Steins;Gate – PlayStation Vita

So, I actually bought this from Europe since it was released there 3 months before the US version, and i didn’t see the point in waiting since i was about to go on vacation and i needed something to play while i was on my travels.

Anyways, this was one of the best game/Novel things I’ve played/read in forever. The "Game" is really like a novel that has voice acting and pictures. Kind of like an audio book for a comic if well i spoke fluent Japanese… But i don’t… Anyways the basic story is some college kids accidentally stumble onto a time machine or more importantly a way to send messages back in time under certain letter requirements for anyones phone number they knew. As it turns out, when the past was altered the main guy happens to be the only person able to see/witness the time shift, while everyone around him simply has their memory altered to match the new time line. So basically like any rational college students the mess with it, and the story of evil companies and tie travel unfolds from there. With out giving away any spoilers I’ll just say, on my trip I’d spend hours reading along in the story completely captured by the tale being told instead of watching HBO at my brothers place.

The game part of the game, is done through text messages. every once in a while a message will pop up, if you choose you can answer the message using one of the random looking blue words. all major plot points are controlled though the phone and not during dialogs. Took me 25 hours to get the first bad ending, and about 15+ to platinum the game with the final true ending.

The good things:

*It’s completely interesting to read, and feels great on the Vita, though it is Playstation TV compatible it was nice to have it in my hands like a good book should.

* The voice acting is amazing, even the main character that i found annoying at times really pulled his weight by the end of the game.

* Visuals were great. A nice anime style that had its own character.

* Multiple Endings that each felt right and wrong at the same time, though as with most visual novels there is the one true ending.

* Has one of the most interesting GLBT characters and scenarios if you care to really think about the paradox with the transgender character relation to gender and personality.

* Fascinating concepts in relation to time travel and parallel worlds. Made some of the messed up choices in the game really have an emotional impact on me.

* If you read faster then the speaker and the following text was simply text the speaker kept taking. made some of the screaming parts really creepy.

* two choices for skip, Skip only read parts, or skip everything. Good for when your wanting to get to the true ending.

The Blah/Bad: (Not much bad if you know what your getting yourself into here.)

* There isn’t a game here, more like a novel with a few branching paths, but there is a final true path, that does take away from the players choice since if you get the crap ending it feels like a failure rather then a choice.

*Main character is annoying and i tended to skip is dialogs until the end when he finally becomes a real person again.

* Dating sim qualities that feel forced to pad out the ending.

*Plot choices feel out of control and random rather then a real choice since most is done in text messages and using only highlighted words in the other persons message. I used a guide to get the true ending since most of it felt random out side of a very few moments that i made a real decision.

In Conclusion: I’m slightly sad i bought the UK import instead of supporting the US market, but that said I’m totally happy i read though Steins Gate and in time will read again. I completely recommend this game to anyone that’s a Danganronpa or Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward fan. Or to anyone that a big SF fan looking for a good read.

Steins;Gate is a visual novel game. When you buy this game, please know what you are getting yourself into if you do not know this genre. With that said, what it sets out to achieve, it accomplishes. As a fan of the anime, I was so glad to have seen this game getting a stateside release, though it is exclusive to Amazon. I have never read the manga so I only know the story though the anime. I enjoy this game, and so far am several hours into the game. I wish to give what I currently am playing a review, but so far I am happy to say, so great! If you have only seen the anime as I have, you’ll begin to immediately notice the addition scenes of that which may have been included in the manga (or so I have heard so far). This is great news as I love being able to get a full fleshed out experience. I have always loved sci fi stories and science, and the concept of time travel it introduces, the way it introduces it as a possibility, really makes you think of such possibilities even if one may not fully understand the science behind it.
I would like to include my PlayStation TV experience. I normally don’t see other experiences reviewed or give any information of how it plays on the PS TV and I for one love being able to switch between the TV and taking it with me on the go on my Vita. I am happy to say that it plays wonderfully on the PSTV. Where as Xblaze was definitely "Shinier" on the ps3 over Vita, this game doesn’t suffer from any apparent low res issues. Xblaze showed heavy compression. This is more akin to Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters on Vita. Both play and look wonderfully on the PSTV & Vita. I do have a recommendation if you decide to go this route, choose option/control type B instead of A. Works better when using a ps4/ps3 controller. I also like being able to see the backlog from time to time, which is easier to use with this option. One negative I do have to say is the voice audio does sound a bit more compressed, so I recommend to either keep the original volume settings or lower BGM and SE while keeping VOICE and VIDEO at maximum.

Again, I am so far loving this game, and glad to be able to see a much more featured storyline than what was featured in the anime. If you are a fan of the anime/manga or visual novels in general, I highly recommend this game on either system. For those rare out that like me who love playing on TV via the PSTV at home, and Vita on the go, the VITA version will definitely be your best bet. Just DO NOT forget to sync trophies first before turning off.

Thanks for reading.

I am not that big of a visual novel fan. Definitely not a big anime fan either. Not that big of a Japanese RPG gamer.

However this game may make me want to be more of one. And has already got me to buy 2 more visual novel ps vit games.

If you like visual novels and or anime then you need this game if you have a vita.

BIG HEADS UP THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GAMEPLAY IN A TRADITIONAL SENSE. NO TELLTALE WALKING DEAD TYPE ACTION SEQUENCES.

You dont freely walk around and your only real thing you choose to do is send and recieve emails. Or other small things on your smartphone. THIS IS ALSO THE KEY TO GETTING THE 6 DIFFERENT ENDINGS

IF THIS DOESN’T SCARE YOU OFF THEN THE REASON TO BUY THIS IS:
The phenomenal story. It is so good, thought provoking, and just fun. Think of the best book you have ever read in a handheld game. I couldnt put this down. It is about time travel and what its implications would be. What would happen if a group of extremely intelligent 18 year olds found a way to make one. I dont wanna put anything else because I dont want to spoil anything
Basically buy this game if you have any interest in visualy novels, anime, or japaneese games.
THE GAME IS ALSO ALL VOICED IN JAPANEESE WITH SUBTITLES SO IT ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE A BOOK