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PS Plus this week: Rayman Origins free on Vita, Limbo discounted
PS Plus members will get a free PS Vita download of Rayman Origins this week. While the delightful (and sometimes punishing) platformer failed to make it into our Top 10 of 2012, we assure you it was one of the year's high points. In addition to the free game, PS Plus members may also enjoy their requisite weekly discounts on a select group of games. Playdead's indie darling Limbo is down to $12, Worms: Revolution is $7.50 and Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut – a cross-buy enabled psychological adventure game for PS Vita and PS3 – is on sale for $11.69. Finally, pinball aficionados can slam on the virtual flippers of Pinballstik and its DLC at varying discounts. You can find these various discounts and your free download when the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow.
PS Plus gets free GTA: Liberty City Stories, Ico tomorrow
Tomorrow, when the PlayStation Store updates, PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to access two new free games: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Ico. GTA: LIberty City Stories, which originally launched on the PSP in 2005, is compatible with both PSP and PS Vita. The game is set three years before the events of Grand Theft Auto 3 and follows mafioso Toni Cipriani's return to Liberty City after lying low for a few years. Ico, a PS3-compatible port of the PS2 classic, is centered around a young boy born with horns on his head. Seeing as how this is a bad omen amongst his tribe, a few warriors from his village seal the boy up in the crypt of a massive castle, but he soon discovers he's not alone: A girl who speaks a foreign language is also trapped here and the two soon work together to escape. Of course, tomorrow's PSN update will yield a new series of discounts for PS Plus members as well. Sleeping Dogs will be down to $10, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be down to $8 and Pixel Junk Monsters: Ultimate HD will be up for $12. For the full list, check out the PlayStation Blog through the source link below.
PS Plus weekly: Galaga Legions DX free, Call of Duty sales
PlayStation Plus members can snag Galaga Legions DX free on PS3, normally priced $10, with this and all following discounts going live for one week starting tomorrow, September 10. On PS3 and Vita, Dragon Fantasy Book 2 is discounted to $12 for Plus members, regularly priced $15. PS3 games in the Call of Duty franchise are on sale this week for Plus members, including Black Ops 2 and the Season Pass reduced from $94 to $85, a bundle of Black Ops and Black Ops 2 reduced from $82 to $70, and Modern Warfare 3 with DLC Collection 1 reduced from $35 to $30. Doodle God on Vita is down from $6 to $4.50. There's also a sale on Aliens: Colonial Marines content, with the game just $9 for Plus members, but ... you know.
September's PlayStation Plus freebies include Ico, Rayman Origins and more
Sony has announced the lineup of free PlayStation 3, PSP and Vita games it'll be gifting to PlayStation Plus subscribers over the month of September, and the list is full of both moving experiences and Move-ing experiences. Get it? See, because there's a PlayStation Move-enabled game in here. Anyway! September's stable of complimentary entertainment includes Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection, Ico and Galaga Legions DX for PS3, Rayman Origins for Vita and GTA: Liberty City Stories for Vita and PSP. Sony's announcement doesn't specify what order these games will be delivered in, so keep an eye on our weekly PSN Tuesday posts for ever-vigilant coverage of when new free stuff is available. In the meantime, allow us to apologize for that PS Move joke.
Bethesda pushing for Elder Scrolls Online without Xbox Live Gold fees
If you want to play online games on Microsoft's Xbox One console, you'll need to pony up the cash required for an Xbox Live Gold subscription. This small sticking point means that free-to-play games aren't necessarily free-to-play (a point lamented by Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi) and that subscription-based games like The Elder Scrolls Online will have their sub cost increased by the monthly cost of Gold. Bethesda's Pete Hines is aware that Xbox One players may not necessarily want to eat a $14.99 per-month subscription fee in addition to the fees associated with Xbox Live Gold, revealing that work is going on behind the scenes to make TESO exempt from the Gold requirement. We have been in talks with Microsoft about that very thing, and seeing whether or not there's any room to change their minds about that for folks who are only playing The Elder Scrolls Online and don't want to pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription just to play The Elder Scrolls Online. The answer right now is that's the way it works, but it's something that we're aware of and we keep pushing on to see if there's something that can be done. Though we've seen no explicit information on whether a PS Plus subscription will be required for PS4 Elder Scrolls Online players, Sony has previously mentioned that Plus requirements will be "the publisher's decision."
