playstation plus
Latest
The Elder Scrolls Online won't require PS Plus, will require Xbox Live Gold
The Elder Scrolls Online will not require a PlayStation Plus membership to play on PS4, ZeniMax Online Studios Game Director Matt Firor wrote in a PlayStation Blog update. Bethesda confirmed to Joystiq that the subscription-based MMORPG will require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox One, however. Bethesda was in talks with Microsoft to allow Xbox One owners to play the game online without the Live subscription in August. That was after Firor revealed the developer's decision to go with a monthly subscription for the game instead of moving to a free-to-play format. The Elder Scrolls Online will cost players $14.99 per month when it launches April 4 for PC and Mac with next-gen console versions following in June. The game was recently handed a Mature rating by the ESRB, to which Bethesda said it is "unwilling to change the game's content to achieve a different rating."
PS Plus Europe in February: Outlast, Metro: Last Light, BioShock Infinite
February. The month of Valentine's Day. It conjures images of chocolate, flowers, Hallmark cards and, if you're a PlayStation Plus member living in Europe, a lot of pants-wetting terror. Sony has revealed the February freebies for Europe's PS Plus members, and if it's scares and depression you're looking for on V-Day - and really, who isn't - Sony has you covered. PS3 owners have two paths toward depression: They can take to the skies and visit 1912's most famous flying city, Columbia, in BioShock Infinite, or hop aboard the monster-ridden metro in Metro: Last Light. Vita owners have a decidedly more light-hearted journey ahead, as they'll have both Dynasty Warriors Next and ModNation Racers: Road Trip available to play. Lastly, PS4 owners will get their chance to explore Mount Massive Asylum as journalist and all-around unlucky fellow Miles Upshur in Outlast. It should be noted however that Outlast will not be available in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, India or Turkey, and the game is still awaiting classification by German and Australian ratings boards.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons free on PS Plus starting tomorrow
Starbreeze's inventive teamwork-based puzzle-platformer, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, heads up this week's PlayStation Plus lineup in North America, and will be available as a free download for members starting tomorrow. Brothers stars a pair of siblings who must work together and solve environmental puzzles as they search for medicine for their sick father. The game boasts a unique control scheme that maps each brother to an analog stick, while the controller's shoulder buttons provide context-sensitive action. Think of it as Ico meets The Adventures of Cookie & Cream. Brothers (also known as Bros: A Tale of Two Dudes) ranked in at #3 in Joystiq's editor-chosen list of 2013's best games. PlayStation Plus members also receive access to a selection of exclusive price drops starting tomorrow, including discounts for Sound Shapes, Rock Band Blitz, and Retro/Grade.
Sony kicking off PS Vita PLAY rebate promotion tomorrow
PlayStation Vita owners can earn some cash back by keeping up with the platform's latest releases over the next month as part of Sony's newly announced PS Vita PLAY campaign. The offer gives $3 in PlayStation Store credit to players who purchase two featured games between January 21 and February 17. Buy three featured games and you'll get $6 back. Collect the whole set of four and Sony will send you a $10 rebate. PlayStation Plus members get an additional 20 percent discount during each respective game's launch week. The promotion launches with tomorrow's release of the skateboard platformer OlliOlli, then continues next Tuesday with Namco Bandai's Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z. Players can further boost their rebates by purchasing the custodial side-scroller, Dustforce, on February 4 and the Tempest-like arcade shooter, TxK, on February 11.
BioShock Infinite free for PS Plus members tomorrow
BioShock Infinite will be available to download on PS3 tomorrow, and it'll be completely free for PS Plus members as part of the Instant Game Collection. That's a hefty freebie. The 14 for 14 Vita and PS3 sale is also happening now, with games up to 75 percent off for Plus members, including Crysis 3 for $5, Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut (a Cross Buy title) for $5.25, Puppeteer for $7 and The Wolf Among Us season pass for $13.50.
