PlayStation Plus Free Games January 2021

Happy New Year!

Or at least, here in Japan, it will be in about thirty hours. And what better way to enjoy the cold winter holiday than staying indoors and playing some new games? Sony has just unveiled their next batch of freebies, continuing with their latest trend of giving away two PS4 games and one PS5 games. And so, here are the PlayStation Plus Free Games January 2021, available for download on Tuesday, January 5.

First, for PS4 owners, thereā€™s Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the 2018 action adventure by Edios Monreal and sequel to Rise of the Tomb Raider. Taking place shortly after the events of the previous installment, Lara Croft heads to the legendary city of Paititi in the Americas, battling against the paramilitary organization known as Trinity while attempting to stop a Mayan apocalypse from happening.

Next, thereā€™s Greedfall, an action RPG by French developer Spiders. Taking place on a fantastical island in the 17th century, players are free to side with any of the foreign colonizers, or with the native inhabitants who are protected by supernatural beings, all while participating in combat, stealth, and diplomacy.

Lastly, for the PlayStation 5, thereā€™s Maneater, an action title with RPG elements, where players take on the role of a female bull shark seeking revenge on a fisherman for killing her mother. Feed on aquatic wildlife for nutrients, wreck terrify and kill humans along the coast, and search out new abilities to prepare for the hunt.

All three titles have a Platinum trophy to unlock.

For those PlayStation Plus members with a PS5, the Platinum for Maneater is by far the easiest, and needing only 12-15 hours of gameplay to unlock.

Players familiar with the Tomb Raider series should know what to expect for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The game itself is of average difficulty, and requires around 35 hours of gameplay for the Platinum.

Unlocking all the trophies for Greedfall is not much more difficult, though expect between 50-60 hours for the Platinum.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

9 / 10 Banzai!s

The Game:

ā€œItā€™s not the end of the world. But you can see it from here.ā€

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, incorrectly dubbedĀ Deus Ex 3Ā by some, is a prequel to the original 2000 gameĀ Deus Ex, ported on the PC and PlayStation 2. Through the combined efforts of Canadaā€™sĀ Eidos MontrealĀ and Japanā€™sĀ Square Enix, weā€™ve got a first-person, cyberpunk action RPG with stealth elements.

Set in 2027 (25 years before the first game) Adam Jensen is the new director of security for the biotechnology corporation Sarif Industries, and boyfriend to scientist Megan Reed. Just before she can reveil her workā€™s secret to the world, a terrorist group bursts in and kills Megan, while leaving Adam in pretty rough shape.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution ReviewSarif Industries graciously reworks Adamā€™s body, fixing him with enough augmentations to give Robocop a run for his money. Six months after the attack, Adam follows a trail of the terrorists, leading him to Hengsha City off the coast of China, Montreal, and other locations ā€“ as well as deep into a plot which he could never imagine.

The game plays like a stealth first-person shooter, in which the player can decide to run in with guns blazing, or sneak around to avoid conflict, or both. RPG elements include a building of experience points, which can be used to upgrade the augmentations ā€“ such as smashing through walls or cloaking yourself invisible ala Predator style.

 

What I Liked:

Obviously, with a 9 out of 10 Banzai!s, this could go on for several pages.

Specifically, I loved the overall atmosphere of the game. From the smoke and lighting, to all the events occurring around you, to the detail and excellent CG work, you truly feel as though youā€™re in thisĀ Blade RunnerĀ like world. Not all games do this for me ā€“ with a few exceptions (Bioshock, for instance). Thereā€™s just a certain amount of detail and believability in everything you see and hear which never lets up from start to finish.

