Morgan Haro
Community Manager, PlayStation Digital Platforms
12Author Replies
Welcome to this week’s PlayStation Plus update, where we’re excited to bring news that the Guardians of Middle Earth MOBA greatness will be coming free to PS3 for PS Plus members! If you’ve never tried this unique genre that’s taking the gaming community by storm, give Guardians of Middle Earth a download and see what all the excitement is about. While you’re at it, check out a handful of discounts on some pretty amazing games you may have missed out on for both PS3 and PS Vita.
Friendly reminder: The deal is on through March 4th: purchase a one-year membership of PS Plus and get three bonus months free. Current members can stack this value on to their existing membership as well. Learn more about the offer here, or click the link below to go to the SEN online store.
Don’t have PlayStation Plus, or just want to add more time to your existing membership? Go to the PlayStation Store on your PS3 or PS Vita or click here to get access via the Sony Entertainment Network online store.
February 5th PlayStation Plus Update
Guardians of Middle Earth (PS3)
Free for PS Plus members (Original Price: $14.99)
Take up arms in the clash over Middle-earth with the most powerful heroes from the greatest fantasy epic of all time. Form alliances with and against friends and jump into the wildly popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) gameplay. With 20 iconic guardians from Middle-earth, and new guardians coming all the time, it’s the perfect time to get lost in the multiplayer fray in epic 5 versus 5 battles.
Karateka (PS3)
50% off for PS Plus members (Original price: $9.99; PS Plus price: $5.00)
A beautifully simple premise with a fun pick up and play fighting system, Karateka blends old school gameplay charm with fluid combat animations and gorgeous backdrops and music to provide an amazing adventure with a ton of replay value. Are you skilled enough to rescue Princess Mariko with the fighting finesse of her True Love? Or will you need the power of the burly brute to topple the opposition? For more on Karateka, check out PS.Blog’s post from Assistant Producer Heather d’Evelyn.
Big Sky Infinity (PS3 and PS Vita – Cross Buy Enabled)
40% off for PS Plus members (Original price: $9.99; PS Plus price: $5.99)
Big Sky Infinity is a lightning-fast, randomly-generated game that adapts to how you play; which means, it’s never the same game twice. You pilot a spaceship that’s flying straight into an alien armada. The further you progress, the harder it gets, with giant bosses, streams of enemies, and unique events that shift the gameplay to keep you on your toes. It’s Cross Buy enabled, so this purchase will get you a version to play on both your PS Vita and PS3. Check out more Big Sky Infinity from the game’s director James Whitehead.
Knytt Underground (PS3 and PS Vita – Cross Buy Enabled)
40% off for PS Plus members (Original price: $9.99 $14.99; PS Plus price: $5.00 $8.99)
Knytt Underground tells a quirky and strange tale that’s set in the future, hundreds of years after the humans disappeared from the planet. Sprites, fairies and various other lifeforms roam tunnels in the underground. With a curiousity about their origin and the meaning of life, they strike out to find those answers they try to understand the ones who had obviously figured it out: the humans. It’s a beautiful adventure with a vast environment to explore and story driven quests that will keep you hooked. Read more about Knytt Underground in the PS Blog’s post featuring the Creative Director Nicklas Nygren.
Thanks for reading this week’s update. As usual, you can join the PlayStation community over on the PlayStation Community Forums in the PS Plus space to continue chatting about PS Plus, or find other PlayStation topics to discuss, or even start one yourself. See you in the comments!
I actually feel pretty sorry for Mr. Haro. This must have been the most negative backlash he’s witnessed since being a community manager here. I mean there’s so much negativity that he doesn’t see room to respond to someone without an uproar that could fuel the fire. A sad day indeed here. I hope some of us can get past the dislike for the update and move on for hopes of something better. (which it will be) It’s the beginning of the month guys/gals. I’m sure more good content will follow.
I will not complain about the update and compare U.S. EU. I just want monthly updates, your most useful and people will stop complaining every week on posts here, and then they can move to the EU, if they continue not liking the U.S. games.
Lololol Europe got Guardians of Middle Earth in December in addition to 2 full PS3 retail games. We get it as our game of the month in February and they get Sleeping Dogs. Also, they already got Knytt Underground and Big Sky free, we get a discount on them. Anyone see a problem here? I sure do.