Outlast free on PS4 in February for Plus users, buy extra batteries now
The PS4 version of Outlast, the insane asylum horror game from indie developer Red Barrels, will be free in February for PS Plus members. Red Barrels announced the freebie on Facebook, ahead of the official PS Plus February rundown. Outlast hit PC in September and we found it to be a "perfect nightmare." The story has players take on the role of an investigative journalist – complete with night-vision camera – following a hot tip that Mount Massive Asylum is filled with horrific government secrets and all manner of violent inhumanity. Spoilers: It totally is.
Don't Starve, DmC: Devil May Cry free on PS Plus this week
PS Plus subscribers can download two different free games this week when the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow. Don't Starve will be up for grabs on PS4, while PS3 users can try DmC: Devil May Cry. Don't Starve, from Klei Entertainment, is an open-world survival game where players must scrounge up supplies in order to survive as long as possible. DmC: Devil May Cry is a reboot of Capcom's popular action series from developer Ninja Theory. Both games are part of a packed January for PlayStation Plus. Other free downloads coming throughout the month include BioShock Infinite, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and a pair of PS Vita games: brain training game Smart As... and yet another entry in Team17's long-running Worms series, Worms: Battle Islands.
PlayStation Plus lays up Urban Trial Freestyle on Vita today
There's one more game to add to your PS Plus Instant Game Collection before the year finally comes to an end: Urban Trial Freestyle on Vita. The familiar-looking biker puzzler from Tate Interactive is set to be added to the subscription service today, according to a PlayStation Blog update. That's all well and good, but we can't help but look further ahead to the PS Plus offerings in January. Next month sees the PS4's Instant Collection expand with wilderness sim Don't Starve from Mark of the Ninja studio Klei, while PS3 owners will have to somehow make do with BioShock Infinite, DmC: Devil may Cry, and indie hit Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Vita gets in on the action too with brain trainer Smart As... and PSP entry Worms: Battle Islands.
PS Plus in January: Don't Starve, BioShock Infinite, Brothers
The January freebies for PlayStation Plus have just been revealed and it's quite the eclectic mix. Next week, PS4 owners will be able to partake in Klei's survival simulator Don't Starve, a game about scrounging for supplies and surviving for just one more night in a hostile environment. On PS3, will offer three separate free downloads in January: BioShock Infinite, DmC: Devil May Cry and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. BioShock Infinite, which takes place in the floating city of Columbia during 1912, is the latest first-person opus from Ken Levine and Irrational Games, while DmC: Devil May Cry is Ninja Theory's reboot of Capcom's devil hunter action series. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the story of two young brothers on a quest to obtain medicine for their sick father, is from Starbreeze Studios. Finally, rounding out next month's downloads are two PS Vita offerings: Smart As... and Worms: Battle Islands. The former is a brain training game while the latter is another entry in Team17's long-running Worms franchise.
PS Plus members get Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed free on Vita this week
The PlayStation Vita version of Sega's multi-terrain mascot racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will be available as a free download for PlayStation Plus members starting tomorrow, continuing this month's planned slate of free subscription-based content. Racing Transformed assembles a cast of classic Sega franchise characters for a series of chaotic races across land, sea, and air. In addition to a single-player campaign and an online multiplayer mode, Racing Transformed lets players settle longtime rivalries among Sega's elite. With your help, Alex Kidd can finally take down the vile usurper Sonic the Hedgehog and secure his place as Sega's rightful representative. Afterward, you may wish to pen a dozen-chapter work of fan fiction detailing the great Sega mascot wars that unfolded -- for free -- on your PlayStation Vita over the holiday break. This week also introduces a series of PlayStation Plus-exclusive discounts, dropping the prices of Proteus, DuckTales Remastered, Castle of Illusion, and other featured games for a limited time.