I also thought the alternate routes in completing missions was well done. Iā€™ve played some ofĀ Metal Gear Solid 4, in which Kojima was aiming for the same thing ā€“ you can either sneak your way around, or take the shooting approach. However, (and to be fair, I havenā€™t finished the game) in my experience, I didnā€™t always find that to be the case.Ā MGS4Ā felt as though you were meant to take the stealth approach, with occasional instances where shooting could be performed. But inĀ Human Revolution, I never felt the game lead me in one direction or the other. You were free to do as you please ā€“ sneak, shoot, or sometimes even talk your way out of the situation. The path to your goal is truly left up to you.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution ReviewAlso, each time you “level-up” and upgrade your augmentations, youĀ feelĀ the difference. This isn’t likeĀ Final FantasyĀ where, youā€™re just a wee bit stronger. Each augmentation greatly enhances your abilities, making you really want to level up! By the end of the game, you feel so bad-ass with your augmentations that you could take on Robocop and Terminator at the same time.

Then, of course, thereā€™s the story. What can I say? Itā€™s engaging in its mystery. Complicated, but engaging. There are plot twists along the way ā€“ which youā€™ll need to follow the story carefully to realize them ā€“ and itā€™s never quite clear who the bad guys are, leaving you guessing until the end.

What I Didn’t Like:

To be honest, thereā€™s not a lot to say, here. The only thing I sometimes found frustrating was the map; itā€™s not always clear where youā€™re supposed to go. Not all the side-quests appear, while the main mission ā€“ even if you switch it off ā€“ sometimes still shows up on your map, which can be a little confusing. At times, I found myself running down one way, only to find a dead end, then having to travel all the way back around.

While taking place in a number of buildings with various floors, I can see whyĀ Eidos/Square EnixĀ had trouble trying to come up with a good mapping system. I suppose they did their best, but it was still complicated as hell, at times.

 

Overall:

Dues Ex: Human RevolutionĀ is not a game to be missed. You neednā€™t be a fan of first-person shooters, because thereā€™s plenty of options for you. There are so few titles in the cyberpunk genre (ShadowrunĀ onĀ Xbox 360Ā could have been great, but instead was turned into a big, steaming pile of ca-ca) and thankfullyĀ Human RevolutionĀ does a great job of bringing the genre to life.

Excellent story, great voice-acting, superb graphics, and a feeling like youā€™re truly in the gameā€™s world.

written by Damon Finos

Deus Ex Mankind Divided Trophy Guide

Deus Ex Mankind Divided Trophy Guide. Difficulty: ** Ā A first-person action with stealth and RPG elements, and sequel to the 2011 Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game is average in difficulty if following a guide, though does take some time.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ** 51 Eidos Montreal Canada 40 8 2 4 31

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a first-person action title with stealth and RPG elements, and a direct sequel to the 2011 Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Players may choose to attack enemies head-on or seek other means such as by using stealth or hacking. Leveling up allows for new augmentations that can assist the player, with such new abilities as using non-lethal projectiles, a silent short-range teleportation, and an invincible shell.

Two years following the events of Human Revolution, augmented citizens have become the outcasts of society. Adam Jensen, now part of the anti-terrorist group named Task Force 29, must stop a group of augmented citizens from committing acts of terrorism, while trying to prevent the passing of the Human Restoration Act.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided received positive reviews with an average score of 84%, praised for its environments and graphics, the wider set of options for completion, but criticized by some for the story's short length.

If you've played Deus Ex: Human Revolution on the PS3, then you should have a good idea of what to expect, as Mankind Divided is arguably the same in terms of difficulty and time required. Many of the important trophies, such as Pacifist and Foxiest Of The Hounds, make a reappearance.

For those unfamiliar with the previous installment, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is challenging but doable, though very dependant on using a guide and walkthrough, as there are numerous collectibles and missable trophies. Two playthroughs are required, one on its hardest mode. An added feature, a mini-game called Breach Mode, can be tough at times.

Expect roughly 40-50 hours, depending on how many playthroughs you do.

The game requires at least two playthroughs: one to unlock the hardest difficulty mode, and another to complete the hardest difficulty mode.