This update is quite ok for me. thanks sony, just understand the ones who are complaining. it is only natural since sleeping dogs is quite a title compared to GOME.
Publishers do have a lot to do with it and most people understand that, but EU has gotten around 10 more full ps3 games then the US. There is no reason for there to be such a big gap in the numbers of full games selected. I would understand not getting the same exact games as EU if we also got around the same number of full games but it’s just ridicules for there to be such a difference.
Please change to monthly updates, with weekly reminders. The lovely value of PS PLUS isn’t clear when ppl don’t see the full updates in one sitting. Full Monthly updates would lower complaints and level expectations, cheers.
Yeah, I see the problem. The problem is that you fail to understand the inevitable variables that are sure to come into play within multi-regional operations.
Some folks may even prefer to have a discount over a “free” offering, but here you complain anyway, like a virgin without a girlfriend, as if it really matters, because you’ve got nothing better to do.
does anyone else think that they should let us choose the updates i mean at least give us options to vote on or something so that we, the paying customers, can have a little control on what we are getting, i feel lke we get the least downloaded stuff while eu gets the best, are they encouraging hs to get eu accounts? i mean really guys im not going to waste time or money or gb on my vita or ps3 on this, please step it up psplus
Okay reading biog some times makes me angry specially with complains from people who are in high school or on employment assistance get a job and stop freaking out about updates been different in each region in this case EU vs NA.. on average for us in North America 50$ isn’t big price even for EIA people who can’t work on average getting 1500$ of my money which I pay taxes for in Canada. Do you think in EU people get same treatment? Hell nada No full break on average in my Home country (Belarus as an example) people earn 350$ US (if they lucky ) same go to Russia in Poland 700 euros is high pay job… but Europeans did not get their pay check every 10-14 days like we do they get it once a month The reason people get ll these goodies is because they mostly Can’t afford what can we Sleeping Dogs less likely to be sold in EU for 40$ but plus with exceptional content will be sold quickly not to mention that for Europeans Plus has more of life saver option than a premium service.
I thought PS+ was a good deal until recently. 9 months left of my subscription. Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is the only Full PS3 game that has even been worth the time to download. This update is horrible and they seem to be getting worse each month.
If I did not own a Vita I would be really pissed off by now. So far it has been the saving grace of the so called PS+.
A new feature needs to be added to PS+ enabling users to pause/suspend the service. Which will never happen.
Since I have paid for it I guess I will at least try out the 1 crap game offered for *Free* this week.
Face it, hollis. The fact is that regional partners in ANY industry will be affected by their region’s laws/regulations/economies. This has been true as long as business has been around. Hell, even before money was invented and people were still bartering their wares, regional necessities varied, mostly due to environmental influences, and supply and demand was affected because of it.
Whining about the differences between regions will NEVER change them. It won’t even encourage any change, at least not beyond what’s actually feasible. It only serves to make you look like… well, exactly what you are: A naive, ignorant brat who knows nothing about the things he loves to chirp about on a daily basis.
Perhaps if you pulled your head out of your dung dispenser for once and did some research on the subjects that you love to pretend to be an expert on, you actually might learn what you thought you knew, and your words would carry a lot more weight. But of course, if you learned how business across multiple regions works, you wouldn’t be complaining about Plus in the first place…
Now go finish your homework, junior. It’s a school night and it’s getting late. And don’t forget to have mommy tuck you in.
Man, I can’t believe the negative comments that fly every week. For $50/year, you get a decent game just about every week. If you get 3-4 a year that you really like, it pays for the yearly service. Heck, the Music Unlimited for $1/mo. for a year paid for it. I like this update. Wasn’t crazy about Foosball but heck, it’s all free stuff. Thanks! BTW, on the new web store you can purchase games and do the whole cart thing, it would be nice if you could go ahead and schedule the download to happen remotely at the same time that your system checks for updates at like 4AM. This would allow for overnight downloading, convenient for the customer and distributes the server load for Sony. This should be a very simple programming change. The system checks for pending downloads at the same time it checks for updates. Please implement that! Thanks and keep up the great work! PS3/PSN/Plus are the best!
