LittleBigPlanet 3 headlines the latest batch of PlayStation Plus freebies and service subscribers will soon be able to dive into its thousands of community-made levels free of charge.
Other highlights among this February’s PlayStation Plus lineup include the run-and-gun shooter Not a Hero, multiplayer arena combat game Starwhal, and the retro-styled side-scroller Ninja Senki DX.
Originally released in 2014, LittleBigPlanet 3 is a side-scrolling platformer with a lengthy quest that can be tackled solo or cooperatively with a group of up to four players. The game also features a comprehensive level-building toolkit, allowing players to construct custom worlds using platforms, backgrounds, and mechanical elements gathered from completed stages.
Custom levels can be saved and uploaded to Sony’s servers, where they can be played by fellow LittleBigPlanet 3 creators. Returning players from the original LittleBigPlanet or LittleBigPlanet 2 can join the fun with an expanded toolkit of level design elements from previous games in the series.
Not a Hero, from OlliOlli creator Roll7, promises players a broad variety of cover-based shooting challenges across dozens of 2D levels. Also up for grabs in February is Starwhal, a local multiplayer arena combat game in which players control neon-tinted space fish equipped with deadly horns.
Ninja Senki DX for the PlayStation Vita, meanwhile, is a low-resolution action game that cites inspiration from platformers for legacy handhelds like the Game Boy and Sega’s Game Gear. Featuring a simple control scheme, Ninja Senki DX challenges players to avoid increasingly complex traps while collecting coins scattered throughout each level.
February’s final PlayStation Plus offerings include the horror-themed puzzler Anna and TorqueL, a physics-driven 2D platformer. With the exception of Anna, which is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, every other PlayStation Plus game offered up in February is playable on the PlayStation 4 via Sony’s cross-buy service.
All of this month’s featured PlayStation Plus games will be free to download for service subscribers starting on February 7.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.