Unit 13
Zipper Interactive's final title for the PlayStation Vita.
Unit 13 is a third-person shooter developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Vita. It was the final game created by Zipper Interactive before the studio ceased operations. The title was released in March 2012 across North America, Europe, and Japan.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Zipper Interactive
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Composer
- Justin Burnett
- Released
- March 6, 2012 EU (NA)
- March 7, 2012 JP
- March 8, 2012
- Genre
- Third-person shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- PlayStation Vita
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Unit 13's gameplay resembles the SOCOM series, with a third-person camera behind the character that shifts to first-person when zooming with compatible gun attachments. Objectives within each mission can be completed in any order; some missions allow any approach (Direct Action), while others impose conditions such as requiring stealth. All missions support cooperative play, and each has an unlockable Dynamic Mode that randomizes objectives, objective locations, enemy weapons, and enemy positions. Missions fall into several categories: Direct Action permits firefights or stealth; Deadline gives a set time to finish a portion, with remaining time increasing the score bonus; Elite starts the player with a fixed health amount that regenerates only at checkpoints, with higher health at a checkpoint yielding a higher score bonus; Covert strongly encourages stealth, failing the mission if the player is seen or triggers an alarm, and killing enemies reduces the final score; High Value Target resembles Direct Action but includes a boss character guarded by many bodyguards. Higher scores earn more stars, and accumulating stars unlocks HVT missions. A demo on the PlayStation Network includes a tutorial mission and the full first mission, Operation Open Flame, with regional and global leaderboards; Dynamic Mode in the demo lacks leaderboard support. The demo offers six playable characters—Commando, Technician, Pointman, Gunner, Infiltrator, and Marksman—who can progress to level 4 by earning experience from the single mission.
Reception
Unit 13 holds a 71/100 aggregate score on Metacritic. Game Informer rated it 6.5/10, praising its controls but criticizing a lack of innovation, poor enemy A.I., and limited gameplay variety, noting that most missions reduce to shooting from cover. The reviewer found the random enemy A.I. especially frustrating when detection causes mission failure in stealth-oriented scenarios.
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