So I picked up Killzone Mercenary for the PS Vita two days ago...here are some screenshots.
(http://www.opticraft.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.gamezone.com%2Fuploads%2Fimage%2Fdata%2F1150801%2FKillzone-Mercenary-2.jpg&hash=bfe21dab77143915379c56d118ecb770)
(http://www.opticraft.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fy2MK545.jpg&hash=4382b4f9d22fa284bf21d3c757aa5b5a)
(http://www.opticraft.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fgearnuke.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F10%2Fkillzone-mercenary-1.jpg%3Fresize%3D798%252C452&hash=29f44bc35977b6597554809c9cfe695c)
And yes, the game maintains a fluent framerate. If anyone wants to see ingame flowers on this they can. Because flowers.
Let me restate this: This is a PS Vita game. Not a console game, but a handheld portable game. The PS Vita is said to have slightly better hardware than a PS2. This game can run these graphics and a little more with a steady frame rate. For the record, this game is actually loads of fun.
But I'm not here to just say "these graphics are cool" and leave it at that. Can we all just take a moment to realize how far portable gaming has come? To remember the times when we were AMAZED at the new portable nintendo system that had color? To remember when we heard of a new portable system that had the power of a SNES? 3D graphics? We could play games like Super Mario 64 (and I do happen to have that port) on the go, or when we just want to lay on our bed and relax. And then there's this talk about how games could be played with other people. But this was not just multiplayer. It was multiplayer with people miles away from your home on another console. And this very technology was being brought to you not just at home, but wherever you were at.
Remember when on the PS2 you could play massive Battlefront II matches with other players around the world? When Ratchet and Clank broke the restraints set by technology to go beyond your home? Well it's not just on a giant PS2/3/4/XB/360/1 anymore. This is happening on something much more compact. And you can still have beautiful looking games such as this, with all the basic features PSN has to offer (friends, trophies, and even party chat. Seriously? You couldn't even put the smallest amount of RAM for party chat on the PS3?). But of course, not all games are easy. If you need to know the best team you can have to be the best you possibly can in Pokemon. You just go to your computer and look it up. But when you can't figure out how to open up the vents for the secondary contract in Killzone like I did yesterday, I had an internet browser right there. Pause the game, go to the home screen and tap browser. No progress is lost, and when you return you have an idea of what you're doing, and you haven't lost any progress from having to shut down the game to use the browser.
And now our phones aren't just loaded with 3 cell phone numbers and Snake anymore (although if you like it like that, that's still an option). Our phones are capable of bringing us worlds like cheep cheeps flying through warp pipes in a world riddled with lawsuit threats. It is capable of running games about not playing, but instead watching your carrots grow, and your cows and your farm...okay, on a more serious note App Store games are everywhere. Some great, some not, few amazing. Anyone else know what EliminatePro was before it was shut down? Never before (and after) did I ever actually play an iPhone game and actually enjoy it as a hardcore gaming game or however you want to comprehend those few words. I mean, there are some other great games that get close to it (Battle Bears is great, Infinity Blade brings us some insane graphics, Call of Mini does good knock offs for us with Infinity being the closest thing to Halo other than what was EliminatePro) but the main point about mobile games on a phone is how much potential there is to it. If someone brings up the NVIDIA Shield and knows more about it than I do they can. Also, the aforementioned device not only plays games on (I believe it runs on Android, not sure), but it can actually play games along with your computer. We have seen other examples of this with the PS vita as well. Cross Play, anyone? This handheld device will actually play games and stream them straight to your PS3/4 so when you are at home, there's always another option to enhance your experience even further. Want to further look at the details of what you have on your PS3/4 right now? Why not try using the Vita as a second screen? And in fact, why not just put those games directly onto the Vita (PSASBR, Sly 4, Worms) so you can just keep playing after you're done with the PS3/4?
So after you're done reading this wall of text whether you skipped all of it or not, let me just make my final point that closes up this huge little rant: Mobile gaming has an amazing future ahead of it and it's incredible how far such technology has come with abilities such as the beautiful screenshots you just saw of Killzone. And yet we have so much more to see in the future.
So what are your thoughts on mobile gaming? Share below, I am interested to hear what you guys think. And if anyone knows about the NVIDIA Shield they can still explain it here.