Other – KissTheGames

PS Plus Game Catalogue March 2023

February gave us the best month since the launch of the PlayStation Game Catalogue. Therefore it’s not easy to maintain new game additions and yet March looks to be another good month. These games are in addition to the PlayStation Plus Essentials you can find HERE.

All titles are available Tuesday March 21, 2023.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium

Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection – PS5
Tchia – PS4, PS5
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction – PS4, PS5
Ghostwire: Tokyo – PS5
Life is Strange: True Colours – PS4, PS5
Immortals Fenyx Rising – PS4, PS5
Life is Strange 2 – PS4
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot – PS4, PS5
Street Fighter V Champion Edition – PS4
Untitled Goose Game – PS4
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD – PS4
Rage 2 – PS4
Neo: The World Ends with You – PS4
Haven – PS4, PS5

PlayStation Premium Classics

Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1) – PS4, PS5
Ape Academy 2 (PSP) – PS4, PS5
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP) – PS4, PS5

Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection comprises of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and spinoff title Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. These two games are marque PlayStation 4 titles that have been updated for PlayStation 5. If you haven’t played them yet, well, they would be on the top of my list certainly. With rumours of a follow up game on the horizon it would be ideal for you to play these two titles so you know why the next game will be a departure from these two.

Tchia like Stray before it is dropping day and date into the game catalogue. This gives the vibes of a more platforming Seasons. What is cool about it is the inspiration comes from New Caledonia. Many people that go on cruises particularly in Australia have been there and explored the beautiful islands surround it. This will be particularly cool for me to see how they do it.

It will likely be a while before we see another game come from Tango Gameworks on PlayStation, since Bethesda is now owned by Microsoft. Ghostwire Tokyo came out to good reviews although it’s a game that sounds more divisive from users. Rage 2 is another similar title coming to the Game Catalogue this month that I would not recommend.

We get two more Life is Strange titles, meaning they are all available in the game catalog now. The same goes with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD now joining the rest of the library. If you like smaller games the smash hit Untitled Goose Game will be for you. Immortals Fenyx Rising is the one I always feel is underrated, and you should absolutely check it out. Kakarot is another must play for Dragon Ball fans, my review can be found HERE. The PlayStation Classics don’t hold a light to last months picks, but we do get another Syphon Filter game so that’s good.

Overall, another good month with diverse titles that should fit to most gamers needs.

Are you happy with this month’s picks from PlayStation?

Robert Ring

PlayStation Essentials for March 2023

This month has a lot of value.

Battlefield is a franchise that has managed to lose its identity more and more with each new title. It’s never a bad thing to see a franchise trying to stay fresh and evolve, but Battlefield has changed to chase the dollar over creativity. Even titles like Battlefield: Hotline was at least an intreating attempt at changing the franchise, but now with Battlefield 2042 it feels as if the franchise is flatlining. Critics gave Battlefield 2042 mediocre reviews, however the players spoke critically of the game due to game breaking bugs, and a lack of features missing from previous entries. Most notably Battlefield 2042 has no single player campaign. Battlefield titles usually launch broken, and by the time they have the game working properly the player base is gone, so maybe now is the time to check it out before the servers feel dead.

Mincraft Dungeons has always looked really fun. It does seem to look like it’s more geared towards children with simplistic dungeon crawling. Like Diablo it would likely be a blast to play with friends. It’s great to see Mincraft continue to be supported on PlayStation, and next moth Minecraft Legends comes to the platform too. Be sure to add Minecraft Dungeons to to your library.

Code Vein is another soulsborne inspired game that has always appealed to me through the artwork. It looks good and reviewed well. If you are not burned out, or are looking for another soulsborne game this one might be for you.

All three titles are available from the 7th March for the PlayStation Plus Essential tier until April 3rd 2023. Battlefield 2042 is the only PlayStation 5 title in the essential tier this month, and it is also available on PlayStation 4.

Are you excited with this selection of games?

