Naughty Dog may have turned the page on its smashing Uncharted franchise, but the Sony-owned studio is still working -  hand-in-hand with new steward Bend Studio - to bring you a prequel to the trilogy.

If you've played Uncharted before, welcome home. The first thing you'll notice is the nonexistent learning curve. Golden Abyss is a platforming and over-the-shoulder shooting experience that doesn't stray far from its parent tree.

What PS Vita brings to the table beyond portability is motion control. One of the two missions on show was escort duty from afar, downing enemies before they could pose a threat. Aiming a camera or sniper rifle can be done with the right thumbtack for classicists, while fans of novelty can simply tilt the handheld to shift what's in view and zero in on intended targets. It works alright, though you might look strange writhing around in a bus full of strangers just to line up a headshot.

Vita owners in Japan already have their hands on Uncharted: Golden Abyss.The rest of us will have to wait for the system's launch date of February 22nd, 2012 to explore Nathan's pre-Drake's Fortune adventure. 

About the Author

Pierre Bienaimé

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Pierre Bienaimé is an incipient blogger extraordinaire, with a soft spot for shooters, platformers, turn-based strategy, and games that reside outside of the box. After having taught English as a second language in London, he decided that a second bout with his dream of spewing verbal fire in games journalism was in order. He is currently an editor for GotGame.com, as well as a contributing writer to Gamerlive.tv, Nintendojo.com, and GameRevolution.com.