PS2J Blog

From the hearts and minds of those involved

Free Games of the Month – December 2019

Sony

  • PS4 – Free with PS Plus

    • Titanfall 2

      • 2016
      • From Respawn Entertainment, the studio that brought you the award-winning Titanfall, comes Titanfall® 2.

        In single player, an aspiring Pilot and a veteran Titan combine forces to save their own lives and combat a powerful enemy against all odds. Multiplayer offers brand new Titans, expanded Pilot abilities, and deeper customization to elevate the fast-paced and exciting gameplay fans expect from the series.

        Remote Play requires PS Vita system and sufficiently robust Wi-Fi connection.

    • Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame

      • 2018
      • Live the adrenaline and the excitement of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross Championship with MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS – THE OFFICIAL VIDEOGAME!
        Race on the official tracks, Daytona included, with the official riders from 250SX and 450SX to experience one of the most spectacular and entertaining racing competition ever!
        Discover the Track Editor feature for endless gameplay possibilities: select your stadium, create your own track and share it online with your friends.
        Customize your rider and bike with more than 80 official brands and 300 items available and challenge yourself in conquering the top of the leaderboard.
        Race alone or against players from all over the world thought different offline and online game modes!

Microsoft

  • Xbox One

    • The Final Station   11/16 to 12/15

      • 2016
      • Travel by train through a dying world. Look after your passengers, keep your train operational, and make sure you can always reach the next station. Make your way through swarms of infected at each station. Explore mysterious and abandoned stations looking for supplies and survivors.

    • Insane Robots   12/1 to 12/31

      • 2018
      • Fight to the DEATH in this unique card battler. Compete in intense one-on-one duels. Lead a riotous robot rebellion through randomly generated survival arenas. Overthrow a malevolent robot despot in the epic 15+ hour single-player campaign. Insane Robots is card battling… HACKED!

  • Xbox 360

    • Toy Story 3   12/1 to 12/15

      • 2010
      • Buzz, Woody, and Jessie are back in their biggest adventure yet. When Andy leaves for college, the toys find themselves in a world they’ve never known… A day care! Along with Rex, Hamm, and the others, our heroes battle their way through an unfamiliar world filled with giant obstacles and a nefarious pink bear who smells like strawberries. But the story’s only the beginning. When you choose to play Woody’s Roundup, you’ll unlock a whole new world of customizable fun and adventure. As Sheriff you’ll encounter an enchanted glen with pink dragons to a spooky haunted mansion filled with ghost toys, you’ll choose your favorite toys and costumes to create a unique town with hundreds of entertaining possibilities.

Epic Game Store

    • Jotun – Valhalla Edition   12/6 to 12/12

      • 2015
      • Jotun is a hand-drawn action-exploration game set in Norse mythology. In Jotun, you play Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. Impress the Gods!

    • The Escapists   12/13 to 12/19

      • 2015
      • You’ve landed yourself in prison again, and your only chance is to engineer an escape by any means necessary. How you do it is up to you! Why not cause a prison riot? Or dig a tunnel right under the walls of the prison? Or even steal a guard uniform to blend in with your captors?

Twitch Prime

  • December 2nd to January 2nd

    • Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter

      • 2016
      • Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter is a fantastic adventure with unique gameplay that blends investigation, action and exploration for an extraordinary experience that will test the limits of your nerves and intelligence.

        Track down evil in the darkest corners of London and the human soul while playing as the great detective, as you untangle a web of intrigue leading to the final stunning revelation.

    • Hover

      • 2017
      • Experience the thrills of a fast-paced single and multiplayer Parkour game. Join the Rebellion and deride the security forces of an anti-leisure tyranny. Rise up to the many challenges of a futuristic Open World. Assemble your team, enhance your gear and perform incredible tricks and combos.

    • When Ski Lifts Go Wrong

      • 2019
      • Ride into a hilarious construction puzzler; packed with over 100 creative physics-based challenges, sports and bloody disasters! Build contraptions to help every passenger reach their destination. Enjoy the sports by controlling your riders away from (or towards if you feel like it) peril!

    • Hue

      • 2016
      • Hue is a vibrant, award-winning puzzle-adventure, where you alter the world by changing its background colour.

    • ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove

      • 2019
      • ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! is a mash-up of the very best features of the classic console games with a ton of funky fresh improvements!