Robert Ring

PS Plus Game Catalogue February 2023

February has given us the best month since the launch of the PlayStation Game Catalogue. These games are in addition to the PlayStation Plus Essentials you can find HERE.

All titles are available Tuesday February 21, 2023.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium

Horizon Forbidden West – PS4, PS5
The Quarry – PS4, PS5
Resident Evil 7 – PS4
Outriders – PS4, PS5
Scarlet Nexus – PS4, PS5
Borderlands – PS4, PS5
Tekken 7 – PS4
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – PS4
Earth Defines Force 5 – PS4
Oninaki – PS4
Lost Sphear – PS4
I am Setsuna – PS4
The Forgotten City – PS4, PS5

PlayStation Premium Classics

The Legend of Dragoon – PS4, PS5
Wild Arms 2 – PS4, PS5
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature – PS4, PS5
Destroy All Humans! – PS4

Horizon Forbidden West was always going to come to the catalogue at some point being a PlayStation exclusive. Now that we know it dropped nearly a year to the day from its launch, we can probably expect this to be the case in the future, so expect God of War Ragnarök this November. I missed out on the Horizon sequel, although I am still contemplating replaying the first one again beforehand.

Another big release of last year was The Quarry, similar to Until Dawn. I think this game will be a big draw for the many people who already own Horizon Forbidden West. You also get Resident Evil 7 (only the PS4 version), notably this was in the PS Collection that will be discontinued in the coming months. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the perfect sort of game I want to play through the game catalogue because in all likelihood it won’t be for me, however if it is I will be getting the Top Gun: Maverick DLC. There are some great RPGs to play like I am Setsuna. Another interesting pick is the mystery game The Forgotten City with the unique setting of Ancient Rome.

As for the classics we get the beloved game, The Legend of Dragon, as well as the sequel for Wild Arms. Finally Harvest Moon: Back to Nature marks three beloved PS1 titles this month. I think these three titles will see an increase in players joining the Premium tier. Personally, I will probably wait to see if there are trophies attached to these titles at launch or wait till they add them in.

Overall, a fantastic month with diverse titles that should fit to most gamers needs.

Are you happy with this month’s picks from PlayStation?

Robert Ring

The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell LEGO Revealed

There has been rumours of The Lord of the Rings making its way back into Lego sets for what seems like years. Finally, we have it and this set comes in at a whopping 6167pcs.

If the Harry Potter sets we’ve beens getting are any indication of what’s to come we should expect more of these big sets recreating some of the biggest set pieces in The Lord of the Rings franchise. This set is a great first set. You get all the major characters in one of the most memorable scenes. The set is really a bookend of the franchise as Rivendell is where the journey really begins to the place they all return once the journey is over.

The set can be separated into three distinct sets. The first section contains the The Council Ring, Frodo’s Bedroom, and Elrond’s Study. The second section is an Elven Tower. The third section is the Gazebo, River, and Bridge. This set isn’t holding back with mini figures either, you get fifteen of them, pretty much all the heroes of the story.

The press kit photos show how great the set looks displayed on a set of drawers. I’m not even the biggest fan of The Lord of the Rings, but this set is incredibly desirable from the aesthetic, and irresistible when you imagine the possibilities of the series ten years from now altogether.

Hopefully this set stays on shelves for at least two years because the price is $499.99 US. Lego is off to a strong start this year and with Disney’s 100th Anniversary I think they have a few more surprises coming this year.

The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set releases next month on March 8th.

Will you be getting this set?

Robert Ring

Yakuza All Night Long

Sometimes you hear of a critically acclaimed series that is up to like the third or fourth sequel and it puts you off. There is just too much history to go through and the earlier titles tend to be unplayable on the latest console. Yakuza was one of those series for me. I obtained Yakuza 4 and 5 on PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Plus, but why would I start there? A few more years passed and Yakuza 0 was a critical darling on the Playstation 4, which I found out was the prequel to the series. So I jumped in and played it for a couple of hours. It was fine and I put it down for a few months. When I came back to it everything started to click in place. The story was so grounded and cinematic in scope. I was all in. Then I started doing some side quests and things went completely bonkers. Somehow the game juggles the dramatic with the absurd and it works perfectly. Now Yakuza 0 is one of my favourite games of all time, and a series I absolutely love.

