February is upon us and that can only mean one thing for PlayStation Plus subscribers…….NEW GAMES TO DOWNLOAD!!! This month brings a great mixed bag across the multiple platforms, all available from February 5th
Ubisoft’s action title, For Honor is a very unique offering and something a bit different for the PlayStation faithful. This 2017 release answers the question that everyone has always asked – if Vikings, Samurais and Knights were put in a triple threat match where winner takes all, who would win? Set in a medieval fantasy setting players control their chosen warrior in a third person perspective. Each faction is given the option of four different classes, with the classic pro’s and con’s for each class along with different fighting styles to match. Along with a single player campaign there is also the multiplayer offering which gives the player six different game types to choose from. Whilst the game received some mixed reviews at launch an update and subsequent patch released in 2018, which added a new faction (Chinese Wu Lin) as well as an extra two classes per faction brought some very positive reviews for the new up to date content. A very enjoyable single player game and even more fun in multiplayer is a simple game to pick up and play by yourself or with friends.
The second title available for PS+ subscribers is a former game of the year contender also from 2017, it’s one from IO Interactives legendary series Hitman: The Complete First Season. If you’ve been living under a digital rock for the last nearly 20 years (yes the franchise has been out for that long), Hitman lets you take control of one of the most iconic figures in video game history, Agent 47 who is a genetically enhanced assassin for hire, traveling around the world to take out the targets requested by his clients. The beauty about this game is that there’s no right way to play it. Go in all guns blazing or be a shadow and stealth the mission, or get up close and personal and choke your target or take them out with a high powered sniper rifle from the next postcode. But there are consequences for being impatient with your target as NPC’s play a huge role in the game always giving out information or disguises that you could take advantage of to get closer to your goal. Originally released as a seasonal style content giving players a new episode monthly, Hitman: The Complete First Season gives players the chance to access all the content in one bite. One last thing, the beauty of having this as a free download is that is if you enjoyed Hitman so much that you wanted to purchase 2018’s Hitman 2, is that there has been a DLC called “The Legacy Pack” that will give you all the mission’s from the first game with the new updated and improved game mechanics from the latest release!
On more of a sad and mellow note, Sony have announced that as of March 8 the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita titles would no longer be included in the monthly free downloads. That being said what a way to go out with one of the all-time great titles available for one of the all-time great consoles.
This month’s PlayStation Plus line-up also includes:
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the action adventure stealth title from Hideo Kojima and former Game of the Year, is a must have for all PS3 users. The story centres around a much older Snake sent out on his last mission to try and stop his long time advisory Liquid Snake now known as Liquid Ocelot who has taken over an A.I that controls worldwide private military companies. Like I said, a must have.
- Drivekick, a 2D fighting game that is controlled with two buttons, funnily enough drive and kick and from what I’ve seen in online reviews is something that you will either love or hate.
- Rogue Aces, available on the PS Vita is a side scrolling 2D flight combat simulator that gives you one life and three planes before its game over. Reportedly very challenging in later levels.
- Gunhouse, available on the PS Vita is described as “part puzzle, part tower defence” where you take on an alien invasion.
Metacritic rated the PS+ February titles with the following scores:
PS4
- For Honor – 7.8/10
- Hitman: The Complete First Season – 8.4/10
PS3
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – 9.4/10
- Drivekick – 6.5/10
PS Vita
- Rogue Aces – tbd/10
- Gunhouse – tbd/10
