PlayStation Plus has updated its Instant Game Collection to include free games for May 2016.

The free games include Switch Galaxy Ultra, Table Top Racing: World Tour and Tropico 5. Among these, Tropico 5 is perhaps the most recommended since it allows you to control a banana republic and keep it thriving (or steal all the money for yourself and abscond). Mix in historical missions and hiring one’s family for important government tasks and you have the potential for some real entertainment.

PS3 users receive Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 and LocoRoco Cocoreccho!, both solid options and complements to the rest of the line-up. Perhaps the biggest star this month is God of War: Ghost of Sparta on the PlayStation Vita, even if it’s one of the weaker games in the series. Switch Galaxy Ultra is also available for PlayStation Vita.

What are your thoughts on this month’s free PlayStation Plus games? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more details.

What you do get on this shiny disc though, is value for money. At a budget price, this is far friendlier on the pocket than downloading each game individually – and there’s certainly plenty on there to keep you happy for a few hours. All the games are identical to their downloadable cousins. The majority of them are decent games too, although there are some stinkers in the package.

At a budget price, it’s almost worth it for Street Fighter alone

The ultimate 2D beat em up, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, bounds back to our screens with a reinvigorated 1080p HD feel. It’s instantly accessible and brings back those halcyon days when it first emerged in the mid-1990s. Grab a friend and it provides hours of fun – or try your hand against all the pros online.

Top-down shooter Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is another cracker. Commando was one of my favourite games back in the day and here it’s been given a loving overhaul. With its cartoony graphics and huge armoury, there’s plenty of fun to be had. Besides going it alone, it can also support up to three players and sees you take on hordes of enemy soldiers. If you fancy a bit of inane running and gunning, this fits the bill nicely.

Commando 3 is over the top and action packed – one of the best games here

1942: Joint Strike will be welcomed by fans of 1942, 1943, Flying Shark, Banshee and all those other plane shooters from yesteryear. It’s brief and simplistic but it retains the charm that made this type of game so popular dating back to the 8-bit days. Wave after wave of enemy fighter planes fly onto the screen from all directions, with a hail of bullets fired in your general direction; it’s down to skilful movement to avoid collisions. Huge bosses appear now and again, requiring a fair bit of punishment before they perish. There are loads of guns and big explosions – but it is painfully short.

We gave Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 and the return of Nathan “Rad” Spencer a very positive review when this side-scroller hit XBLA. With his bionic arm and a load of weapons and grenades, Rad has to take on the might of General Sabio who’s planning a missile attack. The colourful island of Papagaya is the setting for this retro action game and, besides the occasionally fiddly controls, it’s a fantastic tribute to the past.

Nostalgia-wise, Final Fight Double Impact almost brings a lump to your throat. Of all the games on offer, it certainly seems the most dated – and just to add to the retro feel, the game screen is presented like an old arcade cabinet. It’s a simple affair, with your chosen hero – Guy, Cody or Haggar – punching and kicking his way from left to right across Metro City to rescue Haggar’s very pixelated daughter. For added value, gamers will also be able to try their hand at classic title Magic Sword.

It looks a little dated now but Final Fight is still good fun

Among the biggest disappointments on the disc is Rocketmen: Axis of Evil and its expansion pack, It Came From Uranus. It’s yet another twin stick shooter but this one is plagued by a rotten camera, copious cutscenes and a tedious storyline. On the plus side, it looks rather decent, there are loads of weapons and you can drag a few friends along for the ride. Ultimately though, this was probably the game that occupied the least of my time.

If you’ve had your fill of fighting then what about herding sheep and other cutesy animals? Flock! is a great little puzzler that puts you in control of a UFO, tasked with rounding up all the critters and cajoling them towards your mothership. Should you complete the 50 levels on offer, you can also create your own thanks to the level editor. It’s a charming game and pretty addictive.

Use your UFO to round up those pesky critters

Finally, there’s Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, which is a really fun puzzle game that incorporates loads of characters from the Capcom roster. Kind of imitating cult classic Tetris, the idea is to carefully position your blocks to create combos that heap pressure on your opponent by filling their screen. It’s all quite frantic and really enjoyable alone or with firends.

