I don’t know about y’all, but the cold weather is kicking my arse this year. Going out and seeing friends or doing things outside of the home is a tall ask at the moment, and I find myself wanting to go full blanket mode on the couch with a new game more and more. Thankfully, we’re heading into a pretty stacked month for games, but even if you’re not looking to make any purchases, there are ways to get your fix. Last month, PlayStation Plus subscribers copped some extra PSVR2 titles, a handful of PS2 classics, and the trio of dips that is Streets of Rage 4, AEW: Fight Forever and SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake.
As announced on the PlayStation Blog, the PlayStation Plus Essentials games for July are Borderlands 3, NHL 24 and Among Us. These three games will be available for download from July 3.
With the recent hubbub about the Borderlands movie, I suppose this makes sense. The Borderlands series is known for its crass humour, cell-shaded graphics and an insane number of guns, and BL3 gives you more of that…again. Many will tell you that the franchise peaked with the first sequel, and I’d agree with them all, but that doesn’t for a moment mean that the threepeat is a slouch. The gunplay is tighter than ever, the new characters and abilities are a blast, and there’s a healthy amount of content to play through. So, if you’re an avid Vault Hunter who hasn’t ventured into the third game yet, this is an excellent chance. We gave Borderlands 3 a 7.8.
During a recent trip to the US, I fell in love with ice hockey. I picked a team (LA Kings baby), watched the rest of the season through, and am eagerly awaiting the next. Lucky me, then, that the official video game is hitting PS Plus next month. Similar to your FIF….EA Sports FCs and NBA 2Ks, NHL 24 is a sim, recreating the fast-paced and brutal sport as accurately as possible while still being entertaining to play. The most recent entry introduces a host of new gameplay tweaks, including the Exhaust and Sustained Pressure systems that mimic the be and flow of a real game. Sure, the Kings bowed out in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, but that won’t be the case with me in control. They’ll probably end up like the San Jose Sharks instead.
C’mon now, you know all about Among Us. The gateway game for more social education, this friendship destroyer has you and your mates take control of dorky astronauts going about their duties on a ship. Oh, just watch your back because one or more of you will be an Imposter, looking to kill everyone else onboard. It’s more than likely that you’ve played, or at least watched, a game of Among Us at this stage, but having it included in PS Plus will mop up the few of you who are still living in a vent.
If you haven’t downloaded Streets of Rage 4, AEW: Fight Forever and SpongeBob Squarepants: The Comis Shake, you’ve got until July 2 to do so. As always, please remember that you can add these games to your library and download them later if you don’t have any precious space on your hard drive.
Which game will you be downloading first? What games would you like to see in August? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
Adam's undying love for all things PlayStation can only be rivalled by his obsession with vacuuming. Whether it's a Dyson or a DualShock in hand you can guarantee he has a passion for it. PSN: TheVacuumVandal XBL: VacuumVandal Steam: TheVacuumVandal
