PlayStation Plus: Is the Value Still There?

When it was first announced at E3 2010, many were skeptical of PlayStation Plus. People wondered whether it was worth it to pay for PlayStation Network's Premium Service. However, as time progressed, people realized it was. PlayStation Plus early on was offering free games like Wipeout HD and Zen Pinball, and the quality of titles started to improve as time progressed. Then in June 2012, Sony dropped a ton of quality games onto the service like LittleBigPlanet 2, inFAMOUS 2, Just Cause 2, and more. The quality kept growing, games like Saints Row The Third, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and Shadow of the Colossus being added to the service. In addition, PlayStation Vita was now benefiting from the Instant Game Collection with games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush. In addition to the free games, PlayStation Plus offered automatic game updates and discounts of up to 75% on the PlayStation Store (compared to 50% for everyone else) for its customers.




In the past year, big changes have happened to the service. At E3 2013, Sony announced that PlayStation Plus would be required for multiplayer gaming on PlayStation 4, except for Free to Play Games like Planetside 2 and Warframe (note you can still play online for free on PS3 and PS Vita). While at first disappointed by the fact that free online gaming is no longer a benefit to PlayStation, the immense value of PlayStation Plus caused me and many others to forgive them. The standard benefits to PS Plus still apply to members, things like automatic game updates, discounts, and more still apply to PS4 users. The Instant Game Collection is also still available for PS Plus members and now supports PlayStation 4. Some things have happened over the last few months with the Instant Game Collection that has drew much criticism from fans. First, ever since launch, PlayStation 4 has not received any AAA titles for free like its PS3 and PS Vita counterparts. We have instead received indie titles such as Resogun, Don't Starve, and Stick it to the Man. Second, all old games from the service have been removed and instead only new games will be offered. Finally, each platform will receive 2 games each on the first Tuesday of the month and will be removed on the first Tuesday of the following month to make way for the new titles. All these things, and Xbox's improvement with their Games with Gold service has made fans wonder if their is still value for PlayStation Plus.


And I'm here to say there is still tons of value with PS Plus

I never really had any desire for PS Plus until the PS4 came out, obviously because it was mandatory for online play. However, after being a subscriber for over seven months now, I feel like a fool for not getting it earlier. For $50 a year I save so much money. Just in the next year, I will probably save around $500 on games, and that's fantastic. Money is tight, and PS Plus is a lifesaver. I never got to play games like Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, or Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, but thanks to PlayStation Plus, I have. So I will explain why there is still value to PS Plus, and you are a fool if you own a PlayStation console and don't have it.


1. No publisher is willing to put their brand new PS4 game on the service: Who in their right mind would put a six month old game on the service? I see people asking for Assassin's Creed IV, Infamous Second Son, even Watch Dogs to be put on the service. Do you people know nothing about business? Those games aren't even ten months old! "But NBA 2K14 got put on the PS3 list last month, why not PS4?" Because the PS4 version (and the Xbox One version) are the primary version that they focus the majority of their energy on. So yeah, maybe Sony won in convincing 2K to put their latest basketball game on the service, but if it was the PS3 version. Yes, Sony has already confirmed AAA games will be coming onto the service by the end of the year. When the game is about a year old. THEN you may see Killzone or Knack as a free game. Driveclub will be the first one in October. So quit your whining, AAA games are coming.


2. The PS4 free games are still fantastic: If you see anyone's top 10 list for best PS4 games so far, games like Resogun, Don't Starve, Outlast, or Stick it to the Man are highly likely to be on there. Those are all indie games, and they all were free on PS Plus. And these aren't bad games either. Look at their Metacritic scores. 8/10 and 9/10 scores seem to pop up a lot on those games. The upcoming July 2014 lineup looks particularly interesting with two amazing games, Towerfall Ascension and Strider. Again, both of those titles are very well received. So if because they're indie and don't have an EA or Ubisoft sticker on them you don't get them, I can't stress enough how much you are missing out.


3. Sony hasn't forgotten about PS3 or Vita: PS3 and Vita each have strong lineups every month. Last month PS3 had NBA 2K14 and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and Vita had Terraria and Mutant Mudds Deluxe. All excellent games, and Sly Cooper, Terraria, and Mutant Mudds all were cross buy, so you own both the PS3 and Vita version of that game. Next month is another strong lineup, with Dead Space 3 leading the PS3 lineup along with Vessel, and Vita also is good with Doki Doki Universe and Muramasa Rebirth. And all signs point to games like Saints Row IV appearing on the lineup in the coming months. It's clear Sony still has a strong commitment to the PS3 and Vita, and that shouldn't deter you from being a subscriber.


4. Sony is smart by keeping games for only 30 days on the service: While it may seem like an annoyance, Sony is saving money by restricting games to 30 days on the service, so they can spend more money to get other games for us. And by the way, just because it's on for 30 days doesn't mean you have to download it within 30 days. Just go to the Sony Entertainment Network Online Store, check out the free game, and then you can download it whenever you like, even after it gets taken off. Oh, and everything is available right at the start of the month so you don't have to keep waiting for the game you want.


5. The Instant Game Collection is still ahead of Games with Gold: Yes, Xbox has been improving their Games with Gold service. Yes, it's great how you can keep their games even after your Gold membership expires. But, PlayStation Plus still offers more games (six versus two) and newer games than Gold. Yes Xbox had a great month last month with Dark Souls for Xbox 360 and Halo Spartan Assault for Xbox One, but Dark Souls came out two and a half years ago, whereas PS Plus offers games about a year old. It's good that we have competition and I hope Xbox gets more competitive with Plus, but as of right now, Plus is the best premium in gaming.


And, in conclusion, remember that free games are still free games. Be thankful that you are even getting free games, because you would be complaining if they took that away. I have discovered great games on PS Plus that I could have never gotten to without it, and Games with Gold is molding into that. Stop your complaining, and just enjoy the content you have. Because it's fantastic. And, as always, thanks for visiting 8-Bit Ape.