PlayStation Flash Sale Highlights

The latest monthly PSN Flash Sale is offering up some great discounts between now and February 20th. Here are some personal recommendations.

• The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Edition: Premium Edition (PS4) – $39.99 (60% off)

Don’t let the redundant name fool you; this is actually a stellar deal. In what would normally run you $99.99, the Gold Edition: Premium Edition of The Elder Scrolls Online comes with the core game, all four DLC expansions, and 5,500 Crowns to spend in the Crown Store.

Crowns are the MMO’s paid currency which can be spent in the Crown Store, an in-game marketplace for things like outfits, XP boosters, mounts, non-combat companions, and more.

If you’re not interested in the Crowns, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Edition is also on sale for $29.99 ($10 cheaper). This comes with the same content, sans Crowns. For what it’s worth though, 5,500 Crowns is $40 by itself in the marketplace. So yeah, not a bad deal for $40 overall.

• Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4) – $11.99 (70% off)

This is an incredible price for the Dark Souls II remaster, which also comes with all three DLC story packs; Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Ivory King, and Crown of the Old Iron King. If you don’t have access to the PC version, the upgrade from PS3 to PS4 is night and day and worth every bit of $12. From what I hear, the expansions are some of the best content in game.

• DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition (PS4) – $11.99 (70% off)

The reboot of Devil May Cry may not have been what the series’ diehard fanbase wanted, but I loved it. This updated version improves the framerate to 60fps (up from the PS3’s 30), adds a hard lock-on system, and comes bundled with all of the game’s DLC. It’s one of my favorite action games of the last console generation, with its brilliant level design, interesting They Live-inspired story, and pulse pounding soundtrack by way of Combichrist and NOISIA.

• Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition: Demon Hunter Bundle (PS4) – $10.79 (70% off)

This remaster of Devil May Cry 4 boasts improved graphics and a better framerate, but also comes with additional game modes, three additional playable characters not found in the standard edition, and two additional costumes.

• Bloodborne: Complete Edition Bundle (PS4) – $17.49 (50% off)

Bloodborne with The Old Hunters expansion for half off is a no-brainer. Buy this.

• ADR1FT (PS4) – $4.99 (75% off)

If you’re a fan of narrative exploration games like Gone Home or Dear Esther, pay attention to ADR1FT. Its sense of first-person zero gravity exploration is intense (albeit somewhat dizzying) and gorgeous, but I had issues with its waypoint system and forgettable narrative. Still a beautiful game that’s worth the sale price.

• inFAMOUS Second Son (PS4) – $7.99 (60% off)

I had fun leveling Second Son’s virtual Seattle landscape as goofy activist Delsin. The gameplay is solid, the visuals are beautiful, and $8 is a great price to kill a weekend.

• Mercenary Kings (PS4) – $5.99 (70% off)

Think Metal Slug with character progression, weapon crafting, and online multi-player. It’s as rad as it sounds.

• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor: Game of the Year Edition (PS4) – $7.99 (60% off)

Shadow of Mordor was one of my favorite games to release in 2014, but mostly from a gameplay perspective. The action is great, paying homage to (or directly borrowing from) games like Assassin’s Creed and the Batman: Arkham series, but for being a game steeped in Tolkien’s lore it was a pretty mediocre narrative affair.

The worst offender, perhaps, is the cliffhanger ending that was later resolved in a paid DLC offering. I guess it’s a good thing, then, that the Game of the Year Edition includes everything.

• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS4) – $4.49 (70% off)

Easily one of the saddest games I’ve ever played, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an interesting puzzle narrative that chronicles the journey of two brothers in search of a curative water for their ill father. Each brother is controlled simultaneously using the left and right analog sticks, which works out surprisingly well.

If you think you’ll enjoy a touching narrative that tugs at the heart strings, I can’t recommend this game enough.

***

There’s definitely more I’d recommend, so it’s time for the Lightning Round! ZAP!

• If you like strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, check out The Banner Saga on PS4 for $4.99.
• Super Time Force Ultra is a rad 2D shooter on PS4 and Vita with a neat time-bending, character swapping mechanic. Not a bad deal at $5.99.
• If you dig puzzle games, The Swapper is worth checking in to at $3.74 on PS4, PS3, and Vita. The concept alone is a mind fuck, as you create disposable clones of yourself for the sole purpose of solving puzzles.
• Roundabout is a ridiculous one-of-a-kind experience on PS4, where you drive a limousine that’s constantly spinning in circles. It’s purposefully campy, featuring poor quality FMV videos, terrible acting, and lots of blood. Play it. It’s only $2.99.
• Three-fourths Home: Extended Edition is a touching visual novel on PS4 and Vita about a phone call a girl has with her family while driving home in a snow storm. It’s relatable, depressing, and extremely well written. It’s also quite short, so if you have an hour or two, give it a shot. It’s only $1.49.

Picking anything up? I grabbed Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed on Vita for $5.99, but that’s all so far. I’m tempted by a few other things, but I’m trying not to overload my backlog any more than it already is.

You can view the full list of discounts right here.