Ben-DutkaZipper Interactive knows how to make a great shooter. Known for their SOCOM and MAG efforts, this studio puts a ton of effort into every new project, and Unit 13 for the PlayStation Vita is no different. They are embracing the Vita’s NEAR function and giving gamers more choice as they work through 36 unique levels. It’s not a story-driven adventure; it’s more about slick, addictive, nonstop action.
Perhaps most interesting is the fact that progression isn’t traditional. Rather than going through and completing one level and tackling the next, Zipper is giving you the chance to skip around. So after finishing one stage, you can either move on to the next stage, or opt to start further on down the path. And as I just said, we’re not talking about heavy plot and character development; each mission is its own self-contained little nugget of military goodness, so feel free to attack the 36 levels in any order you wish. Not open-ended, but not restrictive, either.
The Vita’s NEAR feature will let your friends track your success; after every completed mission, your score is available to your buddies. The cool part is that once your score has been tallied, your friends can play that mission and attempt to beat your score, regardless of their own progress in the game. In this way, you can all help each other. Worldwide leaderboards will track your scores, too, and fresh daily challenges will pop up that will give you a chance to shine. They really want to keep you involved!
As for the gameplay itself, we’ll be looking at a pretty standard third-person shooter format, which should work very well with the dual analog sticks. There’s a cover mechanic, some environmental interaction (exploding barrels, for instance), and a class system, where each class comes equipped with different weapons and skills. Therefore, as is typically the case with Zipper’s products, there should be plenty of customization and freedom when it comes to character load-out and how one approaches each mission.
If you’re wondering about the touchscreens, yeah, you use them. But they aren’t the focal point of the gameplay; in other words, you’ll rely on the analog sticks for the basic, critical controls. But you’ll be able to use the front and rear touchpads to cycle through your weapons, and other functions may be mapped to the touchscreens as well. Overall, there’s no doubt that Unit 13 will satisfy those who love to compete with their friends; it’s not exactly MAG , but many of the same theories are in place. Above all else is this— playing all by your lonesome just isn’t as much fun.
And don’t forget about two-player co-op!
out of all the vita titles, this one makes me want a vita the least!
looks extremely rushed, boring, mediocre and the same old same old.
dont we have enough military shooters already!?
their crappy attempt at SOCOM 4 has not exactly filled me with confidence about their abilities either……….
and MAG was not exactly a massive hit.
The way Zipper stopped supporting MAG after only a year and a few months after release is why I will never buy one of their games again. MAG was a great game and a technical leap forward for shooters, but they made the mistake of catering to the novice players and then suddenly just stopped supporting it in anyway. If it wasn't online only then I probably wouldn't be as mad, however it is online only and to me showed they don't care for their customers. Zipper is close to the top of my bad developers list which is a shame because they have done great things in the past but for whatever reason they just don't seem to care anymore.
To no name I think MAG was a hit for the most part. They tried doing something that just about every gamer said was impossible(256 players on one board) and made it work. It is the game I and many other players use to judge shooters against now. It also didn't gain much praise from the gaming community because its graphics were definitely not upto par with many other games this gen, but it made up for it with a deep strategy element. Me personally I will take gameplay over graphics anyday. And I still play MAG to this day even though Zipper has essentially let it fall apart.
I'm intrigued by this this title, I was one of the few people that thoroughly enjoyed Socom 4.
The videos for Unit 13 look alot like Socom, so I'm sure it'll be to my liking. I'm a little bummed that they don't have online competitve play though. Socom 4's campaign was pretty blah, and its alot more enjoyable playing against human opponents.
You want human opponents? Join the army
Joining the Army doesn't guarantee I will see infantry combat.
Playing a video game with an online competitive mode does.
Duh.