a curated selection of thoughts collected within a 1 gb limit
when it comes to being "the netflix of video games", xbox game pass is arguably ahead of the curve. they're targeting console users, PC gamers, cloud gamers...if that's your thing. and with game pass ultimate, that basically combines all those options as well as xbox live gold and even EA play...if that's your thing. AND they still make the first month a dollar. not bad. but before game pass, there was one early competitor already ahead of them, i think. meet playstation now, the answer to xbox game pass before game pass was a thing...? hold that thought.
i dunno, sony bought out some cloud gaming technology called onlive. it was basically one of the earliest gaming subscriptions on home computers, releasing around 2010. think gametap but with kind of okay cloud streaming. or game pass with cloud- sorry. i got distracted. basically, sony wanted to use some cloud gaming technology and the PS4 didn't really have any good backwards compatibility. the service came out on january 28, 2014 and initially, it just had PS3 games and that was it. well, duh. this was the first year that the PS4 was on the market. all it had were remastered ports and barely any compelling exclusives. now, you couldn't download any games because the PS3 hardware was a nightmare to code for. but the real kicker is that on top of paying for the service, they had this digital rental system as well. imagine gamefly but digital only and you had to pay a monthly fee just to keep playing saints row 2.
it didn't really do so hot, so now we're left with streaming AND downloading AND no stupid rental jargon. now we got PS4 games as well as some PS2 games as well. and now they combined the service with PS plus while adding a bunch of PS1 and PSP games as well. you have to pay $120 just to get both of them. but hey, it’s two subscriptions for the price of one! so it’s fair to say that sony is taking this game pass thing a lot more seriously. but it wasn’t always this way. back then, you could only hear about PS now from a passing mention in a livestream here and there. last year i was watching this one sonic central livestream and they announced that a bunch of sonic games would be coming to PS now as a sort of “hey check this out if you’re into that!” kind of ordeal. and that was it for the poor thing. for a long while, i was seeing this weird blue triangle pop up on my feed begging for crumbs and i just couldn’t bear to watch anymore. so when june of 2021 dawned, i did the unthinkable…i signed up for a 7-day free trial to playstation now. i had my ethernet all prepared and i was ready to see what there was in store for me. so listen well to my tale of the time i spent a week with the slain beast that was playstation now. below are the games that i was able to finish by the end of my journey.
easily the most popular one of the bunch right here. the story is, sonic is getting older and the time lord is willing to put a stop to all of that. so he takes sonic's friends and now he has to save them by potentially creating a time paradox and teaming up with his younger self. okay, pros. modern sonic controls like a dream and classic sonic is actually pretty alright too. the level designs are great, the overall art direction is wonderful, and the music is especially great. but it’s kinda weird. going fast plays like a dream, but platforming? as modern sonic, it’s serviceable. but as classic sonic, it’s weak as hell. it’s like he hates building up momentum and loves to fall down hard. my least favorite level has to be planet wisp on classic sonic. nearly the entire level is about wailing your fat body to the next platform, falling, getting back up again, falling, repeat. took me the longest to beat if i remember correctly.
some of the bosses are pretty weak as well. metal sonic was probably the only really great one and the death egg robot is the worst in the whole series. you could just barely get it right and when you start to get the hang of the controls, you gotta wait for your turn again. what is it with death egg robots being as unbeatable as possible? at least i beat it. i couldn’t even beat the last boss in sonic 2. that’s right, i’m one of those weirdos. at least give me a ring so i can see more of it.
overall, pretty good? yeah, pretty good! not the greatest game ever created, but at least they tried to make it something. i played sonic forces before this and it just doesn’t compare. in conclusion, generations good forces mediocre. alright, let’s see what’s next.
so THAT’S where the guy from hello neighbor comes from. anyway, this is basically a souped up version of the flash game that came before. it’s the charming story of this guy who gets visited by his future self. naturally, a crab arm reaches for future man and now you gotta use his rocket gun to traverse through multiple worlds. pretty much the doctor strange of its time. first demo came out january 2011 and the full game came out- august? really? that kinda explains a lot, actually.
