At the end of every month, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold members eagerly await to see what games they’ll get next as a part of their subscription. Today, Sony announced the PS Plus July games lineup: Heavy Rain and Absolver for PS4; Rayman 3 HD and Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess for PS3; and Space Overlords and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma for Vita. PlayStation Plus members will be able to download these games on July 3.
The aforementioned version of Heavy Rain is the PS4 port that came out in March 2016; over eight years after its initial PS3 release. The PS4 version doesn’t change anything but maintains a more stable framerate and runs in 1080p. It also does not include The Taxidermist DLC that was sold alongside the PS3 game.
While a bit more than a month after its May release, Sony is undoubtedly trying to reel in fans of Detroit: Become Human, which developer Quantic Dream also created. Detroit has garnered good reviews and sold well so far, making it an easy game for Sony to capitalize on. The eight-year gap in technology between titles is evident, but Detroit could easily act as a gateway game to Heavy Rain, given how similar their gameplay and structure are.
Absolver is a martial arts game that pits players against AI and other humans. Unlocking and using different fighting styles is key to taking down your opponents. It sold 250,000 copies within its first month and was publisher Devolver Digital’s biggest launch ever. Its average review score hovers around 75%.
The rest of the PS Plus July lineup is not quite as noteworthy. Rayman 3 HD is a decent pick in a good franchise, but the other titles show why Sony is ditching PS3 and Vita games next March. However, it is probably a little harder to choose new games for two platforms that do not see many releases. It’s probably difficult or not worth the effort for Sony to grab bigger games on the PS3 and Vita when people have moved on to other consoles. Given how well the PS4 is selling, that is probably the case for most people.
