Via the Amazon Games App! Remember that?
Amazon has announced the games it’s giving out in exchange for your Amazon Prime tithe this May, and there are one or two doozies in there. It kicks off next week with 1998’s hottest Star Wars banger Rogue Squadron 3D, but as May wears on you’ll also get the chance to pick up games like Planescape: Torment and Lake, as well as various other games and some free knick-knacks for your FIFAs, Overwatches, Destinies and what-have-you.
It begins on (groan) May 4, with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D. Don’t confuse that with the far-more-recent Star Wars: Squadrons (opens in new tab), this is the dog-fighting sim from 1998 that originally launched on the PC and N64. It’s long in the tooth in more than a few ways, but it’s a great bit of nostalgia for anyone who remembers when PCs were a correct and soothing shade of beige. The ship-to-ship combat holds up pretty well, too. It’s still an excellent way to get your fix of classic Star Wars space combat.
Later, on May 11, you can pick up Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition (opens in new tab). Although I refuse to believe that anyone reading this hasn’t heard about Planescape, here’s the skinny: It’s one of the best RPGs ever. That’s not hyperbole. It’s a fact. Don’t get me wrong, the combat ain’t great and you’re basically handicapping yourself if you don’t dump as many stat points as possible into wisdom, but it was one of the best-written videogames of all time when it came out in 1999 and that holds true today. It’s not for no reason that the devs behind Disco Elysium, our number one PC game of all time (opens in new tab), cite it as a major inspiration.
Finally, the last game I should highlight is Lake (opens in new tab), also coming on May 11. While Planescape is a beautifully-crafted journey to the centre of the self and Rogue Squadron is, well, Star Wars, Lake is a bit more humble in its goals: It’s a chill postman sim that sees you get to know the residents of a small town as you deliver their mail. You drive around, deliver post, and chat to people. That’s it. It’s lovely.
All of these games come via the Amazon Games App, which you’ve almost certainly forgotten you have if you’re anything like me. But free is free and a great game is a great game, so it’s worth remembering your login to nab this stuff. Oh, and they’re not the only games you can pick up in May. Here’s the full list from Amazon, all of them are distributed via the Amazon Games App:
May 4 STAR WARS™: Rogue Squadron 3DMay 4 Super Sidekicks May 4 Samurai Shodown IVMay 11 Planescape Torment: Enhanced EditionMay 11 LakeMay 11 Robo ArmyMay 11 Last ResortMay 18 Kardboard KingsMay 18 The Almost GoneMay 18 3 Count BoutMay 18 Alpha Mission 2May 25 Lila’s Sky ArkMay 25 Agatha KnifeMay 25 King of the Monsters 2May 25 Kizuna Encounter