to the gym to get out of this grey mood I'm in.
Head for the shops.
Meet up with some friends and hang out.

9:35am, Your Street

You answer the phone. You recognise the number as belonging to that person you like. It's unusual for them to phone you, particularly as they know you're not big on long phone conversations.

They've been thinking about you, they say. And they've come to one conclusion: that they want, no, need to see you right now. They don't mind if you're busy, though. They say they'll be waiting in the park if you do want to see them.

You put the phone down with a pleasant feeling in your stomach, and try to decide what to do next.

What do you do now?
Head to the park and meet that special someone.
Head for the shops.
Meet up with some friends and hang out.

10:15am, The Gym

You arrive at the gym, change your clothes and step through the doors. Something about the atmosphere today has you feeling pumped. You're still not in a great mood, but you feel like a good workout could snap you out of it. So you jump on the nearest machine and start hammering your body into shape.

By the time you've finished, it's got surprisingly late, and you're very tired.

Time to head home…

10:15am, The Mall

You arrive at the mall ready to do some serious shopping. It's busy, but for once everyone around you seems to be in a good mood. The infectious muzak that the mall insist on piping through their sound system is particularly noticeable today, but instead of finding it irritating, you find it to be somewhat cheering.

You emerge from several shops with a whole load of bags laden down with cool stuff. You're satisfied with your trip, but looking at your watch, you realise it's got surprisingly late.

Time to head home…

10:15am, The Coffee Shop

You call up your friends and arrange to meet them at a coffee bar you all like. When you get there, they're already waiting for you.

You all order yourselves some coffee and cakes and sit down to chew the fat. There's a lot been going on in all your respective lives, and you sit talking for hours.

Eventually, one of your friends looks startled at their watch and points out how late it's gotten.

Time to head home…

10:15am, The Park

You get to the park and are momentarily concerned that you've done something crazy, as there's no sign of the person that you like.

Then, you feel a pair of arms wrap around you from behind, and suddenly everything else ceases to matter. You turn around slowly and gaze into the eyes of this person you've been secretly desiring for all this time, and now it seems that they want you too. They smile at you and then, as if in response to an unspoken agreement, you both lean in and kiss one another. It's a magical feeling.

You spend hours together, holding hands, not caring for anything else that's going on around you. The two of you are all that matter. And it's good.

Time passes. It's getting late, and it's time to part for now.

Time to head home…

6:30pm, Your Home

You arrive back home after what's been a surprisingly long and eventful day.

You step into your lounge and turn on the lights. Although you've been alone here for a little while now, just coming back here brings you some degree of comfort. It's something that's remained constant amidst the chaos going on around you.

You sit down on your sofa and settle in for a quiet evening.

THE END.

So you get the idea, hmm? I could go on, but this post is already nearly 2000 words long. I considered adding branching paths, but that would be far too much for my little brain to handle. Maybe if I do this sort of thing again.

Hope you enjoyed it. And if you've never played Persona 4… you clearly should. Not just for the music, but because it's a great game.

The post #oneaday, Day 146: Overly Ambitious Interactive Post appeared first on I'm Not Doctor Who.