Any recommended PSN downloadable games?

[Cynicaster]

I don't have all kinds of time available to play video games, so I'm finding that I am enjoying some of the downloadable games from PSN. Aside from their usually fairly low prices, I like them because many of them are the types of games that don't require you to spend hours mastering fancy controls or exploring vast worlds; you can just sit down and play for a half hour here, an hour there in isolated sessions and still have fun doing it. I like to think of games like these as the "spiritual successors" to classic games from Atari, NES, etc., where the appeal is in easy-to-pick up gameplay with an addictive quality to it.

 

Some of the games I've tried are:

 

Battlefield 1943

1942 (I normally don't care for "modernization" of classic games, but this one was gorgeous, IMO)

Pixeljunk Shooter

Castle Crashers

Super Stardust HD

 

I'd like to grab more of these games but there just seems to be so many to sift through and many of them don't have playable demos. Does anybody have any to recommend?

[Gabriel]

Gravity Crash seems right up your alley. It's very much a Gravitar on crack and meth sort of game.

 

Zen Pinball is practically a no brainer.

 

Tank Battles can be fairly fun with a buddy.

 

I used to play Blast Factor a lot. It's a pretty cool omni-shooter.

 

Q*Bert.

[Reaperman]

I used to be really big into downloads, not so much anymore, but there is fun to be had.

 

Zen Pinball is awesome, I second it.

Field Runners (a mini) is a helluva tower defense game if you don't already have it on your phone. I don't know why but I like it more than other mini TD's.

Wipeout is one of the best games on the system.

Flower lasts for only an hour or so, and has almost no replay value at all, but it's a unique experience nobody should miss.

 

Not to get ahead of things, but PSN generally has a pretty good sale on black friday, may want to hold off on new purchases until then. Flower and Wipeout frequently wind up in sales.

Edited November 22, 2010 by Reaperman

[cimerians]

Here are the games that keep me coming back and playing again (which in my world are totally worth the money).

 

Shatter

Gravity Crash

Pixeljunk Monsters

Peggle

Puzzlequest

Braid

Castle Crashers

Trine (haven't finished this yet)

All the Monkey Island games (dont want to play these again but they are great)

 

I liked these demo's but I didnt buy the games:

Lara Croft, Tomb Raider Guardian of Light

Shank

[HammR25]

Download the Joe Danger demo to see if you like the game.

[Austin]

Everyday Shooter is all you need.

[Frizo]

Megaman 9 and 10. Keep in mind, Megaman 10 is hard. I have not beaten it on normal, even with Bass, I'm only like halfway through normal with MegaMan with somewhere around 3 hours.

[amiman99]

Pain,

Castle Crashers,

Super Stardust HD,

After Burner - Climax

The Last Guy

 

Lemmings is good too, but in the hard levels I lost interest.

Elefunk, nice puzzle game, you can get the demo I think...

The Last guy is a very interesting game. Get the demo.

[Tr3vor]

Space Invaders Infinity Gene is pretty interesting, I liked it.

[Elw00d]

Gravity Crash, Castle Crashers, and <insert another game here>. Those are the best PSN game I can think of. I have been thinking about getting Deathspank however.

[Cynicaster]

Download the Joe Danger demo to see if you like the game.

 

Actually, I was playing this on the weekend. Pretty fun I guess. At first I thought it was some Excitebike/Motocross Maniacs rehash, but not really.

 

Everyday Shooter is all you need.

 

I was rather intrigued by this game but a bit put-off by the fact that there is no playable demo, only some short trailer. Anybody else recommend it?

 

Megaman 9 and 10. Keep in mind, Megaman 10 is hard. I have not beaten it on normal, even with Bass, I'm only like halfway through normal with MegaMan with somewhere around 3 hours.

 

I played the Megaman 10 demo, and while I loved the 8-bit goodness, I could already tell the game would drive me batty with its difficulty. Megaman 2 FTW.

 

Space Invaders Infinity Gene is pretty interesting, I liked it.

 

I played the demo. I thought the visuals were really trippy and cool, but is it just me, or is this game freaking impossible?