PlayStation Plus rolls out free Star Wars tables for Zen Pinball 2 this week
Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Plus subscribers can download a Star Wars Zen Pinball 2 table pack for free. Normally priced at $9.99, the pack includes Star Wars: Episode 5, Clone Wars and Boba Fett-themed tables. Additionally, PSP and Vita owners can pick up Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower free this week on PlayStation Plus, and both Divekick and Ms. Germinator are discounted to $7.99 this week, each offering Cross Buy support for Vita and PS3 owners. Lastly, Killzone: Mercenary's multiplayer open beta program starts tomorrow, and opens up to non-PlayStation Plus subscribers on August 27.
PS Vita update 2.60 plays nice with the PS Plus cloud
A new firmware update for the PS VIta has been released, available upon booting up your handheld. Software update version 2.60 adds PlayStation Plus to each game's live area, making it easier to manage data to and from the cloud. Version 2.60 also adds a shortcut to the network settings tab. Simply hold down the PS button on the Vita for a few seconds and it'll take you right there, allowing you to quickly address access airplane mode, WiFi settings, Bluetooth and, depending on your handheld model, 3G connection. Another new feature is video and music streaming, now possible through connected devices and the PS3 without having to go through the laborious task of copying files to your PS Vita. Finally, more video formats are now supported by the PS Vita browser and there are new privacy settings for sharing trophy data.
PSN Tuesday: Tales of Xillia, Dragon's Crown, ibb & obb
This week's PSN content jamboree is headlined by a pair of Japanese games: the beautiful beat-em-up Dragon's Crown from Vanillaware and Namco's surprisingly charming JRPG, Tales of Xillia. Rounding out this week's high-profile games is ibb & obb, the long-awaited co-op puzzler with an emphasis on gravity from Sparpweed Games. PlayStation Plus members can snag a free copy of Hitman: Absolution, which kicks off a solid month of free content on PS Plus. Subscriber discounts extend to the Rayman series today, Escapevektor, Superfrog and more – the full list of content can be seen over on the PlayStation Blog.
PS Plus August freebies: Hitman Absolution, Runner 2, Star Wars Pinball
The August incentives for PlayStation Plus subscribers have been revealed, starting tomorrow with a free copy of Hitman: Absolution. IO Interactive's latest entry in the stealthy kill-em-up series deviates from the established formula, our review says, but offers a "healthy dose of stealth and creative assassinations." Other free games up for grabs in August are PS3 games Runner 2 and Star Wars Pinball, Machinarium on PS Vita and Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, compatible with PS Vita and PSP. Tomorrow's PSN update will also yield discounts on Rayman content and a few new games – all of which you can see listed over on the PlayStation Blog.
Dokuro free, PixelJunk Monsters discounted on PS Plus this week
Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Plus subscribers can download puzzler Dokuro for free to their Vitas. Dokuro joins PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD on the portable system, which is discounted to $11.99 for PS Plus users this week. Lastly, Max Payne 3 and Max Payne 3: Ultimate Edition are on sale starting this week for $7.99 and $11.99, respectively. The Ultimate Edition version includes the Rockstar Pass, which grants access to maps, items and other DLC such as the Local Justice pack.
PSN Tuesday: Stealth Inc, Zeno Clash 2, Zone of the Enders
This week's PSN content update is now live, headlined by cross-buy enabled stealth and puzlee platformer Stealth Inc - A Clone in the Dark, now on sale for $10. If you like your conflict a bit more on the direct side, Zeno Clash 2 takes a swing at PSN today for $15. Both remastered Zone of the Enders HD games are also here, available for individual purchase at $10 for the original and $20 for the sequel. PlayStation Plus subscribers can download PSP and PS Vita-compatible Metal Slug XX for free this week and enjoy discounts across Sorcery, Cloudberry Kingdom, Datura, some Thomas Was Alone DLC and more. For the full list of this week's content, hit up the PlayStation Blog.
Jet Set Radio free on PlayStation Plus this week
Sega's rollerblading, graffiti-tagging Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio heads up this week's forthcoming PlayStation Plus update. Subscribers will be able to download the PlayStation 3 version of the game free of charge once the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow. This week's update will also bring a series of discounts for standout PlayStation Move releases, including Sorcery ($5.00), Carnival Island ($5.00), and Datura ($2.99). The PS Vita action game Draw Slasher also gets a price drop this week, and will be available to Plus subscribers for $3.19. Starting tomorrow, Plus members can save a few bucks by digitally pre-ordering DuckTales Remastered ($11.99), Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark ($7.99), Cloudberry Kingdom ($7.99), and ibb & obb ($7.99). Rebates are available for buying two or more featured games during Sony's PlayStation Store PLAY campaign.
