Every week, MobileSyrup goes over some of the biggest titles to recently hit gaming services, such as Xbox Game Pass, Google Stadia, PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus.
We’ll also highlight any Canadian titles when relevant.
Google Stadia
The Legend of Heroes: Trials of the Cold Steel IV
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
Genre: RPG
Price: $79.99 CAD
Metacritic: 81 percent (PS4 version)
Google Stadia release date: April 9th, 2021
The final chapter of the Trails of Cold Steel saga finds the world set ablaze with war, dragging the members of Class VII into large-scale battles rife with political intrigue.
All the while, players will engage with classic turn-based combat and the series’ largest cast of characters to date.
Stadia Pro costs $11.99/month and supports up to 4K/60fps streams. Games can also be purchased individually and played without Stadia Pro at 1080p/60fps.
For more on Stadia, check out the latest Community Blog post.
PlayStation Now
Borderlands 3
Developer/Publisher: Gearbox
Genre: First-person shooter, RPG
Price: included with PS Now
Metacritic: 78 percent (PS4 version)
PlayStation Now release date: April 6th, 2021
A group of new Vault Hunters is recruited to stop the Calypso twins and their cult followers from accessing the powerful alien Vaults spread throughout the galaxy.
In the looter-shooter, you can play as Amara, a “Siren” who summons ethereal fists; Moze, a young “Gunner” with an Iron Bear mount; Zane, an “Operative” with all kinds of gadgets and FL4K, a robot “Beastmaster” who can summon ally creatures in battle.
Borderlands 3 will be available until September 29th.
The Long Dark
Developer/Publisher: Hinterland
Genre: First-person survival
Price: included with PS Now
Metacritic: 75 percent (PS4 version)
PlayStation Now release date: April 6th, 2021
Developer by Vancouver’s Hinterland, The Long Dark puts you in the shoes of a bush pilot who must fight to survive after being stranded in the Canadian wilderness.
To stay alive, players will have manage their body temperature, hunger/thirst and caloric intake, fatigue and more.
Marvel’s Avengers
Developer: Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Action-RPG
Price: included with PS Now
Metacritic: 67 percent (PS4 version)
PlayStation Now release date: April 6th, 2021
Co-developed by Canada’s Eidos Montreal, Marvel’s Avengers offers an original take on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they’re fractured amid Captain America’s apparent death, leading superpowered teen Kamala Khan to reassemble the team.
The action-RPG is a live service title, so in addition to the campaign, there’s a variety of ever-updating online co-op missions that you can take part in, as well as new story content like the recently added free Hawkeye expansion.
Note: Marvel’s Avengers will only be available on PS Now until July 5th.
PlayStation Now costs $11.99 CAD/month, $34.99/three months or $79.99/year. The service offers a catalogue of more than 800 PS4, PS3 and PS2 games that can be streamed on PS4, PS5 or PC.
That said, PlayStation kicked off a seven-day free trial to the service on PS4 and PS5 on April 7th, which can be accessed by anyone who isn’t currently subscribed.
PlayStation Plus
Oddworld: Soulstorm
Developer/Publisher: Oddworld Inhabitants
Genre: Platformer
Price: included with PS Plus
Metacritic: N/A
PlayStation Plus release date: April 6th, 2021
Launching day and date on PS5 on PlayStation Plus, this continuation of 2014’s Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty! also serves as a re-imagining of 1998’s Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus and has the titular alien fighting to save his fellow mudokons from slave labor.
As you jump your way through levels (including a big train hub area), you can also use various items to craft and customize different weapons.
It’s important to note that only the PS5 version of Soulstorm is free with PS Plus; PS4 owners will need to buy the game at full price. Soulstorm on PS5 will remain free with PS Plus until May 3rd.
For more on this month’s PlayStation Plus games, click here.
Xbox Game Pass
Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud and Console)
PSA: GRAND THEFT AUTO V IS BACK! pic.twitter.com/eKrCO6uMKE
— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) April 8, 2021
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar
Genre: Open-world action-adventure
Price: included with Game Pass for Console, Game Pass Ultimate (required for Android streaming)
Metacritic: 97 (Xbox One version)
Xbox Game Pass release date: April 6th, 2021
If you’ve ever wanted to play GTA V on your phone, this is your chance. Rockstar’s massively popular open-world crime game has returned to Game Pass following its removal in May 2020, and it’s brought support for Android streaming.
Play the three-character campaign about a retired bank robber, street criminal and deranged drug dealer and arms smuggler, or hop into the online shared-world multiplayer experience of GTA Online.
Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android. Game Pass for Console and Game Pass for PC each cost $11.99 CAD/month.
Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month and is required for Android streaming (which Xbox currently refers to as ‘Cloud’). On top of that, this tier includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, as well as an Xbox Live Gold subscription and access to EA Play.
Newcomers can sign up for their first month of Game Pass Ultimate for $1.
For more on Game Pass, check out the full list of April’s first batch of new games here.
What are you planning on playing this week? Let us know in the comments.
For more gaming suggestions, check out last week’s Stream ‘n Load column here.
Image credit: Square Enix
