PlayStation Plus Free Games July 2019

For some of us, with the heat and humidity building up outside, a friendly air conditioner is one reason to stay indoors. Sony has just given us two more reasons to stay in the house, with their announced line-up for the next PlayStation Plus Free Games July 2019, available for download on Tuesday, July 2.

First, there’s Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition, the adventure game released only last year, from the creators of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. The game is set in Detroit City in the year 2038, where Androids have become a part of everyday life – and seem to be taking on a life of their own. Players take control of three main characters and guide them through a story with multiple endings and outcomes.

Also, for those who don’t have it already, the Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition also includes Heavy Rain.

The other freebie is Horizon Chase Turbo, an arcade-style racing game, inspired by such classics as Out Run and Top Gear. Race down twisting tracks and use your nitro boosts to leave your opponents in the dust. The game also includes both local and online multiplayer.

Among the PlayStation Plus Free Games July 2019, all three games include a Platinum trophy to unlock.

Both Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain have fairly easy Platinum trophies with a guide, each requiring about 25 hours or so.

The Platinum for Horizon Chase Turbo is of average difficulty, depending on your racing skills, though will take a fair amount of time. Also, there are online trophies to consider.

UPDATE:
It should be noted that Sony had originally announced Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 to be one of the two PlayStation Plus Free Games July 2019. However, for reasons unknown, Sony decided to swap this game for Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition at the last minute.

PlayStation Plus Free Games July 2018

Summer is upon us, and while the weather is cooking up outside, it’s a great idea to hide inside and cool down with some games. So without further ado, here are the PlayStation Plus Free Games July 2018, available for download on Tuesday, July 3.

For the PlayStation 4, there’s Heavy Rain, the noir-ish mystery originally released on the PS3 in 2010 where players control four different characters and explore multiple endings while attempting to find a child kidnapped by the Origami Killer before time runs out. And Absolver, an action RPG with an emphasis on martial arts, set in the fictional open-world of Adal where proving worthiness is paramount.

On the PlayStation 3, there’s Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess, a strategy game where enemies must be defeated by luring them into traps. And Rayman 3 HD, the platformer originally released on sixth generation consoles, featuring Rayman as he kicks and punches his way to saving the Crossroad of Dreams.

And for the PlayStation Vita, there’s Space Overlords, where player-characters must join their brothers to purge the growing evil that has been slowly destroying the cosmos. And Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma, an interactive story with puzzles, where nine characters have been locked in an underground bomb shelter and are forced to play a game of death.

Among the PlayStation Plus free games July 2018, with the exception of Rayman 3 HD, all games have Platinum trophies to unlock. Among them, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma is by far the easiest, requiring only five or six hours if following a guide and text-skipping. Heavy Rain is also fairly doable for any average gamer, needing more time than skill. Meanwhile, both Absolver and Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess have some pretty tough trophies to unlock, especially the online ones without boosting.

Walking Dead Review

9 / 10 Banzai!s

The Game:

Zombie mania is here. And to celebrate, Telltale Games has created The Walking Dead, a game inspired by Robert Kirkman’s comic book series of the same name – which in turn has also been turned in an AMC TV show. In a nutshell, The Walking Dead game is a point-and-click adventure, like many other Telltale titles such as Back to the Future and the CSI series. But that’s in a nutshell, mind you. The Walking Dead is actually far more than just that.

Reminiscent of Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, players perform actions and make choices along the way, which alter events along the storyline as well as your interaction with other characters. Unlike X-Men: Destiny, these choices matter. Save one character and not the other, and continue the story with one of the characters dead. Disagree with someone, and that person will refuse to help you later on.

As stated earlier, the game is “inspired” by the comic book, existing in the same zombie-infested world, but with a new cast and story (though a few characters familiar to the comic make some cameos). You play as Lee Everett, a convicted felon riding in the back of a squad car on his way to prison, when the zombie outbreak begins. After surviving a car accident, he makes it to the nearest town – and is shocked to see undead walkers roaming the streets in search of human flesh. He meets a young girl named Clementine who’s been hiding up in her treehouse, and the two become a team as they search for safety, food, form a group of friends, and attempt to survive in this apocalyptic world.

Much of the game involves problem-solving. Explore a given area, find the tools you need, and figure out how to use them in order to reach your goal. Along the way, you’ll be settling arguments by choosing (under a time limit of a few seconds) how to respond to members in your group, making friends by finding and handing out food, making enemies by not giving them food, and of course battling the occasional zombie in a quick mini-game.

The Walking Dead video game was released in a series of episodes, five in total, beginning in April of 2012. In July 2013, Telltale released a bonus story titled 400 Days as an added DLC. Despite being criticized for glitches and receiving only moderately positive reviews, The Walking Dead video game received numerous Game Of The Year awards from a number of newspapers and magazines, including USA Today, E!, GamesRadar, and Best Downloadable Game at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards.