After that kind of post you still clam not to be a troll? As I have said in other posts I don’t care that we don’t get the same games, but we should get around the same number of Full ps3 games. Stop trying to sound smarter then you are and stop trolling, you don’t even have plus yet you come here just to troll, that’s really sad.
After what kind of post? The one where I explained how wrong you are? Get over yourself chump. Accept that you’re wrong and move on with your pathetic life.
But you should care about the technicalities. They’re important, and it’s the little details that you people are overlooking that is leading to your failed comprehension in how the various regions of PS+ operate… which leads to your rampant and unnecessary whining… Which needs to stop. Because it’s embarrassing. Not only for us gamers, but for humanity in general.
i actually agree with number 40 some one did say be prepared for some thing great in February. An honestly im not liken these updates either i mean come on why the really old games free (Darksiders) dont get me wrong great game but old why not some new full games? And ninja gaiden isnt that great i would have rather have got lord of the rings lego for vita free! come on sony step it up for plus users in the US! EU got RDR,Dead space 2, sleeping dogs an more! how about given both EU and US the same updates so its fair no more un-equality!
Oh and before someone tries to get nasty with me; Do note that I do not expect the same content as Europe because I understand it isn’t that simple. I know some games have different publishers for different regions or different deals,etc so I’m not expecting identical content. I only want that quality itself to be somewhat similar. Week after week we get these budget titles that are barely up to snuff and barely functional and full of glitches/terrible online and such. Every once in a while we get a good title and when we do I’m happy about that, but the way the service fluctuates just seems all too convenient for Sony. Bait em back in with 1 good game every once in a while and when ya got em hooked ya start tossing the trash out again.
A little consistency is all I ask for. They don’t all have to be winners, but that doesn’t mean that the majority of them should be losers either.
I’ma just hop back on my PC, play some Chilvary, Guild Wars 2, and mine craft. I’ll come back to see what is going to be uploaded for PS+ the next month of March. :D
Oh, if I could possibly throw in a quesion about discounts though: Has DCUO for the PS3 ever been considered as an option for PS+ plus discounts? Last week there were a bunch of game sales, it’d be neat to see some PS+ discounts for DCUO! Yeah….
i will now be making an EU account and ordering a EU psn card off the internet and getting plus on it, american ps plus sucks, they get way better games than us and i dont even understand why, im def not renewing my plus
The only reason i havent renewed my plus is due to lack of material we get in the eu this month is proberly the best 1 i have seen in a year but still not enough to make me renew
I would love to know how to get a European Plus membership, short of living there. If we are not going to get the same games they get then perhaps I can get the Plus membership for there and get the great deals they get instead…nice thought
Guardians of Middle Earth seemed a little interesting but Karateka? Really? Clearly this is a ploy to raise the sales on these non-delivering titles. And why hide the poll results? At least let us keep seeing the obvious: Right now, Europe clearly does better business…
Shessh a lot of your aren’t gamers, just complainers. EU gets Sleeping Dogs so what. If you guys do some thinking haven’t you noticed a certain pattern here. EU got Darksiders first then US got it. EU got Borderlands first then US got it. EU got Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition then US got it. If this pattern continues I’m sure we get Sleeping Dogs down the line. Oh and if it makes anyone feel better We get to buy Sly Cooper Thieves in Time and EU has to wait till the end of next month.
Morgan said in reply to post 63 that they work their best to get us the best games possible. Well, not to sound mean, but the team in Europe is 100x better than you guys if that’s the case. How is it they can get $50 and $60 games to give out to plus members and highly rated ones at that but we in the US get $10 and $15 PSN games? And what’s upsetting about it is that it’s a frequent occurrence. And every time, fanboys jump on us who bring up this complaint. Well I pay for this service and it sucks to see another region get much better offers than we do in the US. And more upsetting is how the workers on here always tell us great updates are coming. Yeah, real great. Europe gets Sleeping Dogs and F1 Race Stars while we get GOME which is mainly an online game and is only $15 with lots of dlc which means it might as well be free to play anyway. Will we ever get great offers like Europe or just the endless lies of great updates coming?
GOME!!! Awesome update! Now I can wreak havoc for free! Add me!
