Microsoft is bringing it for Games with Gold next month, and Sony needs to step up

Games with Gold in April:

Xbox One - Sunset Overdrive and The Wolf Among Us

Xbox 360 - Dead Space and Saints Row 4

I like smaller downloable titles as much as the next person--probably considerably more, if the next person is the average monthly PS Plus announcement you tube commenter--but Sony's continuing refusal to feature pretty much ANY retail PS4 titles on the PS Plus service is looking worse all the time.

It's a little ridiculous to expect this:

to compete with this:

Everyone needs to play Sunset Overdrive.

Yeah, this list is really impressive. Microsoft is using their larger back catalog and exclusives to their advantage. I like the smaller stuff that PlayStation is putting out, but it doesn't really compare.

You know what? Neither Sony nor Microsfot need to give you free games at all. They do so because they can, and it's cool for them to, but they don't need to do it.

I'm torn on this...as a result of them all being bigger titles I own them all already. I don't own a PS4 and by virtue do miss out on some indie titles that just don't come to Xbox One.

"Needs to" is taking it a bit far. They don't "need to" do it to continue to succeed as a platform holder. And since MP is a popular thing, and PS+ is required for that, it'll probably keep on chugging along as is until something major happens.

@ungodly said:

That's a silly argument. Microsoft and Sony don't need to make consoles either, so we shouldn't complain when something about them suck? Also, the games are very much not free, as we pay for them with Gold or PS+ subscriptions. As paying customers we are more than within bounds to criticize the games they are offering to us.

I would argue that they do need to do it, because their competitor does it. And none of these games are free. They're a part of a subscription service that I pay for.

Lastly, no company does anything "because they can, and it's cool for them to." They do it because it maximizes profits, and creates customer retention.

Alas, I already own all of those games. But Sunset Overdrive is a good score nonetheless. It's baffling that Sony haven't at the very least released one of the PS4's launch titles for PS+ yet. Or inFamous Second Son, which was essentially a belated launch title anyway.

Yeah... I've been thinking about not renewing my PSN subscription this year. I think I can live without Rocket League for a while.

I own all of those but that's an amazing month for them.

@spaceinsomniac: It took MS an entire generation change to get behind the idea of games being given out with subscriptions. Sony can probably rest on their laurels for a while longer before they see any real negative impact outside of community managers being stressed at people yelling at them over picking titles.

Doh. I bought Dead Space years ago. Then sold it, then bought it on Steam...then bought it again digitally on Xbox. Oh well.

Y'all get you some Sunset Overdrive. That game is stellar. Can't wait to pick up Dead Space on 360 though.

I'm happy one of them is starting to lift the lid on big "full priced" games getting into the monthly freebies. I understand why there were none (outside of a few remasters) for awhile at the start of the new gen but I'm kinda shocked it's taken this long considering they aren't exactly trying to hold up the value of a lot of these games. Boxed copies of Sunset have been dirt cheap for awhile. And The Order 1886 was on sale on PSN for 10 bleepin' bucks during the holidays lol, which is cheaper than many of the new indie games they've given out.

I've been happy with plenty of the indie titles I've gotten (Sony knocked it outta the park with Rocket League) and I feel zero entitlement about what "free" games I get each month, but they did set certain expectations last gen with the wide range of big and small games they gave out and I hope they get back to that balance.

PS I loved Sunset Overdrive, once you master the movement options it's some of the most fun I've had this gen. Get it get it get it if you're an XB1 owner!

So, does this mean Season 2 of Wolf Among Us is coming? Because that would be great.

I don't think Sony needs to do anything. I think it's clear at this point that Sony is going to continue to draw upon it's larger catalog of indie titles while Microsoft is going to draw on older AAA games for their free games of the month. That results in months where Microsoft has a better free lineup and months where Sony has a better free lineup. I don't think it's particularly advantageous for either company to switch from these strategies. Consumers can decide which of those two options they prefer and spend their money accordingly.

