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‘XCOM 2’ headlines June’s PlayStation Plus freebie games

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It’s nearly the end of the month, which means it’s time for Sony to announce the free games PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive in June. This time around, you get access to a brilliant turn-based strategy game, as well as an underrated squad-based shooter from the last generation.

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Beginning June 5, PlayStation 4 owners will be able to download XCOM 2 for free. Firaxis’ excellent sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown is even tougher than the original, with much more difficult and intelligent enemies who will exploit your every weakness. It expands on bizarre features, such as mind-control, and its guerilla warfare story has stakes even higher than the previous game.

Also free for PlayStation 4 is Trials Fusion, the motorcycle racing game from RedLynx and Ubisoft. The excellent physics-based title adds a futuristic twist to the series’ tried-and-true formula, and with the addition of special trick-based courses, there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. User-created tracks also give you nearly endless racing opportunities, and you can challenge your fellow PlayStation Plus members to beat your high score.

PlayStation 3 players get a treat this month, as well. Free in June is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The squad-based tactical shooter takes a far more linear approach than its follow-up Wildlands, but the game’s excellent level design and streamlined mechanics make it satisfying and replayable. The competitive multiplayer portion sees the game at its absolute best, with objective-based modes that force players to work together.

Also free for PlayStation 3 is Zombie Driver HD, a top-down driving game similar to the first few Grand Theft Auto titles, but with an undead twist. Vita owners get Atomic Ninjas, a 2013 2.5D competitive platformer, as well as the puzzle game Squares, which uses a simple tile-based interface and is a perfect fit for the system.

Sony certainly offers a better selection of free games in June than Microsoft, which revealed its own lineup of Games With Gold titles earlier this week. Sony’s program will undergo a radical change next March, as it will stop giving away free PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games in favor of only supporting the PlayStation 4. Occasionally, we’ve seen bonus PlayStation VR games given away, as well, which will likely continue after the change is made.

Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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