Because I'll be leaving home for a few months until January, my Vita will become the only platform available to me for a while. After replaying some Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I realized that what I really wanted from my Vita would be the same type of exploratory/adventure game in that same type of glorious open world if possible.

Have any recommendations?

I think sadly for Vita games you might be out of luck, but maybe there are some PSone or PSP games you could download to play. I can't think off hand of any exploring/adventure games that were made for the Vita.

Gravity Rush, maybe? Haven't played it but I know there are some open world elements.

@csl316: Yeah, I've played some of it and it's pretty enjoyable. I'll definitely finish it, although the world feels pretty devoid of danger sometimes. I'll have to give it another solid go though.

@themessibeast: The real danger is if somebody finds out you bought the french maid dlc.

I suppose Tearaway would be the obvious recommendation. One Piece: Unlimited World Red might suit you as well, and Ys: Memories of Celceta if you don't mind something a bit more stats heavy and RPG-ish. Well, and there's still Assassin's Creed Liberation, though it's a flawed game and quite different in style.

Do Metroidvania-type games count? If so, Guacamelee is a great game. Knytt too is supposedly a game of the Metroidvania ilk. I've bought it off a sale, but didn't get around to it yet. I've heard good things though.

Another game I suppose is about exploration might be Spelunky. Own it, didn't get around to it yet either. There's loads of fans of it on these boards though, so I guess if *Exploration* is a prominent concept in Spelunky, it will be named by someone more versed in it than me soon.

Out of the like 1000 titles strong catalogue of games compatible with the Vita, there's bound to be lots of exploration-heavy games, I'd be willing to bet.

Guacamelee! maybe?

@seppli: I enjoyed Knytt Underground a lot, but it is definitely a divisive game. The story is kinda meh and dialogue poor, and it just dumps you on this gigantic map with few directions after the opening chapters. You kinda have to make your own fun with that one. It's also 2D, so I wasn't sure if that was something that would interest the OP.

Spelunky and Guacamelee, I guess. I haven't played either but both have big exploration elements.

Ys: Memories of Celceta is quite literally about filling in a map. It's also about finding the protagonist's lost memories. It's also not a bad action-RPG, but it's really frame-y and really grind-y and the story is fairly bland. I wasn't its biggest fan but a lot of people liked it.

Minecraft is coming to the Vita eventually. Terraria already is on the Vita. Its controls seemed like they would take some time to get used to, though.

Your best bet is probably a PSP or PS1 game.

try midnight club 3 dub edition (PSP game)

also assassin's creed liberation (vita game)

I don't own a vita but the reason I like PSP is precisely because you explore worlds in it unlike DS

Guacamelee is definitely something I've been looking at (and I currently own Spelunky), but like @blacklagoon mentioned, I'd really like a 3d game if possible. I'm not interested in AC Liberations cause I've played that series to nausea now, Knytt looks interesting but not enough and not 3d (I'm super picky), and I'm probably not gonna get Ys because I've still got to play through all of P4G, and that'll probably be enough rpg action for me. I guess I've realized that I sort of just want a 3d Legend of Zelda type game on Vita.

@egg: I guess you probably won't know how it compares to NFS Most Wanted cause you don't own a vita? I've heard good things a bout Most Wanted, and Midnight club looks interesting too.

Aside from the strange controls, Terraria on the Vita has all the bells and whistles of the PC version. You could easily sink a decent amount of time into that game. And while I haven't played them, I've heard decent things about GTA: Vice City Stories on the PSP (which I'm sure you can download on the Vita).

Obvious choices here is the FFX | X-2 collection. So far I've sunk over 250 hours into both games combined on my Vita, and I only need 4 more trophies to platinum both games (and they're all in Last Mission.... fuck you Last Mission)

Dragon's Crown has an overworld style of adventure game, and you can easily sink tons of hours into it by progressing up the difficulty.

Tearaway is really great, but it's also super short so don't expect it to last you very long.

Ys: Memories of Celceta is supposed to be pretty good too.

most wanted is one the vita games I'm interested in, but I know nothing about the vita version. But even if it isn't open world like Midnight Club is I'd still probably be interested in it.