There are numerous missable trophies, so we recommend trying to get as many of them as possible on your first run. This includes finding all the ebooks for the Tablet Collector trophy, completing all the Side Missions, all the augmentations and upgrades for The Jack Of All Augments trophy, and unlocking the many miscellaneous trophies. So be sure to follow one of the walkthroughs, as well as the Deus Ex Mankind Divided trophy guide links under our Links tab in order not to miss anything. The only two trophies you needn't worry about during your first playthrough is Pacifist and Foxiest Of The Hounds, which can be done in your second playthrough - though feel free to go after these as well, if you wish.

After you complete your first playthrough, it's time to start your playthrough on I Never Asked For This, which is the hardest mode of the game. In this mode, the autosave is disabled and you have but one save slot. However, it's possible to backup your save to either a USB drive or to the PlayStation Cloud, or attempt to hit the PS button just before dying to prevent the save from being deleted.

If you haven't already, then this second playthrough is your chance to get both the Pacifist and Foxiest Of The Hounds trophies. Again, follow one of the walkthroughs under our Links tab to find the best and easiest routes. This is also your chance to mop-up anything you missed during your first playthrough.

Finally, all that's left is completing the Breach Mode up to Tier 3 Network. These are a set of mini-levels which require an online connection, as your progress is saved to the server. These can be tough, though are doable with patience and some help from the guides under our Links tab. There are four trophies related to Breach Mode, and if you've been following this roadmap, collecting them all should net you a new Platinum trophy.

This is a valuable Step-by-Step Platinum Walkthrough by StayPationt:
https://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/deus-ex-mankind-divided/294606-step-step-platinum-walkthrough.html

IGN has a Walkthrough here:
http://www.ign.com/wikis/deus-ex-mankind-divided/Walkthrough

AlonzoTG created a text-based Walkthrough here:
https://www.gamefaqs.com/ps4/142234-deus-ex-mankind-divided/faqs/73783

A Walkthrough by Ferry Groenendijk:
https://www.videogamesblogger.com/2016/08/22/deus-ex-mankind-divided-walkthrough.htm

Blaze Naruto Shippuden & yewjhin have a great Trophy Guide here, which includes the DLC:
https://www.playstationtrophies.org/game/deus-ex-mankind-divided/guide/

And a great Trophy Guide by PowerPyx:
http://www.powerpyx.com/deus-ex-mankind-divided-trophy-guide-roadmap/

A simple but useful Trophy Guide by Ferry Groenendijk:
https://www.videogamesblogger.com/2016/08/22/deus-ex-mankind-divided-trophies-guide.htm

A video demonstration of A Heated Combination trophy, by PowerPyx:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFkBCmwZtYk

And PowerPyx's video demonstration of the Between Technology & The Divine trophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlhCw8S29Qs

A video demonstration of The Golden Rookery trophy, also by PowerPyx:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjs7kA0hnLA

PowerPyx's video demonstration of the Core Driller trophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEEcQpSOWDM

A video demonstration of the Time Traveler trophy, by PowerPyx:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH8ZSeJhPL8

And an ebook Locations Guide by PowerPyx:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZZZs8BtB3U

And an ebook Locations Guide by Ferry Groenendijk:
https://www.videogamesblogger.com/2016/08/25/deus-ex-mankind-divided-ebooks-locations-guide.htm

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/5189-deus-ex-mankind-divided

Deus Ex Human Revolution Trophy Guide

Deus Ex Human Revolution Trophy Guide. Difficulty: ** Ā A cyber-punk first-person shooter, and prequel to the original 2000 PC game. More than one playthrough may be required. Following a guide makes Hard mode easy.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Deus Ex: Human Revolution ** 50 Eidos Montreal / Square Enix Canada / Japan 42 4 3 0 10

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Though third in the series, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel to the original released back in 2000 on the PC. It's a cyber-punk sci-fi first-person shooter, a mix of Metal Gear Solid, Blade Runner, and William Gibson novels.

