Got my Vita a few weeks ago, just so I could play Virtue’s Last Reward and Persona 4: Golden and so far I’d say that VLR singlehandedly has warranted that purchase. I had some pretty big expectations going in and it’s delivering in pretty much every area.

My favorite additions compared to 999 are the voice acting, which is very good all around (glad I imported the US version, as I prefer English voices for games and anime) and my other favorite addition is the flow chart. I could be wrong, but I mostly see that system in Japanese games (what with their love for multiple endings and all) and it’s fucking awesome. That was definitely one of the only weak points about 999; having to solve the same puzzles and read the same dialogue over and over again.

Besides VLR, I’m currently going through the PSP library, as I missed that entire generation of games. So far I’ve purchased Persona 3 Portable (to begin with in preparation for P4G, but it’s actually better than I expected having only previously tried P4 for PS2 and fearing it would feel like too big of a step back, but it doesn’t), Valkyria Chronicles II (the original for PS3 is still one of my favorite games on that system) and Corpse Party, which I haven’t gotten that far into, but it seems awesome.

Anyway, to sum it up: sold my 3DS for the Vita and I don’t regret a thing. It’s just a much better system and region free games is awesome, because I tend to like weird, niché titles that rarely see the light of day in Europe. Like the upcoming DJMax Technika Tune, which looks wonderfully Japanese.

I’m usually not a fan of cosplay, but stumbling upon this amazing photo of Junpei (of the visual novel 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors) just made my day. The rest of the set is really good too.

I beat the game the other day and I’m currently making my way through the other endings and hopefully I’ll finally get to see the true ending in the near future. Either way, even with a very abrupt ending thus far, it’s still my favorite gaming experience on the DS, even counting my 3DS games Tales of the Abyss and Kid Icarus, which I love, so that’s saying a lot. I thought replaying the game would be a chore, but so far my second playthrough has been almost as rewarding as the first time as I’m learning so much more about different characters, though of course I expect this to lessen as I get more endings.

Please get released in Europe.

As a huge fan of visual novels the first game I bought (after picking up Kid Icarus with the 3DS console) was 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. Kid Icarus may be copious amounts of fun, but 999’s story and writing has already gripped me like few games have or any other medium, which is just amazing considering the fact that there’s very little interaction going on. I’m basically reading lots of text accompanied by a couple of nearly static images and the atmosphere is just unbelievable. I think the visual novel genre may actually work better on a handheld, since it’s more intimate in a way.

Anyway, I urge you to pick this game up if you haven’t already. I even wrote an email to Ghostlight and Rising Star Games basically begging either of them to bring the sequel (of sorts) Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward to Europe as it’s already been announced for North America and will be released later this year. If you’ve already played and loved 999 I hope you’ll send them an email too.

For the uninitiated, a visual novel is basically an interactive choose your own adventure story with occasional music and voice acting. Imabikisō, released a few years ago, looks particular interesting with its realistic visuals instead of the usual anime-style that most visual novels have.