Look, I’m not about to tell you it’s all sunshine and rainbows in September. We have a list of new games coming to PlayStation Plus Essentials, but that won’t be the big news coming from today. The subscription service’s price hike will dominate the headlines today, and rightfully so, but let’s look at the games we are getting in the month ahead. In August, we got PGA Tour 2K23, Dreams and Death’s Door, which was pretty solid, but September’s drop is decidedly less exciting.
As announced on the PlayStation Blog, the PlayStation Plus Essential games for September are Saints Row, Black Desert – Traveler Edition and Generation Zero. These three games will be available to download from September 5.
The Saints Row series has been on a wild ride. Going from a Grand Theft Auto clone to a bombastic, satirical, open-world game with dildo bats and wrestling moves, the Saints have certainly evolved over the years. The reboot, simply titled Saints Row, attempted to merge those two together with…mixed results. The weapons and vehicles are fun, and the moment-to-moment gameplay is familiar if you’re a fan of the series, but it’s far from a grand return to the scene. This will be one you download and throw on during a lazy afternoon to kill time. We gave Saints Row a 5.
If you’re looking for something a little more involved than a throwaway weekend game, you might want to look at Black Desert. I won’t pretend to be an expert in the field, but this MMORPG has all of the trimmings, including huge siege battles, PvE and PvP combat, heaps of playable classes and various combat options, as well as some very flashy-looking fighting. The Traveler Edition will set you up with the game itself and a handful of additional add-ons to help you get started.
This game instantly captured my attention on release purely due to the premise. Set in 1980s Sweden, humans are scraping together an existence, fighting back against machines that are determined to wipe humanity off the face of the earth. Phwar. In reality, Generation Zero is a first-person action game with survival elements that can be played in co-op with some mates. However, it’s far from perfect, with some open and empty areas making the game feel a bit lifeless. Despite this, the setting is still very cool and it’s worth a look at with some friends.
If you haven’t downloaded PGA Tour 2K23, Dreams and Death’s Door, you’ve got until September 4 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 September? 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