Like if you want to compare examples such as say Helldivers and Sunset Overdrive, both games have an 81 on metacritic. Helldivers is $19.99 on the PSN Store. Sunset Overdrive might still retail for higher, but it's $14 on Amazon right now, and it's regularly been on sale for $15-$20. From an independent value standpoint, those are pretty similar offerings. Which of those two offerings might appeal to you more is based on your individual likes. Broforce was a fairly weak offering in terms of Metacritic, but so was Lords of the Fallen (both 71 on Metacritic).

I can't remember the last time I downloaded a free PS+ game. Rocket League most likely, and that was great. It seems lately all they offer is niche indie stuff that wasn't going to sell much anyway. Where are the retail PS4 games? Stuff like The Order, Infamous, Bloodborne should've showed up on the service by now.

Sony always bring one new game though, meaning that you will have at least one game to play. I already played both Sunset and Wolf Among Us, so it is irrelevant to me.

Free Rocket League, Resogun and Binding of Isaac were more interesting to me. Anyway, I love my two consoles and Xbox has prettier notifications for achievements, so here's that ^^.

Bloodborne is literally a year old today and just got an updated GOTY edition a few months ago. It's also one of the only reasons some people have been interested in a PS4. It'd be a terrible business decision for Sony and From Software to try put that on PS+ already.

Not a bad list. I don't know that it's the punch to Sony's jaw the OP thinks it is though.

This is a good selection, I'm happy more people will be playing Sunset Overdrive. I might play Dead Space, but the rest of these I already own. Personally I haven't been terribly impressed with the offerings from Gold or PS+ lately. If I wasn't paid up until December on Gold I would probably cancel my subscription.

This notion that Sony needs to finally start releasing the big games for free is a little absurd considering they already have and will continue to have most people on the hook for online. As long as more people play online on a PS4, it kinda doesn't matter what they put out.

I personally don't get a PS+ account for the games. Getting a free game I like is a bonus to me, not a necessity of the service.

Sony has a bunch of big first party games they could on PS plus, but won't for some reason. Kind of why I didn't resubscribe to PS plus when my membership lapsed

And no I'm not one of those people who want knack on PS plus, though it should have been on there... A long time ago. It's not like that sweet knack brand is going to be cheapened any further than it already is.

yeah, i felt like playstation plus was gonna be "a good enough deal" but now i'm finding it's just making me not want to get games on my ps4 when i could play the online free on pc, and having less games on my ps4 makes me not want to pay for playstation plus. given I may be a bit of an outlier because i really don't have much money, so for me even a $10 monthly fee can really add up.

Being Entitled the Thread

I dunno, if I had to choose I'd definitely pick Broforce over Sunset Overdrive.

I already own all the good AAA games that came out on PS4 so I much prefer getting Indy stuff I might've missed. Knack and Killzone? No thanks

35 dollars for Saints Row 4?

Nice, gives me an excuse to actually play Sunset Overdrive now.

Thats pretty much the last big exclusive i need on my xbone (i think), so cool.

I sure hope you're right, cause I wanna buy it this weekend.

Microsoft has been doing a great job of offering more perceived value out of Gold, that's for sure. In March they had Sherlock and Lords of the Fallen stacking up against Galak-Z and BroForce on PS4. At a glance that's quite a discrepancy but in reality BroForce was a brand new game and Galak-Z less than 6 months old. The Plus offerings are smaller downloadables, sure, but they're almost always very new, or being released free as part of Plus, so I'm less likely to have them already. I'm personally able to cut through that initial reaction of "over $100 worth of games" on Gold vs. 2 $15 indies on Plus and end up very happy with the Plus offerings vs. Gold almost every month.

Let's actually be honest here for a minute. Wolf Among Us has been on sale on PC for $5 and is currently $12 on Amazon and Sunset Overdrive was a launch game that is currently on Amazon for $14. That's what I mean by "perceived value." I'm not saying offering two new indies is better I'm just trying to demonstrate the principle at work here which makes the knee-jerk reaction to Gold so much more positive than that of Plus.

That said I definitely think Microsoft is eating Sony's lunch when it comes to the overall package on offer and they're doing that for one reason: backwards compatibility. The ability to offer 4 or 5 games that can all be played on the same system is huge. Even when the 360 games are older AAA's we've all likely played they still build into that notion of perceived value and at a certain point for a lot of people they start to conflate that perceived value with real value and you've lost them.

