If you’re anything like me, you have an allergy towards paying full-price. Luckily, every Friday The Root will bring you a roundup of some of the best games currently on sale across the Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo platforms. So, now that the preamble is out of the way, let’s get to saving you folks some money.
Playstation
Persona 5: Royal, $19.99
Persona 5 is without a doubt one of, if not the best JRPG(Japanese Role Playing Game) to come out this console generation. The game casts you as Joker, a student who is labeled a juvenile delinquent after trying to stop a creepy older dude from harassing a woman. As you adjust to life at your new school and make friends, you’re given access to the shadow world and the ability to change the hearts of the corrupt.
I must warn you, the game is hella long, with the base game totaling up to 100 hours. Once you get deep into it, though, the time really does fly by. So, if you’re looking to dip your toes into the genre, Persona 5 is not a bad place to start.
Red Dead Redemption 2, $26.99-$33.99
Playstation Network is currently running a double discounts sale for its Playstation Plus members. At little over 25 bucks, this is a goddamn steal, y’all. Red Dead Redemption 2 might be one of the finest games ever designed by Rockstar Games. The game tells the story of Arthur Morgan, the right-hand man to Dutch Van der Linde, leader of the Van der Linde gang. While the game could do a lot better in regards to handling race in the Wild West, it’s still a beautifully crafted world with intriguing characters and a strong story. While its Online offering hasn’t come to life the same way sister franchise Grand Theft Auto’s has, the wild west setting still provides a unique experience in its own right.
As the weather cools down and we’re still stuck at home, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a great game to curl up with.
Xbox
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, $38.99
The most recent entry of the Call of Duty franchise is currently down to just under 40 bucks on Xbox Live. I personally found Modern Warfare to be the strongest entry in the franchise since Advanced Warfare (the fact we never got a sequel still burns me). The game’s campaign, when it’s not trying to be all edgy and grim-dark, is actually a pretty fun ride with some solid set-piece moments.
The multiplayer component is solid as always and the loop of upgrading guns in multiplayer to then use them in Warzone, the game’s battle royale component, is actually really satisfying. This is the game I have played most since the start of the pandemic so I can safely say it’s worth $40.
The only caveat here is that Call of Duty: Black Ops- Cold War launches in little over two months, so the multiplayer community may die down in coming months. Though, considering it’s still not clear how/if Black Ops will integrate Warzone, this game could prove to have a longer life than most games in the series.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, $29.99
Xbox Live Gold members can currently cop Jedi: Fallen Order for $29.99 on Xbox Live. The game is the first and only single-player Star Wars game to be released in the current console generation. (I’m not counting Battlefront II’s campaign and you can’t make me, dammit.)
The game takes place five years after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and follows Cal Kestis, a former Jedi padawan who is being hunted by a group of sith inquisitors. The game takes you between multiple planets as you avoid your pursuers and try to find the key to bringing back the Jedi Order. The game is a surprising blend of platform-driven exploration, Dark Souls style combat and a Metroidvania approach to level design. The more force abilities the player unlocks, the more they’re able to access hidden parts of each planet, making backtracking an essential but fun part of the game.
If Jedi: Fallen Order managed to slip from your radar last year I highly recommend giving it a playthrough.
Nintendo
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, $14.99
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a delightful JRPG that’s currently on sale on the Nintendo eShop. Released on the Playstation 3 towards the tail end of the generation, it didn’t necessarily receive the wide spread love a game of its caliber deserved. It featured cutscenes animated by legendary animation house Studio Ghibli and its score was partially composed by Joe Hisaishi, essentially making it a playable Ghibli movie
The game tells a whimsical yet melancholy story about a young boy who travels to another world to save a great mage in hopes it will bring back his mother, who died after saving him from drowning. The battle system is a hybrid of Pokemon and the Tales Of series, allowing you to move across the battlefield while controlling creatures you’ve tamed from the wild. It’s gorgeous art style and simple yet engaging gameplay make it a great fit for the Switch,
Thumper, $5.99
Thumper, goes, hard y’all. Rhythm games are totally my jam, something about pressing a button in time with a song just does it for me. Thumper is one of the most intense rhythm games I’ve ever played. Instead of fun Japanese techno or hip-hop, Thumper is built around pulsing, industrial beats and the gameplay is described as “rhythm violence.” You control a beetle-looking object as it speeds down increasingly psychedelic tracks, making sure you respond to the various obstacles thrown at you with perfect timing.
If you were ever curious about what taking shrooms and riding a rollercoaster inspired by Apocalypse Now would be like, well, first, are you okay? Second, play Thumper, as it’s the closest to what I imagine that experience would be like.
So there ya have it folks! Some good-ass games at good-ass prices. If you’re into free stuff, Street Fighter V is currently one of the free Playstation Plus games this month and The Division is currently free for Xbox Live Gold members.
If you’re one of those bougie people who like “new releases,” and “playing new games at launch,” WWE 2K Battlegrounds and Super Mario 3D All-Stars both launched today. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some WWE 2K Battlegrounds to play.