Bramble

Superb month, a bit for everyone, Slimerancher 2 I will certainly play (loved the first one), Monster Hunter Rise I also might try, nice to have ESO in library in the event I have time for it in my life, the golf game will collect dust

@rjejr a past era where the PS Store was actually decently curated, and (good) indie gems were more of a rarity ...

Sometimes it feels like ages ago, other times like yesterday ...

@rjejr damn I liked Fat Princess on PS3

@Gaia093 I actually really liked the first season personally ... The seasons after it detoriated quickly in quality both story and visual wise tho, Escanor carried the back end for me.

Trailer didn't grab, but hype moment when Escanor appeared (although I liked his ending in the anime)

Maybe a "Saints Row: the Gaas / Gatcha" pitch would entice Embracer Group? A chance for a slice of that GTA Online money, they'd be losing money not to try it /s

I only played SR3 and really enjoyed at release. SR4 & Gat outta Hell seemed like more of the same great gameplay but with the craziness cranked to 11, they didn't kill the franchise imo.

The reboot however just seems boring and boring to play, and DID kill the franchise.

I loved the first one, but will wait a bit for the kinks to be ironed out with this one

Not my cup o' joe.

Hope it succeeds for Sony, as I want Sony to keep going great, but for myself I hope it doesn't succeeds too much, as I don't want more GaaS from Sony.

@AdamNovice well, that's also the way it is was during the PS3 era and before, developers/publishers had to release a complete and done game on the disc (aside PS3) as updates weren't really possible. And when you release a multiplayer game, you only generally have one chance to grab a playerbase and it is at release. Releasing a game is always a gamble

I never understood the undies fixation in Japan ... Sounds like a funny idea, but the gameplay looks below mid, hard skip for me.

I personally love this art style when done well (and I like how it is done here), but its like the brown/sepia filter during the PS3 era, a bit overdone by now ...

Hades got me enthralled for another weekend yet again, will be the game I play the coming weeks too I think. Maybe a little Infinity Nikki here and there, but nothing more

@Westernwolf4 well put!

Honestly, an amazing month all around! I likely won't play Undisputed myself, but want to try out the other three.

You can't really ask for more of a service like this ... I haven't bought an new or AAA game in 2025, and likely will not buy one in 2026, since the PS+ Essentials offerings are so good

I understand Vincke wanting an AirBnB-like scoring model, giving the BnB's a score and the guest a score, as that enhances respect on both sides, but that is a closed environment with defined parties who make a clear trade (money vs logding)

Metacritic is an open environment where the parties are independent of each other. And who would review the reviewers? Users will fanboy/hate score reviewers, and game devs likely won't score the reviewers because 1) they don't care or 2) fear retaliation form disgruntled reviewers.

Game devs have a bit of a foot behind the door with their free review copies and review embargos though

Also, like mentioned above, everybody has their favorite reviewers for indepth reviews, I like SkillUp and he deviates from the metascore and general consensus on a regular basis

I think there is a niche for gacha games, but having played Infinity Nikki for 160 hours, I have to conclude that I do not have the time to play such a game, let alone multiple

@Shinnok789 Yeah seems this would fit that mould quite well, as I want to play/try, but not pay (much) for it

@Jayslow Yeah that's a beating by the humor police man, they're on their way

The games industry has been ballooning the last few decades, so fat being trimmed by lay-offs at AAA studio's shouldn't be such a surprise. A lot of the most popular recent games are from the indie scene, which proof that "better photorealistic graphics" or "even a bigger open world" are no longer the important success factors they once were, while those factors are increasingly costly to achieve. AAA studio's also often chase trends and immediately go all in on them, which means one wrong bet and they risk toppling (e.g. recent GaaS trend)

@Hyena_socks seems like it is kinda horny, but if the writing is good, could go in the vein of disgaea

That first season, and Escanor, were so peak, it made me watch all seasons even if the anime dived off a cliff in the middle

Have the PS2 game, but only played it like once, did not grab me at the time

Had a short but major Minecraft addiction over a decade ago, this seems to add an interesting twist, definitely on my radar now

Seems like a perfect 7outta10 3D-platformer with an unique twist - Not an immediate buy for me, but maybe in a sale or via PS+

Man, I'd love to dip back in, but gotta redownload everything ...

Loved Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, but Cosmic Shake didn't grab me, curious about this one tho

Nice selection, more niche games overall but all are great according to reviews. Stray and TABS are ones I certainly will play.

@Hesse I am of the same opinion on this. Hell, I barely play online, and I still pay for PS Plus because the free games are a fun surprise, and I do play a lot of them

Playing it now, 30h in, halfway (upgraded the first two strongholds), and I agree with the review, but would rate it higher personally, the atmosphere and gameplay are there, but waaay too much openworld clutter imo, learning to ignore the loot locations ...