Free Games of February 2019

Sony

  • PS4
    • Hitman: The Complete First Season
      • 2017
      • Third person stealth game where you play an enhanced assassin travelling to international locations and eliminating targets with as little exposure as possible
    • For Honor
      • 2017
      • Ubisoft’s pseudo-historical strategy fighting game, where knights, vikings, and samurai face off online and fight for supremacy
  • PS3
    • MGS4: Guns of the Patriots
      • 2008
      • Action adventure militaristic stealth game developed by Kojima
      • Set five years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the story centers around a prematurely aged Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake, as he goes on one last mission to assassinate his nemesis Liquid Snake, who now inhabits the body of his former henchman Revolver Ocelot under the guise of Liquid Ocelot, before he takes control of the Sons of the Patriots, an A.I. system that controls the activities of PMCs worldwide.
    • Divekick
      • 2013
      • Aiming to distill fighting games to their base elements, it’s billed as the world’s first two button fighting game. Your two buttons are ‘Dive’, which has you jumping in the air, and ‘Kick’, which then sends you kicking downwards toward the enemy. Kicking while on the ground lets you hop backwards to evade attacks, and that’s the entire game
  • Vita
    • Gunhouse
      • 2017
      • Part puzzle, part active tower defence, Gunhouse has you making big combos to attack alien invaders looking to eat your orphan friends
    • Rogue Aces
      • 2018
      • 2D air combat dogfight roguelight that has you battling for air, sea, and ground surpremacy while gradually upgrading your aircraft’s stats
  • One more thing to note is that this is the last month for free PS3 and Vita games- after March 8th they’ll no longer be offered with PS Plus

Microsoft

  • XBone
    • BloodStained: Curse of the Moon
      • 2018
      • 8-bit-style Castlevania 3 inspired precursor to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Koji Igarashi’s crowdfunded spiritual successor to Konami’s Castlevania series.
    • Super Bomberman R
      • 2017
      • Classic bomberman gameplay for a new generation, where you move through a 2D grid environment using bombs to open pathways and trap opponents
  • 360
    • Assassin’s Creed Rogue
      • 2014
      • Classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay set in the 18th century during the Seven Years’ War, it’s the seventh AC game set as a sequel to AC 4 and a prequel to AC3, with it’s final mission being the prologue to AC Unity
    • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Xbox)
      • 2003
      • First and third person shooter action game with heavy emphasis on lightsaber combat, where you play a student at the Jedi Academy and complete various missions assigned by Kyle Katarn and Luke Skywalker

Twitch

  • Pikuniku
    • 2019
    • Very cute puzzle adventure game with optional co-op where you guide Piku through levels and solve puzzles by kicking, pushing, and swinging around
  • Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
    • 2017 remake of the 2012 game
    • Immersive, story-driven experience with randomly generated audio, visuals, and events bringing you a different feel each time you play
  • Downwell
    • 2015
    • Vertically scrolling roguelike shmup, where you’re exploring (falling down) a well with your trusty gunboots
  • The Flame in the Flood
    • 2016
    • Roguelike survival adventure game where you play a young girl using a raft to navigate an apocalyptic flood that has turned the world into a series of islands
  • Draknek & Co Puzzle Collection
    • Bundle of three different puzzle games
      • Sokobond
        • 2014
        • An minimalist game about chemistry
      • A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build
        • 2015
        • A game about being a monster and making snowmen
      • Cosmic Express
        • 2017
        • Plan the train route for the universe’s most awkward space colony

Free Games Of September 2018

Microsoft

Xbox One

  • Prison Architect
    • Originally released 2015, XBone port 2016
    • Top-down 2D private prison construction and management sim, a la Theme Hospital and Dwarf Fortress. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while
  • Livelock
    • 2016
    • Top-down twin stick shooter with both solo and coop, described as similar to Diablo but with guns in a post-apocalyptic setting where you fight to unlock Eden and revive humanity

360

  • Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
    • 2011
    • Classic Lego-themed gameplay featuring missions and characters from the Clone Wars 3D animated series
  • Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World
    • Originally released , 360 port 2012
    • Collection of three Wonder Boy titles, including the Japan-exclusive Monster World IV. 2D side-scrolling actionRPGs, similar to Shovel Knight or Shantae

 

Sony

PS4

  • Destiny 2
    • 2017
    • Online-only multiplayer first-person sci-fi shooter developed by Bungie after they left the Halo franchise behind. Decent game, but it’s just the base title so be prepared to drop another $70 if you want to get up to date with the expansions
  • God of War 3: Remastered
    • 2015 remaster of the 2010 title
    • Award-winning action-adventure hack and slash loosely based in Greek mythology, now running at 1080p and 60fps. Want to know how loosely? Check out PS2J 196 for a full history

PS3 and PS4

  • Another World
    • Originally released in 1991, PS port of 2011’s 20th Anniversary edition in 2014
    • Also known as Out of This World and Outer World, it’s a cinematic platform action adventure game that inspired and influenced games like Ico, Metal Gear Solid, and Silent Hill.
  • QUBE: Director’s Cut
    • 2011
    • Quick Understanding of Block Extrusion is a physics-based puzzle game, interacting with specific blocks in the world to solve puzzles and make it to the end of each level