The Yakuza story has mostly centred around Kazuma Kiryu. The series is one big grand story so it’s been hard to appreciate until recently with all the mainline titles available on PlayStation 4. Currently there are eight titles in the main series and two games in the Judgment spin off series. That’s ten games all of substantial quality. If you’ve never played them you should start with Yakuza 0 as I did.

The series is a third-person action-adventure where you will brawl your way through clans to do the right thing. Every game takes place in the same city, which you see evolve over time. The side quests contain some of the most humorous side quests of any game ever and there are even in-game arcades that let you play some of Sega’s older titles. Each game is lengthy and could take around anywhere from 20-40 hours to finish the main story, and double that to complete everything the game has to offer. You can watch videos on YouTube to see if you’ll enjoy the game, but I think you should give one a go and see if it’s for you.

Later on this month we will be getting a remake of the spin off title Like a Dragon: Ishin! What is special about this one is it was never available in the west, so for most of us it’s a brand new game. At the end of the year there is also Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which is an interstitial game for the Yakuza series. This has never happened before and reveals the events of Kazuma Kiryu between Yakuza 6, and Yakuza 7. Finally, Yakuza 8 comes out next year showing that the series is in no way slowing down.

All Yakuza games are currently available in the PlayStation Plus Premium tier, that includes the first Judgment game too. And if it is for you, well, welcome to what might be your favorite video game series.

Robert Ring

PlayStation Essentials for February 2023

This is a surprising month for February.

First off is Evil Dead: The Game for PS4 and PS5. Evil Dead is a zany franchise and one I’ve tried multiple times to get into. I did think Evil Dead (2013) was an excellent horror movie and Evil Dead Rises coming out this year looks good. It’s a series that is ridiculous, like Looney Tunes with horror. The fan base is dedicated so it’s not surprising that there is now a game. The game came out to good reviews and plays like Friday the 13th, and Dead by Daylight, so if you like asymmetrical multiplayer horror games, this one is for you.

OlliOlli was a surprise little hit on the PS Vita. It was a simple side scroller where you jumped obstacles on a skateboard and gather a score based on your tricks. It’s popularity led to ports on all consoles, and a sequel came out which was more of the same. OlliOlli World is the latest entry in the franchise and looks to have completely reinvented itself. The reviews were great for this game when it launched last year, so look forward to adding the PS4, and PS5 versions to your library.

The Mafia series has been a consistently good franchise with a forth game in development. Mafia: Definitive Edition is a complete remake of the original game and had overall favourable reviews. Just the setting is enough to jump into this title if you haven’t before. PS4 version will be available for download.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light is the expansion before last year’s The Witch Queen. The next expansion, Lightfall comes out at the end of this month, so this is perhaps to get more people to jump back in. Is this going to be PlayStation’s approach to Destiny 2‘s expansions coming to PlayStation Plus in the future with next year’s expansion we get The Witch Queen? Either way this is an additional game to the line up this month, and Destiny 2 is great. Beyond Light will be available for download on PS4 and PS5.

All four titles are available from the 7th February for the PlayStation Plus Essential tier until March 6th 2023.

Are you excited with this selection of games?

Robert Ring

Final Fantasy 7 Continues to Expand

Final Fantasy VII no longer feels like it’s a part of a franchise, it is a franchise.

Since the game released in 1997 we have seen protagonist Cloud in Kingdom Hearts, as a secondary character, to a playable fighter in Super Smash Brothers. There has even been a film set after the game with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Currently, the game has been remade into a trilogy with the second part due out this year. However, nothing compares to the downloadable content coming to PowerWash Simulator.

