Sometime in recent weeks there have been various sales (the store updates every Tuesday with different discounts) on the Playstation Network, and I was able to get a handful of games super cheap. None of them were games I had seen before, as it’s fairly difficult to keep up with every single game release, but also because I hadn’t really been buying too many games in the last few months. My little family has all been playing games together lately so I purposely looked for games that could be played at minimum by two players, but most of these support 4 or more players in couch co-op/competitive modes. As such, none of these games really warrant a full individual posting, so I thought I’d do a little gaming roundup as we managed to play all of these in the last few days. All of these titles were played on my Playstation 4, but I assume that most are available on Steam as well, save for the last one that is an exclusive.

This game caught my eye due to its cartoony graphics and silly nature, I figured my step-son would enjoy it. I was correct in that assessment, as he seemed to have a lot of fun killing little skeletons and gathering loot. It plays like a Gauntlet style dungeon crawl, with traps, powerups and bad guys to kill. The controls are simple enough, as are the mechanics. You pick one of four bros, and none are very unique when the game starts. You have color selection, a couple of weapons to choose from (that don’t really change up gameplay) and that’s really it. As you play through the game though, there are ways to unlock more weapons and characters and appearance gear, so you’ll be able to feel a bit more unique fairly quickly.

Gameplay consists of controlling your bros through dungeons killing bad guys, avoiding traps and collecting loot. For the most part it’s pretty straightforward and there isn’t anything super deep here, but it’s good for kids looking for a simple dungeon adventure, and being able to play with up to four players means it can get pretty hectic pretty fast, particularly because you all share the same screen! I’d recommend it if you’re trying to play with little ones.

Recently he has been playing Mario Kart on his DS, and he’s really into it. I know that Mario Kart is a game that’s restricted to Nintendo platforms, but there have been other IPs that have attempted similar types of titles. Notables are games like Crash Team Racing or Little Big Planet Karting. This is another of those types of games, though it’s not from anyone with a recognizable IP. Some generic characters drive some generic cars, and you’ll race while being able to disrupt each other with various power-ups. Sounds familiar right? And it should, because it is.

There’s nothing special here that sets it apart from other kart racers, but it’s more of the same and that can sometimes be a good thing. You’ll be able to jump right in (we were) and understand the controls and what the power-ups do. The AI isn’t too terrible either, so you’ll have to play well to win, and that’s not something that can always be said about these sorts of knock off games. Overall it’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s still appealing to kids and can be a spot of fun.

This title came out of left field and I happened to look at it because what the hell is going on here? I had no idea what to expect with this one, but I went into it at least knowing that I could expect a frantic top-down shooter. It’s more than that, but that is the main core of its gameplay.

You will play as Tesla (yes, that Tesla) against the author Lovecraft who leads his Cthulhu armies. You don’t actually see Lovecraft though, and it seems that Tesla’s experiments are actually responsible for opening these rifts. You’ll have to suspend your disbelief a bit to really enjoy the story, but the gameplay is top notch. Each level is limited, in that there are borders to it, along with obstacles you’ll have to be mindful of. Enemies will spawn, as will power-ups and you’ll fight until they are all eliminated. As you make kills, you’ll gain levels and each level comes with perks that improve your speed, HP, bullets, etc. Different weapons will also drop, and eventually you’ll get some pretty cool gadgets that will slow down time, allow you to teleport, or allow you to summon a limited time mech that really fucks shit up. The levels increase in difficulty as you go, but it becomes a frantic kill fest for a few minutes and it is glorious. Highly recommended for all ages.

The last title I want to touch on was another game I got during one of these sales. Alienation is from the creators of Dead Nation, which was actually one of the very first games I ever downloaded from the Playstation store on my PS3. They also created Super Stardust and I want to say Resogun as well, but regardless, I’ve played most of the games from this developer and they are all pretty damn good if not being a bit low budget. This game is basically like the sequel to Dead Nation, but instead of focusing on Zombies, it’s an Alien invasion. The game plays pretty much the same otherwise, and despite having better graphics than its predecessor, it’s still pretty simple isometric graphics. Nothing wrong with this, and it works, but it is what it is.

This one is different from games like the Tesla one above, because it has an actual campaign, more of a storyline and will eventually end (until you start up New Game +). If you played Dead Nation you’ll be familiar with the formula, and if you haven’t played it, well I’m sure it’s pretty cheap to pick up (and it was ported to PS4). I think it was free via PS Plus at some point as well, but I’m not entirely sure. Overall though this one is a little more mature but I still think it would be fine for older kids.

All of these titles were recently on sale and will likely be again. Cheap options to play with friends or loved ones in the same room are always good because we have so much online multiplayer out there that won’t allow split screen options. Nothing better than being able to give a high five to the person next to you after finishing something particularly challenging! That’s all for this post, but as always, happy gaming!