@themessibeast: Keep in mind that Ys is a (real time) action RPG, not turn-based like Persona 4, which is why I recommended it.

I think a PS1 classic is the best bet for that sort of games on the Vita. Chrono Cross or Alundra, maybe? I would recommend Tomba 2 (and Knytt Underground too!) but they're side-scrollers.

Edit: for some reason I remember Alundra being 3D. My memory of the PS1 era is so fuzzy!

Ys 7, Ys Oath in Felghana and Ys Celceta are good picks for what you are looking for.

I would also recommend Toukiden. It's definitely a Monster Hunter clone but a very accessible one. Faster and simpler combat but very rewarding battles. Plus it's one of the few games that run in native resolution on the Vita. There is a demo on the store, which you can transfer progress to the main game if you decide to get it.

FFX is not the "obvious choice". It has randomly triggered encounters which is 1) disruptive to the act of exploration and 2) ruining to the sense of immersion / being there because you are constantly being yanked away. Not to mention 3) in 2014 nobody should buy a game with randomly triggered encounters regardless, and doing so automatically makes you a bad person, and in moral debt equal to whatever the price paid for the game.

The Ys games, the GTA games, Assassins Creed Liberation/Bloodlines, the Midnight Club games, Monster Hunter style games, action RPGs, Gravity Rush, Medal of Honor Heroes or various shooters, and Daxter are all reasonable suggestions.

Alundra is great but it's more A Link to the Past than Ocarina of Time.

And if you haven't played them, then the Metal Gear Solid games might interest you, particularly 3. They're nothing like Zelda, but they have some incredibly detailed environments which are fun to explore.

I've taken a look at Alundra and it looks very appealing! I'm also thinking about Grandia however (I know I said that I wasn't really interested in another RPG, but I've only read good things about this classic). So, now I ask you guys the tough question about how you think the two games compare? I only have cash to buy one of them, so if you've played either, both, or heard things, I'd really appreciate the advice.

The only reason I haven't bought Chrono Cross is just the price, and I'm tearing up ever since I realized that I missed it in the golden week sale.

@blacklagoon: As for Ys, I'll probably wait for the price to go down, but now I'm definitely much more interested. Idea of filling in a big world as you explore sounds cool as well.

@audiobusting: Alundra 2 was 3D if i remember right

And you're a bad person for trying to push Ass Creed Liberation onto OP. That game is horrible. I know you said you haven't played it but you're still at fault here. Be gone!

Terraria's not bad, although I haven't given enough time to it to get used to the interface. People who have spent a bunch of time with it really seem to like it, though.

I haven't played it but it's the one game I'm most interested in getting a Vita for. What's so terrible about the game that I should avoid it?

@rorie: I'll give it a go on my flight for sure, nice to have gotten it with ps+. Definitely hoping it'll grip me cause I have heard a lot of good things about it!

I can confirm that the game is horrible. It runs and plays like clunky, chunky poop. I never got past the swamp area.

@egg said:

I think calling Liberation horrible is hyperbole. It's a fully functional Assassin's Creed game, and I had quite a bit of fun with it at first when I was just running around exploring the world. Sadly, I felt it started falling apart the more I got into the main plot, as the plot was disjointed and incoherent and several levels felt unpolished and rushed.

Anyway, to get back on topic, a game I personally haven't played but I've seen recommended by others is the PSP title Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure. It is apparently a very good Zelda-ish action-adventure title from Falcom. Also I guess I should mention the Amazing Spider-Man game, which is apparently a competent (but not very pretty) port of a competent open world game. Might be worthwhile if you can find it for cheap.

I really enjoyed the Vita version, the interface does take some time to get used to but once you understand how it works it's great.

I support Terraria. I have the PC version, but bought it for my (newly-bought) Vita and I'm enjoying it tremendously. The interface is weird, and mining and (specially) placing blocks can be weird at times, but it's totally functional and it will become easier to use the more you play the game.

