April arrived, and this time I only got to make one video. More on that below. PS. They went heavy with the Playstation Exclusives so far this year!
Dirt Rally 2.0 is a car game, the first racing/sports type game that we have got with PS Plus this year. I am not a fan of getting these games on PS Plus. We seem to get a few a year, but they just aren’t for me. I did have a laugh while recording though, even if I didn’t enjoy the game.
Uncharted 4 was the other game of April. Sadly, I haven’t finished the Nathan Drake collection yet so I obviously didn’t want to make a video.
I had mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, they already gave us the first 3 game so it should be ok for them to give us the sequel. On the other, I’m not a fan of sequels of story based games like this being PS Plus games. I kind like getting original games, then if we like it we can choose whether to buy the sequel or not. Maybe I am just being ungrateful, especially since I already paid for this game lol.
This was around the time that they game Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection to everyone for free as a gift for the Covid lockdown, so that is another reason that Uncharted 4 does make sense. What is your opinion on having game sequels as PS Plus games?
After being spoiled for the first two months of 2020, March brought us back down to 2 games.
Shadow of the Colossus is a game I had been hoping for for a long time. It was such an interesting experience, I don’t think I have ever been more uncomfortable playing a game in my life.
This game embedded itself into my thoughts. For weeks my brain kept defaulting back to it. Even though I decided not to continue playing, it had such a big impact on me. I watched the rest via Let’s Play and think I may pick it back up myself if the mood strikes.
Sonic Forces was the second game of the month. Although I grew up with some Sonic, I already established last year when Sonic Mania was free that it is just not for me. This one barely felt like Sonic, being all 3D and you even create your own character. Having said that, I think I enjoyed this one more. I think it is a solid kids game, the cut scenes felt like real cartoons you watch on the TV
Disappointed to get back to the normality of 2 games this month? Or satisfied with the selection? Shadow of the Colossus was a winner for me. Even if I never complete it, I feel like it is an important game in game history.
We got 4 games in January, so Sony decided they were going to one up themselves and give us 5 for February. Firewall: Zero Hour was a bonus PSVR game provided in February. Unfortunately I don’t have a video for that as I was having some PSVR/Capture Card issues.
BioShock: The Collection contains not only all of the current games but all of the DLC too. BioShock, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite are all included, except Infinite is on a separate download to the previous two.
The fact that I have watched this game before is the only reason I made it so far in my Let’s Try. The city of Rapture is a very cool setting, the sound design is great and the retro atmosphere is chilling.
The Sims 4 was a welcome surprise for me as a PS Plus game. I bought it at launch for PC and I can’t lie I was disappointed after 3. I played once, uninstalled it and shelved it. Since then I had another go and got more enjoyment out of it, however it is intensive on my laptop. So I was very excited to try it on PS4.
It turned out to be enjoyable enough. I’ll keep it on my console to scratch that Sims itch that comes around every few month. There is also the option of buying the expansion packs if you want more content, which go on sale fairly regularly.
Last month marked the beginning of my new thumbnail design, and this month I begun to use my new intro and outro! I am not 100% happy with it yet, it still needs some tweaks. What do you think of it?
The first month of 2020 and instead of 2 we were given 4 games! Sadly for me I already own both.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection contains all three of the Uncharted games, remastered in all of their glory. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted: Among Thieves and Uncharted: Drake’s Deception.
Drake’s Fortune was the second ever game that I Let’s Played, so instead of my regular Let’s Try videos, I just linked in the first episode of the Let’s Play.
Goat Simulator is a daft, sandbox goat simulating jank machine that can regularly be picked up for a couple of quid. It isn’t a game that you are going to play long term but it is a relatively easy platinum trophy if you are into that! Also, if you do enjoy it there are many different DLC’s that you can pick up just as cheap.
January also marked the introduction of my shiny new Round Up thumbnail design, what do we think?
I was a bit late to make this video but it was the first list type video that I made and I would like to continue over the years!
Disclaimer – these are my own personal picks that may or may not differ to everyone elses. There were a lot of good games in 2019 to choose from.
10. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – The Handsome Collection contains two games. ‘Borderlands 2’ and ‘Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel’. Not being a FPS fan but being a Tales from the Borderlands fan, this was a great game for me. I would never have bought it but it was fun and interesting to get to explore the universe of Borderlands for myself.
9. The Last of Us Remastered – I have to admit, I am not as big of a fan of this game as everyone else seems to be. I had already watched a Let’s Play of it as it felt too much like horror to me, and for some reason the story/characters didn’t click with me. You have to admit though, it is a milestone in gaming history and it is such an important game that it is nice to get it on PS Plus. Especially for the people who maybe didn’t buy the remaster but wanted to replay before the sequel.
8. Hitman – I already had a few levels on my account that have been given away for free over the years. Still, the full game is a very welcome addition to my collection. The variety in missions and the vast amount of approaches you can take makes this game quite special. This version also works in the Hitman 2 game which is a bonus. You can download the base of Hitman 2 for free from the PS Plus store, then download the Hitman 1 chapters from within there to get the most recent versoin.
7. Nioh – I am not at all the type of person to play a Souls type game. I have tried at least 4 times now. There was something about this one though that made me enjoy the time I spent with it. I enjoyed the setting of the opening level, and I feel like a lot of people may have skipped over this game, which made me pleased that more people will try it now.
6. For Honor – For Honor is yet another game that I would never normally play. I am not a combat person. However, there was something about the steep learning curve of the combat, combined with the really cool online multiplayer modes that gave me so. much. fun.
5. Titanfall 2 – As I mentioned before, I am not an FPS fan. However, if there is any FPS that I can see myself finishing it is this one. It subverted my expectations and made for a really cool and varied experience.
4. Batman: Arkham Knight – I have only played a couple of hours of this game. I am a total Marvel fan girl that has never been able to get away with Batman. And even though I enjoyed playing Spider-Man PS4, but I think this game is better. As soon as I have played the previous installments I will most certainly be back to play this game.
3. Overcooked – The perfect couch co-op game. I have ranted and raved about how much I love overcooked so I won’t go on for too long here, but if you have family members that don’t really game but you want to have a laugh (or a fight), you should 100% make them play Overcooked. It has been the staple for our Christmas for the last 2 years and we never get bored.
2. Detroit: Become Human – I already bought this game at launch, completed it and also made a Let’s Play. But despite that, I was happy for other people getting to play it through PS Plus. David Cage gets a lot of shit, and yes some of the themes may be heavy handed, but if you go into this experience with no spoilers and make your own decisions, there are so many possibilities and in my opinion it is totally worth your time.
1. What Remains of Edith Finch – Edith Finch takes my top spot. It is the only game this year that I didn’t already own that I went on to complete. It is a short game that you can finish in one sitting, and it’s the type of experience that will keep you thinking for days. If you think of ‘walking simulator’ as a derogatory term I really urge you to play this. It’s a great game.
TLDR: The 10 minute video version –
Video of my Top 10 Picks from the whole of 2019 PS Plus!
Sadly I don’t have monthly blogs for PS Plus of 2019. I do, however, have a lot of content on Youtube. There are videos of every single game as well as Round Ups of every month. Then I did a longer video as a summary of the whole year.
For reference, I am going to list all of the PS Plus 2019 free games below!
January
Steep Portal Knights Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion
February
For Honor Hitman Rogue Aces
March
The Witness Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
What Remains of Edith Finch was the first full play-through I did of a free PS Plus game since I started covering the monthly games on my channel.
It was already on my radar but playing through the first story had me sold. And it kept getting better.
This is another game that I would like to recommend playing through yourself before watching any other play-throughs, as I believe that would really enhance your experience. If not though, my play-through is here and I had a great time. The game really delivered and had me thinking for days. I couldn’t be more satisfied with what I took away from this story.
Also, my first full play-through with my full new set up! Much better than the old headset I used to use.
This was my second Let’s Play, and to be honest my first proper attempt at playing a shooter that isn’t Grand Theft Auto. I think I did okay, considering!
This is my blind play-through of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. When I decided to play the game I had no idea that it takes the turn it does in the second third of the game. Still traumatised.
Reminder – If you are a PS Plus member, remember to add the games to your library each month, you don’t HAVE to download them. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever play it, it is worth having in your library just in case. You never know what is going to take you by surprise!
On my quest to play all sorts of different games, I have decided it would be fun to go back and play through my library of PS Plus games that I have never even looked at. I am (eventually) going to go through each month, from most to least recent, trying out these games and having my say about each one. I do hope this can be helpful to someone but if not, at least I’m finally trying these games!
P.S. I am only going to go through the PS4 games for now. Between my huge backlog and my slow old console, I’ve decided that will be best. Since I am not yet playing the PS3/Vita titles, I am going to write a quick summary from the info I find from my friend Google, just for my own future benefit/anyone curious about the full months line-up!
PS4 – Stories: The Path of Destinies
Stories: The Path of Destinies is an ARPG, choose-your-own-story game with a twist, developed by Spearhead Games. You control Reynardo, a rebel fox. In the war with the ravens, we try our best to figure out a way to win, only it isn’t always that easy. Each chapter you are given options as to where to go next, and with over 20 endings, the possibilities are almost endless. I personally do not enjoy the ARPG genre as combat is never my favourite part of a game. While playing, I roll my eyes when the enemies so obviously pop up whenever you enter an empty space. But yet I keep playing. And I am going to keep playing.
The story is funny and charming and the way this story is told is awesome. If there was more to do other than just combat I would be singing this game so many praises. Even so, the chapters are fairly short so it is easy enough to deal with. Thankfully, this won’t be an issue for most people anyway because when gaming you expect combat, it is just a personal opinion that I found the combat annoying and slightly boring. The overall concept of the game is amazing. If your curious, you must at least do one play-through. It will only take you 1 or 2 hours and since that is only the beginning of the game, most people will probably come back for more. And they should. It’s great.
PS4 – Invisible Inc.
Invisible Inc. is an intense turn-based spy game developed by Klei Entertainment. If you are into strategy then I think you will love this game. It’s funny because I had just been thinking about how long it’s been since I played a great turn based strategy game (see Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops below) and then suddenly I’m playing one. And I think it is a great one. I have only played the tutorial and the first mission and my heart is on edge. I think it is such a clever game, not only do you have to decide how to best use your own turn, you have to prepare yourself and anticipate what the enemies are going to do. Should you hide? Should you attack? Should you run and risk it?
Thankfully there are many different difficulty levels and beginner is a very forgiving way to ease you into the game while still making you feel like your jumping straight in. Then, I bet that the harder difficulties will give you an immense and even more intense challenge. If you are fancying a game like this then I seriously recommend it. Not only is it a fun example of the genre, it feels very well thought out and has more depth than I would have expected. Very fun game for sure. I also enjoy the music. Take the music from The Wolf Among Us and speed it up into a tense spy thriller tune. It’s awesome.
PS4/PS3 – Hyper Void
Hyper Void is an arcade space shooter developed by InFramez Technology. The game plays around with depth perception and warps around to give you a more exciting experience. This isn’t a game that I would ever personally choose to play and doesn’t seem to have much depth to it at all but it will be fun for anyone who enjoys a fast paced, shoot-everything-out-of-your way, worm-holey kind of game in a trippy, 3D, space environment.
PS4/PS3/Vita – Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops
Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops is a charming little twin stick shooter developed by Plunge Interactive. The cute 3D graphics and different objectives set this game aside from other twin stick shooters I have played. Admittedly, this isn’t my genre, but I played this one longer than I did any of the others. Your characters have names and progress throughout the missions, and if they die they are gone and you get replacements. You can buy weapon and character upgrades for the numerous missions such as defeat the enemies, destroy their buildings, protect the people and survive. Although the game plays nothing like it, I was getting serious nostalgia from the ever so slight ‘Worms 4: Mayhem’ vibes I was getting. Instead of wanting to carry on playing however, it made me seriously wonder whether we will ever get a remaster of that gem. To sum up, this is a nice little twin stick shooter.
PS4/Vita – Colour Guardians
Colour Guardians is a game developed by Fair Play Labs. I am pretty sure this game is in its own Genre but I cannot figure out what it would be called. You know those games where the character runs along at a constant speed, and there are three paths that you can switch between. Usually there are collectables and traps on these paths, forcing you to calculate your movements to dodge and weave and grab everything you can? I have definitely tried numerous other games of the sort but I couldn’t name one. Well Colour Guardians is just like that. Personally, it is not for me at all. I find these games quite boring, but I can see the appeal of mastering them. I can definitely see how this game could end up being really tricky on the higher levels and would serve well to pass sometime on the Vita while commuting, but other than that I would never pick it up. If you do enjoy the genre though then it would be a nice addition to your collection. It has its own flavour, the graphics are nice and it will keep you playing for a while.
Vita – VVVVV
VVVVV is an indie, 2D, side-scrolling platformer developed by Terry Cavanagh. All I can really say about this one is that I am not too sad to be missing it as it is not my kind of game at all. It has decent reviews if you are into that type of game but that is all I really can say since I don’t own a Vita.
Summary – Five games for the PS4 for the third time so far. I do understand people that are wanting fewer bigger games that they can really get into rather than five potentially hit or miss games. It would be very lucky for someone to like them all. But I think that’s the point, there is a little something for everyone. I’m not saying that loads of smaller games is always the best option, but I do think this month had a great variety. Sure, I didn’t like them all but I did discover some games that I really like and definitely would have never bought. I suppose that is the nature of PS Plus isn’t it, every game is not going to suit everyone and what is a great month for one is a crap month for another. I’m beginning to appreciate that you can’t please everyone.
Reminder – If you are a PS Plus member, remember to add the games to your library each month, you don’t HAVE to download them. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever play it, it is worth having in your library just in case. You never know what is going to take you by surprise!
On my quest to play all sorts of different games, I have decided it would be fun to go back and play through my library of PS Plus games that I have never even looked at. I am (eventually) going to go through each month, from most to least recent, trying out these games and having my say about each one. I do hope this can be helpful to someone but if not, at least I’m finally trying these games!
P.S. I am only going to go through the PS4 games for now. Between my huge backlog and my slow old console, I’ve decided that will be best. Since I am not yet playing the PS3/Vita titles, I am going to write a quick summary from the info I find from my friend Google, just for my own future benefit/anyone curious about the full months line-up!
PS4 – Little Big Planet 3
Little Big Planet 3 is a side scrolling platform puzzler developed by Sumo Digital. It is definitely geared towards kids but I found it more playable as an adult than I did Tearaway Unfolded on my previous post. I first played a Little Big Planet game (possibly the first one) on my PS3 as it was bundled with the console at the time. I played it for probably 15 minutes and hated it. I thought that maybe, with my new enlightened mind, I might enjoy this one. I was at least giving it a fair chance. But honestly, I was just so bored. I wasn’t watching the cut-scenes, I didn’t particularly care about the collectibles and I gave up when I got to the first ‘boss’. I appreciate the customisation allowed, especially since the game has an online presence, but I never once felt invested in the game.
The good part is that it actually ran really well. I have heard a lot about game-breaking bugs in this game but I didn’t even get any minor bugs in my (admittedly short) stay. It is a really detailed game too. The levels look great and are interesting. I suppose if you look at it as a 3D Mario it is pretty well done, but it is just not for me at all and even though I know people enjoy it, I’d struggle to recommend it to anyone.
PS4 – Not a Hero
Not a Hero is a 2D platform shooter developed by Roll 7. This game was a nice surprise for me. Not only did I find it amusing, it is the first time that I have (almost) enjoyed this genre. Bunnylord is a campaigning politician and you play as his henchmen, hired to do ‘jobs’ for him on his road to presidency. The tutorial is great, it tells you everything you need to know in a concise way. There are plenty of levels and each has 3 optional objectives giving the game replay value, as well as unlocking different characters as the game goes on. I am not at all saying that I am a convert. Truthfully, I will probably never play it again, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be mad if it was the only thing that I had to do. Fun little game for sure.
PS4/Vita – Ninja Senki DX
Ninja Senki DX is a 2D platformer developed by Tribute Games. I want to call it Mario Lite, but that’s probably because I don’t know enough about 2D platformers! If, like me, you aren’t into 2D platformers/retro games, you probably aren’t going to like it. If you are, you’ll have to try it yourself because I honestly wouldn’t know how to tell a good from a bad one.
PS4/Vita – TourqueL
TourqueL is a 2D puzzle game developed by FullPowerSideAttack. The concept is that you are in a square, and each button on your controller extends the side of the square that corresponds with the colour. It feels more like a vita game than a console game. In fact, it feels more like one of those browser games we used to play a school whenever we had access to the computer room and the teachers weren’t looking. For me, it is not a game I would buy, I haven’t got the hang of it and I sadly don’t want to get the hang of it. It might suit some people who have some time to kill while waiting around.
PS4/PS3 – Starwahl
Starwahl is a neon side scroller/arena dual type game developed by Breakfall. It is without a doubt the weirdest game that I have ever played! You control a Narwhal floating around in space. There are traditional timed rounds that you have to complete by avoiding the obstacles or collecting the targets (Easier said than done!) or there is a couch co-op multiplayer showdown. The first thing I did was a brawl against 3 AI players and all I could think while trying to flop my Narwhal around was – this is so weird. But it is weird in a good way. It would be fun for a while with some friends, but I personally don’t have the patience for the single player rounds. As soon as I got to the Medium levels where you can die I had to put it down.
PS3 – Anna: Extended Edition
Anna: Extended Edition seems to be a horror puzzle adventure, developed by Dreampainters Software. I don’t want to delve too deeply into this one as it looks very interesting and I hope to play it someday. It takes place in an abandoned Saw Mill. The game is first person and you learn about your characters past by solving puzzles and finding clues. This does sound like an interesting one, however it doesn’t have the greatest reviews so don’t expect a masterpiece.
Summary – Five games, wow. It’s wasn’t until I thought ‘Thank god these weren’t great games or this post would take weeks’ that I realised that.. actually.. I am paying for the subscription so I should not be relieved to get games I don’t enjoy. I do enjoy the absolutely random indies and I am happy that my co-op library is expanding, but I do feel like this has been a particularly weak month, at least for me. Thankfully, in the up and coming months (I am going backwards so the next one will be January) I am particularly excited to try certain games. So, the consensus of this month – I’m just pleased to have got it out of the way.
CtrlAltNoob 