 

I did play another PSN game at my buddy's recently. The first thing I thought of when I played it was the old arcade game MERCS. I think the game was called Wolf of the Battlefield or something goofy like that. Great arcade style game, liked it a lot.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Cynicaster

[onmode-ky]

Everyday Shooter is all you need.

 

I was rather intrigued by this game but a bit put-off by the fact that there is no playable demo, only some short trailer. Anybody else recommend it?

 

I have the PSP version. Highly recommended. It's sort of like Robotron 2084 but with a very small hitbox (which is the entire player avatar) and a whole lot of widely varied visual style. The audio links into the gameplay similarly to how it was done in Space Invaders Extreme. Every stage looks, sounds, and plays uniquely. I have never been able to reach the final stage, sadly.

 

Incidentally, if you're not aware, the original PC version of this was a one-man show, by Jonathan Mak.

 

I did play another PSN game at my buddy's recently. The first thing I thought of when I played it was the old arcade game MERCS. I think the game was called Wolf of the Battlefield or something goofy like that. Great arcade style game, liked it a lot.

 

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is, in fact, a sequel to Mercs, since Mercs is the sequel to Commando. Regarding the part of the name before the colon, Commando's Japanese title is 戦場の狼 (Senjou no Ookami), which translates as "Wolf of the Battlefield." Also, Mercs is known in Japan as Senjou no Ookami II.

 

Here's what I have that I'll recommend based on your apparent interests:

 

1942: Joint Strike

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer (I'd recommend it even more if the weapons weren't so weak)

Astro Tripper

Namco Museum Essentials (includes a nice new entry in the Xevious series, Xevious Resurrection)

Shatter

Gravity Crash

Everyday Shooter

Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags! (a Mini--word of caution: this is quite difficult!)

GaiaSeed (a PS1 Import)

Shienryu (a PS1 Import)

 

More general recommendations:

 

flOw and Flower (two compelling entries by thatgamecompany if you believe games qualify as art)

PixelJunk Eden (gets really hard . . .)

Noby Noby Boy (really depends on the person; be aware there is no objective, so it's more like a bizarre toy than a game)

Switchball (puzzle-solving Marble Madness, similar to the earlier PC game Ballance; I don't like the controls)

Who's That Flying?! (a Mini, side-scrolling shooter tower defense, with very good reviews)

Cubixx (a Mini, Qix on the faces of a cube)

Freekscape: Escape from Hell (a Mini, a puzzle-platformer that had me addicted to speedrunning it for a while)

Coconut Dodge (a Mini, nerve-wracking maze navigation)

 

onmode-ky

Edited December 1, 2010 by onmode-ky

[ComputerSpaceFan]

One I am considering picking up is Street Fighter Turbo HD Remix, but there are no trophies unfortunately.

I am not even sure people still play Remix given SFIV is out nowadays anyway.

(I would play SFIV but the Chun-Li art style turns me off)

[Cynicaster]

Everyday Shooter is all you need.

 

I was rather intrigued by this game but a bit put-off by the fact that there is no playable demo, only some short trailer. Anybody else recommend it?

 

I have the PSP version. Highly recommended. It's sort of like Robotron 2084 but with a very small hitbox (which is the entire player avatar) and a whole lot of widely varied visual style. The audio links into the gameplay similarly to how it was done in Space Invaders Extreme. Every stage looks, sounds, and plays uniquely. I have never been able to reach the final stage, sadly.

 

Incidentally, if you're not aware, the original PC version of this was a one-man show, by Jonathan Mak.

 

I did play another PSN game at my buddy's recently. The first thing I thought of when I played it was the old arcade game MERCS. I think the game was called Wolf of the Battlefield or something goofy like that. Great arcade style game, liked it a lot.

 

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is, in fact, a sequel to Mercs, since Mercs is the sequel to Commando. Regarding the part of the name before the colon, Commando's Japanese title is 戦場の狼 (Senjou no Ookami), which translates as "Wolf of the Battlefield." Also, Mercs is known in Japan as Senjou no Ookami II.

 

Here's what I have that I'll recommend based on your apparent interests:

 

1942: Joint Strike

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer (I'd recommend it even more if the weapons weren't so weak)

Astro Tripper

Namco Museum Essentials (includes a nice new entry in the Xevious series, Xevious Resurrection)

Shatter

Gravity Crash

Everyday Shooter

Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags! (a Mini--word of caution: this is quite difficult!)

