Tag: IGC

April 2015 IGC

Izlain

It’s that time of the month again, and this time the information is nice and early, unlike last month where the official post didn’t come out until the day of the releases. This time around the last day of the month fell on Tuesday (today) so we’re going to have to wait until next week to jump into these titles. Overall, it’s a so-so month for me. I really need to bite the bullet soonish and get a PS4 and a Vita, because I’d be getting so much more value out of this plus membership had I all the hardware to run the games. It’s okay, because I know I’ll be able to play these games eventually when I do get the systems, but it’s a bummer when the PS3 games are ones I have already played or own on another platform. Anyway, let’s start with the video and then I’ll go over the titles individually.

So for PS4 owners, you’ll be getting what I think is a pretty cool game in Tower of Guns, along with a couple of indie platformers. A few of the titles this month are cross buy, so I know that Tower of Guns is going to be available on PS3 as well, which is cool, but I’ve owned the game on my PC for months. It’s a really hectic bullet-hell FPS that has cartoon graphics and ran great despite all of the stuff exploding on screen. It’s also a rogue-like, so there’s permadeath and procedural generation along with various unlockables that will ease further progress. I can say if you’re a fan of any of the genres mentioned, you should enjoy this one. I’ll be trying it out when I can to see how it holds up on the PS3. I have a feeling it will be fine either way as the graphics weren’t amazing anyway, but sometimes the PS3 can be sluggish.

The second PS4 title is called Never Alone, and stars a main character with a wolf pet, and I assume there are various puzzles and other platformer elements that you’re used to, so it really doesn’t need much other description. I will say that it doesn’t really look like something I would normally play, but it could be a pleasant surprise, right? Lastly, one of the PS3 games is cross buy on PS4 as well, and it’s called Aaru’s Awakening. This one is still another platformer type game, but it has a more appealing art style and seems similar to The Swapper game we got a couple of months ago. I’ll give this one a spin and report back when I have a chance.

The other PS3 game this month is Dishonored, and my verdict is “meh.” I owned the game when it first released and though it was fun for a couple of hours, it ended up frustrating me. At the time I was deep in a trophy addiction, and the trophies in that game were insane, where you would essentially beat the game without killing anyone, and things of that nature. I’ve written before about how stealth games generally annoy me, because they force you into that role, whereas I love stealth classes in RPGs because you can pick and choose when to go in guns blazing, or play it safe. Anyway, I don’t believe I finished this one, and I did enjoy the story/setting, so perhaps I’ll give it another whirl. We’ll see.

Finally, for the PSVita there’s Killzone Mercenary and Monsterbag. The former is the Vita exclusive Killzone game, and I’m sure it’s just fine. I enjoyed Killzone when I’ve played it in the past but was never a huge fan of the series. It’s pretty straightforward FPS stuff. The latter game is another puzzler, and looks rather boring, but you’ll have to see for yourself.

That’s all for another month of Plus freebies. Til next time.

#playstationplus #instantgamecollection #freegames

March ’15 IGC

Izlain6 Comments

It’s that time again. Another round of freebies for Playstation Plus members releases today. For whatever reason, Sony was a bit late giving out the information, so by the time I found out what games we are getting, they were already live on the store. That works for me. Because their post was late, it appears there won’t be a video, so you get to deal with me droning on about the titles 🙂

For PS4 owners, you’ll be treated to four games this week. First up is Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey New n Tasty. This is a rehash of the original Oddworld game that came out on the PS1 and started the franchise. I believe this means we’ve received all of the Oddworld games for free on the various consoles to this point, but honestly I’m not a fan. I had the original Oddworld on my PS1 back in the day, and I really didn’t get it. It was hugely popular, but it was just an indie puzzle game before its time. Seriously, tell me there aren’t a thousand other games just like this on the indie market these days. This title gets a meh from me.

Next is Valiant Hearts: The Great War. I’m not really sure what this game is all about, but I do know that it came out a while back and looked kind of interesting when I saw it on Steam. I also recall hearing some good things about the title, but you’ll have to try it for yourself. I cannot comment at this point, I haven’t tried it nor do I have the PS4 to try it right now.

OlliOlli2 hits the PS4 and the Vita this month, and having recently purchased a bundle on the PC with the original in it, I can attest that it’s a pretty fun game. This one would probably be more entertaining on the go as a Vita title, but either way it’s a fun game. Think 2-D Tony Hawk, and you’ll know whether or not you’d enjoy it. I found it to be a pretty fun time waster on the PC, but in that case a controller was necessary. You won’t have to worry about that on the console obviously. Skateboarding hasn’t been this fun in years.

