November is the year’s last bastion before Bublé, baubles and family commitments, so drink it in. This 30-day oasis does its best to prepare us for the scorching weather and inevitable overeating, and it also houses my birthday, go me. Another thing to look forward to in this pre-Christmas month is a new batch of PlayStation Plus Essential games, who could’ve predicted that? October graced us with The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22 (which I played, for reasons) and Weird West, so let’s see if the penultimate month of 2023 can match or surpass those titles.
As announced on the PlayStation Blog, the PlayStation Plus Essential games for November are Mafia II: Definitive Edition, Dragon Ball: The Breakers and Aliens Fireteam Elite. These three games will be available to download from November 7.
Haven’t played Mafia II? Hey, forget about it. I’m sorry. The second game in the crime-filled, Tommy Gun-wielding, Italian hand-gesturing series, Mafia II follows Vito Scaletta as he returns from war, only to get caught up in a life of crime, shootouts and moderately-paced car chases (it was the 40s). Originally released in 2010, the Definitive Edition whacks a new coat of paint on the game, bringing it closer to today’s standards, while sanding some of its edges. We gave Mafia II: Definitive Edition an 8.
I bet you’re thinking “Another Dragon Ball fighting game, cool,” but what if I told you that The Breakers isn’t a fighting game, hmm? Nope, The Breakers is a seven-vs-one asymmetric action game, where a team of everyday Dragon Ball civilians try to evade a Raider, a player-controlled, overpowered villain from the series. As a Raider, you’ll embody Frieza, Buu or Cell, as you rampage through the map, searching for the other players, and devastating the scenery as you do so. It’s an odd concept, especially for the Dragon Ball series, but it’s a welcome shake-up nonetheless.
That’s it, man. Game over, man. Game over.
The Aliens franchise has a colourful history in the video game space, with the abysmal Colonial Marines at the bottom of the barrel, and the amazing Alien Isolation on top of the pile. A third-person co-op survival shooter, Fireteam Elite isn’t perfect, but it lands on the better side of the spectrum. Kitting your marine out with a variety of movie-accurate weapons and gadgets, you and up to two friends blast through waves of Xenomorphs as you complete tasks and try to survive.
If you haven’t downloaded The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22 and Weird West, you’ve got until November 6 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 December? 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
