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Forums - Sony Discussion - Reviewing September's Free PlayStation Plus Games

Hey guys, it's been a while (about a year, actually!) since I last did any sort of plugging to my YouTube stuff here.  I kind of shied away from posting links here, since that wasn't what I was hanging around for, so I dropped back and lurked for a while, responding every now and then to interesting posts.  My second review series, PLUSone, might interest some of you guys!  Each month, I provide short reviews of each of the free PlayStation Plus games available on PS4/PS Vita, in order to help the people who don't have the time to play each and every one every month.  I mean, think about it, how many times have you actually played more than one PS+ game any given month?  I used this idea as an excuse to expand my horizons and make the most of my PS+ membership, and many people have found my recommendations helpful.  After all, the games may be free, but your time is valuable!

For anybody that doesn't want to watch the reviews in video form, I'll also include a short written summary of what I say in the videos.  If this is something you guys enjoy, let me know and I'll consider posting these more often here on VGC!

inFamous: Second Son

Summary: The third game in the open-world inFamous series, and the first to hit the PS4, this game is absolutely gorgeous. Sucker Punch went all out to make the game look phenomenal. The world looks beautiful, your Conduit superpowers pop both during the day and at night, it's one of the best looking PS4 games still, three years later. However, this came at a cost - if you're a fan of the PS3 inFamous games, you'll probably be disappointed with this one. The game blows past you before you can even realize, with whole characters reduced to just a mission or two here and there. Side missions feel more formulaic and less consequential than they did in the previous games, enemy variety is almost nonexistent, it all just exists to exist. Additionally, the progression that existed in previous games simply doesn't here - Blast Shards are somewhat mandatory in order to unlock some story missions, meaning the rush of exploring and collecting is now required. It's hard to explain the impact this has without having you play the game, but essentially, whenever you get a new ability, you're already able to max it out immediately. The game's four different powers all control very similarly too, meaning instead of one power that you improved slowly but surely, you get four that feel inconsequential. It's still a solid experience, especially if you're not already an inFamous fan. If you like open-world games or superhero-styled abilities, give it a download. If you're an inFamous fan, like I said, prepare for a little disappointment.

Strike Vector EX

Summary: Strike Vector EX is a mech shooter/dogfighting hybrid game that released last year. Well, sort of. It's a reworked version of Strike Vector, which released in 2014, so technically the game's three years old. The gameplay is split into two styles: Stationary and flight. In stationary mode, you control like a mech - a sort of strafe style, with more precise aiming and slower movement. In flight mode, it's like you're flying a jet fighter - fast, exhilarating, but also a little less precise when it comes to aiming. It's a relatively unique blend of styles that works well here.

The single player campaign is...honestly, pretty bad. The actual gameplay is solid, the AI is surprisingly competent and everything, but the voice acting and writing is just awful. I'll be totally honest, I didn't play past the first chunk of missions, but it seems like you don't need to play much of it to get ready for the multiplayer, where the meat of the game is. The multiplayer, when it actually lets you into a match, is really fun! It has your usual shooter multiplayer modes - Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Deathmatch, etc. - but the unique gameplay style and the amount of choice you have makes it more than just another shooter. The wide open levels have a lot of open space and tight corridors for you to mix it up in, and there are these little ship repair and weapon cooldown powerups sprinkled around, which helps you have a different experience in the same areas, no matter how many times you go there.However, I simply don't see the online lasting too long for this game. We're right near the holiday season, which means a ton of online games are coming out soon that will kill this likely-small community right away. If you're gonna pick it up, do so soon. I'd say it's worth a shot if you and some buddies are looking for a game to kill time in together for a month or so!

Hatoful Boyfriend

Summary: This game is a visual novel where you date birds. Download it.

We Are Doomed - if you wanna hear my thoughts in video form, the link above has both Hatoful Boyfriend and We Are Doomed, because my thoughts on We Are Doomed are too short to justify a separate video.

Summary: It's another (admittedly solid) twin stick shooter game that we're getting for free. If you like twin stick shooters, by all means, grab it! It's arguably the best one we've received this year. However, it didn't last long at all for me, as I was getting bored within 20-30 minutes. The difficulty in the 30-wave mode ramps up pretty quickly, and there are only checkpoints every ten waves, and the endless mode is, well, just an endless mode. There wasn't too much here for me to bite into. Certainly not a bad game, but not one I'd recommend unless you actually have a Vita to play it on the go.

All in all a very solid list of games for September, even if they're not all my cup of tea. PS+ has really kicked it back up for me personally the last couple months! I do wish we got Child of Light here in NA, I've really wanted to play that game for a while and reviewing it would've been a good excuse to do so. Ah well.   Anyway, yeah, let me know what you guys think of this sort of thread.  I know a lot of people take the PS+ lineups for granted and don't really think about playing them, so hopefully I've helped you find a gem you may have otherwise missed!



You should check out my YouTube channel, The Golden Bolt!  I review all types of video games, both classic and modern, and I also give short flyover reviews of the free games each month on PlayStation Plus to tell you if they're worth downloading.  After all, the games may be free, but your time is valuable!