yeah, the game is not perfect. the main levels are tightly designed and some great fun, but most of the bosses aren’t really that. it’s one of those games where the bosses are either too repetitive or just not fun to play at all. i particularly remember not liking the shark boss when i first played it. and don’t get me started on that hedgehog boss in the cave, or that nightmare final boss where you had to face your evil self. not big on the Epic Lol comedy either but it’s not like i can hold a grudge against it. the early 2010s were the apex of random humor on the internet. if you told these guys that they weren’t funny, they’d build an army of bobs and easily stomp you to the ground until you’re soil. i think there was also a level editor in the game. a pretty robust one, too. you could remake nearly the entire game if you can put your mind to it.
basically, it’s a game with pretty high highs and dangerously low lows. kinda like sonic generations the more i think about it, just with better physics (oooooooh). alright, moving on.
this game was nuts. full stop. if you don’t know, superhot is this game where time moves when you move and you gotta fight a bunch of red guys while dodging bullets everywhere. really, i’m not sure if i have much to talk about that hasn’t been said before. the action is simultaneously tense and kind of zen once you stop and look around for once. somehow your powers evolve into all this crazy stuff like being able to take the mind of someone else and it really elevates the gameplay.
i’m confident in calling this game the best of the bunch. it’s just that the story was kinda weaksauce if you ask me. but other than that, you should definitely try it out. OH WAIT WAIT WAIT i just remembered. if you’re gonna try out superhot then you gotta try the VR game as well. it’s somehow even scarier and more tense even though all you do is stand in place waiting to be teleported. okay, next game better be a doozy.
i beat this game in under two hours. on one playthrough. with the quip meter turned all the way up. i can’t say this game is horrifically designed because quite frankly it’s not horrific. it’s not like bubsy 1 where you run faster than light and die by the impact of a gumball machine in the middle of the valley. no, this is one of those budget platformers you find in the clearance aisle at walmart except it’s $30 now.
definitely some smooth controls here and bubsy’s pounce attack is actually really fun to use. however it all feels so by-the-numbers and cheap. the level designs are pretty bland and uninspired, the bosses aren’t really that great, the length of the game is pathetic for its asking price, and there’s a password system. for a PS4 game. geez, no wonder they dumped it on PS now. it’s like they finally had the chance to revitalize the image of this gaming mascot who was failed by everyone who was around him and all they could do was fart around in the office and toss paper airplanes around. is this our fault? did we meme this bobcat enough for a reboot to fall into the wrong hands?
i dunno, man. let’s say if your friend bought this as an ironic gag, then maybe try it out. otherwise, let’s face it. you deserve better. bubsy deserves better. i suppose he did. remember when the guys who made bit trip runner made a bubsy rhythm game? that looked pretty neat.
but those were all the games that i finished. i played two other games and tried a couple others but not to that extent. i tried playing crazy taxi, realized that the PS3 version didn’t have the real soundtrack, and then i left on a dime. i played alex kidd for a bit…it was alright. locoroco was pretty fun too. this was pretty late into my trial so i only did about a few levels. surprisingly, i got kinda far in santa monica studio’s bound, where you play this blue woman who twirls around in these wavy kind of landscapes. think journey but with floating cubes.
i’d say PS now really surprised me. the whole streaming thing works wonders on PS4, at least on ethernet. plus, the library actually had quite a bit of variety last time i remember. but i guess not everyone could understand the point. again, you’ve probably heard about how the new PS plus is gonna merge the PS now so people have both at the same time. sure, the library should be significantly better with the advent of PS1 and PSP games being added. but it all feels disingenuous. wanna play god of war and a bunch of other games as well? better pony up the extra $40. oh you want the PS3 games too? pay up another $20 and then we’ll talk. i mean, just look at this chart they put out.
it’s that extra paywall you have to go through that makes this new and exciting venture kind of insulting. why would i pay $120 a year just to play all these games? xbox game pass at least goes separate from its online service. how about give people the choice? maybe i don’t want free items. maybe i don’t want ape escape. meh, hopefully over time we’ll see how this works out. after all, they could bring back the rental system.
*shivers* actually, maybe i’ll start applying for a job.