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PS Plus: Free Games for September 2015

Holy shit Ubi, ever heard of v-sync? Grow Home is absolutely HORRIBLE, there's constant screen-tearing all over the screen 100% of the time. Fucking dreadful. I'm very happy I didn't pay for this game, because even if it's otherwise good (haven't been playing for long yet) this is just completely unacceptable. Trash.

EDIT: Nope. Sort of enjoying the physical platforming and climbing, but just can't deal with the tearing.
 
Okay, tried the four games for PS4 this month. Played them for 15-30 minutes each. So, early impressions:

Grow Home (2015, dev. Ubisoft Reflections) - ★★★½ - Very interesting and fun game. The sense of mystery and exploration hits you directly and the world is rife with adventure. It'll be fun playing this game.
Teslagrad (2013, dev. Rain Games) - ★★½ - Somber mood and fitting music but so lifeless. You have your standard box puzzle gimmick and a boy exploring a world filled of dangers and other worn-out clichés. I'm not going to recommend it wholeheartedly but there some interesting stuff here for those willing to put down the time.
Xeodrifter (2014, dev. Renegade Kid) - ★★ - Something in the presentation just rubs me the wrong way. First thought: I wanted this for my Game Boy when I was a kid. Now it's just a game playing on nostalgia. If you're the target audience you might have a blast with this but this is a niche game.
Super Time Force Ultra (2014, dev. Capybara Games) - ★★★½ - Inventive and playing it for laughs. There are some really nice gimmicks at play here and the developers knows how to use them. This isn't for the uninitiated. You have to know your way around these games to be able to sink your teeth into it. While I enjoyed it and found it surprisingly good I know it'll be hard to recommend to the casual player.
 
Am I the only one who thinks the controls for Grow Home add to it's charm? It was tricky at first but it really adds to the tension the higher up you get, and before you know it you'll master the controls and will be pulling off feats you wouldn't have dared to before.
 
Unfortunately not really enjoying Super Time Force Ultra either. The idea is cool, and it's neat watching the combined replay of all the stuff you did during the level (makes it look like you actually know what you're doing), but while playing I'm not really having much fun. It feels like it's just "I can't beat this thing with just one guy, so I'll just add a few more to get more firepower". Maybe it gets better, maybe I just have to get used to how it plays, but so far it hasn't grabbed me.
 
I was harsh on Grow Home in my initial impressions but i'm starting to enjoy it a lot more now. I do keep wondering if there is more to explore and discover though? Are there any secret areas or secret things to discover. I found a cave once and some animals/plants but these seem kind of rare. I quite like the idea of the game now but i was hoping for a richer world with a lot more to discover.

For those who try Teslagrad, when i played it a while ago, i didn't enjoy it all that much in the beginning (the roof part). But once you get through the beginning of the world, it becomes a neat puzzle/platform game.
 
Lukas Japonicus said:
Am I the only one who thinks the controls for Grow Home add to it's charm? It was tricky at first but it really adds to the tension the higher up you get, and before you know it you'll master the controls and will be pulling off feats you wouldn't have dared to before.
Click to expand...

I feel like if people put in sort of 45+ mins into Grow Home they might like it a little bit more. The controls and physics are a little unwieldy to start with but once it clicks it feels so natural. It makes games like AC and Uncharted with their on rails platforming feel so basic.
 
tumblr_inline_mrl679BBpq1qz4rgp.gif

Can't say I'm impressed, why did I sub for another year is beyond me.
 
Finished Grow Home and really enjoyed it. I must not be sensitive to screen tearing. Didn't notice it at all.
The sense of height in this game nuts. Think I stopped breathing a couple of times.
Now to find every shard. I like that it turns to night breifly to help you spot them.
 
Liked what I played of Gone Home but performance is indeed bad. I usually don't give a shit about stuff like that but a game that places so much emphasis on exploration and the wonder of the world around you should run much better. It's also really hard to go back to after playing some Metal Gear.

Real shame. Hope they can/will patch it, but i doubt it.
 
Lukas Japonicus said:
Am I the only one who thinks the controls for Grow Home add to it's charm? It was tricky at first but it really adds to the tension the higher up you get, and before you know it you'll master the controls and will be pulling off feats you wouldn't have dared to before.
Click to expand...

I agree. The game would be too easy if it were a precision platformer. Grow Home is the best Ubisoft game in years. Such a fun, simple aesthetic and mechanics. It feels like an HD remaster of a quirky PS2 game I never played.
 
Sony really need to step their game up on the AAA front for the PS4, its been almost 3 years now and I can't think one decent AAA PS+ game aside from First Light.

That said STFU is neat, if a little bit difficult, never been a fan of hit kill games
 
Bold One said:
Sony really need to step their game up on the AAA front for the PS4, its been almost 3 years now and I can't think one decent AAA PS+ game aside from First Light.

That said STFU is neat, if a little bit difficult, never been a fan of hit kill games
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Shame - because I can't think of too many AAA games this generation that they could offer at all.
 
