Happy Fourth of July! It’s a holiday weekend, so you’re probably going to have a lot of time to relax and party — or play video games inside while everyone else is blowing up fireworks in the blistering summer heat outside. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably looking for some new games to play over the course of Independence Day weekend this year, and subscription services like PlayStation Plus Premium thankfully provide tons of options for you to check out. I’ve even found three somewhat themed around the holiday that you can try.
The first is an Assassin’s Creed game set during the American Revolution, which is actually one of very few games to thoroughly explore that period of American history. If you’re looking for something more cynical or satirical about America, then there’s a remake from Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic that you should play. Finally, if you associate aliens and that classic Will Smith movie Independence Day with this holiday weekend just as much as you do fireworks, then there’s a game from Housemarque you must play.
Assassin’s Creed 3: Remastered
Assassin’s Creed 3 capped off the original narrative saga for the Assassin’s Creed series and is set during the American Revolution. It’s the Assassin’s Creed series at its peak, with an fascinating modern-day narrative starring Desmond and an engaging historical open world to explore with fun parkour mechanics. This is also where the naval combat that would go on to define Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (and eventually Skull and Bones) first appeared.
Although Assassin’s Creed 3 originally launched in 2012, Ubisoft remastered it in 2019, and that version of the game is on PS Plus. It includes not only the fantastic base game but also the entertaining The Tyranny of King Washington DLC and PlayStation Vita spinoff Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. You might feel tossed into the deep end if you have no familiarity with Assassin’s Creed lore, but there are few games on PS Plus as fitting to play around the Fourth of July as Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered.
The PS4 version of Assassin’s Creed 3: Remastered is available through the PlayStation Plus Extra game catalog. The original version of the game was released for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, while Assassin’s Creed 3: Remastered is also available on PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Destroy All Humans!
If you’re looking for a more satirical take on Americana this Independence Day weekend, then you’ll want to play Destroy All Humans! from Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic. This is a 2020 remake of a PS2 cult classic about an alien named Crypto as he harvests DNA from humans on Earth. This isn’t a hardcore action game, though; it’s more of a cartoony romp with colorful visuals. Players can use a wide variety of weapons, telekinesis, and even fly and fight in a UFO to fight enemies and harvest human DNA across several open-ended levels.
Destroy All Humans! is unabashedly satirical; by the end of the game, you’ll be fighting a “Robo-Prez” mech across the United States’ capital before impersonating him on a national broadcast. Although the game’s PS2 roots can be seen in its somewhat janky gameplay, it has such a distinct personality that I recommend fans of quirky third-person shooters check out it. Its focus on making fun of 1950s Americana and colorful aesthetic make it a surprisingly fitting summer game as well.
The PS4 version of Destroy All Humans! is available through PS Plus Premium. If you only have access to the PlayStation Plus Extra part of the game catalog, then check out its sequel’s remake that’s on that tier of the service.
Alienation
Because of the movie Independence Day, aliens are heavily associated with this holiday weekend. If Destroy All Humans! is a little too comical for you, then I’d recommend Alienation. Like Matterfall, which I recommended last week, Alienation is another fantastic arcade-inspired game released by Returnal developer Housemarque prior to Sony’s acquisition of it. Alienation actually has a bit in common with the original Helldivers, as it’s an isometric co-op shooter about a group of super soldiers defending Earth from an alien threat for a world government.
Rather than taking place on foreign planets, Alienation takes place in locales around the world. It also stands out by featuring character classes, a leveling and skill tree system, and random loot drops that players should look out for when they aren’t mowing down hordes of aliens. Like most of Housemarque’s work, Alienation is flashy yet inherently satisfying to play, tapping into the same thrills that made Returnal a smash hit, just from an isometric perspective rather than a third-person one.
Alienation is still a PS4 exclusive and available via PlayStation Plus Extra.