Friday 10s: The ten best Vita games

Everyone likes a top-10 list. They're a bit of fun, and always good for discussion. We haven't done lists for a while at Digitally Downloaded, but then I thought to myself "what better way to pass away some time on a Friday afternoon than with a little list?"

And so, welcome to a new regular feature we'll be running. Each week we'll pull together a "top ten" list. These are here for fun and laughs - we're not pretending that we're the authority of good games taste in the world and this is purely the author's preferences. Agree with him/ her or not, it's all good. We'd love to hear your own personal preferences in the comments below the list. But please do be civil. We're all friends here.

And so to kick off this series of lists; the finest ten Vita games. It's no secret that we at Digitally Downloaded love Sony's sadly-ignored console that could. Claims that it lacks for great games to play are completely incorrect; there are a lot of great Vita games and narrowing it down to a top ten was hard.

But here is my personal list of ten best Vita games:

10. Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation. This game was not in the same league as its big console cousin, but AC3: Liberation had some great things going for it. It had a nice dual-setting in the Swampland and New Orleans, and more importantly it had one of the more interesting AC characters in Aveline. I would like to see her return for some more adventures in the future, because there's potential in that character to be something big.

9. Lumines Electronic Symphony. This launch Vita game is still one of my favourites. An incredible, pulsating soundtrack merged with some tight, engaging gameplay make for the console's finest puzzle game. Understated (but undeniably cool) visual themes also combine with some excellent online leaderboard modes to make for a seriously compelling game that can last hours upon hours once you get going.

8. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus. This might be "just" a port of a really old game, but it is a fine port of a really old classic. Ninja Gaiden back in the day was rock-hard, but endlessly rewarding and the simple stories were told with real flair. Sigma Plus is intense, stylish and genuinely challenging; the perfect travel companion, really.

7. Dynasty Warriors Next. I make no apologies for being a fan of Dynasty Warriors. These games are like chocolate for me - sure they're not fine dining, but they're damned fun to consume. Dynasty Warriors Next is by far the finest handheld game in the series produced. From a tight campaign mode to a really neat twist on the Risk board game formula in the conquest mode, there's more than enough content in this game to last for weeks.

6. Ragnarok Odyssey. While critics were divided by this game, it genuinely blew me away for its clever remix of the basic Monster Hunter formula. The endless cycle of looting, upgrading and taking on even bigger bosses is a perfect fit for the handheld format, and given that the Vita doesn't have a Monster Hunter game (unless you venture into the PSP section of the PSN), Ragnarok Odyssey is a nice alternative to scratch that particular itch.

5. Pure Chess. I like Chess. It's a relaxing way to engage the brain between the big action blockbusters, and VooFoo's Pure Chess is one of the finest recreations of the game. From the DLC chess sets that allow you to customise your play experience in a way that other Chess games haven't in the past, to the chilled lounge music and the play-by-email multiplayer, Pure Chess checks of all the boxes to provide an easily accessible Chess experience. The AI's not bad either.

4. New Little King's Story. Little King's Story is a tale of tragedy. Woefully underappreciated on the Wii, it was then ported to the Vita, a console that is woefully underappreciated. While I somehow doubt this game sold millions of copies, it's an impressively-deep little strategy/ simulation mix, with a great Japanese sense of humour and more charm than anything else currently on the Vita. If you've yet to play this game in some form, consider it essential.

3. Zen Pinball 2. The game's just become even better value with the Star Wars tables, but Zen Pinball was essential before it. With dozens of tables to play on, comprehensive leaderboards, and cross compatibility with the PlayStation 3 game, it's hard to imagine this game ever losing its appeal with me. It works better on the Vita though because the nature of pinball as an arcade style of play makes on-the-go the best way to experience it.

2. Persona 4 Golden. A port of one of the finest PlayStation 2 JRPGs, Persona 4 comes to the Vita with useful little online features to complement an incredibly-deep RPG experience. You'll be looking at around 90 hours play to work though this game, and every moment is time well spent. This is one of the few Vita games where I've managed to play it for so long in one sitting that my battery has died.

1. Gravity Rush. What else could my #1 game be? The first big Vita exclusive game was a marvel in just about every way. It featured one of the most interesting open worlds I've ever seen, one of the most interesting leading ladies ever created for a game, and a really wonderful gravity mechanic that opened up all kinds of interesting gameplay possibilities. If there is a game worth buying a Vita solely for, it's this one.

So, what are your favourite Vita games?