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Driveclub's imminent update to re-enable some online features
Server woes remain ongoing for PS4 racer Driveclub, but developer Evolution Studios announced a new update should allow the team to bring more functionality to the game's online side. Yesterday afternoon the UK studio said the update was due "within 24 hours," and would mean the dev could "switch on more of the online features, so that you will be able to play more of Driveclub online." When Driveclub launched last week, its servers buckled so hard under the traffic that Evolution decided to delay the launch of the content-lighter PlayStation Plus version to ease the load, as well as the companion iOS and Android app. Over the weekend a new patch allowed the servers to handle more players, but the studio added further work would make certain online features unavailable, such as challenge and social updates.
Driveclub PS Plus temporarily held back to ease server load
Evolution Studios announced it's delaying the PlayStation Plus edition of Driveclub following the server troubles and connectivity issues the retail version's endured since launch. In a Facebook post, Game Director Paul Rustchynsky apologized for holding back the content-lite version free for Plus subscribers, which was due to launch alongside the full game this week, noting that "we want to ensure that when you come on board, you get the best experience possible." Rustchynsky didn't provide a new due date for the Plus edition, but said once Evolution's happy with server performance the studio will announce when it'll be available. The delay also applies to the racer's companion iOS and Android app, which did launch on Google Play yesterday but was since pulled. As for users who've pre-ordered the full game upgrade from the Plus edition, Rustchynsky said "you will still get the full version of Driveclub digitally." - we've reached out to Sony to clarify if that means they can obtain the full version now or when the Plus version launches [Update: A Sony UK spokesperson told Joystiq, "If someone has purchased the PS Plus version, they will be able to get the full game - as the game isn't out yet here, this would be on Friday in the UK."]
PlayStation Plus fees increase in multiple regions
PlayStation Plus subscription fees are on the rise in various regions, Sony confirmed. "We slightly increased prices for PlayStation Plus in South Africa, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and India regions due to various market conditions," a representative told Joystiq via email. "Currently, price adjustments are not being planned for PS Plus in the SCEA [North American] region." The confirmation follows a report from iAfrica that stated subscription costs were due to rise within 24 hours of email notifications sent to PS Plus subscribers. The emails reportedly stated that "the price of a three month subscription will rise from R145 to R219" as of today ($12.88 and $19.46). The change represents a 51 percent increase in the three-month PS Plus prices. Additionally, a second email seemingly noted a change in the annual PS Plus costs in South Africa from R489 to R749 ($43.45 to $66.55, a 53 percent increase). [Image: Sony]
PS Plus in October: DriveClub, Dust, Arkham Asylum
Sony announced October's PlayStation Plus lineup today, revealing that service subscribers will receive free copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Spelunky, and other featured games starting next week. PlayStation 4 owners will receive newly-released ports of Dean Dodrill's 2D action-adventure game Dust: An Elysian Tail and Mossmouth's roguelike platformer Spelunky, along with a PlayStation Plus-exclusive version of Evolution Studios' long-in-development racer Driveclub. Landmark comic-based brawler Batman: Arkham Asylum and Capcom's arcade beat-'em-up compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara arrive as this month's featured PlayStation 3 releases, while the PS Vita gets the multiplayer maze game Pix the Cat and tactical RPG Rainbow Moon. Subscribers who download Spelunky will get free access to previously-released PlayStation 3 and PS Vita ports, and Pix the Cat and Rainbow Moon are also available as Cross-Buy downloads. October's PlayStation Plus lineup goes live on October 7. [Video: Sony]
PS4 owners get free online multiplayer access this weekend
Sony is offering free access to online multiplayer modes in all PlayStation 4 games this weekend in North America and Europe, giving players a taste of the matchmaking features bundled with a PlayStation Plus membership. The trial period begins Friday, September 26 at 12:01 a.m. PST, and extends through September 28 at 11:59 p.m. During this time, players can compete in games like Battlefield 4 and Killzone Shadow Fall, or team up with friends in Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition and Destiny. Note, however, that many modes and missions in Destiny normally require a PlayStation Plus membership to function, so be prepared to either buy a subscription or say goodbye to your teammates after the free weekend wraps up. [Image: Bungie]
Driveclub additional to regular PS Plus allocation, says Sony [update]
