PlayStation Plus Extra Premium: December is the month of Far Cry, Yakuza and WWE

Sony closes the 2022 of PlayStation Plus as best it could not, that is with a real load of games for the Extra and Premium plans. In one fell swoop it added the episodes of the Yakuza series that were still missing from the appeal, offered Far Cry fans three games in the series, included both games in the Middle-earth series and much more. Let’s find out about all the new games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, which will be available to all subscribers from Tuesday 20th December (with one exception which will be indicated below).

The new PS4 and PS5 games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium

Ubisoft contributes to the cause of PlayStation Plus Extra with three episodes of the Far Cry series, one main and two spin-offs. Built on the backbone of the fourth installment of the series, Far Cry Primal returns to the stone age by introducing the well-tried game formula of the series (made up of boundless open worlds, outposts to blow up, endless missions and elements to survival game) in a primitive world inhabited by tribes and wild animals.

Far Cry 5 moves to the United States of today, more precisely to Hope County, a fictitious area of Montana controlled by the apocalyptic sect Eden’s Gate. Your task will be to annihilate the spiritual leader Joseph Seed and his brothers, the Heralds, with every means available, even in cooperative (the Far Cry 5 review is just a click away). Stand-alone expansion of the fifth chapter, Far Cry: New Dawn does not move from Hope County but takes a leap into the future of 17 years: after a nuclear catastrophe, the area ended up under the sights of the Twins, leader of the Warriors of Strada, trying to take over the last remaining resources.

For those who feel like slapping there is WWE 2K22, the latest exponent of the series. After the failure of the 2020 edition, the Visual Concepts guys skipped 2021 entirely to return with a much more complete and refined episode, as well as deserving of the license it carries.

There is everything a WWE fan could wish for: SuperStars and Legends of the league, two adventures to face (one for the female character, one for the male), a mode for General Managers eager to manage Raw, SmackDown, NXT and NXT UK, and the inevitable online component. Read our WWE 2K22 review to learn more.

With the addition of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, which joins all the previous chapters of the series already included in PlayStation Plus Extra, the epic of Kazuma Kiryu can finally be defined as complete. Set between Onomichi and Hiroshima, this final episode sees the Dragon of Dojima assume the role of adoptive father, in an attempt to protect the young Haruto and to discover the mystery behind the serious attack on the child’s mother.

Alongside The Song of Life is Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the first episode of the new course of the SEGA series that turns the spotlight on a new character, Ichiban Kasuga, and veers towards the action RPG genre. After being released from prison, Ichiban heads to Ijincho (Yokohama) to shed light on his family’s betrayal by recruiting a group of outlaws on the fringes of society: this time, the blows fly with an unprecedented and strategic turn-based combat system, which it takes place in the protagonist’s wild imagination. Read the review of Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

As icing on the cake there is Judgment, a spin-off of the Yakuza series created by the same guys from Ryu ga Gotoku Studio. This detective story tells of the lawyer Takayuki Yagami, who after falling into disgrace tries the path of redemption by reinventing himself as a detective and investigating a terrible series of murders in the Kamurocho crime network. Follow suspects, uncover clues, take evidence to court and, if need be, slap enemies in the face with two different fighting styles.

If Amazon’s The Rings of Power series left you with a bad taste in your mouth, then we suggest you return to Middle-earth with the two open world action/adventures developed by Monolith Productions – Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of the War.

The protagonist of the series is Talion, one of the Rangers charged with guarding the Black Gate. As the Dark Lord plots in the shadows to rearm the orc armies and march on Middle-earth, a surprise attack wipes out the entire garrison and results in the deaths of Talion and his family. Shortly after, he resurrects with the help of a Wraith, who will be his companion throughout the game, offering him her help and his special powers.