Minecraft is coming out in August, if you can wait a bit.

Also, Persona 3 Portable. Just do it.

@themessibeast: I played Grandia, and from what I remember of it, the fun is mostly from the combat system and the lighthearted story. I don't remember it being much of an exploratory sort of game. I guess it depends on what you want. There's a lot of other great RPG's on PSN to choose from as well, if that's what you'll end up going with (Vagrant Story, Suikoden 2, etc. I think Lunar, another Game Arts-developed game, is also there?)

Speaking of Game Arts-developed games, I heard some good things about Ragnarok Odyssey Ace too. It looks like it has some limited exploration to it, sort of like Phantasy Star Online/Universe/Portable.

@joeyravn: Imagine my heartbreak when I woke up to see Persona 3 on sale, to then only realize that the portable version is still full price...

@egg: Story made no sense and was boring, gameplay features like pickpocketing and holding the Vita to a light bulb to reveal secret messages were half assed, multiplayer is complete ass, characters weren't interesting, audio & voice acting were weird/bad now that I think about it, and changing "personas" (outfits) was a boring gameplay mechanic. I'm sure there's more but I don't remember. Top 3 Vita games are Gravity Rush, P4 Golden and Tearaway. Liberation is among the worst.

I feel like we've kind of derailed the thread from its original query in some ways, but all of the suggestions herein are pretty sharp.

Since you mentioned Ocarina of Time, I'm going to suggest the obvious Vita game: Tearaway.

It doesn't have much in the way of "exploration," if you're looking to traipse across a dynamic, mechanically unpredictable gamespace, Skyrim-style. But the "world" created within Tearaway is just about the most joyful and fully-realized on the Vita. It's truly a singular experience, and one of the few that could get you to think--even if only for a moment--that it couldn't exist with such purity on any other platform. You'll get lost in that world, the same way you might get lost in a sunset or the night sky. It's at once both beautiful and spirited. A world so smilingly effervescent and richly crafted.

So, maybe try that, if you haven't already?

As people have said, Spelunky and Terraria are good games. My problem with terraria is that it's a slow starter. It can take a while to build up to the point where you can make significant progress. According to that Ars Technica trawl of steam data the average terraria player has over 70 hours.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night for PSOne controls perfectly fine on Vita. I remember RE2 being fine as well but I didn't play much of it.

@awesomeusername: is that AR/lightbulb stuff optional? I just want to play games as though it were a normal system. This is something I've been worrying about when deciding to get a Vita.

Hyperbole much? Gee, I get that you dislike random encounters, but it's not like they're hard to avoid or something. Why the hate? I would understand if they were as pervasive as down-the-sights aiming in shooters, but I think the only relatively new game released in the recent past that has random encounters and is worth playing Bravely Default. I'm not counting FFX because it's a remake.

So... what's the deal with you and someone who enjoys games that happen to have random encounters?

1) what hyperbole? its not as though I said all games with random encounters are the worst games of all time. All I did was explain how they conflict with exploration, and afterwards I stated that random encounters are an antiquity.

2) "its not like theyre hard to avoid or something" umm, I wasn't commenting on how pervasive or not pervasive they are. My post was simply referring to FFX. It could be the only game released this gen with random encounters and it would *still* be a bad game. Comparably, the scarcity of rape simulators doesn't make Rapelay more excusable necessarily.

3) "has random encounters and is worth playing" lol

u funny, bro

4) "I'm not counting FFX because its a remake" thats perfectly reasonable. I wouldn't count FF6 iOS either since its a remake, or FF4 The After Years since its a sequel, or Bravely Default since its a throwback, or Pokemon since only in some parts does it have it, and let's definitely not count PS1 classics, PS2 classics, Virtual console, mobile ports, or HD collections.

But the point is we should all buy FFX because it's remake with no changes whatsoever and this means we definitely want to buy it. And actually, they did change something: they improved the graphics. Quite a bold move on their part!