I played the first one while moving houses, and it really clicked, played 40h, almost finished the campaign (at the metro station rn). Don't know if this sequel interests me, I'll watch some gameplay vids

@UnlimitedSevens It must be that a more curated PS store is less beneficial than a less curated PS store economically. Platform holders and online storefronts really should have more responsabilities laid upon them by law ... Self-governance doesn't work, the bottom line always prevails in that case.

Liked that part about zagging when everyone else is zigging, and a solid cheeky '70 open world game sounds unique enough to distinguish itself at te least

@rjejr As someone who played Infinity Nikki up until finishing Eerie Season content (140h total), what makes you going back to it? The doll quest at the castle during Eerie season was great, but I realised story relevant content would be dripfed, and that was my main reason to play. With the housing feature being delayed so much, I assume the next mayor update will still be far off ...

I understand the shift to digital being the main way to sell games ... but why sell a "physical edition" of an old remake not fully on the disc? There must be a reason?

Really hope they didn't gamble the house on the succes of this game, only reason I even know bout it is because an interview on the FPS podcast ...

They should have make it a full singleplayer experience, but with the possibility to play it in 4p coop, like the Borderlands series.

And not release it as another bare bones GaaS "we promise it'll get good eventually" game.

@ChromaticDracula I am of the same idea, we have reached a plateau regarding graphics, and using more horsepower for e.g. better intellect or more complex behavior of NPC's or world destruction is not something recent games have strived for (aside maybe from KCD2)

Painting a room mainly, but did get some Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 in.

It is a fun idea, but after free 5€ gift cards, the mere right to buy a (expensive) t-shirt or pin is pretty meagre. Some valid points about the execution and balancing of trophies too in above comments.

Since I stopped buying games I do not have time for playing immediately, PS+ really has become a great deal, since there is always at least 1 game worth trying

Weird game, seems like an anime Saints Row game with mechanics of other games tacked on (spiderman slinging, arkham combat ...), and an Infinity Nikki earning model. But Sony must be thinking about a GTA Online model ...

The trailer doesn't grab me really, very short gameplaymoments, lot of "walking up to" shots ... artstyle and theme not my jam ... but if the little events and sidequests are truly unique and interesting, that could be intriguing.

Comments show it is polarizing game already. Me, I'll watch the cat out of the tree as they say ...

Rather they stop chasing photorealism in games ... aside from diminishing returns, do we really need photorealistic violence or horror in our games? A good artstyle is way more important imo, and when publishers/developers stop chasing the graphix dragon, they'll maybe have more time for polish/performance/better npc intelligence/...

Looks promising! If they can nail "combat" without violence, very promising!

But that song really sounds like "Rewrite the Stars" from "The Greatest Showman" ... hope that old rocker has some influence too

@4fold now that is a great idea, an exclusive astrobot figurine for a reasonable price!

Gatekeeping a merch store? Bold move, let's see how it goes for them ...

I like the pin idea, it is like a physical trophy, but $25 is crazy

I found the first Yooka-Leylee fun enough to go for the platinum, but I also felt a bit underwhelmed by it. The first level was the best (imo), some levels where just too big (lot of empty space), and most of all, the characters lacked, well, character and general cohesion. It all felt cobbled together.

I should put the 2d-platformer on top of my to play list, but I think I'll skip on this remake since I played the original.

It was a fun, novel concept, released during an ideal timeframe (pandemic), but to me it didn't have any staying power. Crazy it is still active actually

I want to be a physical only guy, but there are so many reasons to go partially digital:

• local specialized gaming store chain in my area went bankrupt, and non-specialized stores ask ridiculous prices
• PS Plus monthly games backlog offers so many bangers
• PSN offers some crazy discounts
• it is a little thing, but not needing to change discs and just pick up and play

@rjejr Yeah I hope so, because it will be death knell ...

I think it will, based on the last cinematic when you finish the main story. Bit like a new zone in Genshin Impact or the like. I hope for new outfits with fun gameplay elements and new travel methods! I also want the darker story to unveil itself a bit more.

I liked fireworks isle for the gameplay and the island itself, the story was fun too (but kinda dragged on). Infold shouldn't have released it so soon tho, they set the bar too high

As someone who doesn't buy a lot of games but plays a lot of genres, PS+ is so worth it in the long run.

This month it is a fantastic selection, 3 great games each in a different genre. I might only play one of them, but still a great selection

@StrickenBiged Psychonauts 2 is an immediate sequel, so I'd say yes.
And Psychonauts 1 is still an incredible 3d-platformer, so I also recommend it on that part