PlayStation Plus members are getting the service's edition of Driveclub on top of next month's regular number of games, according to Sony Europe. That means the PS4 racer's lite edition is effectively a bonus for Plus subscribers, who can download and play it as well as the two PS4, two PS3 and two Vita freebies due monthly in the Instant Game Collection. The confirmation comes from Sony Europe's Fred Dutton on the region's PlayStation Blog, so we've reached out to Sony America to confirm the same deal applies. [Update: A Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesperson told Joystiq the same does apply for North America] Evolution Studio's sim is out October 7 as a full retail game and in an edition free for Plus members, with the latter missing most of the cars and tracks available in the former. The Plus edition includes 10 cars and 5 tracks with 11 variations or routes, while the full game features 50 cars and 25 tracks with 55 routes. It's unclear whether or not the hashtag is included in the Plus edition, but the good news those who download the Driveclub freebie can upgrade to the full game for $50. [Image: Sony Europe]
How PlayStation Plus went from maybe to must-have
When PlayStation Plus was announced in 2010, it was difficult to understand why PlayStation 3 owners would feel motivated to pay for a premium tier to the service they had been enjoying for free. Four years later, the Instant Game Collection has provided plenty of incentive to pony up the annual PlayStation Plus fee, thanks largely to how the team behind the Collection decides what games are made available. "There is a lot that goes into finding the right mix of titles for each month's Instant Game Collection, but the goal is to deliver a solid lineup that has something for all different types of gamers," John Koller, vice president of platforms marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment of America told Joystiq. Koller says a major goal in determining the PlayStation Plus lineup is to retain current subscribers and grow new subscriptions through making the service a "no brainer" for owners of PlayStation platforms. "We look at a variety of different things to deliver a lineup that will provide amazing shared experiences, including the most popular genres for our members and fan requests."
Vita rides into the Joe Danger zone next week
Side-scrolling stuntman Joe Danger debuts on Vita as a freebie for PS Plus subscribers, and he's due to land on September 2/3 in North America and Europe. The handheld port of the Hello Games' PS3 puzzler-trickster includes all the original's levels, plus ghost replays and the Laboratory dev challenges from other versions. It also has "slightly tweaked" controls including a touch interface for level creation, all of which sounds sensible to us. There's no word yet on a price for Plus non-members - the PS3 version is priced $15. Joe Danger's mix of Trials-like puzzling and ridiculous stunts caught the eye back in 2010, as did Joe Danger 2: The Movie with its near-Joystiq levels of punny titles for levels. On that note, Hello Games says the follow-up is still on its way to Vita, and the No Man's Sky studio expects to have more news on that "soon-ish." [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
PlayStation All-Stars, Sportsfriends free on PS Plus next month
Sony revealed next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will get free access to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sportsfriends, Velocity 2X, and other featured games throughout the month of September. Starting September 2, PlayStation 4 owners can download Futurlab's hybrid shooter-platformer Velocity 2X and Die Gute Fabrik's competitive multiplayer party game compilation Sportsfriends free of charge. PlayStation 3 members receive copies of the Super Smash Bros.-like mascot brawler PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and dragon-riding multiplayer action game Hoard, while PS Vita players can expect to see Hello Games' motorbike stunt sim Joe Danger and Llamasoft's Tempest variant TxK. [Video: Sony]
Joystiq Weekly: EA Access, Divinity: Original Sin review, The Last Of Us revisited and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. EA announced EA Access this week, a monthly or yearly service that gives subscribers a digital library of games from the publisher's catalog. PlayStation Plus and Games With Gold are comfortable ideas at this point, but for such a substantial publisher to start their own service on a console without making any hardware themselves? That's pretty interesting. Hopefully we won't see a flood or other publishers launching competitors for PlayStation and Xbox's services, though. Paying one monthly fee for Netflix and maybe two monthly fees for video games is manageable, but if the console space starts feeling crowded with subscription services, we can imagine the sense of value will be continually reduced with each additional arrival. Then again, we could probably stomach one more if Nintendo cooked up something for the Virtual Console... There's way more to this week than pondering our breaking point for monthly subscription fees though. Capcom, Sony and Nintendo had earnings reports, Homefront: The Revolution got adopted by Deep Silver's parent company, and PlayStation Now entered its open beta. It's all waiting for you after the break!