Free PS Plus version of Driveclub will be 'missing' a few things
The free, beta version of Driveclub that PlayStation Plus members get when the PS4 launches will be exactly the same as the retail version – except different, Evolution Studios said during a Q&A session recorded by PlayStationer. "Yes, the PS Plus version will be the exact same as the full version, except that it may be missing a few assets, such as cars or tracks, that will be found in the full version," Evolution said. The PS Plus edition of Driveclub will include online multiplayer, the singleplayer campaign and asynchronous challenges, and Plus players will be able to purchase any missing content. After trying out the Plus version, players can "pay a sum of money" to convert it to the full retail version, Evolution said. We got our buttery-smooth driving gloves on Driveclub at E3, and found it more accessible than Gran Turismo 6, with a distinct arcade vibe.
Battlefield 3 free on PlayStation Plus this week
PlayStation Plus subscribers can download Battlefield 3 for free after tomorrow's store update. Other free PS Plus games set aside for July include Jet Set Radio, Metal Slug XX, Dokuro and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD. PlayStation pals across the pond can add Battlefield 3 to their Instant Game collections sometime during July, though Sony Europe hasn't given a precise date yet. Saints Row: The Third, which wielded its purple dildo against Plus subscribers in North America last month, is also on the way to Europe.
PSN Store update: Deadpool, Hotline Miami, free Zero Escape on PS Plus
Due to this week's PSN maintenance, the weekly content dump is a bit off schedule but no less lacking in goods. Headlining this week's offerings is the PSN launch of Deadpool, High Moon Studios' take on the merc with a mouth. Hotline Miami, a cross-buy game for both PS3 and PS Vita, also makes its debut on PSN alongside Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers and Spartacus Legends. PS Plus subscribers get a free game in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward and access to discounts on Escape Plan, Pool Nation, Hydrophobia and Fat Princess.
PS Plus freebies this week: Saints Row: The Third, Gods Eater Burst
When the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow, both Saints Row: The Third and Gods Eater Burst will be available as free downloads. Saints Row is a PS3 game, while Gods Eater Burst initially launched on PSP but is also compatible with PS Vita. Last week at E3, Sony detailed plans for PlayStation Plus moving forward. While it's required for online multiplayer on PS4, it won't be necessary for video services or certain free-to-play games, and won't see a price increase during its transition to next-gen.
PS4 online multiplayer requires PS Plus
Online multiplayer on PS4 will require a PS Plus subscription, confirmed in the above video produced by Sony demonstrating physical disc game sharing on PS4. Existing PlayStation Plus members – or even those who sign up from here on out – will find their subscription extended to PS Vita, PS3 and PS4. The PS4 launches Holiday 2013 for $399.
PlayStation Plus membership will persist and carry over to PlayStation 4
Sony's Jack Tretton just confirmed that a PlayStation Plus membership would carry over and persist when the PlayStation 4 arrives. Tretton promised that users could pay one price for a PlayStation Plus membership on the PS4, the PS3, and the PS Vita. He also hinted, however, that a PS Plus membership may be required for multiplayer on the PS4, while confirming that single-player content won't require a Plus membership. A membership will also include free access to a beta version of Drive Club and other betas, and give players one free game per month.
Uncharted 3, XCOM, LBP Karting free on PS Plus next week
Next week, when the PlayStation Store updates on June 11, three new games will be added to the PlayStation Plus free Instant Game Collection library: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and LittleBigPLanet Karting. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will include the full single-player campaign for PS Plus subscribers and the free-to-play multiplayer side. Both XCOM: Enemy Unknown and LBP Karting are their full retail offerings, joining a June that has already yielded a free copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and will later gift Saints Row: The Third.
PSN Tuesday: Remember Me on PS3, Limbo on Vita, Deus Ex free for Plus
This week PSN gets Remember Me for $60 as a full PS3 download (and here's our review). Also on the docket is Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, which hits PSN for $20. Vita gets Limbo for $15, Toro's Friend Network for free, Quell Memento for $5 and Paint Park Plus for free. Class of Heroes 2 hits the PSP this week, and it's now in the Vita store for $25. PlayStation Plus members can grab the PS3 game Deus Ex: Human Revolution for free, alongside a 10 percent discount on Grid 2 ($54), and 40 percent off Portal 2 ($9.60) and its Move-enabled DLC, In Motion ($4.80). Let's Fish: Hooked On is half off on Vita for Plus members this week, for $10. Sony has some secret content in store for June, according to PlayStation Digital Platforms Community Manager Paul Sullivan, and it just so happens there's a large gaming convention right in the middle of this month. Keep your eyes peeled.
