FourSquare, Netflix, and Twitter represent just a few of the free, fun downloadable programs in the PlayStation Vita's ($299, 4 stars) PS Store?Sony's own Paint Park (free) is now a member of that mix. Paint Park transforms the PS Vita's 5-inch OLED display into a sketchpad that lets you create doodles from scratch, mark up images taken with either of the PS Vita's cameras, and compete in ad-hoc drawing competitions with other Paint Park users that's an entertaining Draw Something alternative. I have a few niggles?such as the marker color selection being limited and the ability for players to vote for themselves in drawing matches, which may result in a high number of ties?but overall, Paint Park is a solid PS Vita app.
Grabbing the Paper and Markers
You can choose to "Paint Alone" or "Paint With Friends" upon launching Paint Park. I selected the former, which caused a dialog box to open that prompted me to "Enter A Room." I did, and encountered an all-white screen that moved me to think that the app froze or crashed. A dog-ear in the lower-right corner of the screen indicated that the blank screen was indeed the "canvas." Paint Park could use a more obvious "Start Drawing!" prompt to welcome users.?
Tapping the downward pointing triangle in the upper-right hand corner of the screen opens a menu containing a numerous options. I could undo strokes, delete a canvas, open a photo album to import images from my PS Vita, select one of four brush sizes, and choose a brush color. There are a dozen colors in total, but the range isn't as wide as I'd like; there's no true purple, but there are two blue and green hues. Also, I would like the ability to assign a color to individual markers to create a Crayola box of sorts; when you change the marker color, the color is change across all the brush sizes.
PlayStation Picaso
A finger is all you need to begin creating artwork. A magnifying glass appears onscreen to help you apply detail, but I had some difficulty coloring within lines and making fine edits due to my large fingers. I made a few quick doodles, including a very rudimentary Batman with the Gotham City skyline in the background (see slideshow).
One of the cooler features is the ability to incorporate real-world photos. Tapping the camera option on the menu lets you snap photos using either the PS Vita's front or rear-facing camera. You can then apply the markers to it as you would with a blank canvas. Flicking the dog-ear brings up a fresh canvas and saves your previous work to your memory card. Note: You'll need Sony's clunky Content Management software to download your creations off the PS Vita.
Take On Me
"Paint With Friends" lets five Paint Park users enter head-to-head competitions (in ad-hoc local wireless play) to see who can create the best art. A player creates a room in which the content is held, and a subject (such as "PCMag.com"?see slideshow), or just let Paint Park choose a topic for the participants. All involved have a limited amount of time to draw the topic or photo. All drawings and photos are displayed on-screen after the timer expires, and everyone has the opportunity to vote for the best image.
Unfortunately, you can vote for yourself, so there may come times when the match ends in a tie should the individual parties think they're truly the best (or just want to troll their friends). Several of my three-person contests ended in ties.
An Artistic Endeavor
Paint Park isn't a "must-have" PS Vita app, but it's one that comes in handy when you want to kill time in a waiting room or during a commute. For some laughs, gather a few PS Vita owning friends together and compete?just don't take the outcomes too seriously.
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