After playing these games none of them are good and tbh I wish either of the other games had won over Grow Home.

First it's an 8 dollar game versus 20 dollar games iirc. Second the controls and responsiveness are a 0 in my book. Third, the vsync is terrible and while I understand it's just 8 bucks its production values, depth, controls, etc. are all much lower than Aremello.
 
Moobabe said:
Shame - because I can't think of too many AAA games this generation that they could offer at all.
Click to expand...
Which made the situation more depressing, I was sure Killzone and that short Sony shooter movie like game that I don't remember the name will be on the list by now...
 
Man Super Time Force is really disappointing to me. I'm a big Cappy fan and was upset I didn't get the chance to play it when it came out on the Xbox... But the insane overly insane tutorialized nature of the intro is just really turning me off so far. Guess I'll truck through a bit more?
 
clay_ghost said:
Which made the situation more depressing, I was sure Killzone and that short Sony shooter movie like game that I don't remember the name will be on the list by now...
Click to expand...

You were sure that The Order 1886, which came out half a year ago for full MSRP, would be on PSPLUS by now?
 
Bold One said:
Sony really need to step their game up on the AAA front for the PS4, its been almost 3 years now and I can't think one decent AAA PS+ game aside from First Light.
Click to expand...

I think the next AAA-game we will get (at the end of the year when most PS+ subs run out) might be Little Big Planet 3. They already lowered the base price to 19,99€ and it has a lot DLC they can sell.

wouwie said:
For those who try Teslagrad, when i played it a while ago, i didn't enjoy it all that much in the beginning (the roof part). But once you get through the beginning of the world, it becomes a neat puzzle/platform game.
Click to expand...

That's true.
I was disappointed by the start and the early puzzles, but it gets really good when you get more tools.
 
Moobabe said:
I feel like if people put in sort of 45+ mins into Grow Home they might like it a little bit more. The controls and physics are a little unwieldy to start with but once it clicks it feels so natural. It makes games like AC and Uncharted with their on rails platforming feel so basic.
Click to expand...

This pretty much. I went in Grow Home with annoyance because it won instead of Armello but after climbing for a while it and collecting crystals, the game grew on me. I think it was the moment when I first found the cave near the base. Its a nice little charming game which feels relaxing at first and can get real tense if you slip up, which I totally wasn't expecting.
 
AngryNapkin said:
After playing these games none of them are good and tbh I wish either of the other games had won over Grow Home.

First it's an 8 dollar game versus 20 dollar games iirc. Second the controls and responsiveness are a 0 in my book. Third, the vsync is terrible and while I understand it's just 8 bucks its production values, depth, controls, etc. are all much lower than Aremello.
Click to expand...

This is another angle I don't really understand with regards to PS+. It costs... £40 a year? This month alone I downloaded Grow Home (which I bought previously) La Mulana, STFU and Teslagrad. That's like £30 worth of game right there? You make your money back massively on PS+ every year.

Also value =/= quality? If we got Killzone next month would you all be happy? Even though you can probably buy it second hand somewhere for like £8? The Order, too, can be bought for cheap.

I see PS+ as not only a service where you get free games, but as a service where you're exposed to games you might not normally buy.

Bold One said:
there've been plenty of games even especially when you count AA games like Transistor
Click to expand...

You're moving the goalposts here. Transistor is an indie game - just because it has a good soundtrack and some voice work doesn't make it 'AA.' It's an indie game that you liked.
 
Moobabe said:
This is another angle I don't really understand with regards to PS+. It costs... £40 a year? This month alone I downloaded Grow Home (which I bought previously) La Mulana, STFU and Teslagrad. That's like £30 worth of game right there? You make your money back massively on PS+ every year.

Also value =/= quality? If we got Killzone next month would you all be happy? Even though you can probably buy it second hand somewhere for like £8? The Order, too, can be bought for cheap.

I see PS+ as not only a service where you get free games, but as a service where you're exposed to games you might not normally buy.



You're moving the goalposts here. Transistor is an indie game - just because it has a good soundtrack and some voice work doesn't make it 'AA.' It's an indie game that you liked.
Click to expand...

what goal posts am I moving? even if Transistor is an indie game, I never claimed that there weren't any good indie games
 
To those who have played Grow Home before, what games would you compare it to if any? I voted for that one on the ps store just because it looked more interesting than the other two options.
 
Bold One said:
Sony really need to step their game up on the AAA front for the PS4, its been almost 3 years now and I can't think one decent AAA PS+ game aside from First Light.
Click to expand...

Almost three years? Calm down there. It hasn't even been two years.

Moobabe said:
Killzone is really mediocre. Like seriously.
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Yup... Got it for free thanks to a psn cockup and... Yeah. Played a couple of missions and had had enough.

Moobabe said:
I see PS+ as not only a service where you get free games, but as a service where you're exposed to games you might not normally buy.
Click to expand...

I have to agree again. I tried the demo of spelunky when it released on ps3 but didn't think much of it. I certainly couldn't understand why some of my friends were going crazy over it. It was on psplus last year, so I gave it another shot and ended up loving it so much, I finally bought a vita so I could play it on the train.