Vita

  • Foul Play
    • Originally released 2013, Vita port 2016
    • Brawler action-adventure following the daemon hunter Baron Dashforth and his sidekick Scampwick, performed on-stage in front of an audience
  • Sparkle 2
    • 2015
    • Orb-matching puzzle game that looks similar to Zuma

Free Games Of August 2018

Microsoft

Xbox One

360

  • Dead Space 3
    • 2013
    • Isaac Clarke returns to the third person survival horror franchise, bringing along Sgt John Carver to end the Necromorph plague once and for all
  • Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
    • 2012
    • Mickey and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit team up for co-op puzzle platforming action

 

Sony

PS4

  • Mafia 3
    • 2016
    • Third person sandbox shooter set in a city based on New Orleans, where you’ll build a new crime organization while seeking revenge on the Italian mob
  • Dead by Daylight
    • 2017
    • Asymmetric online survival horror, where one player takes on the role of the savage killer and hunts down the four survivors as they try to avoid being caught, tortured, and killed

PS3

  • Bound by Flame
    • 2014
    • Fantasy action RPG where you’re possessed by a demon and have to struggle through a brutal adventure while choosing between demonic powers or your immortal soul
  • Serious Sam 3: BFE
    • 2014
    • Over the top first person shooter where you can carry an unlimited amount of weapons and fight through hordes of enemies, a la classic Doom and Quake

Vita

  • Draw Slasher
    • 2013
    • Take revenge on the Pirate Monkey Zombies that kidnapped your family in this touch-screen controlled action platformer. Looks like Ninja Gaiden meets Fruit Ninja
  • Space Hulk
    • 2015
    • 3D turn based strategy game based on the Warhammer 40k board game of the same name, with single player and multiplayer play across PC, Mac, and iOS. Unfortunately the reviews seem to agree that this version doesn’t really bring anything extra to the table

PSVR

  • Here They Lie
    • 2016
    • VR psychological horror experience focussing on narrative and dread, that puts you in a frightening, surreal world of strange and malevolent creatures

 

Twitch

  • Wizardry Bundle (6-8)
  • Wizardry 6, Wizardry 7, Wizardry 8 
    • 1990, 1992, 2001
    • Mouse-driven classic sci-fi/fantasy RPGs where you take your party on an epic journey to powers and riches beyond your imagining
  • Jotun: Valhalla Edition
    • 2018
    • Face the challenges of Viking purgatory after dying an inglorious death in this hand-drawn action exploration game, to prove yourself to the gods and enter Valhalla
  • Antihero
    • 2017
    • Victorian themed turn-based strategy and roleplaying game, where you take control of a thieves’ guild and carry out operations like stealing goods and blackmailing the wealthy
  • Steamworld Dig
    • 2013
    • Platform action-adventure game where you inherit an old western mine and dig through it while avoiding traps and enemies
    • You might recall the sequel was free back in March (episode 186)
  • Death Squared
    • 2017
    • Multiplayer puzzle game about cooperation, communication, and robot explosions. Each player needs to guide their robot to a specific goal, while working with everyone else to help them do the same

Free Games for July 2018

Microsoft

XBone

  • Assault Android Cactus
    • 2015 PC, 2017 Xbox
    • Twin-stick top-down shoot-’em-up where you fight through hordes of rogue robots to take back control of a space freighter
  • Death Squared
    • 2018
    • Multiplayer puzzle game about cooperation, communication, and robot explosions

360

 

Sony

PS4

  • Heavy Rain
    • 2016 port of the 2010 PS3 title
    • Action-adventure quick-time-event game from a studio that should probably just make movies instead of games.
    • Good story, but gameplay and branching narrative are whatever
  • Absolver
    • 2017
    • Fluid martial-arts focused action RPG, with gameplay almost similar to Journey

PS3

  • Rayman 3 HD
    • 2012
    • 3D adventure platformer in the tradition of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro
  • Deception 4: The Nightmare Princess
    • 2015
    • Expanded re-release of 2014’s Deception 4: Blood Ties
    • Gameplay focuses on strategy, luring enemies into a wide variety of traps before they can reach the player

Vita

  • Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
    • 2016
    • Adventure graphic novel with puzzle segments and a twisting story with multiple paths
    • Definitely worth playing the first two games beforehand to get the full picture
  • Space Overlords
    • 2016
    • It kind of looks like a robot version of Rampage on tiny planets? Not a lot of information, and the reviews don’t look very good

