If you’re still holding on to your old Playstation 3, Sony is still sending games out to you on your Playstation Plus membership.
But if you’re getting two of them every month, on top of whatever else you’re playing, it can be hard to decide what’s worth playing and what can just sit in the back of the library forever.
If you’ve been a PS Plus subscriber since the beginning of 2015, and you’ve been dutifully downloading those games as they come, you should probably pay extra attention to these ones.
Ducktales Remastered
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Okay, it doesn’t quite have the magic of the original. But it does have the WayForward logo on it, which is an undeniable seal of quality.
Plus you have the incomparable Jake “Virt” Kaufman doing his part to improve upon an already legendary soundtrack. There’s nothing about this game that isn’t worth your time.
Dishonored
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Another game out of Bethesda’s talented RPG factory, Dishonored is a little like Fallout and Elder Scrolls games of late, and yet distinctly different from each.
It’s more like if you put Assassin’s Creed in a Bethesda game, but then gave your hero time manipulation powers. It’s cooler than it sounds, and it sounds pretty cool.
Yakuza 4
Image Credit: Wikipedia
The translation of the Japanese title of this game is “Like a Dragon 4: Successor of the Legend.” That might be reason enough for you to give this a spin.
If it’s not, here’s more to sell you on it. Yakuza 4 is a massive open-world RPG in which there are random battles. But the random battles are just fights, and they play out like a beat-’em-up or brawler.
So if you’ve ever wanted to level up running around a highly-realistic recreation of Japan (complete with Japanese product placement!) while slamming thugs’ heads into telephone poles, Sega has made a game just for you.
Mass Effect 2
Image Credit: Wikipedia
This is a clever ploy by Bioware and EA. They released Mass Effect 2 as a free game, but at no point have they released 1 or 3. And you really have to play the trilogy to fully appreciate the series.
On top of that, Mass Effect 2 is clearly the best game of the trilogy. So this one is tough. You should play this, but you should play the first Mass Effect first. But that one you’d obviously have to buy.
Do what you like here, but just know you’re missing out if you don’t take a look at the Mass Effect trilogy at some point, in some way.
Beyond Good & Evil HD
Image Credit: Wikipedia
One of the most unique stealth-action games ever to grace a console, fans have been waiting for a Beyond Good & Evil 2 for 13 years, and have been rebuffed at every turn.
If you’d like to join the masses waiting for a hint of news on the project at every E3, play the HD version and see why Jade is one of the best female lead characters in video game history.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Do you like 80’s nonsense sci-fi action with lots of neon colors? Because that’s literally all this is.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has absolutely nothing to do with Far Cry 3 other than that it uses the same engine. It’s a spinoff game that does an 80’s parody more spot-on than anyone to try before or since.
It’s over-the-top, and stupid, and hilarious at every turn. Completing the game and earning all the trophies should only take 5-10 hours, but they’ll be hours you’re glad you spent.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Image Credit: Wikipedia
This just has no right being as good a game as it is. It defies logic.
Yet here we are. Arguably the best fighting game of 2014 was based entirely on a pair of JRPGs that came out on the Playstation 2 in 2006 and 2008. Of course, it helps when genre veteran Arc System Works steps in to do the heavy lifting.
If you like fighting games, and don’t mind a high learning curve, this is something to sink some time into. Especially if you’re into Guilty Gear or Blazblue.
SSX
Image Credit: Wikipedia
A reboot of one of the most beloved extreme sports franchises, SSX is a fun – if somewhat affected – foray back into the world of stunt-driven snowboarding.
Critics will argue it’s missing some of the over-the-top silliness that made the original games so special, but there’s no denying the game is fun, controls well, and has an impressive list of features to keep the gameplay fresh.
Dragon Age: Origins
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Bioware makes the list again, and this time without a prerequisite. Dragon Age: Origins, to put it simply, is pretty much Mass Effect made in the Lord of the Rings universe.
Of course, it’s not the official Shire or anything. But it’s a high-fantasy adventure mixing action and dialogue trees. And though Bioware has made two sequels to Origins, many fans consider this one still the best.
Super Stardust HD
Image Credit: Wikipedia
It isn’t new, and it isn’t revolutionary. It’s just raw fun.
Super Stardust was the first PS3 game with trophy support, and it’s based on Amiga game Super Stardust, which itself was based on Asteroids. So yeah, breaking technology here.
But still, this is a highly updated version of the game, and it plays more like Geometry Wars than any Amiga game. It’s a relatively simple game with simple mechanics, but hey, sometimes a simple arcade shooter is exactly what you need.
