When Sony released its list of PlayStation Portable games that would be functional on the PlayStation Vita, one Sega game in particular was missing from the list and fans were left scratching their heads. The game in question was Valkyria Chronicles 2 (VC2), and even though the Vita has been out for more than a year the question is still asked with regularity on numerous gaming forums dedicated to RPGs, PlayStation, and more. So… Is Valkyria Chronicles 2 playable on the PS Vita?
The answer is YES, although getting it onto the system can be a challenge. Difficulty aside, the game looks fantastic on the new handheld, sounds wonderful, and with the Vita’s custom button-mapping, it actually plays slightly better than it did on the original PSP.
Gamers would likely suspect that getting the game onto their Vita would be as simple as turning on their Vita, logging on to the PlayStation Network Store, and downloading it from the PSP section as is done with most other PSP games on Vita. However, the game hasn’t been uploaded for purchase on the Vita store. Whether this is Sony’s decision or Sega’s is another question entirely, but whoever’s to blame, they’re making an inarguably bad decision.
Fans all over the web are asking for an easy way to buy the game and many give up due to a lack of clear answers on its playability and the proper method to download the game.
Unfortunately, there is only one way to get VC2 playable on your Vita and it requires ownership of a PlayStation 3, but at least it’s fairly straightforward.
- Log on to the PSN Store from your PlayStation 3.
- Go to the PSP section, or use the search feature to locate VC2.
- Once found, purchase and download the game. If you have previously purchased it digitally, you will be able to download it for free without being charged again.
- Once it’s downloaded, plug your PlayStation Vita system into your PlayStation 3 using the Vita’s USB cable, then launch the Content Manager App on the Vita.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to transfer your downloaded copy of VC2 to your Vita memory card.
- Once transferred, disconnect your Vita and install VC2 as you would install any other Vita-compatible PSP game.
For those Vita players who don’t own a PS3, you’re out of luck. While Sony has recently launched a full-featured PSN Store that can be accessed online through your web browser, downloading media from this store will not let you copy certain games from your PC to your Vita, with VC2 being one such game. When using this service the purchased games are queued up in your PSN Store’s downloads list, which can be accessed through the Vita’s PSN Store. However, even though VC2 will show up on the Vita’s download screen, you will not be able to actually download it. For those interested anyway, VC2 has a web-based product page that can be found here.
Sega and Sony should be more concerned about this game being missed by fans. Valkyria Chronicles 2 is one of Sega’s best games in recent years, and certainly among the very best of all PSP titles. Sega nerds, RPG fans, and gamers in general should be in an uproar over missing out on this fantastic game over such a superfluous reason as questionable availability. Sony and Sega should get their act together and figure out a way to make this game, which plays beautifully on Vita, more easily available to the wallet-holding public.