I actually feel pretty sorry for Mr. Haro. This must have been the most negative backlash he’s witnessed since being a community manager here. I mean there’s so much negativity that he doesn’t see room to respond to someone without an uproar that could fuel the fire. A sad day indeed here. I hope some of us can get past the dislike for the update and move on for hopes of something better. (which it will be) It’s the beginning of the month guys/gals. I’m sure more good content will follow.
I will not complain about the update and compare U.S. EU. I just want monthly updates, your most useful and people will stop complaining every week on posts here, and then they can move to the EU, if they continue not liking the U.S. games.
Lololol Europe got Guardians of Middle Earth in December in addition to 2 full PS3 retail games. We get it as our game of the month in February and they get Sleeping Dogs. Also, they already got Knytt Underground and Big Sky free, we get a discount on them. Anyone see a problem here? I sure do.
This update is quite ok for me. thanks sony, just understand the ones who are complaining. it is only natural since sleeping dogs is quite a title compared to GOME.
@37 WHAT? NO KINGDOM HEARTS???? haha guess he’s absent for today :3
Lol! Post 1,2,3 & 4
@ Squiggle55
Publishers do have a lot to do with it and most people understand that, but EU has gotten around 10 more full ps3 games then the US. There is no reason for there to be such a big gap in the numbers of full games selected. I would understand not getting the same exact games as EU if we also got around the same number of full games but it’s just ridicules for there to be such a difference.
Seeing as I have a NA and EU PS+ acc, this update isn’t that good for me. I’ll save the $5 I have on my NA acc and see what comes out next week.
Nobody was crying for Sleeping Dogs until EU+ got it… what a bunch of tools. It’s so easy to manipulate crybabies and their emotions.
To the PS BLOG TEAM
Please change to monthly updates, with weekly reminders. The lovely value of PS PLUS isn’t clear when ppl don’t see the full updates in one sitting. Full Monthly updates would lower complaints and level expectations, cheers.
Also, @4 Dregin <— Comment of the YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@drQuibbles
Yeah, I see the problem. The problem is that you fail to understand the inevitable variables that are sure to come into play within multi-regional operations.
Some folks may even prefer to have a discount over a “free” offering, but here you complain anyway, like a virgin without a girlfriend, as if it really matters, because you’ve got nothing better to do.
@ PrimeroIncognito
stop trolling like you do every week.
does anyone else think that they should let us choose the updates i mean at least give us options to vote on or something so that we, the paying customers, can have a little control on what we are getting, i feel lke we get the least downloaded stuff while eu gets the best, are they encouraging hs to get eu accounts? i mean really guys im not going to waste time or money or gb on my vita or ps3 on this, please step it up psplus
Okay reading biog some times makes me angry specially with complains from people who are in high school or on employment assistance get a job and stop freaking out about updates been different in each region in this case EU vs NA.. on average for us in North America 50$ isn’t big price even for EIA people who can’t work on average getting 1500$ of my money which I pay taxes for in Canada. Do you think in EU people get same treatment? Hell nada No full break on average in my Home country (Belarus as an example) people earn 350$ US (if they lucky ) same go to Russia in Poland 700 euros is high pay job… but Europeans did not get their pay check every 10-14 days like we do they get it once a month The reason people get ll these goodies is because they mostly Can’t afford what can we Sleeping Dogs less likely to be sold in EU for 40$ but plus with exceptional content will be sold quickly not to mention that for Europeans Plus has more of life saver option than a premium service.
@ bamahollishateyhate
Stop saying I’m trolling just because I make you look bad every week.
I thought PS+ was a good deal until recently. 9 months left of my subscription. Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is the only Full PS3 game that has even been worth the time to download. This update is horrible and they seem to be getting worse each month.
If I did not own a Vita I would be really pissed off by now. So far it has been the saving grace of the so called PS+.
A new feature needs to be added to PS+ enabling users to pause/suspend the service. Which will never happen.
Since I have paid for it I guess I will at least try out the 1 crap game offered for *Free* this week.
613 please be quiet come on we dont care about the technicalities we just want content that isnt ohhh horrible, *sigh* Canadians…
While I already have Sleeping Dogs, I wish NA PS+ got it, it’s really an incredibly game that a lot of people passed over.