Killzone: Shadow Fall free multiplayer weekend set for Dec. 28
If you find a PlayStation 4 stuffed in your oversized Christmas stocking this year, you'll want to redeem its included PlayStation Plus subscription ASAP, as members will receive access to a free trial version of Killzone: Shadow Fall's multiplayer component this coming weekend. From December 28 through the end of the year, PlayStation Plus subscribers can jump into 24-player Shadow Fall matches from a downloadable Multiplayer Trial application. Members can get a head start by downloading Shadow Fall's Multiplayer Trial from the PlayStation Store in preparation for the weekend-long bloodbath.
PS Plus members can trip out on Dyad for free this week
Dyad on PS3 is free to PlayStation Plus members this week, starting today. Dyad is a transcendent game about traversing the cracks between time and space, or something equally mystical that involves maneuvering a particle through kaleidoscopic tunnels. When we played it last year, we called it "magic." The PS Store's Holiday Sale enters week three with special discounts for Plus members, including Far Cry 3 for $18, Guacamelee for $3.75, Limbo for $3.75, God of War Ascension for $10 and Hitman: Blood Money for $4.25. A free trial of Killzone: Shadow Fall's multiplayer modes will hit PS4 from December 28 - 31 for Plus members, with pre-loading available today. Check out the full list of sale items and Plus goodies on the PlayStation Blog.
PS Plus Europe in December: Borderlands 2, DmC, Soul Sacrifice
Europe's seasonal batch of PlayStation Plus freebies comprises Borderlands 2, DmC: Devil May Cry, Soul Sacrifice, and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend, and in what's very much a case of Christmas coming a day early, they'll all arrive on December 24. PlayStation 4 owners have to wait a bit longer for their next Plus-wrapped pressie, because Klei's survival forager Don't Starve is due on January 8 - it'll probably hit North America the day before, but a release date hasn't been confirmed. It's a cracking line-up of games to dig into on Christmas Eve - forget all that quality time with family nonsense, amirite? However, Christmas isn't just a time of giving, but also a time of taking, in this case games removed from the Plus service: Grid 2, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, and Sonic and Allstars Racing Transformed head off on December 24, while PS4 platformer Contrast exits stage left on January 8. One final bit of PlayStation Europe news: The 12 Deals of Christmas continues to chuck discounts at continentals, with Battlefield 4 bombing to £25 (€35/AU$45) and The Walking Dead on Vita sliced to £7 (€10/AU$15) - with a further 10 percent off the latter for PS Plus members. If those deals take your fancy, you have until the end of tomorrow to grab them.
PlayStation Plus serves up free Borderlands 2, cheap Spelunky this week
Sony announced that this week's PlayStation Plus update will give subscribers access to a free downloadable copy of 2K's Borderlands 2 on the PlayStation 3, among other member-exclusive perks. Starting tomorrow, Plus subscribers can also pick up a variety of PSN games for cheap, as part of the PlayStation Store's ongoing Holiday Sale. Featured games include Capcom's arcade brawler compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, classic tag-team fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Mossmouth's tough-as-nails roguelike platformer Spelunky, all of which are available for $3.75 each for Plus members. This week's sale also spotlights retail releases like Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown ($26.99), Namco Bandai's One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 ($12.50), and Crystal Dynamics' DLC-bundled Tomb Raider ($13.49).
Blacklight: Retribution launches today for European PS4 consoles
Zombie Studios' free-to-play multiplayer shooter, Blacklight: Retribution, is set for launch on European PlayStation 4 consoles today. The game, which hit North American PS4s as a launch-day beta, does not require a subscription to PlayStation Plus. Blacklight: Retribution originally released in April of 2012, hitting Steam a few months later. Since then, it has become one of the most-played shooters on Valve's digital distribution platform. The game was originally slated to land in Europe with the PS4 but suffered a brief delay.
Take Grid 2 for a joyride on PS Plus this week
Codemasters' Grid 2 will be the free game available to PS Plus subscribers this week. The sequel launched back in May, some five years after the original, for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360. Feel free to give our review a read if you're looking for more information. In addition to the usual free game, PS Plus subscribers can check out a bunch of different deals after PSN updates tomorrow. Remember Me will be under $20, Terraria will be down to $3.75 and Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will be under $10. As for the rest of the deals, they can be seen over on the PlayStation Blog.
