PlayStation Magazine UK - 12.2019

004

tHe 100 GaMes to PLay NoW

super stardust ultra

Back again, erm, again – now

in 4K PS4 goodness

ForMatPS4/year 2015

PubSONY/DevHOUSeMARQUe

issueOPM #108/score7/10

87

Never say never again

should be slapped

across the doors to

Housemarque’s offices.

The original Super Stardust HD

received an HD remake on PS3,

then this Ultra edition offered a 4K

revamp on PS4, and now it’s

sitting comfortably on PS Now.

A bullet hell spin on Asteroids,

Super Stardust Ultra is classic

Housemarque and delivers great

arcade gaming in a colourful,

pulsating modern package, and

now it includes all the DLC from the

PS3 edition combined with two

new game modes.

this War of Mine:

the Little ones

Civil war, what is it good for?

ForMatPS4/year 2014

Pub11 BIT STUDIOS

Dev11 BIT STUDIOS

issueOPM #14/score9/10

85

A survival game set in

Sarajevo during the

Bosnian war, This War Of

Mine is a war game with

a twist. You’re not on the front line

but playing as a group of civilians

trying to stay alive as the city

comes under siege. There’s a

tactical underbelly to the game as

you need to manage resources

and food, and scavenge for items

that can be used to strengthen

your shelter or craft into weapons.

If you want a PS Now game that’s

different, start here.

rogue Galaxy

On a PS2 far, far away... now

re-released on PS4

ForMatPS2/year 2007

PubSONY/DevLeVeL-5

issueOPM #9/score7/10

86

Whether it’s the initial

desert planet setting or

the ‘young boy leaves

home to save the galaxy’

story arc, there’s a Star Wars feel

to Level-5’s ambitious sci-fi jRPG.

everything we’ve come to expect

from the developer is here: deep

stat-fiddling, engaging characters,

and an accessible melee combat

system that expands into a

complex, team-focused tactical

setup. This is also the upscaled

PS4 edition that came to the PS

Store 2015. As well as the

up-rendered 1080p visuals, this

version also includes trophies.

steep

Can get stuck in the powder,

but looks good doing it

ForMatPS4/year 2016

PubUBISOFT/DevUBISOFT ANNeCY

issueOPM #132/score6/10

91

Ubisoft applies its open

world know-how to

winter sports as it takes

the familiar trick-based

snowboarding of old up a

mountain or four. Add in skiing,

wingsuits, and paragliding and

Steep becomes an all-in-one

adrenaline junkie’s playground. The

sheer wealth of sports to try and

things to do in this snowy paradise

can be unsettling, and a little

unfocused. But on PS Now, it’s a

solid addition to the library and

offers something nothing else on

the streaming service can: slick

open-world winter sports.

the Last Guy

Tokyo maze runner

ForMatPS3/year 2008

PubSONY/DevjAPAN STUDIO

issueN/A/scoreN/A

89

By gamifying high-

resolution satellite

imagery from Google

earth, The Last Guy was

one of PlayStation’s first genuinely

great indies. As ‘the last guy’ you

must search the world’s most

famous cities for survivors and

then lead them to safety while

avoiding the hordes of insect-like

monsters. By manipulating the

string of following survivors that

thread behind your protagonist

you can tactically overcome the

creatures trying to chomp on your

flesh, and there’s a baseline

addiction to seeing how long a

string of survivors you can create.

Deadly Premonition

Director’s cut

Love it or hate it – but play it

ForMatPS3/year 2013

PubRISING STAR GAMeS

DevACCeSS GAMeS

issueOPM #84/score4/10

88

Who murdered Anna

Graham? This central

premise holds the myriad

threads of Swery’s

Marmite adventure together as

you explore the town of Greenvale,

a place swathed in Americana, hot

coffee, oddball characters, all

surrounded by misty pine forests.

If you’re a Twin Peaks fan you need

to play this, because it is Twin

Peaks: The Game. Sure, you need

to put up with last-last-gen

graphics and so-so controls, but

the characters, writing, and plot

twists need to be experienced.

Motorstorm

apocalypse

even as the world ends, you

gotta get your race on

ForMatPS3/year 2011

PubSONY/DeveVOLUTION STUDIOS

issueOPM #56/score8/10

90

The Motorstorm series

feels a little forgotten in

Sony’s back catalogue,

but this third entry

deserves to be played. The racing

is set at a Motorstorm Festival

that’s hit by a massive natural

disaster, which means the tracks

can change as you race.

earthquakes, tornadoes, and even

helicopters crashing through

buildings can alter a track’s layout.

If that’s not enough, factions trying

to scupper the races will invade

the tracks and attempt to ram or

blow you off the road.

Garou: Mark of

the Wolves

A king of fighters contestant

ForMatPS4/year 2016

PubSNK/DevSNK

issueOPM #120/score8/10

84

This pixel-art 1999

fighter crops up on every

‘greatest beat-’em-up’

list, and for good reason.

The classic Fatal Fury two planes

system remains, enabling you to

jump or roll from the front to the

back of the screen and vice versa.

New to the series is the Tactical

Offense Position (TOP) system – a

gauge that enables gradual health

recovery and increased attack

damage when low on health. This is

the 2016 PS4 release, which added

to the arcade-perfect conversion

with a new Survival mode.

Lego batman 3: beyond Gotham

All cowl and no scowl

ForMatPS4/year 2014 /PubWARNeR BROS/DevTT GAMeS/issueOPM #105/score7/10

83

Though it dropped the open world setup of the previous game, this threequel manages to cram even

more Batman Legoness into its mix of hub worlds. You get to travel beyond Gotham (the clue’s in the

name), and journey through the DC universe taking control of and fighting some of your favourite

characters. The new structure doesn’t overshadow the core Lego mix of casual collecting and puzzling.

While never truly challenging, there’s a mesmerising time sink at play that encourages replaying areas, as newly

unlocked characters have special abilities that make secret areas accessible.