The most announcement-filled week of gaming has wrapped up. From Summer Game Fest to the Xbox Games Showcase and Ubisoft Forward, there was a ton of big gaming news. Many of the games revealed are coming to PlayStation 5, too. On top of that, Sony’s Days of Play initiative is still in full swing, which means some more PS2 games finally got PS4 and PS5 ports for the first time in several years. As a result, there’s no shortage of relevant games in the PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra catalog to check out if you’re looking for something to play this weekend.
Three titles stand out to me in particular. The first is the game that cemented the status of a pillar franchise for PlayStation and is getting reinterpreted as a Lego game for kids later this year. Next, there’s a Dragon Ball game that looks even better than the manga and anime it’s based on and is a nice companion piece to a Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, which launches later this year. Finally, I’m recommending the PS2 classic that put Sucker Punch Productions on the map.
Horizon Forbidden West
In 2017, Killzone developer Guerilla Games kicked off a new franchise with Horizon Zero Dawn. It quickly became a hallmark franchise for PlayStation, receiving an expansion on PS4 and a direct sequel on PS5. A TV show adaptation is in the works at Netflix, and at Summer Game Fest 2024, we learned that the mature series is getting more kid-friendly with the co-op action game Lego Horizon Adventures. OAfter all of that, I’m recommending that you check out the game available through PS Plus Extra’s game catalog: 2022’s Horizon Forbidden West.
If you play this sequel, you’ll discover one of the most beautiful PS5 games, which is set in a postapocalyptic world where tech and nature clash. There’s a captivating narrative bolstered by some solid voice performances and combat centered around hunting robotic creatures. It can get quite tense. Lego Horizon Adventures will retell the events of Zero Dawn and Forbidden West as well, so it’s worth replaying so you get a refresher and understand what is going on before that.
Horizon Forbidden West is available on PS4 and PS5 through the PlayStation Plus Extra game catalog. It also came to PC earlier this year.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
A standout from Summer Game Fest this year was Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, a spectacle-filled 3D fighter that marks the grand return of the Budokai Tenkaichi series. If 2D fighters are more of your speed, I’d recommend checking out Dragon Ball FighterZ on PS Plus instead. Released in 2018 by Arc System Works and Bandai Namco Entertainment, Dragon Ball FighterZ is one of the best-looking fighting games out there thanks to its slick animation style that makes it look like the manga or anime come to life.
On top of that, it features tons of depth in its fighting game mechanics and approachable combos that make Dragon Ball FighterZ friendly to newcomers. Dragon Ball FighterZ plays pretty differently than Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, making the two games nice companion pieces. There are some other Dragon Ball games in the PS Plus game catalog for fans, like Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
The PS4 version of Dragon Ball FighterZ is available via the PlayStation Plus Extra game catalog. It’s also available on PC, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Although it isn’t directly related to any Summer Game Fest announcement this year, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is a personal favorite of mine and a PS2 classic that just came to PS4 and PS5 as part of this year’s Days of Play initiative. For those who don’t know, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus follows the titular raccoon thief and his band of thieves as they fight back against the Fiendish Five, who stole the titular book written by Sly’s ancestors.
When it comes to gameplay, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is unique in being a stealth platformer where players are often trying to sneak around and avoid enemies as much as they’re trying to reach the end of the level. From its style to its story and gameplay, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is a good time all around. Previously, those interested in this game could try it by streaming a PS3 game collection it was included in, but that’s no longer the case as the game is now natively emulated on modern PlayStation consoles.
PS4 and PS5 ports of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus are available to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.
