Tag: Omno

Game Service Roundup – January 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ Due to the first Tuesday of the month falling on the 7th, the announcement wasn’t made until February 1st.
⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends in May. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

January PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 3rd January 2023 – Monday 6th February 2023
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5/PS4)
  • Axiom Verge 2 (PS5/PS4)
  • Fallout 76 (PS4)
February PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 7th February 2022
  • Evil Dead: The Game (PS5/PS4)
  • OlliOlliWorld (PS5/PS4)
  • Destiny 2: Beyond Light (PS5/PS4)
  • Mafia: The Definitive Edition (PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

January 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 17th
  • Back 4 Blood (PS4/PS5)
  • Jett: The Far Shore (PS4/PS5)
  • Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition (PS5)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4)
  • Devil May Cry 5 (PS4)
  • Erica (PS4)
  • Just Cause 4: Reloaded (PS4)
  • Life is Strange (PS4)
  • Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (PS4)
  • Omno (PS4)
January 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 17th
  • Hot Shots Golf 2 (PS1)
  • Star Wars Demolition (PS1)
  • Syphon Filter 3 (PS1)
Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in January 2023
  • Bound By Flame
  • The Council – Complete Season
  • Electronic Super Joy
  • Enigmatis: The Ghost of Maple Creek
  • Jumpjet Rex
  • The Last Tinker: City of Colors
  • Leo’s Fortune – HD Edition
  • Masters of Anima
  • Seasons After Fall
  • Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom
  • Space Hulk: Tactics
Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in February 2023 | Dates Vary
  • Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders (Tuesday February 21st)
  • The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Pure Farming 2018 (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Sine Mora EX (Tuesday February 21st)
  • SkyDrift Infinity (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Sparkle Unleashed (Tuesday February 21st)
  • The Turing Test (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Whispering Willows (Tuesday February 21st)
  • Metro: Exodus
  • Rad Rodgers
  • Saints Row: The Third Remastered

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

January 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions
  • Stranded Deep
  • Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition
  • Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
  • Persona 3 Portable
  • Persona 4 Golden
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
  • Inkulinati
February 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates
  • Darkest Dungeon (Thursday 2nd February)
  • HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED – Game of the Year Edition (Tuesday 7th February)
  • Atomic Heart (Tuesday 21st February)
Games that left Game Pass for PC in January 2023
  • Iron Harvest
  • Immortal Realms Vampire Wars
  • Tropico 6
  • Scarlet Nexus
  • Secret Neighbor
  • Outer Wilds
  • Gorogoa
  • The Pedestrian
  • Embr
  • The Anacrusis
  • Trigger
  • Nobody Saves the World
  • Pupperazzi
  • Windjammers 2
Games leaving Game Pass for PC in February 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month
  • Donut County (Wednesday 1st)
  • Worms W.M.D (Wednesday 1st)
  • Telling Lies (Wednesday 1st)
  • Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master! (Wednesday 1st)
  • Recompile (Thursday 16th)
  • Skul: The Hero Slayer (Thursday 16th)
  • The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Thursday 16th)
  • Besiege (Thursday 16th)
  • Infernax (Thursday 16th)

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free monthly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

⚠ Prime Games are being made available on a weekly basis from February 2nd rather than the usual bundle at the start of the month. They have renamed the tab on the website ‘Weekly Games’ so I presume this is their new model going forward.

Amazon Prime Games | January 2023
  • Faraway 2: Jungle Escape (Amazon Games)
  • The Evil Within 2 (GOG)
  • Beat Cop (GOG)
  • Chickon Police – Paint it RED! (Amazon Games)
  • Lawn Mowing Simulator (Amazon Games)
  • Breathedge (Amazon Games)
  • Dishonored 2 (GOG)
  • SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (Amazon Games)
  • The King of Fighters 2003 (Amazon Games)
  • Twinkle Star Sprites (Amazon Games)
  • The Last Blade (Amazon Games)
  • The Last Blade 2 (Amazon Games)
  • Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers (Amazon Games)
  • Metal Slug (Amazon Games)
  • Metal Slug 3 (Amazon Games)
  • Metal Slug X (Amazon Games)
Amazon Prime Games | Announced for February 2023
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition (GOG) (February 2)
  • Onsen Master (Amazon Games) (February 2)
  • Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield (February 9)
  • Divine Knockout (February 9)
  • One Hand Clapping (February 16)
  • BATS: Bloodsucker Anti-Terror Squad (February 16)
  • Space Crew: Legendary Edition (February 23)
  • Tunche (February 23)
  • Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (February 23)

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | January 2023
  • Dishonoured – Definitive Edition
  • Eximius: Sieze the Frontline
  • Kerbal Space Program
  • Shadow Tactics – Aiko’s Choice
  • Divine Knockout
  • First Class Trouble
  • Gamedec – Definitive Edition
  • Epistory – Typing Chronicals
  • Adios
  • Hell is Others
Free Epic Games | Announced for February 2023*
  • City of Gangsters (February 2nd – February 9th)
  • Dishonoured: Death of the Outsider (February 2nd – February 9th)
  • Recipe for Disaster (February 9th – February 16th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month.