PlayStation Plus nabs Road Not Taken, Dragon's Crown in August
Sony has unveiled next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive free downloadable copies of Road Not Taken, Crysis 3, and other featured games across its platforms in August. PlayStation 4 owners will receive Polytron's brain-bending puzzle-platformer Fez and Spry Fox's stylish roguelike Road Not Taken. PlayStation 3 subscribers get Crytek's futuristic FPS Crysis 3 and Ed Key's first-person exploration game Proteus, while PS Vita owners can look forward to Vanillaware's fantasy-themed beat-'em-up Dragon's Crown and Digital Dreams' "infographics action game" Metrico. Fez, Proteus, and Dragon's Crown are also available as Cross-Buy titles for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. All featured games will be freely downloadable for PlayStation Plus members in North America when the PlayStation Store updates next Tuesday. [Video: Sony]
PS Plus in July: Towerfall, Muramasa, Dead Space 3
July is soon to arrive, and with it comes six games for PlayStation Plus subscribers to freely download. Falling in line with the program's rule changes introduced in late May, the six games are split evenly among PS4, PS3 and Vita, though some are Cross Buy-compatible. Leading the group on PS4 is Towerfall: Ascension and Strider, followed by Dead Space 3 and Vessel for PS3. The two Vita games going free this coming month are Doki-Doki Universe and Muramasa Rebirth. The former is Cross Buy-enabled, so PS4 and PS3 owners will also have access to the game, whereas Muramasa will only be available for free in North America. European PS Plussers will instead receive Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. Heavy discounts for the six games will available as of July 1, so those that haven't picked up June's free games should do so this week before it's too late. [Image: Capcom]
Mutant Mudds Deluxe washes up on PlayStation Plus this week
You can remove even the muddiest stains thanks to Mutant Mudds Deluxe, starting at the low price of $0 for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The dirt-destroying 2D platformer will join the North American Instant Game Collection when the PS Store updates tomorrow. Just to note, Sony specifies the Plus game for Vita, but Mutant Mudds Deluxe is cross-buy with a PS3 version. It's unclear if a Plus download will unlock both versions, but if you are getting it for Plus you'll need to grab it on Vita rather than PS3. Next Tuesday will see July's PS Plus offerings join the service, and they'll all arrive in one great big clump of freebies. As Sony revealed last month, from now on two PS4, two PS3 and two Vita games will be available on the first Tuesday of each month, and will remain so until the first Tuesday of the following month. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Terraria on Vita goes free for PlayStation Plus members this week
The PlayStation Vita version of 505 Games' Terraria is this week's featured addition to the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection, launching tomorrow as a free download for service subscribers. Inspired by Mojang's Minecraft, Terraria presents its survival-oriented gameplay from a side-scrolling perspective, giving players innumerable options when it comes to crafting items, equipment, and weapons from collected materials. The PS Vita port boasts touchscreen controls and Cross-Save functionality with the PlayStation 3 version, and supports up to eight players in its online co-op multiplayer mode. Tomorrow's PlayStation Store update also introduces a lineup of discounts for Plus subscribers, pricing Thatgamecompany's Flower at $3.49, Vita roguelike Sorcery Saga: Curse Of The Great Curry God at $12.59, and PS3 car combat game Twisted Metal at $5. [Image: 505 Games]
This week's PS4 Plus adds Trine 2, Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate
Trine 2: Complete Story and Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate hit PS Plus in tomorrow's North American update, as the first month to add two PS4 games gets going early. Pixeljunk SU is a cross-buy deal, so if you get the subterranean shoot-em-up on Plus you'll net it on Vita too. Over on PS3, NBA 2K14 also gets the Plus treatment this week. As ever, the influx of newbies forces old-timers out of the Plus-house, and that's happening next week. You've got until June 10 to "purchase" and tie up Skullgirls Encore, Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark, Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut, Payday 2 and XCOM Enemy Unknown. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Joystiq Weekly: Battlefield Hardline, Watch Dogs review, Evil Within preview and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. With Sony upping PlayStation Plus to six games per month, we're pretty confident that the service is trying to ruin our lives. We're not obligated to tackle every single title, of course, but in the cycle of starting downloads for games "just in case" we ever feel an inkling to play them, we're losing track of which games we should feel guilty about not finishing and which games we should feel guilty about paying $60 for and not finishing. If not for the bills, assignments and the omnipresence of life's ever-ticking clock, we'd plop down in front of our TVs for a few years and knock out every game we ever felt intrigued by. To hell with "everything in moderation" - moderation wouldn't clear out our shelves of "yeah, maybe one day" RPGs, nor would it help us get the timing for our go-to Street Fighter combos down to the exact frame. Moderation is just a feeble admission that we can't control time (yet), and it ignores our potential to play all the video games, which we'll definitely get to. Eventually. Some day. Unfortunately, getting through every game we've ever wanted to play is still just a fantasy for now. Unless you find a way to break the laws of life's constants - if you do, you should totally let us know. We can do co-op or something. Until we reach that dream state, you can get a glimpse of Battlefield Hardline, read reviews for Watch Dogs and Among The Sleep, and dig into a neat feature on Watch Dogs that explains how legalities ruin everything. It's all waiting for you after the break!
PlayStation Plus to offer 2 free games for Vita, PS3, PS4 each month
Sony is adjusting its Instant Game Collection schedule for PlayStation Plus starting in July, promising to dish out six free games per month. The games will be divided evenly among its three active platforms, two for each of PS4, PS3 and Vita, and will all debut on the first Tuesday of every month, lasting until the first Tuesday of the following month. Current freebies on PS Plus that had a "nice, long stint" will be gradually phased out in the coming weeks. The House of PlayStation also announced the six games that will be free for the month of June, starting next Tuesday. PS4 owners will have access to Trine 2: Complete Story and PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate, PS3 players can download NBA 2K14 and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Vita owners will get Terraria and Mutant Mudds Deluxe for the month. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is Cross-Buy eligible, so Vita owners will be able to download that game as well. [Image: Sony]
Battlefield 4 PS3 20-hour trial lauches today for Plus members
20 hours of unpaid access to Battlefield 4 is today's unusual serving of PlayStation Plus for PS3 owners in North America. The new initiative grants full access to the DICE shooter on Sony's last-gen console, including single-player and multiplayer. The 20 hours are denoted as "playable" from the first moment you launch it, though it's unclear if that's accumulative or not. Of course it doesn't matter if you play it for 20 hours straight, in which case good for you - you're living the dream! Plus members can also grab five-star platformer Limbo, with last year's Vita version hitting the service today as well. [Image: EA]
Puppeteer, Surge Deluxe go free on PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus subscribers are set to receive a pair of free games this week as part of Sony's ever-growing Instant Game Collection, including quirky PlayStation 3 favorite Puppeteer and PS Vita puzzler Surge Deluxe. Puppeteer, originally released at retail in September of last year, is a side-scrolling adventure game presented in the context of a wood-and-strings puppet show. Our own Susan Arendt awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "an excellent example of the 2D platform genre" and "a brilliant production." Surge Deluxe, a PlayStation Vita exclusive from Velocity Ultra developer FuturLab, challenges players to harness electrical energy and earn points by drawing lines between like-colored blocks. Both of this week's featured additions will be free to download for PlayStation Plus members starting tomorrow. [Image: Sony]
Skullgirls Encore takes a bow on PlayStation Plus this week
Skullgirls Encore is this week's featured addition to the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection, giving subscribers free access to the PlayStation 3 version of Lab Zero Games' recently upgraded 2D fighter. Skullgirls has seen a number of gameplay tweaks and improvements since its launch in 2012, and the recently issued Encore edition features a roster of 13 playable characters. Developer Lab Zero continues to update the game with new content, following up a successful crowdfunding campaign with the addition of Big Band as a playable character. PlayStation Plus subscribers also have access to discounted in-game currency and add-on content for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Dust 514, Blacklight Retribution, Warframe, and other featured free-to-play games throughout the week. [Image: Lab Zero Games]