The real flagship of the two productions is the Nemesis System, a procedural feature that randomly generates the Captains of the Orc ranks by assigning them names, strengths and weaknesses drawn from a decidedly large pool. A vast and well-kept open world, a combat system a la Batman Arkham and the sieges of the orc garrisons will make all fans of the warlike dimension of The Lord of the Rings happy.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire from Obsidian Entertainment is an old-school RPG that shines for its story and characterization of the game world, which change based on the actions and choices made during progression, and for a time-based combat system which allows you to take a tactical break to study the battlefield and plan your next move.

in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire situations can be resolved in many different ways, even with deception and diplomacy. On board the Defiant, a ship that serves as a central hub, it is possible to explore a rich archipelago of exotic islands in the company of seven different companions, who weave interactions and personal relationships with each other. In the Ultimate Edition, in addition to the base game, there are also the Winter Beast, Forgotten Sanctum and Seeker, Slayer, Slayer and Survivor DLCs.

The Pedestrian is a 2.5D side-scrolling puzzle platformer set in a metropolis full of challenging puzzles. To advance in city environments, public signs, shop signs and pieces of paper pasted on walls and bulletin boards must be rearranged and reconnected.

When the little avatar moves from one flat plate to another, the camera disengages for a few seconds, offering a cross-section of a metropolis devoid of flesh-and-blood men, yet unusually lively and full of colors and curious details.

The satirical Evil Genius 2 is a spy and base building game that puts you in the role of an evil genius who plans to dominate the world.

In his evil role you are called to build a den of evil, develop devices of destruction, train a band of criminal minions and defend your reign of terror from law enforcement.

The villains of The Escapists 2 weren’t as cunning as the Evil Genius from earlier, since they ended up in prison and now have to plan a big escape.

The prison break simulator from Toof Studios and Team17 offers a pixel art sandbox environment that pushes you to delve into routine activities to implement an escape strategy from the harshest detention centers on the planet. The Escapists 2 also allows you to team up with up to three friends (locally or online) to plan even more daring and spectacular escapes, or challenge them in a competitive mode to prove who is the most skilled escapee around.

Faithful to the historical chapters of the series, Worms WMD features hand-drawn two-dimensional graphics, tactical battles to the last breath and a new crafting system.

The 30-level campaign includes a huge arsenal of new and classic weapons, while the multiplayer mode (online and local) allows you to challenge up to five opponents in exhilarating battles with up to eight worms each. For the more competitive there are also ranked matches.

From the Cartoon Network universe comes Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion, an adaptation of the famous animated series with a completely new story.

In this open world RPG you are free to explore (on foot or by boat) the vast Land of Ooo, ravaged by a flood that has separated the Realms from one another. The turn-based combat system never reaches high degrees of complexity, on the other hand the scenic rendering – varied and faithful to the original material – will make all fans of the show happy.

The selection for PlayStation Plus Extra ends with two titles aimed at children: Ben 10: Power Trip, a 3D action game in which you have to use the aliens’ abilities to solve puzzles and foil the plans of the evil sorcerer, and Gigantosaurus Il Gioco, in which you can play alone or in company to save the world and, at the same time, participate in crazy dinosaur races in the world of Disney’s dino-tale.

The new classics for PlayStation Plus Premium

• Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus | PS1
• Heavenly Sword | PS3
• Ridge Racer 2 | PSP
• Pinball Heroes | PSP

The selection of classics prepared for the month of December tries to satisfy all nostalgics, drawing games from three different console generations. From the very first PlayStation comes Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus, a sequel to the original Abe’s Odyssey which in recent times also served as the starting point for Oddworld Soulstorm. From the PSP portable toy library come Pinball Heroes, whose tables are inspired by the PlayStation series (from Uncharted to Hot Shots Golf), and Ridge Racer 2, a racing arcade dated 2006 whose name has been circulating in the PlayStation Store database for several months.

From the PlayStation 3 era comes Heavenly Sword, an unfortunate PlayStation exclusive that has turned into a small cult over the years. Developed by Ninja Theory, this third-person adventure tells the story of Nariko, a warrior on a mission of revenge against an invading king and his army. At the time you distinguished yourself for the care taken in the creation of the cinematographic component. Worthy of note is the participation of Andy Serkis, who lent his voice and movements to the important character of King Bohan.