Twinfinite writes,
If there's one thing I consistently love about reviewing a flood of indie games, it's the variety. When I downloaded Tiny Troopers Joint Ops, I'd done absolutely no prior research. I love flying blind, since it helps me take the game as it is -- unspoiled by expectations, the opinions of others, or the media-glitz of press releases. The first thing I noticed, probably, was an almost adorable aesthetic, a cute design that seemed to contrast against the game's military trappings. So, with nothing more to go on than a loading screen's worth of impressions, I dove in to find one of the more entertaining, innovative twin-stick action games I've played.
‘Tis the season for games and gaming! As you cozy up next to your PlayStation, prepare for a holiday treat. This month includes Invisible Inc. Console Edition on PS4, and the ever-changing narrative of Stories: The Path of Destinies.
Invisible, Inc., PS4 - Metascore 82
Stories: Path of Destinies, PS4 - Metascore 73
Hyper Void, PS3 - Metascore 70
Tiny Troopers Joint Ops, PS3 (Cross buy on PS4 and Vita) - Metascore - 65
Color Guardians, PS Vita (Cross buy on PS4) - Metascore 62
VVVVVV, PS Vita - Metascore 83
Here are some really awesome comments from today about these games:
"The real playstations fans know what's up, that's why the vid has dislikes.You n4g slaves are the minority."
"trash games straight out of the 90's. If they were free N64 games they might be worth it."
"garbage as usual. Not really bother about all this indie ps plus crap anywhere."
"Uh no, look at what Xbox Gold got. This is shite."
"Crap Plus: Free Games for December 2016"
"Hey Sony, just a quick fuck you for yet another month of shit content for ps+ You guys really shit the bed with it this gen."
Just wow.
Oh there are also some comments by people who played these games:
"Stories is my current GOTY, whatever that's worth. Seriously, it is an awesome game!"
"Stories and Invisible Inc are terrific games actually. I adored Stories for beautiful visuals, superb storytelling, and satisfying Arkham style combat."
"Two good games. However, I don't like the timed missions with my stealth games. However, great games none the less"
"I love Klei and thought Invisible Inc was an amazing game, though not quite as good as Don't Starve or Mark of the Ninja, but those were both masterpieces. I hope people enjoy it but I already have it and beat it on Steam. "
"Invisible Inc. is one of my favorite indies of all time. Its like XCom with spies stealth instead of soldiers and fighting.
Fantastic game!"
There was also this comment:
"I see people trashing games they never touched. Stay classy N4G."
I mean come on guys, play the games at least before you bash them as crap.
I'm really happy with the selection. I wanted to play Invisible Inc, Stories and VVV but prioritised my money elsewhere.
Edit: 2K dislikes on the video? wtf lol
I think the dislikes come from these casual gamers that you can find here and everywhere. You know average Joe who wants nothing but his Fifa, GTA, Call of Duty etc being a part of subscriptions like ps+ and does not care about indie games no matter how good they might be.
Meh...not exactly stellar. PS PLUS is looking like a shadow of its former self tbh.
4K dislikes now- but of course, the excuses are in and this time it's 'cos casuals'
Amazing....
@Movefasta1993
"The real playstations fans"
Not many of those around here. PS fans want the PS4 to be the best it can be and won't defend every little decision that Sony makes.
I'll probably play these at some point. Just add them to my library. Fortunately I just added 6 games to my never ending backlog so I have plenty to play.
@Hoffmann Lol Casual Gamers? I've been gaming since we got our first console back in 87' and own just about every console with the exception of a few from the 90s.. So just because you play indie crap that's made into 80s 90s style games with updated physics and pretty effects doesn't make you a hardcore gamer. I'm not the sucker shelling out my money to indie companies who are capitalizing on the hipster retro half ass development games being pushed. I buy new consoles for the new power and updated graphics. Otherwise i'd stick to my retro consoles. But i don't live in the past.
Septic,
PS Plus looking like a shadow of its former self? You mean like in October when we got Resident Evil and Transformers Devastation? Or September when we got Lords of the Fallen and Journey? It's looking like a shadow of its self from two months ago...You're a funny guy.
@Tyler,
He's referring to when it was an optional service and had much better content. The guys that love the games no one buys are in heaven, the rest of us would prefer higher quality games that indies don't typically provide. I left my sub die quite some time ago since I wasn't happy with the games offered. This resulted in my online being pulled since online gaming hides behind the "free" game paywall. My PS4 is now only used for Sony's excellent exclusives which have been very few and far between this gen. For those stuck with just a PS4, PS+ is "ok". For those of us with multiple platforms, we have the luxury of choice and call it as we see it.
Hoffmann,
So casual gamers stay up to date on sites like this now? Please explain to me exactly what a casual gamer is.
Calm down bud. No one has disagreed with you and you are already calling out fans of call of duty, gta, and fifa.
No need to shoot down others to validate your own excitement.