GaiaSeed (a PS1 Import)

Shienryu (a PS1 Import)

 

More general recommendations:

 

flOw and Flower (two compelling entries by thatgamecompany if you believe games qualify as art)

PixelJunk Eden (gets really hard . . .)

Noby Noby Boy (really depends on the person; be aware there is no objective, so it's more like a bizarre toy than a game)

Switchball (puzzle-solving Marble Madness, similar to the earlier PC game Ballance; I don't like the controls)

Who's That Flying?! (a Mini, side-scrolling shooter tower defense, with very good reviews)

Cubixx (a Mini, Qix on the faces of a cube)

Freekscape: Escape from Hell (a Mini, a puzzle-platformer that had me addicted to speedrunning it for a while)

Coconut Dodge (a Mini, nerve-wracking maze navigation)

 

onmode-ky

 

Cool, thanks for the great info.

 

I knew Wolf was too much like Mercs to not have any connection, although honestly, I never realized Mercs was a sequel. I used to play it at a local corner store all the time back in the 90's, which probably explains why the PS3 game appealed to me at once.

 

By the way, what constitutes a "mini"? I get that the name is pretty self explanatory as far as what it means in practical terms to the player, but are there criteria the game has to meet before qualifying as a "mini" or is it entirely up to the publisher to classify it as such?

Edited December 1, 2010 by Cynicaster

[onmode-ky]

I knew Wolf was too much like Mercs to not have any connection, although honestly, I never realized Mercs was a sequel. I used to play it at a local corner store all the time back in the 90's, which probably explains why the PS3 game appealed to me at once.

 

I had actually not heard of either Commando or Mercs until the PS2's Capcom Classics Collection releases, as I never saw them in the arcades I went to. In addition to that PS2 Capcom collection, Commando is also on Jakks Pacific's Capcom TV Game plug-n-play system, alongside 1942 and Ghosts 'N Goblins.

 

By the way, what constitutes a "mini"? I get that the name is pretty self explanatory as far as what it means in practical terms to the player, but are there criteria the game has to meet before qualifying as a "mini" or is it entirely up to the publisher to classify it as such?

 

The developer-side requirements for Minis are that the games have to be less than 100 MB (though there is a 101-MB Mini, Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess) and can't have any over-network features (like multiplayer). I don't think there is any real reason for the size limit other than keeping the downloads small, but the reason Sony cited for the networking restriction is to speed up the submission process; QA of network code apparently takes a lot of time. I've also heard one developer say that Minis can't overclock the PSP's CPU. In case you weren't aware, Minis are generally playable on both the PS3 and PSP, though there are a small number that are restricted to PSP only, Tetris being the most notable one (presumably due to EA's licensing deal on that title). Also, the "needs to be playable on PS3 as well" thing might be part of why Minis can't do network features, given the differences between PS3 and PSP networking code.

 

I think that's all that's required. The primary advantage in submitting a game as a Mini is its being playable on both the PS3 and the PSP. This is a big deal for many Minis developers, as they're primarily small development studios and want as much exposure as possible. Minis also function as a foot in the door to further PlayStation development; e.g., an HD follow-up to Cubixx is being worked on for the PS3.

 

Note that there is no requirement regarding technology (nothing like "your graphics have to be 2D" or "you can only have X polygons per second") or game depth (nothing like "we don't take long-form games" or "you can't implement your own achievement system"). The program was essentially conceived by SCEE (Sony Europe) as a means of having the PSP combat iOS games, but Minis do not strictly have to look and act like iOS games. They're free to push the PSP hardware--obviously, they're not going to tax the PS3's hardware much. But, as an example, look up an upcoming Mini called "Urban Trials," whose screenshots look astounding. So, while a Mini can be physically small and have a small price, it can still aim high. It's thus a little disappointing that SCEA (Sony America) basically undermines the program entirely by having PSP spokesperson Marcus mock smaller games and only promote the big PSP titles.

 

Uh, sorry for the rant at the end. . . .