Adam Jenson is head of security for Sarif Industries in Detroit, a company which deals in the controversial human augmentation. His ex-girlfriend, Megan Reed, is about to announce a revolutionary discovery, when an attack by heavily armored soldiers burst in, injuring Adam. He's later reborn with augmentation, and travels to Shanghai and Montreal in search of the people behind the attack.

The game received very high scores, with an average of 92%, praised for its nonlinear storyline, interesting characters and subplots, wonderful atmosphere and great graphics.

For more information, check out our Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review.

Though playing on its hardest setting can get a bit hairy, the game overall is completely doable, and not much more difficult than, say, Uncharted or Assassin's Creed II. To make life easier, you may want to do this in at least two playthroughs. But if you're in a rush - and a real whiz - it's possible to get the Platinum in one, though requires a lot of saving and reloading.

There's basically three trophies which involve a full playthrough - Legend, which requires you to play on the hardest setting without changing it; Pacifist, which means getting through the game without killing anyone; and Foxiest Of The Hounds, which includes getting through the entire game without setting off any alarms. It is actually easier to earn all three of these in one playthrough. Why? Because, as long as you follow one of the walkthroughs in our Links page, you can sneak your way through the game, thereby not killing anyone. Without confrontation, there's no difference between Hard and Easy, except for the boss battles.

However, there are collectibles to find - 29 XP books - and several side-quests which count as missable trophies to earn along the way. These can be tricky if you're trying to earn them while getting the Pacifist trophy at the same time. It's possible, but will require multiple saves and reloads for either failing or accidentally killing someone. This is why it's recommended to earn the platinum in two playthroughs. Hold off on the side-quests until you're no longer worried about the Pacifist trophy, so you're free to kill or be spotted without worry.

For the Deus Ex Machina trophy, simply save your game in the room with 3 panels after defeating Zhao. Once you've chosen an ending and watched it, reload your save and watch the next one. After all four have been seen, the trophy should pop up.

As a final tip, make sure you save often and with multiple saves! This is particularly important should you accidentally trigger an alarm or kill someone, when working on the Foxiest Of The Hounds and Pacifist trophies.

This text-based Walkthrough by Absolute Steve is extremely detailed and useful:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/944088-deus-ex-human-revolution/faqs/62845

And the start of IGN's Walkthrough:
http://www.ign.com/wikis/deus-ex-human-revolution/Walkthrough?objectid=14220592

And rotblitzkrieg has put together a fantastic set of video Walkthroughs:
http://www.ps3trophies.org/forum/deus-ex-human-revolution/122873-deus-ex-human-revolution-road-map-trophy-guide.html#post2091057

Here's a great Trophy Guide, by blazenarutoshippuden and Yewjihin:
http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/deus-ex-human-revolution/guide/

Another great Trophy Guide, this one with videos, posted on Ripten:
http://www.ripten.com/2011/08/30/deus-ex-human-revolution-trophy-achievement-completion-guide-with-video/

This is a list of all the Augmentations, and explanations:
http://deusex.wikia.com/wiki/Augmentations_%28DX3%29

And this is a list of all Praxis Kits:
http://deusex.wikia.com/wiki/Praxis_kit

Here are some general Tips for getting the Pacifist trophy, by Russ Frushtick:
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/08/23/deus-ex-human-revolution-non-lethal-playthrough-guide-pacifist-achievement-trophy/

Another video by Ripten, this one showing the Locations of the XP Books:
http://www.ripten.com/2011/08/31/deus-ex-human-revolution-ebook-unique-xp-book-location-guide-doctorate/

And a Youtube video for the Hidden Balls trophy, by typicalgamer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWxC7Y5cAz8

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
http://www.allps3trophies.com/retail-games/deus-ex-human-revolution-trophies.html

Thief Trophy Guide

Thief Trophy Guide. Difficulty: * Ā Requires at least two playthroughs, one on Master difficulty, with collectibles to find. The Platinum is more time-consuming than difficult.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Thief ** 38 Eidos Montreal / Square Enix Canada / Japan 24 8 5 0 0

Thief

Thief is a stealth game, and is both the fourth title and a reboot of the Thief series which began in 1998 on the PC. The game takes place in "The City," a world that draws on Victorian, gothic, and steampunk themes. While focusing on stealing from the rich, players may fulfill their tasks through a number of means, such as by taking down enemies, or hiding.

