This Week's Good-Ass Games at Good-Ass Prices Are Here to Take Your Heart

Happy Friday, folks! I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely ready to spend the holiday weekend laying on the couch, watching All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, and of course, playing some good-ass games.

As always, it’s time to talk about some certified bangers that won’t do too much damage to your wallet.

Persona 5 Strikers, $41.99 (PlayStation)

You know, I’ve heard good things about Dragon Quest Heroes, and Hyrule Warriors, but it wasn’t until Persona 5 Strikers dropped earlier this year that I finally decided to give the new era of Musou games a shot.

If you’re not familiar with the genre, the gameplay is essentially a power fantasy where you take down hoard after hoard of enemies. If you’re a fan of Persona 5, but skipped out on this one because it seemed like an unimportant spin-off, I’d suggest you reconsider. The plot is a direct continuation of Persona 5 (the OG release; the extra content in Persona 5 Royal isn’t addressed here). As such, the game feels like catching up with old school friends after a very long summer vacation.

The gameplay does a fantastic job of somehow mapping the turn-based RPG mechanics to a real-time action game. I was genuinely stunned at how much this game felt like Persona 5 while being a completely different beast.

I’m a longtime Persona stan, so I’ve never not played a Persona spin-off, and I have to say Strikers is definitely my favorite non-traditional take on the series so far.

Overcooked: Special Edition, $4.99 (Nintendo Switch)

This is a game perfect for small gatherings or playing with your significant other. By perfect, I mean it will have you yelling at each other as though you’re actual chefs at a Michelin star restaurant. The gameplay is pretty simple: you and up to three other people are chefs in a restaurant and have to complete orders at a rapid pace before the customer leaves.

The chaos of the game comes from having to multitask, not getting in the way of what the other chefs are doing, and the general absurdity of some of the levels. It’s a great party game, and perfect if you have any plans to kick it with the homies this weekend.

If you’re not looking for a combat-based experience, or simply have fond memories of playing Burger Time and Tapper, this might be up your alley.

Halo 3: ODST, Downloadable with Xbox Game Pass

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I love using a holiday weekend to look back on some bangers from the past. I recently replayed Halo 3: ODST as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and it still stands as my favorite game in the series.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the original trilogy just as much as any person who grew up spending late nights trying to beat Halo: Combat Evolved on legendary with their friends. I’m a moody motherfucker though, and Halo 3: ODST still ranks as one of the moodiest first-person shooters to ever do the damn thing.

Instead of the power fantasy that comes with playing as Master Chief, you play as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), who gets split from their team during the battle of New Mombasa in Halo 2. The game feels like a sci-fi noir, as you search through the city and try to figure out what happened to your team.

You can’t just tank your way through this game; you have to be smart about how you take on Covenant waves because unlike in other Halo games, you don’t have a regenerating health bar. I feel like this is one a lot of folks understandably slept on back in the day, as it was a $60 release that only had a small amount of new content.

If you missed out on it then, give it a go now. Trust.

If you feel like balling out on some apocalyptic new-new, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster dropped this week on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Also! Don’t forget that this is the last weekend to download Battlefield V for free with PlayStation Plus.

So as always, stay safe, get vaccinated if you can, and play more video games.