Finally, CounterSpy is on all three consoles this month, and it looks to be a retro themed stealth game, but I really hadn’t heard anything about this one before posting this today. From appearances, it looks like a platformer or perhaps a 3-D stealther, but I’m not really sure. Since this one was cross-buy on the PS3, I’ll be able to check it out and report back later.

That covers PS4 and Vita, so on to the PS3.

Aside from CounterSpy which I already mentioned, PS3 owners are getting treated to Papo & Yo, along with Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments. Meh. Really meh. I’m downloading all 3 games I had access to as I write this, but honestly I’m not excited about any of them. Counterspy is probably the most interesting, but it’s not something I’m dying to play, and neither other title really appeals to me. Papo & Yo is a puzzle platformer. The Sherlock Holmes game looks good graphically, but I’m not sure if it’s more point and click, interactive narrative, or something else. I suppose I’ll find out and get back to you.

So overall, this is a pretty weak month for Plus members. However, we’ve had some pretty good months recently so I’m not complaining. I think it’s about time to renew my membership too. Anyway, that’s all for this month. Will see you next time.

#playstationplus #instantgamecollection #freegames

Playstation Plus Freebies Feb ’15

Izlain4 Comments

It’s that time of the month again! Wait, where are you going? No. You can come back now. You don’t need to stock up on tampons. Bad joke is bad.

Seriously though, the freebies for Playstation Plus members for the month of February have been revealed. We getting some good stuff, and some ok, stuff, and some stuff I have no idea about. So let’s start things off with the video.

For those of you still with me, here’s my commentary on the offerings.

On PS4, Transistor is the first game up. From the company that brought us Bastion, it is a spiritual successor to the game that changes things up visually, and thematically, yet should still be familiar to fans of the first game. I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about it since it released on the PC, but I have yet to try it and now I know I don’t have to buy it. I just need to get a PS4. Hey, tax season is coming, perhaps then? The second offering is a PS4 exclusive called Apotheon, which is a greek mythology themed sidescroller that looks to be more of what you’ve seen in the past from indie developers. It looks pretty, but it’s probably rather simplistic. Still, no one can complain about free, can they?

On PS3, we’re getting Yakuza 4 and The newest Thief reboot. The former game is another of those open world titles like Sleeping Dogs, GTA, inFamous, or Saint’s Row. Personally I’m sick of these types of games and they rarely keep me entertained for long, but you might like it! I am interested in the Thief reboot, as a fan of the series, though I haven’t played any save for the original that came out in the late 90’s. I loved the game then, but it was something new. These days stealth games have been overdone, and the last one that I bought and played through was Dishonored, and though I loved the lore of that game, the gameplay itself was boring and uninspired. There has also been backlash against this reboot, calling it boring and uninspired and a disappointment to fans of the IP. Despite all of that, I’m glad I never purchased it, and now will be able to try it for free. I think I might actually enjoy it, but we’ll see. My love for stealth games pretty much lived and died with the original.

On Vita, there’s Rogue Legacy, and Kick & Fennick. The former is a fantastic rogue-like platformer that I bought on the PC a couple of years ago. I will definitely play it some more on the console, just like I did a couple months back with Luftrausers (which I also already had on PC). It’s a cross buy game for all 3 consoles, so this one is another great addition to the library. The latter, Kick & Fennick is another platformer, and since I don’t have a Vita I don’t really care. Has anyone seen any PS4/Vita bundles in the US yet? I remember seeing a couple of ads outside of the US but that was months ago. I really need to get both, but then I’d have even more of a backlog I wouldn’t know what to do with.

So that’s it for this month. More free stuff is always good. Until next time.

#playstationplus #instantgamecollection #freestuff

Playstation Plus for January ’15

Izlain1 Comment

It’s that time again, a new month means new Playstation Plus goodies for members of the service. The last couple of months have been on the weak side for me personally, mainly because I either already owned a portion of the games or I wasn’t interested in them. This month looks to rectify that, and this is why I stay a member: for every bad month there will be months that make up for it. First, the video:

On PS4, there’s inFamous: First Light, which is a spin-off title of Second Son, and looks to be similar to that Festival of Blood spin-off that came out sometime inbetween inFamous and inFamous 2. It looks amazing graphically, but is probably more of the same. There’s also the Swapper, which is a puzzle platformer with a cloning gun that looks rather interesting. That one is cross platform for PS3 and Vita as well, so I’ll be able to check it out. Add First Light to my backlog of PS4 games for when I actually buy the system.

