To be able to play online with your PlayStation, you must subscribe to the PSN Plus Essential service. This offer allows players to try out a few titles chosen by Sony, at no cost other than the price of the subscription to the service. And in fact, since September 2023, the price has increased from €59.99 per year to €71.99. Each new selection is therefore awaited by subscribers, who hope that the games offered will be up to this price increase. However, the December 2023 batch may well cause some teeth to grind.
Lego 2K Drive
The big piece of this month is Lego 2K Drive, an open world racing game branded Lego with obviously enormous sympathy when you like little Danish bricks. Colorful, very close to the Lego spirit – you can build your cars from A to Z -, accessible, it focuses a lot on the form without really dwelling on the substance. Result, Lego 2K Drive is aimed at young people, and experienced players risk quickly getting tired of the missions that punctuate the world of Bricklandia.
Sand
Open world again with Sand, a video game work with a particular graphic charter that inevitably recalls Mœbius. Unfortunately, apart from this attractive artistic direction, Sand has a hard time offering something catchy or innovative, both in its universe and in its gameplay. The proposed quests seem completely meaningless – go get this or three copies of that before bringing it back to a blacksmith, merchant, customer… – and the game unfairly rewards the player by providing tons of items in the form of money or different outfits. In addition, some technical issues further tarnish the gaming experience, despite the fixes deployed.
PowerWash Simulator
Instead of freeing the princess, saving the world from the clutches of a megalomaniac tyrant or becoming world football champion, PowerWash Simulator undoubtedly offers one of the least attractive missions on the market: washing various gadgets using a high pressure cleaner. On paper, the level of fun flirts with absolute zero but a small community – not so small in fact – defends tooth and nail this UJNI (unidentified playable object) which saved its development studio, FuturLab, from the bankruptcy. Its presence in the essential PSN selection is therefore a good way to try it without risk.