 

What I Liked:

Obviously there’s a lot I liked about this game, to warrant 9 Banzai!s out of 10. The game strongly focuses on the story, and the story is the best part of the game. It’s as fascinating and suspenseful as the TV show based on the comic, with its own brand of colorful characters. The overall game has its own metaplot, but each Episode explores a specific aspect with its own plot and goal. Much like the comics, The Walking Dead video game begins with the focus on the zombies themselves. But soon, the players will face an even more dangerous adversary: other human beings.

Walking Dead ReviewThe gameplay is well balanced between scenes in which you’re attempting to solve a puzzle, scenes that bring out the suspense and horror, and scenes which allow you to take a break. But unlike reading the comic or watching the show, The Walking Dead video game is, of course, interactive – which further adds to the interest of the story. Like Heavy Rain, you’re forced to make choices which not only alters the storyline of the Episode, but the overall game. Continue siding with Larry and not Kenny, then don’t expect Kenny’s help in the future. Chose to sacrifice Carley and save Dog, then Carley is no longer in the story.

The puzzles themselves are far easier than other Telltale games, simply because they have logical answers which feel natural if you were literally in the same situation as your player character. Need to sneak into a building? Then quietly kill the zombies nearby. How do you kill it? With a screwdriver. Where do you find a screwdriver? In a toolbox. Where’s the toolbox? Near the construction area. This logical style of problem-solving adds to the realism of the story, as opposed to the more cartoonish Back to the Future where you need to find a character across town by having the dog Einstein sniff a pair of shoes (possible, but perhaps only in a cartoon).

In The Walking Dead video game, things will jump out and startle you. Things will shock and even disgust you. You’ll feel the clock ticking when you’re trying to save a character’s life. And you’ll feel sad when they die. Yes, it’s no spoiler than many people will die. Those of you familiar with the comics and TV show know best that, just because a character’s been with the story for a long time, doesn’t mean they won’t perish. You just never know who will be the next food for the zombies – and sometimes, it will be the result of your decisions.

 

What I Didn’t Like:

Bugs and glitches. It has been the strongest complaint by most online reviewers, and yes, I had a problem with the glitches as well. The game never froze one me, but there are hiccups throughout – even in the DLC – which interrupt the flow of the game.

The problem, I think, is that the game seems to be loading the next scene and saving at the same time, as I noticed this is when the glitches usually occur. You solve a puzzle, then there’s a cut-scene. Then the cut-scene freezes for a few seconds, but the game is still going. Best case scenario, the picture fast-forwards to catch up with your position in the game. Worst case, is there was a quick decision to make but you missed your window.

Walking Dead ReviewMost of the time, these glitches didn’t impair the gameplay. But they stand out simply because the rest of the game is so good! If these bugs were in Duke Nukem Forever, I probably wouldn’t care. But it’s like a CD skipping while you’re listening to a really good song.

 

Overall:

Despite the glitches, The Walking Dead is an exciting and fascinating game which proves that an engaging story is often necessary to make a great game. (I’m looking at you, Final Fantasy XIII) The action may not be as intense as Call of Duty, the graphics as impressive as Devil May Cry, but the story and characters are so interesting, the gameplay so interactive, that The Walking Dead video game goes beyond being a simple video game and steps into the boundaries of artform.

For trophy hunters out there, you’ll be happy to know that the platinum for this game is quite easy to obtain. Every trophy is story related, which means once you’ve completed the game, you’ve got your Platinum.

Overall, fans of the comic and TV show will not be disappointed. And anyone new to the series will be in for a treat.

Just don’t play it with the kiddies around.

 

written by Damon Finos

The 2017 Tokyo Game Show

Makuhari Messe first opened their doors to the press on Thursday, and are now wide open to the public where eager gamers are piling in to check out this year’s Tokyo Game Show. The crowds get bigger each year, but so too does the Tokyo Game Show ever since recovering from the global recession several years ago. All three main halls are now wall-to-wall with gaming companies and businesses, while an additional two more were open for indie games, VR, and an attempt to promote e-sports here in Japan.

2017 Tokyo Game Show

While there weren’t any main events or “must see” games or hardware this year, there were some titles we were thrilled to check out. The PlayStation booth had playable demos for Santa Monica Studio‘s God Of War, set to be released early next year, as well as Polyphony Digital‘s Gran Turismo Sport racing its way to stores next month, and the next Call of Duty: WWII set for release in November.

Other cool titles to try – and were heavily promoted – included Detroit: Become Human, the latest game from the developers of Heavy Rain set in a neo-noir future involving androids, planned for release sometime next year. And of course, Monster Hunter: World – the first Monster Hunter title to have Trophies! – coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in January. It’s apparent Monster Hunter: World is one of the more anticipated games here in Japan, with massive promotional booths at both the PlayStation area, as well as the Capcom spot which featured a massive dragon-like creature.

2017 Tokyo Game ShowOther titles being promoted by the bigger companies included Final Fantasy XV Multiplayer DLC coming next month from Square Enix, the remake of Ryu ga Gotoku 2 (Yakuza 2) titled Ryu ga Gotoku: Kiwami 2 by SEGA, as well as their Ryu ga Gotoku Online set for launch next year – which we suspect may not see an overseas release.