Soul Sacrifice goes free on PS Plus tomorrow
Come November 26, the Vita-exclusive Soul Sacrifice joins the free games on offer to PlayStation Plus subscribers, and they won't even have to trade a limb for it. For those who missed Soul Sacrifice, think of it as a game of choices. You play a prisoner turned sorcerer in a world where magic requires sacrifices. Some of these are largely benign, but there are the massively damaging spells that ask you to literally give up an arm in exchange for that kind of power. The game's difficulty level is slightly less intense than that seen in Dark Souls, but it still makes a very worthwhile contender for anyone looking for a game that will mercilessly punish mistakes - and unlike Dark Souls, since Soul Sacrifice is a Vita game, you can get your fix on the go. As with all new PS Plus additions, the introduction of Soul Sacrifice means that something must be bumped off of the roster. In this case, the PS Plus Instant Game Collection is losing Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. If you want to pick up Capcom's endearing attempt at a Western-style, open-world role-playing game, today marks your last chance to do so via PlayStation Plus.
GameStop: One third of PS Plus subscriptions sold came from PS4 launch week
One third of all PlayStation Plus subscriptions sold by GameStop in its lifetime came in the week of the PlayStation 4's launch, GameStop President Tony Bartel revealed during the retailer's third quarter earnings call. GameStop reported an 8.6 percent increase in its digital sales for the quarter, contributing to its overall 18.8 percent sales increase. Likewise, the retailer sold through its reservations and some additional allocated PS4 units during the week. Bartel said that "when you look at all of the PlayStation Plus subscriptions that we've sold in our lifetime as a company, we've been selling them for years, a full one-third of all subscriptions we've sold in our lifetime were sold in the last seven days at GameStop." The retailer began selling PSN content in its stores in November 2010, when it started offering PS Plus subscriptions and download codes for games and add-on content. GameStop pointed out during the investor call that the PlayStation Network is a big part of Sony's future, and the company plans to continue being a part of that. "We're working very closely with Sony to make sure that we partner with them and we're giving them the consumer feedback and working closely to make sure we have a great product there," Bartel said. It's unknown how much of an impact Sony's launch day deal had on subscription sales for GameStop for the week, in which players that purchased a year subscription to PlayStation Plus received $10 in PSN store credit. The deal was good through Best Buy and Newegg as well.
Binary Domain, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath free on PS Plus this week
When the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow, PS Plus subscribers will have access to a pair of new free downloads. Both Binary Domain on PS3 and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD on PS Vita will be up for grabs. Binary Domain is a third-person shooter, developed by Yakuza Team for Sega, set in a future populated by robots, humans and even robots that look like humans. The heart of Binary Domain is its Consequence system, which takes player actions into account and modifies squad AI behavior based on how they view your choices. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, the action-adventure where you hunt down bounties as the gruff-but-lovable Stranger, was developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and originally launched on the Xbox back in 2005. It is categorized by a unique system where players use in-game creatures as ammo. We've heard of pea shooters, but this one's got bee shooters. In addition to the free downloads, Worms 2: Armageddon will be on sale tomorrow when the weekly content update drops. It's regularly $15 but will be discounted down to $4.50.
Europe: Buy a PS Vita, get a month of PlayStation Plus for free
If you're a Vita-less gamer in Europe that's intrigued by the PlayStation 4's Remote Play capabilities, Sony will throw in a free month of PlayStation Plus if you link a new Vita system to your SEN account by December 31. If you're already a PS+ member, the extra month still stack atop your current subscription. You can check to see if your country is eligible for the promotion at the end of the involved PlayStation Blog post. For those that take advantage of the deal, Sony will also send an email detailing a competition to win a PlayStation 4. If you'd rather not leave that up to luck, you can start hunting for one in stores on November 29. On an equally important note, PS4s were compatible with dancing cats on day one.
