Over the last few months, Sony has seemingly worked quite hard to get its PS Now service to offer bigger and better games. While the catalog has long been full of some of the best games of the past generations, it's slowly and surely been filling up with some of the newest games on the market as well. While the new additions to PS Now in August aren't the newest of the new, they were all released in the last couple of years. Even more important than that is that the three new additions to the service this month is that they are all quite popular.
The really nice thing about these new additions is there really does appear to be a little something for everyone. If someone is partial to retro titles that have a pixel look to them, they are going to find one of the new offerings on PS Now that can scratch that itch. If, on the other hand, someone wants to battle their way through a futuristic setting while jumping from building to building and hacking and slashing their enemies, there's something available for that player as well. And if there's someone out there that's always wanted to take on the role of a female android and blast away at robotic foes, PlayStation Now offers that as well, though for a limited time.
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Nier: Automata is the first of the trio of games to land on PS Now in August and this game might also qualify as the quirkiest of the bunch, though it does have some serious competition. While this game has been out for quite a while, it's seeing a bit of a resurgence because of a long-awaited update on Steam and the release of another title in the series. That means that those who might have heard about the game, but weren't sure if they wanted to give it a try, can now do so on PS Now without paying anything extra.
Nier: Automata allows players to take on female android 2B who is often trailed around by her companion, 9S (which is short for YoRHa No.9 Type S), a male "scanner" android the two androids are tasked with clearing a path for other androids to enter and exist on the planet. The game is quite a bit different than other titles out there because Nier: Automata encourages users to go through multiple playthroughs and once they get through two playthroughs, new content is unlocked.
It should be pointed out that if users want to give Nier: Automata a go, they are going to have a limited time to do it. The game might be arriving on PS Now in August, but it won't be here all that long. It will be leaving the subscription service again in November. So those who wanted to try it out will have to take advantage quickly.
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In Ghostrunner, users take on the role of Jack, who has to traverse several different maps that include dangerous terrain by jumping, dashing, and wall-running. There are also situations where the antagonist uses grappling hooks to get around. While moving around the city in Ghostrunner is the biggest key to the game, there are enemies that will need to be taken down as well. While Jack is armed with a sword and can take down these enemies, players can't just run willy nilly through their foes. Jack doesn't have hit points per se. If he gets hit with a gunshot or other weapon, he will immediately die. Likewise, the enemies are also one-hit, one kill.
The "city" that Jack the ghostrunner is running around and through is the last vestiges of humanity after what is an unspecified global catastrophe. Eventually, the player will have to scale the Dharma tower and is housing most of the rest of the human race inside its walls. The main goal of the game, other than running, jumping, and taking down enemies is to find the digital intelligence known as the Architect. This is a kind of amalgam of the leadership that is leftover from that catastrophe. The main point of Ghostrunner is to overthrow the entities that staged a coup while freeing the ghostrunner's leader.
If "plucky underdog" was ever used to describe a video game, it would certainly apply to Undertale. While Ghostrunner and Nier both have a development team dedicated to design and updates, Undertale was created by a very small handful of people. Despite indie developer Toby Fox putting out the game almost by himself, it's got quite a cult following that even managed to land it on Xbox Game Pass before it reached PlayStation Now.
One of the reasons it likely became so popular is the gameplay and art style of quite reminiscent of titles from years past. Undertale's graphics are pixelated, inspired by EarthBound, and have a top-down perspective The story is unique as well, having players take on the role of a small child who has stumbled into the Underground, and tries to return home. Along the way, the character meets all kinds of mystical and magical creatures. The story is plenty quirky, adding to its charm. Undertale's been quite popular ever since it was announced back in 2013 but later became one of the biggest indie games to date. If players somehow haven't managed to give this one a go, it's definitely worth trying out now.
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