PS Vita has nicely settled into a niche in the last year and a half or so: if you’re into indies and JRPGs, this is the machine for you. If you like anything else, the library might be a bit lacking. And if you’re into shooters, your options are a bit limited: the forgettable Resistance: Burning Skies, the equally bland Unit 13, the undeniably awful Call of Duty Black Ops Declassified (it should have stayed classified) and the absolutely magnificent Killzone: Mercenary.
And that is it, more or less. Or was, at least. Action Mobile Games have ported their iOS shooter to Vita, and after running and gunning through its campaign, I can confidently say that it has made the jump to our beloved handheld rather gracefully.
Now, let’s get something out of the way: this isn’t a “grand” experience. This isn’t endless hours of exploring and a deep campaign with amazing multiplayer to follow. This is a $5 (at launch), 5-hour 3rd person shooter that is unapologetically simple, but in the end, quite fun.
The story isn’t much to shout home about: Al-Qaeda has released a virus that turns people into zombies. Your job, at first, is to find and rescue a team of fellow mercenaries. This quickly evolves into securing a location for an extraction after having acquired the much-needed supplies for survivors. That’s it.
You’re guided through this story by the only voice-actor in the game. His performance isn’t amazing, but it isn’t awful, either. Graphics are pretty decent, specially for an iOS port. There is enough enemy variety (for a 5-hour game) that it feels diverse, and locations vary from claustrophobic corridors to open spaces. Music is non-intrusive, and sound effects are par for the course.
Where, for me at least, this game shines, is in the game play. Have you ever just wanted to relax after a long day at work by… shooting stuff that deserves it? For me, it used to be Nazis in WWII first person shooters, but sadly, they don’t make those anymore. Flesh eating zombies come a close second, though, and this game delivers that in spades.
Tight aiming, decent movement through the world, and a wide (again, for a 5-hour game) array of weapons make this little shooter the gaming equivalent of a Fast and Furious movie: it’s no Citizen Kane (or Fallout 3), but it’s a hell of a good, mindless time. The In-App purchases have been removed, and so has the multiplayer (although I don’t miss it much).
Another positive for this game is that it’s priced according to what it is. A lot of games, even other iOS ports, come to PS Vita with a huge console tax (I’ve seen mobile games that cost $1 come to Vita for $15). Instead, 2013: Infected Wars says: “Hey, I’m a fun, short little shooter that came from the iOS hood. I’m five-bucks-for-five-hours’ worth of fun. Take it or leave it”.
And you know what? I took it. And I’m really glad I did.
Marcos Codas
At A Glance
- Title: 2013: Infected Wars
- Publisher: Action Mobile Games
- Developer: Action Mobile Games
- System: PS Vita
- Format: Digital Download
- Cross Buy: No
- Cross Play: No
- Local Multiplayer: No
- Online Multiplayer: No
- Memory Card Space Needed: 778Mb
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