 

onmode-ky

Edited December 2, 2010 by onmode-ky

[Cynicaster]

Well, I ended up buying a few titles over the weekend, and I’m very happy with all of them.

 

Super Stardust HD – I had played this at a friend’s briefly, enough to get a feel for what it’s about, but I didn’t really give it a chance. This game rules, it gets so intense once you get up in the millions on score. Absolutely gorgeous graphics.

 

Everyday Shooter – I had to go into this one blind, glad I did. One of the things I love about this is how it’s just dripping with the style that only an independent developer can muster. The guitar-driven music is fantastic and really makes the game for me. I’m a guitar player and I do lots of home recording myself so maybe that’s why this appeals to me so much. The trippy visuals are a nice complement to the tunes. I can see how some people would look at this game and think “I just don’t get it”, but for me it is worth every penny.

 

Pac-Man – What’s it called? Championship DX or something? I was skeptical about this one because I rarely EVER enjoy the “reimaginings” of classic titles, but this game is awesome. Once I kind of figured out how it is setup and broken down into challenges and unlockable mazes, it becomes extremely addictive when you’re trying to top your high score and climb the ranks on the scoreboard. I’m not even that big of a Pac-Man fan, but this rendition might be one of my favorite games yet on this system.

 

Cubixx – when onmode-ky said this one was “Qix on a cube”, I thought he meant it was “similar” to Qix. But no, this IS Qix on a cube, to a tee. So much so that I’m surprised the name “Qix” doesn’t show up anywhere. Limited gameplay, but I love Qix so this is worth the 5 or so bucks to me. Great for a quick dose of pick-up-and-play.

[HammR25]

Yep, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is great.

[Cynicaster]

Yep, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is great.

 

I know, right? In terms of the level of satisfaction attained, all the FPS "head shots" in the world cannot match the bliss of mowing down 50 ghosts in a matter of seconds and watching the points fly.

[Gaztee]

Where is the love for Wipeout?? An absolute stonker of a game one of the best on the system. Really cool in 3D too!

 

I kinda like High Velocity Bowling too! Quirky, but fun & now real cool in 3D!

 

I see you went & got Super Stardust & Pacman DX - good call on both!

[Cynicaster]

Where is the love for Wipeout?? An absolute stonker of a game one of the best on the system. Really cool in 3D too!

 

I kinda like High Velocity Bowling too! Quirky, but fun & now real cool in 3D!

 

I see you went & got Super Stardust & Pacman DX - good call on both!

 

I've never heard of the bowling game. I did a quick Google search on it, and it actually seems pretty cool.

 

How does it compare to Wii Sports? The gist I'm getting from my short research is that it's not necessarily better or worse, just different.

 

I'm interested in it because I like to have a few "party games" that non-gamers can participate in when they're over. Buzz Quiz World is great for this, by the way.

[Mendon]

I really wish PSN would follow the policy of XBL and start putting demo's online. There are games like Marvel Pinball and Dead Nation that I'm interested in, but without a demo, my wallet stays closed.

 

 

Mendon

[Underball]

I really wish PSN would follow the policy of XBL and start putting demo's online. There are games like Marvel Pinball and Dead Nation that I'm interested in, but without a demo, my wallet stays closed.

 

 

Mendon

WTF are you talking about? PSN has a metric shit ton of free demos available for download.

 

Right now my PS3 has PSN demos for:

 

Lara Croft: Guardian of Light

NBA 2K11

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Pac-Man DX

Namco Essentials

Earthworm Jim HD

[Bilnick]

Xbox Live seems to have more demos available. I downloaded a demo on Live of Crazy Taxi, is there a demo of CT on PSN? Maybe it is just a case of you get what you pay for.

[Underball]

Paying for XBL when PSN is free makes no sense. Those aren't really free demos if you have to pay for them every month.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Underball

[Bilnick]

I never said anything about free. I was agreeing with Mendon that it would be nice if PSN had as many demos available as Live. I rarely bother with searching for PSN demos because if it is a game for both systems, Live will almost always have a demo.

 

Can Silver (free) Xbox Live accounts download demos? I do not know. The free accounts can buy games I know, but not sure on the demos. I was just speculating on why Xbox seems to have a ton more demos than PSN.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Bilnick