Been exposed to lots of other great games through plus, big and small, and really have a hard time processing the whining that goes on about it. Seriously. You can keep killzone, black flag, and all that other shit. Keep giving me quality games like spelunky, BOI, rogue legacy, velocity2x, transistor and la mulana please.
 
I want to love Grow Home but I can't take the performance. The game isn't exactly a technical showcase (I really do like the style though). It should at least run smoothly.
 
liquidtmd said:
Really liking Ultra Time Force, great little romp
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I've given it another chance and am reversing my opinion from my initial impressions. The game is actually pretty great. I encourage anyone who didn't like it to try to get to the first boss. When you win, actually watch the post-level replay. That was when I really "got" what this game was all about and I am now having much more fun as a result.
 
Solaire of Astora said:
Yup... Got it for free thanks to a psn cockup and... Yeah. Played a couple of missions and had had enough.
Click to expand...

The warzone mode in multiplayer is really good. For the most part I even enjoyed the single player, but a few difficulty spikes really ruined the enjoyment for me. Sadly I didn't start playing the multiplayer until right before Destiny Alpha hit and that kind of took up my time. If they added it to PS+ I would likely jump back in.
 
Bootador83 said:
I really really like Xeodrifter. A simplified version of Axiom Verge.
Click to expand...

Do you know where I'm supposed to go after I get the
run boots? I found two lava pits in the left and bottom planets, but they both lead to dead ends. The right planet is a dead end instantly, maybe the top planet had an area I missed.

Bold One said:
That said STFU is neat, if a little bit difficult, never been a fan of hit kill games
Click to expand...
But you get 30 men per level, while adding more AND being able to gain an extra hit by preventing a death from happening.
 
LakeEarth said:
Do you know where I'm supposed to go after I get the
run boots? I found two lava pits in the left and bottom planets, but they both lead to dead ends. The right planet is a dead end instantly, maybe the top planet had an area I missed.
Click to expand...
Are you sure the right planet is a dead end?
 
Will post my impressions on the Vita games :D. (Including Stealth Inc. 2 as I didn't beat it in July)

Super Time Force Ultra looks fantastic on Vita, with the characters sprites having a lot of life alongside the animations being well done. The gameplay (where you make 'clones' of yourself through time travel) is good, but it takes a while to grasp :l. And the frame rate is odd on Vita, as I swear that he game isn't in 60FPS yet I never saw frame rate drops...... Guess the controls were designed to feel 'heavier' or that the game is locked at 30FPS to get the game running at native res on Vita. Regardless, I like the game so far and I look forward to putting more time into it :).

Stealth Inc. 2 I put more time into and despite not being part of this months PS+ line up, I will add this into my list of games to play :). Very well done platforming, the puzzles are solid and the visuals/music shine on Vita :D.

Xeodrifter is the Metroid game Vita owners are waiting for (until Axiom Verge lands on the Vita at least :)) :D. The game looks really great on Vita and the controls feel very tight and responsive. You might be lost for a bit, as I was for my first half hour, but I guess you get into things once you start progressing more throughout the world :). Really like it and will have a blast playing through this one :D!

And lastly we have the Vita-only La-Mulala LX and....its solid. Honestly expected more out of the game but I guess I have to put more time into to fully enjoy it. The game is HARD and feels like a mixture of Mega Man and Castlevanna; very strong mix I must say XD! The visuals shine on Vita (though no screen stretching options is disappointing) and the OST sounds great so far :D. Overall, I really like this one but I need to give it more time to click with me.
 
Vire said:
Man Super Time Force is really disappointing to me. I'm a big Cappy fan and was upset I didn't get the chance to play it when it came out on the Xbox... But the insane overly insane tutorialized nature of the intro is just really turning me off so far. Guess I'll truck through a bit more?
Click to expand...

lol it's only the intro, man. It's not even that long, but you really need to understand how the game's unique mechanics work to get the most out of it. If you stick with it, you'll realise just how much of a godsend that intro was.
 
RoadHazard said:
Holy shit Ubi, ever heard of v-sync? Grow Home is absolutely HORRIBLE, there's constant screen-tearing all over the screen 100% of the time. Fucking dreadful. I'm very happy I didn't pay for this game, because even if it's otherwise good (haven't been playing for long yet) this is just completely unacceptable. Trash.

EDIT: Nope. Sort of enjoying the physical platforming and climbing, but just can't deal with the tearing.
Click to expand...

You may wanna check if too many filters are on in your TV settings. I absolutely despise screen tearing but didn't seem to notice. Maybe I was just having fun and didn't notice, but turning down the sharpness a bit and adjusting other settings can really help.

But actually I just dropped by to say I really like Grow Home and Xeodrifter. I voted for Zombie Vikings, and ended up buying it, and it's pretty bad, aside from the cool artwork. Luckily Grow Home has been a nice, relaxing breath of fresh air, although it's not a deep game. It made up for actually spending money on ZV.
 
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