But in our opinion, the more exciting stuff was happening at the indie game and VR hall, were we saw – and tried – an assortment of experimental games, as well as new VR software and peripherals.

H2L, a Japanese company, had a new VR device called the First VR, which includes a simple wristband that not only tracks your arm movements, but when your hand is is opened or closed, allowing you to “pick up and drop” items in the virtual world.

Another Japanese developer, named Prodigy, worked with Joysound to create a boxing/karaoke game called Nagu Kara, meaning Punching Karaoke. Select your favorite song (we did Bon Jovi – It’s My Life) and sing into the mic to boost your strength, while using the motion controls to box your way to the top.

And Unbereal created a VR tank battle game called ArtiFight, where players moved their tanks forward and back by peddling on an exorcise bike, while turning and firing using hand controllers.

2017 Tokyo Game ShowChinese developer NetDragon had several “4D” VR games for demonstration, our favorite being D-Day, an on-rails shooter where you fire at multiple alien creatures using a gatling gun. Not only do you feel immersed in the action through the VR headset, but the whole seat and physical representation of the gatling gun moves and shakes depending on what’s happening in the game.

And the biggest event – requiring a 3 hour wait to try – was the Gyro VR from South Korea’s Sangwha. Enter a massive gyro like you might see at NASA, strap on the VR headset, and experience robot battles and extreme sports while being spun 360 degrees in sync to what’s happening in the virtual world.

Perhaps this was the first time the indie and VR games stole the show away from the bigger developers, marking the 2017 Tokyo Game Show an overall fun and intriguing experience!

2017 Tokyo Game ShowBe sure to check out our video presentation of both Day 1 and Day 2!

 

written by Damon Finos

Heavy Rain Trophy Guide

Heavy Rain Trophy Guide. Difficulty: **  If following a guide, the Platinum trophy is not particularly difficult to unlock – just requires some time.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Heavy Rain ** 57 Quantic Dream France 50 4 2 0 0

Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain was first released on the PlayStation 3 in February, 2010, then ported onto the PlayStation 4 with improved graphics and resolution in March 2016, as both a stand-alone title or included with Beyond: Two Souls in the Quantic Dream Collection.

The game is a third-person, noir-ish mystery, where you take control of four different characters; Ethan Mars, an architect who, after a fatal accident with his elder son, is now divorced and morbid; Norman Jayden, an FBI profiler who is called in by the police to assist in finding the Origami Killer; Scott Shelby, a private investigator conducting his own search for the killer; Madison Paige, a journalist suffering from insomnia who assists Ethan on his quest to find his kidnapped son.

What makes this game unique, besides the gameplay itself, is the fact that the story continues, regardless if any of your four characters die or not. There is no reload or infinite lives - should you get Ethan or Norman killed, they don?ft come back. The story moves on without them, leaving a vast number of possible endings.

The game is not very difficult, just takes a little time. Once you've completed the storyline, you should have acquired nearly half the trophies. After that, it's possible to warp back to previous chapters to collect any missed trophies. You can even select the game on Easy, if you're in a rush for that Platinum.

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

We recommend just sitting back and playing through the game, enjoying the story. Once you've completed your first playthrough, you should have close to 50% of the trophies, depending on how well you performed on some challenges. After that, it's time to go back and mop-up those that you missed.

It's not possible to unlock every trophy on your first playthrough, since some of them involve selecting alternative choices. You can, however, backtrack to any chapter once you've finished the story, so if you missed a particular trophy by messing up a challenge, simply reload that chapter and try again. Note: Anytime you skip back, your new save will begin at that point. So when you start warping back to past chapters, start warping back to past chapters, start with the earliest trophy, then work your way once again through the new story, collecting as many other trophies as possible. Then warp back again, and continue this process until all the trophies are locked.

The All Endings trophy will be the most time consuming, since you need to have unlocked every possible scene. Use the walkthroughs in our Links page, and start a checklist of which endings you've seen. For each one, certain conditions must be met (e.g., one particular character must die, another needs to be arrested, etc) which are also stated in the walkthroughs.

Enjoy!

Here is a Walkthrough for the storyline, which also gives advice on the challenges:
http://guides.ign.com/guides/811232/

And a Walkthrough by Video Games Blogger, complete with videos:
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2010/01/25/heavy rain walkthrough video guide from the start ps3.htm

And another Walkthrough, provided by StrategyWiki:
http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Heavy_Rain/Walkthrough

This is a Trophy Guide on Playstation Lifestyle:
http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010/02/23/heavy-rain-trophy-guide/

And if that doesn't help, here is a text-based Trophy Guide which was hosted on IGN. This particular guide also states all conditions required for the FBI Investigator, Four Heroes, Nerd, Perfect Crime, as well as all the possible endings. We, at Trophy Hunter, found this guide particularly useful:
http://faqs.ign.com/articles/107/1070908p1.html

For a basic Trophy List, visit:
https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/4398-heavy-rain