Back in the days of the PS3, PlayStation Plus was widely commended for its selection of free games, routinely offering a selection of both popular triple-A games and lesser-known indie gems to its subscribers. However, since the PS4 was released the service has mostly shied away from being host to big budget games, with many growing increasingly frustrated as a result.
PS Plus was previously seen as a great deal for its subscribers in its PS3 incarnation, with it granting them access to free games, a ton of exclusive deals and more perks, alongside the console’s already free (but notably unstable) online multiplayer functionality. With the PS4, Sony made a PS Plus subscription mandatory for those who wanted to access the majority of its online features, but there has been plenty of discussion surrounding whether or not the PS Plus service has suffered as a result.
Also: Predictions 2017 | Nintendo Switch’s Success, PlayStation VR’s Struggle
With Sony no longer needing to put as much effort into convincing gamers to invest in the service, the company has been criticized for the free games it now makes available to the PS4’s Instant Games Collection. The announcement of January 2017’s free PS Plus games — Day of the Tentacle Remastered and This War of Mine: The Little Ones — has now seen the company receiving tons of criticism from those who believe the service is becoming over-saturated with indie games.
Although both of this month’s games received plenty of critical praise, the steady stream of less expensive games being made available on PS Plus has led to many questioning the value of the subscription service. The ad released by Sony to promote this month’s games has now received nearly 20,000 dislikes compared to 4,000 likes, while PlayStation’s official Twitter account was also bombarded with complaints following the announcement:
My new year begins with disappointment.
— Terrence icy (@CryoAces) December 28, 2016
https://twitter.com/Electric_GFX/status/814147143040729089
https://twitter.com/y2keegan86/status/814160478981259265
https://twitter.com/hikoseijurov2/status/814147355561881602
Despite these complaints, the PS Plus line-up does still regularly feature excellent games. Last month it received the widely praised Invisible, Inc., while in November it was home to the divisive yet still positively reviewed Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. However, so many of the games released on the service are either very old or very inexpensive, leading to its value being thrown into question. This isn’t being helped by the fact that Microsoft is now routinely bringing more popular games to its Games with Gold service, causing many to ask Sony to follow in its rival’s footsteps.
It’s unclear whether or not Sony will take these criticisms on board in 2017, but if you’re interested in this month’s offerings, check out the below video:
