Gaming
Games
The PlayStation Plus games for December you need to play
It might be the season of goodwill to all men, but have Sony been good to their fans this December?
PlayStation Plus has been on fire recently. Sony’s subscription service that lets you play with your mates online and gives you cloud storage for your saves (among other bonuses) has given members a copy of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to spend November exploring all the cool things you can do in it, along with more crackers all throughout 2017. We’ve had the likes of the madcap Just Cause 3, the fabulous Downwell, and even the stone-wall PS4 adventure classic, Until Dawn.
December is a month where lots of people get some time to sit down and spend some time with their beloved PS4, though, so what games have we got and, more importantly, what’s the lowdown on them? Never fear, we’re here to deliver the info you need to know.
1. Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition (PS4)
We know the name is daft, but Darksiders II is a fantastic game. Imagine The Legend of Zelda if it was gritty and mature, and had a story about the four horsemen of the apocalypse – that’s what you’ve got right here. Original developer Vigil Games has since been shut down, and original publisher THQ fell by the wayside long ago too, but the Darksiders series is beloved by fans for a reason. The second hack ‘n’ slash dungeon crawler in the series puts you in the shoes as Death and isn’t just tight and fun to play, it also has a progression system that lets you upgrade your skills as you go – plus it also follows the Zelda template of “finish a dungeon, unlock a new toy”.
Whereas the first game in the series was a more focused affair, Darksiders II is bigger and more open – and it’s the perfect free appetiser, as a third game in the series is due next year. Darksiders III is on the way, and is coming in 2018, making this the perfect time to get into the series. The Deathinitive Edition (which never gets easier to say) came out in 2015 and includes all of the game’s DLC, it’s been tuned to give a better loot experience than before and has better graphics than when it originally launched in 2012. Not bad for the low, low cost of free, right?
2. Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends (PS4)
Years ago, a movie tie-in game of any sort would have been scoffed at, but these days properties are treated with a bit more respect and so are the children they’re aimed at. Kung Fu Panda is a massive property, though, and this game features characters from three of the movies (both the good guys and bad guys). It was released back in 2015, fittingly enough, in December. You might be expecting a platform game, but this one is more of a brawler and each character has different attacks and special moves. It’s also got multiplayer, which you can play online or locally on the couch with pals. Combine all of this with a great graphical style, mirroring the aesthetics of the TV show and movies, and you’ve got an easy pick to entertain the kids for sure.
3. Syberia Collection (PS3)
For PS3 fans still plugging away at their lengthy back catalogues, there’s plenty of game for free here. The Syberia Collection is not one, but two titles, comprising of the adventure title Syberia and its sequel, Syberia II. Both are around a solid 10 hours of gameplay to get through as you learn about series protagonist Kate Walker’s continuing journey. It’s a weird story, that starts with her being a lawyer on a trip to the Alpine Valleys, and it's very narrative heavy. Don’t expect stunning visuals, as these are games that put more focus on story than visuals. You should also be prepared to spend most of your time talking and clicking around the screen to interact with things. Adventure games are still big business and Syberia is rightly lauded as a great example, and if you enjoy these, the third title in the series is available now on PS4 as well.
4. Xblaze Lost: Memories (PS3)
You might have heard of the BlazBlue fighting game franchise – it's known for being incredibly complex and also stunning to look at – but while this month’s second free PS3 title takes place in the same universe, Xblaze isn’t a fighting game: it’s a visual novel. It’s also a sequel to the original game, Xblaze Code: Embryo – another visual novel – and it could be your first foray into a genre you didn’t know you needed in your life until you tried it. As you’d expect, a visual novel is like having a book come to life in your hands and much of your time will be spent hitting the cross button to progress through the story. Expect a very strange story, walls of text, and an anime aesthetic, and while it’s not for everyone, this could be your window into something new – plus it’s free, so give it a go.
5. Forma.8 (PS Vita, PS4)
A terrific choice for a PlayStation Plus game, Forma.8 is a gorgeous-looking side-scrolling Metroidvania-like adventure game. We can’t stress enough how striking this one is to look at, with its mixture of dark and light meshing beautifully with how the art is drawn, blending both 2D and 3D graphics. It starts slowly, giving you almost nothing to go on: it’s just you, a floaty probe-like thing on a strange planet, but soon you’ll have found upgrades that improve mobility and give you ways to attack enemies.
This one might be a little harder to get into, because it has no tutorial, as well as a few issues with momentum early on – which is solved by finding upgrades – and can be a bit obtuse, but we recommend giving it some time over a few dark winter evenings, and enjoy the beautiful presentation and inventive creations you’ll come across. It’s not a mould-breaking example within the genre, and takes a little while to get into, but it’s elevated by how incredible it looks – and you can’t argue with free.
6. Wanted Corp (PS Vita)
If you ever fancied becoming a bounty hunter on your dusty PS Vita, you’re in luck with this month’s free top-down twin-stick shooter. We’re not going to lie, this is the less-than-good game in this month’s PlayStation Plus list, thanks to dodgy, repetitive voice acting and a distinctly “old game” feel – it’s actually a PS3 port – but the mission-based structure feels perfect for taking on the go, and there’s a bevy of interesting enemies to take down – plus any excuse to break out the all-but-dead Vita is fine by us.
7. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (PSVR)
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood will scare you
© Supermassive Games
As far as bonus games come, this one's pretty fantastic. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is not the best VR game ever made, but given that the evenings are well and truly drawing in, it seems like a great time to jump into a shooting gallery that’ll scare your pants off. While it’s linked to the Until Dawn series, don’t expect too many direct links to that original game apart from some of the settings. There are jump scares aplenty, and it’s a surprisingly competent shooter, especially for those of you old enough to remember playing light-gun games back in the day. It’s not long, but it has legs thanks to being a score attack-style game – and it’s a pretty good showcase of just what the PSVR can do. Get that glowing blue VR headset on, and get yourself scared silly.
8. Monster Hunter: World beta (PS4)
Monster Hunter is a series that was monstrously popular in Japan on the 3DS and PSP back in the day. In fact, Monster Hunter 4 has sold more than 4m copies and, aside from the Pokémon series, it’s the most popular game in Japan by a long way. While that popularity in the East has never been replicated elsewhere, Capcom have plans to change this with Monster Hunter: World, a huge, console-worthy version of the game that hits the PS4 on January 26, 2018. This deep series has scared people away because of its complexity and, frankly, often unfriendly first impressions, but the latest title in the series looks to be a lot easier to get into. You can give it a try before it's released, as there’ll be an open beta for the game from December 9 to December 12 for PS Plus subscribers.
Monster Hunter is a strange beast full of oddities and secrets – it has pretty slow combat that requres intentional attacks and a very measured approach – plus there’s crafting and hunting, and an online system that lets you team up with friends to hunt huge foes. This new title looks like it’s going to speed things up and get the rest of us interested by being a whole lot more accessible, so it could be worth giving that beta a try when it hits next week.