Garrett is a master thief, who pairs up with Erin, his former apprentice, after accepting the same job from their contact. However, all is not what it seems when the job leads them to a mysterious ritual that eventually leads to a lock-down on the city.

Thief received mixed reviews, with an average score of 71%, praised for its graphics, level design and stealth gameplay, but criticized for its story and voice acting.

For an average player, the game is not particularly difficult, only time consuming. You'll most likely need two playthroughs, one on Master difficulty, as well as find a number of collectibles. One of those playthroughs will require a minimum of 15 hours to unlock a particularly trophy.

Overall, while nothing too frustrating, expect 35-40 hours of gameplay for this one.

NOTE: The Trophies on the PS4 have a separate list than those on the PS3.

While it's possible to jump into Master difficulty from the start, we found it easier to begin your playthrough on an easier setting, then do a second playthrough on Master.

During your first playthrough, your main goal will be accumulating over 15 hours of gameplay to unlock the More Heist Less Speed trophy. As a result, we recommend you take all the time you need to finish your game. This of course provides ample opportunity to find all the collectibles in each chapter, the secret areas, and unlocking any other miscellaneous trophies such as for pick-pocketing 100 guards. Make sure you've unlocked the More Heist Less Speed trophy before deciding to finish the game.

Once you've finished the playthrough, you'll enter a free-roam. Here, you can mop-up any other trophies you may have missed, which may include Finders Keepers for all the collectibles, spending 40,000 gold for Cache Dispenser, or any other miscellaneous ones.

Next, if you've taken our advice up till now, then you'll have the Master Custom difficulty playthrough to do. Here, you'll want to avoid using focus, as well as performing any knockouts or kills, in order to unlock Moral Victory and Clear Headed, as well as of course Hard Times for completing the game on Master, and Something To Prove for completing a custom difficulty of 700 points or more.

If all goes well, then you should have the Modesty Denied trophy left to unlock. This involves scoring at least 5 million points in a Challenge Map. This trophy isn't too hard. Simply check out some of the video presentations in our Links page to see how it's done, if you're having trouble.

Ferry Groenendijk has a Walkthrough here:
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2014/02/24/thief-2014-walkthrough.htm

And a Walkthrough on IGN:
http://www.ign.com/wikis/thief/Walkthrough

BreadSkin & TheFlyingToaster have a detailed Trophy Guide here:
http://www.playstationtrophies.org/game/thief-ps4/guide/

And a great Trophy Guide here, by RiCaRdO:
http://ps3trophies.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=PS4-Trophy-Guides:Thief-Trophy-Guide

And Richard Duflo has a useful Trophy Guide here:
http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2014/03/10/thief-trophy-guide/

And another Trophy Guide, here:
http://psnprofiles.com/trophies/2454-Thief?guide

A Video Presentation by PowerPyx demonstrating the Obsessive Compulsive trophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGMWD1eDpB0

And a video demonstration of the Quickly Pick A Lucky Lock trophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeVi_4f2WoU

And a video deomstration of the Modesty Denied trophy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbhwPpjhoRg

A Locations Guide by swotam for all the Secret Areas:
http://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/4325595-post16.html

And a video demonstration for the Secret Areas by PowerPyx:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRRsyXv9Vbg

And a Collectibles Guide by PowerPyx:
http://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/thief/227279-thief-collectible-guide-whats-yours-mine-trophy.html

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
http://www.truetrophies.com/THIEF-PS3/trophies.htm