What it do, y’all! This Monday marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and while I know at least one hour of your three-day weekend will be spent watching Our Friend Martin, that still leaves you with plenty of time to play video games.
Now, for me, whenever I’m hit with a holiday weekend I like to use that time to see if I can at least finish one game in my backlog. (Spoiler: I never do). So this week’s list is focused on cheap games you can beat over the weekend.
Control: Ultimate Edition, $19.99 (PlayStation Network)
Y’all. This game goes hard. Control is a third-person action-adventure game that places you in the shoes of Jesse Faden, a young woman who arrives at the Federal Bureau of Control looking for information about the location of her kidnapped brother. As you explore the bureau you start to understand that it doesn’t quite exist in our plane of reality and you find yourself facing increasingly strange threats as you progress.
The game was developed by Remedy Games, the studio responsible for the OG Max Payne games, Alan Wake, and the Xbox One-exclusive Quantum Break. Control continues its knack for engrossing storytelling paired with unique gameplay mechanics. As you get further through the game you unlock supernatural powers which turn the standard third-person shooter combat into something much more thrilling.
The base game is only about 11 hours, which means you can easily knock it out over a couple play sessions this weekend. The Ultimate Edition also comes with the game’s two DLC packs and an upgrade to the PS5 version of the game. If you only get one game on this list, make it this one. Trust me.
Star Wars: Squadrons, $23.99/Free to Play This Weekend (Xbox)
To my Xbox fam, I’m sorry, but the pickings were slim this week. At least you can play Star Wars: Squadrons for free this weekend? I mean, I think it’s a solid deal. Especially considering that you can easily beat the game’s 8-10 hour campaign mode in that timeframe. I’ve written about this game before, so I won’t go too long here.
The story mode takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi and finds you controlling both Rebel and Imperial forces as they fight over control for a mysterious new weapon that could change the course of the war between the two factions.
Squadrons is a first-person dogfighting game, which means that you only see the game from the perspective of your vehicle’s cockpit. If you, like me, left The Last Jedi with a fierce desire to drift an X-Wing, this is your game.
Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game, $14.99 (Switch and PlayStation)
It feels so fucking good to be able to write that you can buy this game. Originally released in 2010, Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game was eventually delisted from digital storefronts due to that punk bitch we call copyright law. The game is finally back on digital storefronts and if you’re a fan of old-school beat ‘em ups from the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo era, this is definitely one you should check out.
Based on both the comic book and movie of the same name, the game puts you in control of Scott Pilgrim as he tries to win the heart of Ramona Flowers by doing battle with her seven evil exes. The game renders the comic book’s art style through a 16-bit aesthetic resulting in a game that is as fun to look at as it is to play.
Look, I can’t even front, I’ve been a fan of Scott Pilgrim since I was 16. I own all the comics, the movie, the poster for the movie is framed in my kitchen, a concert poster with a drawing of Ramona hangs over my TV, and I literally just purchased the special collectors edition of this game.
I am, in a word, biased.
That being said, it’s genuinely a really good game, especially if you have an affinity for old-school gaming. Like the other titles on this list, you can easily beat it over the weekend, if you so desire.
Well, that does it for me today. I hope you have a nice long weekend filled with rest, video games, and this YouTube rip of Our Friend, Martin. Don’t say I never did anything for you.
So as always stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, and play more video games.