Free Games for June 2018

Microsoft

XBone

  • Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia
    • 2016
    • Third and final game in Climax Studios’ series of side-scrolling AC platformers
  • Smite
    • 2014
    • Third-person MOBA featuring direct control over your character
    • Already F2P, but this will include the games Gold Bundle normally valued at $100

360

 

Sony

PS4

  • Trials Fusion
    • 2014
    • Ridiculous dirtbike platforming racing game
    • Was free on XBone back in August last year
  • XCOM 2
    • 2016
    • Turn-based strategy combat with high-stakes character perma-death

PS3

PSVita

  • Atomic Ninjas
    • 2013
    • Colorful 2.5D multiplayer competitive platformer with limited single-player
  • Squares
    • 2015
    • Puzzle reflex game where you need to tap/slide squares around on the screen

 

Twitch

  • Strafe
    • 2017
    • Super gory FPS that changes every time you play
  • The Banner Saga 1 and 2
    • 2014 and 2016
    • Animated role-playing viking saga with a branching story across both games
  • Tumblestone
    • 2016
    • Action-puzzle block-clearing game with both single and multiplayer
  • Treadnauts
    • 2018
    • Physics-based four-player 2D arena tank fights, looks like Worms meets Duck Game

Free Games for May 2018

Microsoft

XBone

XBox 360

  • Streets of Rage
    • 1991
    • Re-release from the Sega Vintage Collection, 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up
  • Vanquish
    • 2010
    • Action third-person shooter from the developer behind Bayonetta and Revengance

 

Sony

PS4

  • Beyond: Two Souls
    • 2013
    • Another interactive drama from David Cage, ala Heavy Rain
    • Billed as action-adventure but I feel like Cage’s games lack immersion and depth
  • Rayman Legends
    • 2013
    • Side-scrolling adventure platformer with optional coop

PS3

  • Risen 3: Titan Lords
    • 2014
    • Action RPG with the ability to tackle challenges in different ways and orders
  • Eat Them!
    • 2010
    • 3D cell-shaded spiritual successor to Rampage

Vita

  • King Oddball
    • 2014
    • Strange-looking Angry Birds-esque destruction game
  • Furmins
    • 2013
    • Phsyics-based action puzzle game

 

Twitch

PC

  • Psychonauts
    • 2005
    • Action-adventure platformer in a world of psychic abilities and sinister plots
  • Clustertruck
    • 2016
    • Arcade action-platformer where you try to get to the end of the level as fast as possible without touching the ground
  • Gone Home
    • 2013
    • First-person adventure exploration game with a great plot
  • Titan Souls
    • 2015
    • Punishingly difficult action-adventure game where you have to kill 19 titans with a single arrow and can only take one hit
  • High Hell
    • 2017
    • Neon arcade-action FPS from the makers of Heavy Bullets and Gang Beasts
  • I, Hope
    • 2018
    • Adventure puzzle-platformer coming-of-age story, looking to empower people battling cancer

Joking Hazard

Alan was a backer for the Kickstarter, and we just got to play a game. This is my review!

Overview

Joking Hazard is a party game for 3 to 10 people. The box recommends it to be (im)mature adults, due to its references to sex, violence and basically anything you have seen on the Cyanide and Happiness comic. If that comic is one you enjoy, or you are a big fan of Cards Against Humanity, this will be a great game for you.

jokinghazard1

Gameplay

The game play is really simple. Each player is dealt 7 cards. A player is chosen to be the first judge to start the game, then reveals the top card from the deck. How the turn is played is based on the type of card revealed.

A card with a black border is most common. The judge chooses a card from their hand and places it on either the left or right of the card from the deck. These make the first two panels of a comic. The rest of the players choose a card from their hand to complete the comic and pass it face down to the judge. Randomly selecting and revealing cards, the judge picks what card is their favourite to complete the comic. The person who had the winning card gets it from the judge as a victory point.

The other possibility, is the card has a red border. These are special, as they are usually more unique designs, and they have to be used as the final panel. Now the judge has to wait as the players select two cards, to create the first two panels of the comic. Players pass their selection face down to the judge, then they randomize the piles and reveal them in order. Again the judge selects what pair is their favourite comic, and the person who played the two cards will get them back as points.

Components

The box is solid, which is perfect for taking over to friends houses. Cards are high quality, similar to Bicycle brand playing cards. Alan got a couple expansions with his set, giving us a lot of cards right away. As well as some blank cards for us to write out own text on.

TL;DR

It’s like Cards Against Humanity but with comic panels. Durable to be played a lot.

Verdict

If you and your friends are fans of Cards Against Humanity or Cyanide and Happiness, this game is a safe bet for a good time. And it even comes with official drinking rules. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to playing it again! Its an easy addition to most board game collections, as it can be played to start a game night, or be the last game when everyone has had a bit to drink.