{"id":32325,"date":"2018-06-16T17:20:52","date_gmt":"2018-06-17T00:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/?p=32325"},"modified":"2018-06-16T20:33:09","modified_gmt":"2018-06-17T03:33:09","slug":"junes-ps-games-prove-zombies-aliens-ninjas-can-be-lackluster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/bens-bytes\/junes-ps-games-prove-zombies-aliens-ninjas-can-be-lackluster\/","title":{"rendered":"June’s PS+ Games Prove Zombies, Aliens, Ninjas Don’t Equal Greatness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s tough to know what to expect from the console subscription services during the month of E3. Sometimes, the studios like to go all-out to showcase what kinds of games come bundled with their specific system\u2019s monthly sub, while other times they focus so much attention on their presentation and potential sales attached to the period that the freebies fall to the wayside. Turns out, both the big studios went in the latter direction this time around, and with debatably equal subpar lineups.\u00a0 At least Sony has beamed down a somewhat high-profile title for PS+ subscribers \u2013 a sequel to a popular turn-based science-fiction warfare game \u2013 alongside an eclectic mix featuring racing games, a platformer, and a surprisingly objective puzzle game.\u00a0 Let\u2019s take a gander, shall we?<\/p>\n

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Click Here to Grab\u00a0a 1-Year PlayStation Plus Subscription\u00a0at Amazon<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Firaxis Games<\/p><\/div>\n

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PS4<\/h3>\n

XCOM 2<\/h4>\n

XCOM: Enemy Unknown<\/em> was a quasi-remake of the mid-\u201890s sci-fi game UFO: Enemy Unknown<\/em>, to which Firaxis and 2K Games found success in its stringent difficulty, tactical versatility, and how they factored into the game\u2019s absorbing premise. The consensus about XCOM 2<\/em> is that it improves upon and fine-tunes everything that worked in the first installment, continuing the story twenty years later with Bradford and the XCOM \u201crebels\u201d against alien conquerors. Sizing up the faster-paced layouts of the battlefield, weathering random encounters, and meeting secondary goals of missions enhance the turn-based mechanics already in place, all while retaining the franchise\u2019s signature difficulty throughout.<\/p>\n

Trials Fusion<\/h4>\n

Sony\u2019s treading over old ground here with Trials Fusion<\/em>, offered by their competitors as a free download nearly a year ago now. With a new installment on the way, one wonders whether RedLynx will shake things up enough to justify another lap around the franchise\u2019s tracks, because Fusion<\/em>\u2019s big downfall among critics and fans alike seemed to be its dire lack of innovation within the concept. Trial-and-error adjustment to levels while riding a dirt bike is the key to the series, and Fusion<\/em> executes more of the same with their assortment of levels and the mixture of aggravation, memorization, and ultimately victory that comes along with \u2018em. \u00a0But while players had a good enough time with the tracks and the muscle memory involved with besting them, the lack of evolution in the concept after \u2026 uh, Evolution makes one wonder if RedLynx will just rev up the newly-announced installment, Trials Rising<\/em>, without tweaking things a bit.<\/p>\n

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Exor Studios<\/p><\/div>\n

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PS3<\/h3>\n

Zombie Driver<\/h4>\n

This game from Exor Studios combines two experiences from gaming\u2019s yesteryear into one: top-down vehicular controls dating back to early consoles \u2013 memories of Ghostbusters<\/em> are conjured by this one \u2013 and the awkwardness that ensues when someone runs into a pedestrian in the Grand Theft Auto<\/em> series. Zombie Driver<\/em> equips the player with an almost Mad Max<\/em>-like car armed that\u2019s armed to the teeth, drops them in an apocalyptic environment, and then requires them to complete objectives while plowing through and mowing down waves upon waves of hostile zombies.\u00a0 Objectives range from rescue missions to traditional stage-clearing mayhem, and the player has the option of upgrading the gear on their cars with earned in-game currency, beefing up their ability to take out the brain-eaters. While it sounds fun, critics are quick to point out the brevity of the Zombie Driver<\/em>\u2019s minimal level count and lack of variation in the concept.<\/p>\n

Tom Clancy\u2019s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier<\/h4>\n

Even with many other heavy-duty military shooters dominating videogame culture, the Ghost Recon<\/em> series of videogames has continued to go strong for over a decade and a half now. To stay fresh, Red Storm and Ubisoft decided to progress the franchise ahead into a futuristic environment in 2012, jumping ahead to the not-so-distant year of 2024 with its concept.\u00a0 By jumping ahead just a little bit of time, Future Soldier<\/em> lets the overall atmosphere of the game remain largely the same, yet opens the door for slightly advanced technology and geopolitical concerns to shake up the cover-based tactical shooting ambitions of the Ghost Recon<\/em> brand.\u00a0 Unfortunately, in the process of updating the setting, the game received some skepticism toward its condensing of the more logistical elements of the game\u2019s tactics, leaving it as a simplified futuristic cover-based shooter instead of an embodiment of what Ghost Recon<\/em>\u2019s really about.<\/p>\n

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Grip Games<\/p><\/div>\n

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PS Vita<\/h3>\n

Atomic Ninjas<\/h4>\n

Humor and general vivacity can go a long way with competitive games, making even the most mediocre of titles just a bit more fun by mutually enjoying its energy.\u00a0 Atomic Ninjas<\/em> gathers together a host of quirky pint-sized combatants, throws them into neon-hued environments, and gets them to fight one another while analyzing the obstacles of platform-style level design. While it was created a few years prior to Speedrunners<\/em>, Atomic Ninjas<\/em> shares some similarities in the methods that the players attempt to knock out their opponents while utilizing the stage\u2019s angles and grappling hooks for quick transport, with a visual style and attitude not unlike that of Castle Crashers<\/em>. While the design received praise, it\u2019s not enough to prevent critics and players from observing its repetitiveness and general mediocrity.<\/p>\n

Squares<\/h4>\n

Finally, Sony have included Squares<\/em>, a reflex puzzle game in which players are required to rapidly change the color of squares in a grid with the PS Vita\u2019s touchscreen technology. A simple premise paves the way for relentless challenge, and there\u2019s eighty levels of it to plow through along with a format so that the player can create their own designs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s tough to know what to expect from the console subscription services during the month of E3. Sometimes, the studios like to go all-out to showcase what kinds of games come bundled with their specific system\u2019s monthly sub, while other times they focus so much attention on their presentation and potential sales attached to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":32326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1262,1303,1302,401,25],"class_list":["post-32325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bens-bytes","tag-ps-plus","tag-ps-vita","tag-ps3","tag-ps4","tag-video-games"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32325"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32330,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32325\/revisions\/32330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bensbargains.com\/thecheckout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}