For PS3, aside from the aforementioned Swapper, is Prototype 2, which looks so much like inFamous it’s not even funny. I remember hearing many positive things about the original game, though I’m not sure if the sequel is better or worse. Either way, running around a city with super mutative powers sounds like a good time, even if I don’t take it very seriously. I have become a little bored with open world games, but I did really enjoy the inFamous series so I can’t see why I wouldn’t enjoy this one as well.

Next up is Duck Tales Remastered, which is a title that I’ve been meaning to pick up for far too long. I almost bought it a few times for PS3, but also almost bought it a time or two on Steam. I’m now glad that I didn’t, because now I’m getting it for free. This is my most anticipated game this month, because I loved the NES classic and remember spending many hours playing it, though I’m not sure if I ever beat it. I will rectify that soon enough.

For Vita, there’s the Duke Nukem Megaton edition, which wraps up the original Duke Nukem 3D with three expansion packs. This one is also supposed to be cross platform with the PS3, so I should also be able to check it out. I mean, I played the original back when it came out in the 90’s, but I like the nostalgia lane stuff. When I bought the Doom 3 BFG edition it came with the original two Doom games from the 90’s, and they were fun to play through again. This should be no different, and I don’t think I ever tried any of the expansions. Lastly, there’s a platformer called Whoa Dave! that looks pretty crappy. It’s supposed to have a PS4 version coming at a later date as well, but for now Vita owners can check it out. I don’t see it being something you’ll spend much time on.

So that’s it for this month, a pretty good month over all in my opinion. I’ll give more opinions on these games as I check them out.

#playstationplus #instantgamecollection #freegames

Playstation Plus: Dec 2014

Izlain3 Comments

Man, where has this year gone? It seems like it’s gone by faster than years past. It’s already been almost 4 months since I made my big move, I can’t believe it. Next thing you know it will be 2015. There’s still one more month to go though, which means there’s another round of Playstation Plus freebies on the horizon before the year is through. First up, here’s the video for those of you who don’t like to read:

For those of you who skipped over the pretty pictures, here’s the full post from the Playstation Blog. And now on to my commentary.

For the PS4, the releases are Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition and Secret Ponchos. The former is a pretty decent fighting game, I watched and helped my former roommate play through the story mode, and it was interesting enough. I liked the fact that it forced you to play different characters, and told a more in depth story than fighting games are known for. Getting away from that “pick one character and play through several rounds culminating with a boss fight” with a flimsy story to back it up is a good thing. However, once you’re done with that, it’s back to the traditional fighting game stuff, which gets boring after a while. I’m unsure what the extra goodies entail, but I’d assume it’s more characters to play as and/or customization options. Maybe more story stuff, I don’t have a clue, but it should be a fun time waster nonetheless.

Me and Eri talked about Secret Ponchos a little on the last podcast. She (and all of the reviews on Steam I have read) said that there isn’t anyone playing it. Since I’m sure there are a ton of Playstation Plus subscribers (particularly on PS4 where it is required to use the multiplayer functions of games), there will probably be an audience for this. It looks like a combat arena type game, and 4v4 is nearly MOBA sized. Not sure on objectives or anything like that but it appears to have some neat mechanics, and should be fun.

On PS3, we’re getting the Hitman HD trilogy (yawn) and Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut. They gave us the newest Hitman game a few months ago and I still never touched it. If I remember correctly, I enjoyed the very first Hitman game, and somewhere between then and now, I lost interest in games where you needed to do a bunch of sneaking around. I don’t mind it so much when you’re playing a Thief in a fantasy setting, but if the whole game’s premise is that you are a stealthy person who avoids combat, I’m out. No thanks, that shit gets boring quick.

Deadly Premonition is a horror game and has been commended if I recall correctly. I swear someone was talking about it recently and saying that it was a great game. I could be wrong, but either way it’s about the only game this month I have access to and am interested in. I’ll get back to you on that once I try it out.

On Vita, there’s Final Horizon and Titan Attacks! The former is a tower defense game, so yeah, probably boring. The latter is described as a shmup, and I’m into those, and it’s also cross buy for PS3 so perhaps that will be a fun time-waster. Again, more on that after I try it out.

That’s it for this month. Another so-so month for me, but that’s just based on my preferences, and lack of 2 out of the 3 systems. Oh, and update from last month, I still was never able to play Frozen Synapse Prime. For whatever reason the game just crashes my system every time it’s loading. That was disappointing, but from the looks of it, it wasn’t a game I was going to spend a lot of time with anyway. So yeah, happy gaming everyone, I’ll catch you later.

#playstationplus #instantgamecollection #pluspreview