I knew they would come. 3 agrees and 13 disagrees already, it is exactly as I expected.
Well when you specifically start calling out disagrees then of course they are going to come.
I don't see why they haven't released those 2 yet. It is not like they are making money off any of them.
Releasing those wouod give them another chance. Killzone SF was a great game but still downplayed for yet again not being Halo, while Knack while average-ok it was still fun and has couch co op. It is a great time killer and fun playing with someone else
Moreover it can draw people to the MP of Killzone and give it more life. I say any of those games would be much better than any of these indies.
Just an opinion. I don't really care for this monthly offers. I'm happy paying for online and getting a great connection. Overwatch season 3 is just 7 hrs away
While I agree seeing KZ or Knack would be nice, even though KZ was my launch title & I still have it, masses would still cry. Especially about Knack for being a kiddy game or a million other reasons. That said Stories is a great addition. It looked amazing and at one point I broke down and bought it on sale pretty cheaply. I think a lot of people will enjoy Stories if they give it a chance.
I do think that being 3 years old now some older titles should be considered or thrown on PS+ soon. At the same time I can't see anyone really wanting any of these titles. End of the day the masses will cry regardless. Put the latest CoD up there in 3 months and more will complain than be happy. Unfortunately Sony spoiled us a bit at the end of the PS3 era and now too many expect big titles and want everything for free. I still firmly believe you want something then buy it. If you don't want to spend that much wait till it's on sale but don't sit around waiting for Sony to give you games you want to play. That will never happen and regardless how hard they try giving us quality titles the masses are going to complain.
No interest in Knack, just got Rachet and Clank for $10 and KZ:SF is like bucks now...why does everyone want these on PS Plus???
Stories is very endearing and quite enjoyable as well. It's gorgeous, has incredible narration, fun combat, and a platinum.
Look up the comment sections for ps+ months in the past and you see tons of the weird requests.
I was hoping for Knack a while ago and then gave up and bought it. One of my kids fav games. I see your point though now the game is dirt cheap and better to have more recent game and, yea, even recent indie games are better value to get in PS+
The game is a great game for the whole family. It's also quite challenging...so challenging that I get half of you complainers wouldn't even be able to finish it.
It's been over 3 years now since Knack was released (along with a bunch of launch games). Been a while since a big game has come to the Plus (last I remember is Resident Evil HD in October and in June this year with the solid and beautifully presented NBA 2k16)
Right cuz who wants decent big budget games for free right?
@chris
Big budget usually means more or better quality. Big budget bioshock, big budget dishonored, bug budget God of War, big budget the last of us etc. Many many more. Honestly thought that would be obvious.
As far as your metric that doesn't show this. Yes there is. If indies and big budget were loved the same then how come big budgets sell more? They're not loved the same. Indie games can be big budget btw.
"Big budget usually means more or better quality"
Not really. But big budget games often play very alike these days. That's why I am very glad that Sony is often offering games that stand out as creative and fun instead of being "big budget".
@Hoff,
We are talking full retail games vs. indies. I think many of us feel that actual retail games tend to have a higher perceived value than the less expensive indie games. I feel giving gamers a choice of a couple indies or a solid retail game would be a huge improvement over what we get month after month. I get that gamers like you are always pleased at the games offered, but you are missing the point when others express disappointment. Not everyone shares your taste in games. Your views are kind of selfish in a way since you dismiss those that don't agree with you. It's my opinion that Plus offered a much better value when it was optional.
@Christopher
I can guarantee that many people will disagree with what you perceive as a decent game although there will be some who will agree.
If you live in the USA the following is a breakdown for gaming genres in the ISA for 2015 https://www.statista.com/st... Yes I know the URL is a bit misleading.
In this case, FPS games followed by "action" then "sports" then "RPG's are the most popular. However if you look at other countries such as Japan and Europe the preference is different.
***Big budget usually means more or better quality. ***
There is no metric that proves this and what metrics we have show that indie games are just as well rated and loved as non indie games.
I've never heard of these games, but like a bit of strategy so hopefully Invisible Inc doesn't disappoint.
Not so keen on the other one though.
Other than the two PS4 titles, not that good of a month. Stories was a Pre-order deal game I played. It's cute and I got my money's worth, though I wish story sections could be skipped (you'll see why). Glad I held out in Invisible Inc.
It's kind of alright though...most people do have more games than they can play this month anyway. I know I have.
Well we recently got Resident Evil, Lords of the Fallen, Journey, and Transformers Devastation. Not every month will be big name games, but imo games like Rapture, Tower of Monsters, Stories, and Invisible Inc are still quality games.
Sometimes PS Plus is "better" and sometimes GwG is.
November was arguably a draw but September and October were heavily in favor of PS
October
PS Plus - Resident Evil, Transformers Devastation
GwG - Mega Baseball, The Escapist
September
PS Plus - Journey, Lords of the Fallen
GwG - Earthlock, AC Chronicles
Nothing Im interested in but since mutliplater for my fighting games and shooters is locked behind a paywall that is PS Plus ... I dont have a choice but to accept whatever they offer.