GOG Giveaways | January 2023
  • Haven Park

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Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition 2020 – Top Game Picks

I tried something a little different this time. Since I have now played so many of these demos, I thought it would be helpful for anyone new to the festival to have a guide to know where to start.

So this time I have made a more comprehensive quickfire guide of games that I think are worth your time.

Here is a list of all of the games. If you would like to see more of what they are about, my video at the bottom of the page covers all 18 of these games in under 5 minutes!

Port Valley – The (not so) classic Point & Click adventure where perspective changes everything! Witness Port Valley’s Election Day from 3 points of view and find out what’s really going on in this bizarre town.

One Helluva Day – An egocentric businessman is desperate to save his company from collapse. However, he is forced to save the whole city from an impending disaster.

Lord Winklebottom Investigates – It’s the 1920s and the world’s foremost detective is about to embark on his most challenging case yet. Thankfully, in this world that’s not quite like our own, there’s nobody better to crack the case than the great detective and gentleman giraffe, Lord Winklebottom.

Backbone – Backbone is a noir roleplaying detective adventure. You are raccoon private eye Howard Lotor, a second-class citizen of dystopian Vancouver, BC inhabited by animals. Interrogate a diverse cast of characters, collect evidence, and choose which leads to follow.

Roki – Röki is an adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore – a dark, contemporary fairy tale underpinned by a touching narrative, an alluring art style, ancient puzzles and atmospheric exploration.

Hazel Sky – Hazel Sky is a heartfelt adventure about a young engineer facing his destiny and his desires. Fix ramshackle flying machines and jump, climb, swing, and slide through a beautiful, mysterious world.

Omno – A single player journey of discovery through an ancient world of wonders. Full of puzzles, secrets and obstacles to overcome, where the power of a lost civilisation will carry you through forests, deserts and tundras – even to the clouds.

Travellers Rest – You are an innkeeper, on a journey to transform a run-down inn into a bustling social space. Brew your own beer, run a farm, explore the world, and build relationships with your customers to create your own fantasy tavern!

Cartel Tycoon – Cartel Tycoon is a story-driven business sim inspired by the ‘80s narco trade. Expand and conquer, stave off rival cartels and authority attention, earn people’s loyalty and try to overcome the doomed fate of a drug lord with too much power.

The Final Earth 2 – The Final Earth 2 is a vertical sci-fi city builder. Earth is unlivable, so you decide to create a space colony. Gather resources, then build and research your way to a better future! Grow your city from an exploration ship to a huge metropolis, full of advanced technology. What will you build?

Grounded – The world is a vast, beautiful and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunk to the size of an ant. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard?

The Survivalists – A living world full of surprises, secrets and danger awaits in The Survivalists, an adventure-filled survival sandbox set in The Escapists universe. Explore, build, craft and even train monkeys with up to three friends in a desperate bid to survive. Have you got what it takes to be a Survivalist?

Superliminal – Perception is reality. In this mind-bending first-person puzzler, you explore a surreal dream world and solve impossible puzzles using the ambiguity of depth and perspective.

Moncage – Moncage is an adventure puzzle game, where the player will explore a lonely world trapped in a mysterious cubic device. Each face of this cubic device will display a different scene. The player will navigate through the island and the factory by finding the connections among the scenes.

Love – A Puzzlebox Filled with Stories – Every life has a story. Every story has regret. But what if you could change the past? LOVE is a puzzle game about finding the things we’ve lost in ourselves and the people who help us find them.

Summer in Mara – Take care of your own island and explore the ocean in this farming adventure. Summer in Mara mix farming, crafting and exploring mechanic in a tropical archipelago with a colorful style and strong narrative.

Jessika – Jessika committed suicide, and it’s up to you to find out why she did what she did by prying into her digital past. What at first seems to be a job like any other quickly develops into a dark drama with twists and turns.

NUTS – A single-player surveillance mystery set in a remote forest – record the squirrels, report your findings… and uncover the secret that the curious creatures are hiding.

My top game picks from the Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition 2020. 18 games in under 5 minutes!