Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth playing"

Unit 13 is one of the few shooter experiences on the PS Vita thus far. I'm happy to say that, while it has its problems, it is a mostly fun experience. Not only that, but it is probably the best shooter on the Vita so far.

GAMEPLAY - The gameplay is your typical third-person cover shooter. The game is very realistic though. I would compare it to the Rainbow Six Vegas games. You can play as 6 or 7 different soldiers, each with their own specialty, and complete varying missions. They range from straight-up assault, to stealth, to timed, and lastly elite. Each one requires you to get a certain score on them to master them. Once mastered, you will unlock all of the high profile missions, which involve assassinating some of the top terrorists in this game. It's a mostly fun experience with a few technical hiccups here and there. I will say that an enemy reacting differently in different playthroughs of a mission isn't a bug...it just makes it seem more realistic. - 7.5/10

STORY - There isn't much of a story here. Basically you're part of an elite group of soldiers who hunt terrorists. That's about it. - N/A

GRAPHICS - The graphics are pretty good for the Vita, but not great. Some things look a little fuzzy, and almost on par with the PS2 occasionally. Not a huge complaint though. - 7/10

SOUND - There isn't much in the way of sound other than gunfire and the occasional enemy chatting it up with another enemy. The dialogue isn't that great at all, and I don't recall any music in this game, so this area is lacking a bit. - 3/10

LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE - Unfortunately the replay value comes from improving your score on missions, which is mostly for completionists. The overall game, however, is pretty long, and while some maps are repeated, the experience never feels repetitive as you go through it. - 6.5/10

BOTTOM LINE - Don't let the score scare you. Unit 13 is one of the better Vita exclusives, especially for those who have an itch for a shooter game on the go. It reminds me the most of the Rainbow Six Vegas games, though the Socom developers made this game. I haven't played that series though, so I can't speak to how similar this game is to that. I had a lot of fun playing it though, and aside from some minor annoyances, it's actually a pretty enjoyable experience. 6/10