Metal Gear sneaks into PlayStation Plus June lineup

By Gabe Gurwin May 28, 2015

playstation plus june 2015 superexplodingzoo

Sony has announced the free games available next month through its PlayStation Plus program, and the PlayStation 4 is the big winner this month with four titles available on the system. All of these games will be available to PS Plus subscribers on June 2.

Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition (PlayStation 4)

Originally released in 2013, Skulls of the Shogun is a turn-based strategy game featuring a 10-15 hour campaign and sound effects “inspired by old samurai films.” The Bone-A-Fide Edition for PlayStation 4 adds six multiplayer maps, four campaign levels, and even developer commentary.

Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition coming to PlayStation 4

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PlayStation 4)

Sony’s Ryan Clements describes Ground Zeroes as a “nail-biting mission onto a Cuban military base,” and the latest entry in Snake’s saga truly is a single mission. But it was originally priced at $30, and its crisp stealth gameplay and traditionally weird storytelling sets the perfect stage for September’s The Phantom Pain. Curiously, although there is a PlayStation 3 version of Ground Zeroes, it will not also be available as part of the offer.

METAL GEAR SOLID V GROUND ZEROES Launch Trailer

Super Exploding Zoo (PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4)

This adorably cartoony tower defense game tasks you with defending eggs from invading aliens using your army of exploding zoo animals. The cross-buy title includes 80 levels, a multiplayer mode, and 30 different animals — it releases alongside its inclusion in PlayStation Plus.

Super Exploding Zoo - Launch Trailer

Futuridium EP Deluxe (PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4)

Featuring 50 new levels, and a “graphic overhaul,” Futuridium EP Deluxe is an updated version of the original, free, retro shooter available on PC and Mac. The Star Fox-esque adventure features a psychedelic color scheme and a bass-heavy soundtrack.

Futuridium EP Deluxe - new gameplay trailer

Cloudberry Kingdom (PlayStation 3)

Regularly priced at $10, this platformer features visuals straight out of a Cartoon Network show and an AI capable of creating “infinite levels,” which developer Pwnee Studios claims to have taught level design over a two-year period. The singularity is approaching, my friends, and we are all going to die.

Cloudberry Kingdom, We Like it Harder

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PlayStation 3)

A massive return to form for the long-running series, we called Gunslinger “wildly entertaining” and “an undeniably fresh and original take on what most would probably call an ailing franchise.” “Concentration mode” allows you to slow time to a crawl and pick off enemies with deadly precision.

Call of Juarez Gunslinger Launch Trailer - Saddle Up! [North America]

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater: release date speculation, developer, trailers, and more

Snake stares into the distance in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's reveal trailer

Kept you waiting, huh? That's right, Snake is back and looking better than ever. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a project that was rumored for months, if not years, before being officially announced recently. This remake of the hit PS2 title, and third mainline entry in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, is often considered the best by fans and critics alike. However, with the departure of series creator Hideo Kojima from Konami, the idea of a remake being handled by a different team was met with skepticism. It seems that Konami is confident enough in the project, so we'll just have to wait until we get our hands on it to see how the final product shakes out. Oh, what a thrill to see everything we know about Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Release window

There is no release date, or even a window, as of now for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. The reveal trailer only states that the game exists.
Platforms
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is currently confirmed for all current-gen systems, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
Developer

Gaming

You can get NBA 2K23 and more with PS Plus this June

Donovan Mitchell in NBA 2K23.

The three games that make up PlayStation Plus Essential's June lineup have been revealed. There are any major console exclusives or no releases included; instead, there's NBA 2K23, a Jurassic Park tie-in title, and an indie game inspired by classic samurai films.

NBA 2K23 needs little introduction, as it's the latest entry in 2K's long-running, annualized basketball video game series. This latest entry stands out from the ones that came before by deepening the controls an AI further, as well as adding a Jordan Challenge mode that chronicles Michael Jordan's career. Beware of some pretty intrusive microtransactions, though.
Also available this month is Jurassic World Evolution 2, a theme park management game that swaps out roller coasters and other festivities for dinosaur-related attractions. The management genre is a surprisingly great fit for the Jurassic Park IP, and this game even provides a bit of story context to fill in the gap between Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion.
Finally, there's Trek to Yomi, a very cinematic indie game. It's stylized like a classic black-and-white samurai action movie, which makes sense as it's telling a revenge story about a pupil trying to avenge their dying master. If you didn't play this game through Game Pass, it's now available on a Sony subscription service as well.
This certainly isn't the most exciting game lineup, but it still provides a wide variety of gaming experiences. NBA 2K23, Jurassic World Evolution 2, and Trek to Yomi will be available through PlayStation Plus from June 6 until July 3. Make sure you download May's PS Plus games before then too.

Gaming

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection contains first 2 Metal Gear games, Konami confirms

metal gear solid master collection extra games

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 will contain two more games than expected, according to its PlayStation Store listing and a statement that the game's publisher, Konami, provided to Digital Trends. Those titles are the original Metal Gear and its follow-up, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

You might have missed the announcement of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 during the PlayStation Showcase. An image that appeared briefly following the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's announcement confirmed the collection and revealed it would feature Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
The PlayStation Store listing goes into a lot more detail about what versions of what games are actually included in this collection. It confirms that Master Collection Vol. 1 will include the HD Collection versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, in addition to a version of Metal Gear Solid that also features the VR and Special Missions, but it also states that the package includes the first two games in the Metal Gear series.
Digital Trends contacted Konami to affirm that this PlayStation Store listing was accurate, and a PR representative confirmed that "for the Collection, the PS Store listing is correct."
While Metal Gear Solid is when Hideo Kojima's stealth espionage series went mainstream, it actually began when Konami released Metal Gear on the MSX2 in Japan and Europe in 1987. This game, along with its 1990 Japan-only follow-up, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, are top-down stealth games where players infiltrate enemy bases as Solid Snake. These games laid the groundwork for the Metal Gear Solid series' lore, and they are still canon within the wider series. As such, it's great to see these games present in the collection, as they've only really ever been available as bonuses in rereleases of Metal Gear Solid 3.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 launches this autumn.