That’s right! PowerWash Simulator is getting Final Fantasy VII downloadable content. The pack is Final Fantasy VII inspired and called the “Midgar Special Pack”. This will let players have the chance to Power Wash locations, objects, and enemies from Final Fantasy VII in a new mission, which includes “7th Heaven,” “Hardy-Daytona,” and “Guard Scorpion”. The pack will be free, with no release date as of yet.

With the Tomb Raider pack coming alongside the console release tomorrow, it may be the next content drop. PowerWash Simulator was a hit last year so more content is not surprising. Collaborating with Square Enix to Power Wash in these environments just sounds like pure fun. I’m yet to play PowerWash Simulator, and I have to say I’m looking forward to it.

Are you excited to see Final Fantasy VII appear in PowerWash Simulator?

Robert Ring

‘Tomb Raider’ the Next Big Adaptation?

Pheobe Waller-Bridge is reportedly writing and producing a TV Series based on Tomb Raider. Here’s why it could be great.

If you don’t know the name Pheobe Waller-Bridge, you haven’t seen Fleabag. This is one of the greatest shows ever, and based off her one woman show. You should see it. Fleabag is what made her a success and rightfully so. Since then she has had her foot in the Action genre and bringing her sharp wit sensibilities. She created the show Killing Eve which was a critical darling in the years she was writing for it. Then writing last year’s No Time to Die to help sunset Daniel Craig’s James Bond. This year she will be playing Indiana Jones’ goddaughter, a pivotal part in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Most recently she has left the Mr and Mrs Smith project over creative differences, meaning she knows when to leave a project. So fairly quickly she has become an action aficionado with all these recent projects.

Tomb Raider has had success on the big screen before with Angelina Jolie for two films, which were terribly mediocre and only made popular by Jolie herself. In 2018 Tomb Raider was rebooted with Alicia Vikander, with a plot revolving around the current series of Tomb Raider games. The reboot was made for more modest budget, and a sequel was in the works before being canceled last year. Now with Amazon holding the rights and Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the helm we should see not only a good adaptation, perhaps maybe a great one.

Tomb Raider is going to be an interesting adaptation. There may be many games, although the material worth mining it for adaption seems to be minimal. Hopefully Pheobe can crack the story. I would almost think Alias would be a good show to look at when adapting this and seeing how well they did their mythology episodes.

What do you think about another Tomb Raider adaptation?

Robert Ring

Dead Space – Reviews Are In

I love the setting of Dead Space, it’s stunning and then you run into the infected. The original game was too much for me, so better graphics would just illuminate the horror for me.. haha no thanks. One day I will play this version to completion.

After Forspoken came out to little acclaim this is the first big triple A hit for 2023.

Dead Space – Review Scores

Twinfinite – 100

IGN – 90

Game Rant – 90

Screen Rant – 90

PlayStation LifeStyle – 90

PlayStation Universe – 90

Destructoid – 85

Push Square – 80

Metacritic Score is currently at 89% with 54 Critic Reviews.

Judging from the scores given by the major outlets so far the Metacritic score will likely stay close to this. In all accounts Dead Space remake is great. It expands on nearly all aspects of the original and serves it with great care.

It’s great to know that the Dead Space remake came out great. All the promises and expectations of triple A games in the past couple of years have made gamers cautious of being sold a dud.

Are you excited to play Dead Space, or are you happy enough with the original?

Robert Ring

PSP Game Patched for Trophies

Super Stardust Portable released to PlayStation Plus Premium on June 23rd 2022. Notably the game was released without trophies, leaving gamers to question whether each PSP and PS1 games would release with trophies on a game to game basis. There is still no real understanding of which titles will and won’t get them, but it is great to see that they can be input into games even after launch.

Now Super Stardust Portable has trophies for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions.

This should be standard for all PSP and PS1 titles even if there is a little extra work involved when porting the games. If these games are not going to be remastered at least make them as future proof as possible. Now lets see them bring trophies to games like Toy Story 2.

Are there any games you would like to see them add trophies to from the PS1 and PSP games?

Robert Ring