Replies(2)
the majority have spoken. why do you care so much?
we may not like your kind of games, but like i said, we are the majority.
peace!
Invisible Inc. is indeed awesome, played it on PC, will probably replay on PS4 at some point. Stories looks amazing and the feedback is really good, looking forward to it. VVVVVV is a timeless classic, being able to play it on the Vita is a big bonus. I really don't understand the criticism, this is one of the best PS+ selections in a pretty long time.
@Hoffmann
I have no problem with indie games I pretty much expected Playstation Plus to go 90% indie titles when it was announced as mandatory to play games online. Before they offered full titles because the online was free. Now the online isn't free so they don't have to offer as many full premium games. So the constant bashing of the company for "not giving them full retail games for free just sounds crazy to me. They have given no indication during the entire 3+ years the PS4 has been around that the service is going to mirror what it did for PS3. They DO give full PS3 and Vita games all the time. (because online play on those are still free get it!) Having said that however....
What are you talking about those are good games? Do you get how videogame reviews work? They are far more strict on movies than on videogames. a 73 for Videogames is like a 50 for movies. Videogame reviewers are far too lenient and Movie reviewers are far too strict. The truth is in the middle somewhere. This isn't my opinion either. There are actual articles on Metacritic by the metacritic staff who have acknowledged this in the past. It isn't like this anymore (probably got backlash from developers) But there was a time when the color coding system for videogames and movies were not created equally. I think it was a 10 point difference if I remember correctly? A 73 is not good. It's a little below average. There isn't anything great or terrible about those two games but don't go around claiming they are these all amazing must have titles when they aren't.
Edit: To clarify Invisible Inc. is a worthy title the rest are just what they are offering.
What they are though is FREE. Regardless of whether they are full retail titles or indie games they are free. You pay 60 a year and get 500+ dollars worth of games for free on average if you count all 3 systems. And all of that is extra. It was what you paid for on PS3 Now you have to pay for it on PS4 if you want to play online at all. They don't owe any of us anything. If you want to play online that's what it costs period. Everything else are just extra perks.
There were two reasons you got so many amazing games for free with PS3. Xbox Live was a proven platform and Playstation Online wasn't. They wanted to start selling full downloadable titles on Playstation but needed to see if the servers could handle it and if streaming the titles was possible. Now they directly compete online with Xbox Live and they have a proven method of selling full titles digitally.
The experiment is done. They got their results. We got a few years of really amazing stuff because they needed to test the market to see what the platform could and couldn't do and to see how many people would be willing to pay for it. Once everyone signed up for Playstation Plus for those free games they realized they had enough subscribers to charge for it. Essentailly you can think of the first 3 years or so of a trial run where they experimented with different ways to entice consumers into paying for the service.
Don't assume you will get anything but indie games and don't praise them for not giving you full games. Ps3 Playstation Plus and PS4 Playstaton Plus are completetly different services. There have been some really awesome indie titles and there have been some terrible ones. You should expect the majority of them to be average.
Chances are, most free games on Xbox Games with Gold have already been free on PS plus. PlayStation has already had its goods games free, Microsoft hasn't.
On another note, PS plus games on PS3 haa been terrible most of the year, this month is no different.
Please don't act like Rookie. I hate it when he spams quotes of people to make a point.
some well prepared damage control right there and fast 1st comment
Crap indie games. Its December they should give better games specially that they increase the ps plus price.
Love how you choose negative comments from who you're inferring are "xbots " and positive comments from who you're inferring are "ponies." So ultimately your bias is showing, and you're a pony.
Haven't played any of these so I'll give them a chance.
EDIT: No surprise here, there's a lot of dislikes on the video.
They look like solid titles to me and I will play both but I expected more from Sony seeing as it's their December line-up and all. Wouldn't mind getting The Crew for free. It's been on sales forever so.
"Sigh" Well, that how is it ! But I get use to it. More importantly, it your choice to like it or not.
@loadedklip
You pay to play online., not pay to get games every month .
You didn't actually think you were paying for a yearly sub for the monthly games, did you?
Playstation don't have to give us the free games it's a bonus that I for one want it to stick around to go along with the subscription instead of purly paying to play online like xbox did for ages
Looks like the leaks were right about the games for December.
I will pick them up. Invisible looks interesting at least.
Not too worried as I have plenty of other stuff to keep me busy anyways.
Otaku Gamers Uk review Tiny Troopers Joint Ops Ps4/PSVita
From the review: "Tiny Troopers: Join Ops is a fun, little twin stick shooter that you can play on the go. While it can get repetitive at times, it provides enough enjoyment that you will probably come back to the game in short sessions. There are some things in the game that do get extremely annoying at times but I think the positives certainly outweigh the negatives here. "