It could be wise for Sony to right the ship a bit, they could choose to indulge in a few months of goodwill and boost the perceived value of their own offerings to win minds back. It's time to trot out some PS4 launch titles, it's time for Kill Zone, it's time for Infamous Second Son (the proper full game) and it's time for... dare I say it... Knack. Pepper one of those bigger retail games in once every 2 or 3 months and then around the holiday season toss out Bloodborne after they milk the last bit of profits out of it with the GOTY edition. Now you've built back a bunch of goodwill and you've created a new level of perceived value for your offering vs. the competition, you can now breath easier Sony Execs.

TL:DR - Plus ain't so bad as-is, Gold benefits from an inflated perception of value but maybe Sony should bolster their offerings.

Sunset Overdrive is one of my favorite games this generation and everyone should play it because I said so.

It would be way cooler if the freebie was online multiplayer, and then you could use the money you save to buy games.

But that's just crazy talk.

I don't think PS4 NEEDS to compete with XBone like this. Especially with the nebulous information regarding .5 systems, I don't picture anyone jumping ship over the "free" games.

The fact they are putting a supposedly flagship exclusive out for free doesn't bode well for the Xbox though, and it's not going to sell a console for them either. I did get rid of my ps+ account though, mainly just because i don't feel like paying for it anymore rather than the quality of the free stuff. And the fact you lose access to your games after the subscription makes me not want to get it again.

Once I saw what titles xbox were offering this month I was definitely going to post something similar to what was said here. All of these games are pretty fantastic titles to own and are a huge boon for people who own an xbox one. Get all of these games and enjoy them! Dead Space is secretly one of my favourite games of last generation. Really, really good.

That's a strong lineup. The first strong lineup I've seen, actually. Remember when that fucking pool game was multiple months in a row?

Maybe Sony will need to step up when there's a pattern of good months, but this is just one. Means nothing if the next five are boring.

"Needs"

You trippin some serious 1080p60 crack.

I literally only have PS+ so I can play Bloodborne online.

Sunset Overdrive was such a fun game. Wasn't a fan of the punk style or the repetitive missions but it was just so fun to zip around the world and shoot shit with crazy guns. I need to go back and play the DLC.

Is it the full game of Wolf Among Us? Because I was pretty disappointed when they put it out on PS+ and it was only the first episode

Better trade in my Sunset Overdrive now.

@wlleiotl: Yes, it will be the full game. The Xbox One (and presumably PS4) version of the game was not released in episodes, just one complete product.

That looks like the quality PS Plus used to have early on, before PS4 was released. Back when we had Borderlands 2, XCOM, Bioshock Infinite and Metro on the same month, those were the days!

And don't forget that those 360 games are also playable on Xbox One. The line-up for One is even stronger if you consider that.

Most people only get Games with Gold or PS+ because of the games, they're literally only paying because of the games, if the monthly line-up keeps getting weak, those people will leave. This is my case, I only care about PS+ because of the games.

I've been adding them all to my list from the website, just in case, but I never really downloaded most of them neither. I think it's fine to have some Indies, but getting pixelated platformers, twin stick shooters and couch-competitive games every month gets boring and annoying rather quickly. I do agree with you on the retail stuff; at least Infamous, Killzone or Knack, the launch games, could have been given away on PS+ by now. Even The Order, since it wasn't that well received, or some other retail games they have selling on really low prices could be on PS+ by now. Damn, give me remasters like Sleeping Dogs or something, I will be happy with them!

Sunset Overdrive is so good, just the right amount of game packed into it. Knows what its strengths are, capitalizes on them and doesn't overstay its welcome.

I'd rather play Broforce

Needs to step it up or what? Are people going to trade in their PS4s for Xboxes because they can get Sunset Overdrive for free? You could probably find Sunset Overdrive for cheaper than a month of Gold at this point.

As far as third party exclusives go I think I am the most saddened by Sunset Overdrive. (I primarily play on PS4). It's possible I would extend this out to just exclusives this generation in general.