@egg: Dude it was just a suggestion. FFX is a great game seen by the eyes of many, just because you don't like it doesn't mean he should ignore it. It's an RPG, of course you're going to be exploring. And they updated how the entire game looks and sounds.

all I did was correct you. And I never said you can't suggest FFX, however this isn't a "suggest random vita games" thread, I was merely pointing out that random encounters are contradictory to exploration. OoT doesn't have them either.

And I'm not saying he should ignore FFX. Of course not. In fact it's his job as a gamer to play every game other people like, and that includes FFX, because you like FFX, and heaven forbid you get offended.

But for some people they may not find the random encounters intrusive and thus your original reply was really unnecessary. There was nowhere where the OP said he didn't want random encounters and you disqualified the game as have an explorable world because there were random encounters.

"some ppl may not find random encounters intrusive" Not my problem. Some people may not find rape offensive, therefore OP should plays Rapelay. After all who am I to say what the OP likes or doesn't like?? That would be presumptuous and arrogant.

"nowhere where the OP said" OP didn't say he didn't want unplayable crap either... let's recommend Big Rigs Over the Road Racing. If he didn't want unplayable crap, game breaking glitches, random encounters, rape simulators, malware, micro transactions, motion controls, kinect, or pneumonia, he should have listed each of those things.

"an explorable world" arguably JRPGs don't even have explorable worlds, just corridors, the exception bring the overworld which is one thing FFX has ironically excluded over previous FF titles.

@egg: Nope. If it was optional, I wouldn't have spent 10 minutes trying to get it to work. If you really want to play it, play the console version.

@awesomeusername: well that just sucks. I hope the touchscreen stuff in killzone mercenary is optional at least. This stuff is exactly what I was worried when getting a Vita. PSP doesn't have this to deal with!

to make matters worse I just read something about amazing spider man for vita uses dpad and left analog at the same time. game devs are a-holes I tell you what

I see it's impossible to expect a substantial reply from you when all you do is call things "unplayable crap" and bring a bunch of hyperbole and "ifs" and "should haves". FFX is not a crap game, sure you can think so personally as a subjective opinion, but it is a very well loved game that warranted an HD remaster which, by the way, sold and is selling well. It doesn't have an overworld but all areas are connected on foot and/or reachable instantly via a teleporter-like system in the airship, whichever you so desire. I really don't see how OoT is any more exploratory than FFX. I mean I love OoT to bits, but I can recognize that FFX has a bigger world, is longer, has deeper inherent systems (it being an RPG and Zelda not), more things to collect, post game content, etc, etc. In those regards the world is more appealing to explore, although OoT does have it's own strengths.

What I don't get is when you then say that it's not your problem that some people find random encounters unintrusive. OP came in here and:

1. asked for a game to play with an explorable aspect to it (not specifying random encounters as being something he isn't looking for),
2. I suggest FFX,
3. you say no because it has random encounters and thus, apparently, isn't legitimate to recommend,
4. I ask you when random encounters came into the equation,
5. and you say it's not your problem?

How does that makes any sense? You're just sounding like a bumbling idiot.

SAO: Hollow Fragment is a game that is going to come out in August that is going to be an exploratory action RPG. It's going to be digital download only so if the Internets good wherever your going and you have a U.S. store account I'm sure you'll be able to get it.

One thing Killzone makes you do is swipe the touchscreen in random directions when melee killing an enemy. The other thing is with this heat seeking missile killstreak thing. You tap circles on the screen when enemies appear ti send rockets to them. Besides those forced things, Killzones touch features are pretty much optional.

"FFX is not a crap game" I'm not saying it's a crap game. I'm saying it has randomly triggered encounters.

"reachable instantly via a teleporter-like system" so like... a menu? So a menu counts as exploration now?

1. I already addressed this. It shouldn't be on every single person to put a disclaimer in their thread that they're asking for good game recommendations, not unplayable games.

3. Actually what I had said is that it's anti-exploratory by virtue of having randomly triggered encounters. Which is a perfectly valid statement.

What the makers of the HD remaster should have done is implement microtransactions to disable encounters temporarily, which is basically a conspicuously missing feature of every game that has randomly triggered encounters.