Overall, this is a really strong package. There’s quite a mix of games on here so there should be at least a few titles to everyone’s tastes. Personally, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 were the stars of the show for me and really stood out in terms of quality and enjoyment. The puzzle games will probably offer the greatest longevity with their pick up and play appeal, with the others offering a nice reminder of the past – although they do highlight just how much things have moved on. It all amounts to good, clean, inexpensive fun.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360

BC:R2 is set sometime after the events of the original game with Spencer now commanding his own unit of bionic soldiers. After hearing reports of a missile threat from an offshore facility the FSA sends in a team to investigate but, after losing contact with them, Spencer and his unit are sent in to finish the job and locate the missing FSA soldiers. The plot is pretty standard, but it is almost entirely unnecessary anyway in a game like BC:R2. Right from the word go you can tell that the game wears its retro pedigree on its shoulder with a stunning 2.5D perspective mixed with some chirpy 8-bit tunes straight out of the NES era.

Though they take some getting used to, the swinging mechanics are darn satisfying

BC:R2 plays out much like its predecessor. The game is a 2D side-scrolling shooter with an emphasis on the protagonist’s bionic arm that he can use to climb and swing his way round the levels. Along the way you also find new weapons you can use against your foes, along with a series of passive and active upgrades for you to find. The engine generally works well and has a beautifully simple old-school charm, but it is not without its problems. The game can be devilishly unforgiving in its mechanics and, though it’s an enjoyable part of the experience for those desiring a retro platformer, BC:R2 is certainly a game that is not for the faint of heart. There is also the problem of repetition for, despite the needed variety added by the various upgrades, the game still tends to feel stale in long bursts. We also have the issue of managing upgrades. The weapons are easily switched between with the two bumpers, but your active upgrades require you to tediously open the menu every time you want to change what you have equipped. Finally, and worst of all, there is a severely game breaking glitch in one of the aztec ruins levels. A few dodgy sprites or sounds is acceptable, but a full system freeze at one consistent point in the level is unforgivable. Maybe this was a one off thing for me, but it is certainly worth factoring into your decision of whether or not to buy BC:R2.

Though the game is largely just a continuation of what we enjoyed about the first game, there are a few new features to get excited about. There are, of course, the upgrades mentioned above. Whether it be a passive health regen, a grenade launcher, or a ridiculously powerful uppercut the upgrades keep you developing new tactics to get the jump on your foes. There is also now the ability to jump. It might not sound like much, but it really does help make the game’s difficulty that little bit more manageable. It does also open up the game for the hilarious achievement/trophy of finishing the whole game without jumping. Your skills will be tested. One of the bigger improvements BC:R2 makes on its predecessor has to be in level design. Whereas the first game was composed of levels that all looked identical, there is a decent amount of variety in the way that the stages now look with jungles, snowy mountains and generic military bases all getting a mention.

The levels are better designed than before, both visually and in terms of gameplay

There are a few things missing from the original Bionic Commando: Rearmed though, which rather saddened me. For a start there is no longer a non-linear world map. In the original you could take on the levels in any order but would have to return to some with better power ups to access them later, in a familiar Metroid or Castlevania style. In BC:R2 however, this is not the case. There are multiple routes through each level that require abilities you gain later in the game, but the game generally feels much less open ended than its predecessor. The hacking mini-game from the original is also gone. This isn’t too bad in itself, but it has no alternative that takes its place in Rearmed 2 adding to the occasional monotony of the game. For all the ground that BC:R2 makes, it’s a shame it lost some of what made the first game so enjoyable.

Another thing that the has been lost from the original for BC:R2 is the low retail price. Rearmed 2 is at the premium price point for download titles running you either 1200 MS point or $15 on the PSN. In a way this isn’t too bad as there are quite a number of levels for you to go through along with the fun little challenge rooms we saw in the first game, but it still feels odd being charged so much when the original was cheaper. It’s worth trying the demo to see how you get on with it but, if you do enjoy it, BC:R2 does justify its relatively high price with the amount of content on offer; just about. If the game isn’t long enough by yourself you can always go through the entire game with a friend. Though there is no co-op over Xbox live or PSN there is local multiplayer, but I’d personally take a real buddy over an online one any day.

The boss battles are back and are as memorable as ever

BC:R2 is following a rather recent trend in bringing gaming back to its 8-bit roots, and it does this extremely well. The downside is that it will very clearly divide its potential fan base. For people like myself who grew up with the NES and Mega Drive there is a certain charm and enjoyment in this game that can’t be denied, but those of a more modern inclination may just find the game a little taxing in the difficulty department. Thankfully that’s what free demos are for so, if you are unsure, check out the demo on XBLA and PSN now. If you liked the previous one then it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Just go for it and revel in the nostalgia.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

A new video for Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 has been released, showing a boss battle with a huge chopper-like machine thingie named MegaCopter. It looks a lot like Contra, and even sounds like it, and that’s why it looks so good. This definitely looks like it will be worth playing.

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 releases early next year for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.