Face it, hollis. The fact is that regional partners in ANY industry will be affected by their region’s laws/regulations/economies. This has been true as long as business has been around. Hell, even before money was invented and people were still bartering their wares, regional necessities varied, mostly due to environmental influences, and supply and demand was affected because of it.
Whining about the differences between regions will NEVER change them. It won’t even encourage any change, at least not beyond what’s actually feasible. It only serves to make you look like… well, exactly what you are: A naive, ignorant brat who knows nothing about the things he loves to chirp about on a daily basis.
Perhaps if you pulled your head out of your dung dispenser for once and did some research on the subjects that you love to pretend to be an expert on, you actually might learn what you thought you knew, and your words would carry a lot more weight. But of course, if you learned how business across multiple regions works, you wouldn’t be complaining about Plus in the first place…
Now go finish your homework, junior. It’s a school night and it’s getting late. And don’t forget to have mommy tuck you in.
Man, I can’t believe the negative comments that fly every week. For $50/year, you get a decent game just about every week. If you get 3-4 a year that you really like, it pays for the yearly service. Heck, the Music Unlimited for $1/mo. for a year paid for it. I like this update. Wasn’t crazy about Foosball but heck, it’s all free stuff. Thanks! BTW, on the new web store you can purchase games and do the whole cart thing, it would be nice if you could go ahead and schedule the download to happen remotely at the same time that your system checks for updates at like 4AM. This would allow for overnight downloading, convenient for the customer and distributes the server load for Sony. This should be a very simple programming change. The system checks for pending downloads at the same time it checks for updates. Please implement that! Thanks and keep up the great work! PS3/PSN/Plus are the best!
@ PrimeroIncognito
After that kind of post you still clam not to be a troll? As I have said in other posts I don’t care that we don’t get the same games, but we should get around the same number of Full ps3 games. Stop trying to sound smarter then you are and stop trolling, you don’t even have plus yet you come here just to troll, that’s really sad.
i love PS plus. but please give us something at least to match up with sleeping dogs….
@ bamahollis
After what kind of post? The one where I explained how wrong you are? Get over yourself chump. Accept that you’re wrong and move on with your pathetic life.
Well I have never played the game I dont know if its a game I would care enough to stop playing Ni No Kuni. Lets try this again next week sony.
@ BRNTHAWK
But you should care about the technicalities. They’re important, and it’s the little details that you people are overlooking that is leading to your failed comprehension in how the various regions of PS+ operate… which leads to your rampant and unnecessary whining… Which needs to stop. Because it’s embarrassing. Not only for us gamers, but for humanity in general.
@623 flippin great game ‘eint it lol love mister derippy Level 5 rock rocking and always will
i actually agree with number 40 some one did say be prepared for some thing great in February. An honestly im not liken these updates either i mean come on why the really old games free (Darksiders) dont get me wrong great game but old why not some new full games? And ninja gaiden isnt that great i would have rather have got lord of the rings lego for vita free! come on sony step it up for plus users in the US! EU got RDR,Dead space 2, sleeping dogs an more! how about given both EU and US the same updates so its fair no more un-equality!
oh yea please put tales of graces f as a free psn game, it be awesome to get to play it before tales of xillia comes out
Yep, another stinker this week.
Oh and before someone tries to get nasty with me; Do note that I do not expect the same content as Europe because I understand it isn’t that simple. I know some games have different publishers for different regions or different deals,etc so I’m not expecting identical content. I only want that quality itself to be somewhat similar. Week after week we get these budget titles that are barely up to snuff and barely functional and full of glitches/terrible online and such. Every once in a while we get a good title and when we do I’m happy about that, but the way the service fluctuates just seems all too convenient for Sony. Bait em back in with 1 good game every once in a while and when ya got em hooked ya start tossing the trash out again.
A little consistency is all I ask for. They don’t all have to be winners, but that doesn’t mean that the majority of them should be losers either.
I’ma just hop back on my PC, play some Chilvary, Guild Wars 2, and mine craft. I’ll come back to see what is going to be uploaded for PS+ the next month of March. :D
Oh, if I could possibly throw in a quesion about discounts though: Has DCUO for the PS3 ever been considered as an option for PS+ plus discounts? Last week there were a bunch of game sales, it’d be neat to see some PS+ discounts for DCUO! Yeah….
I would like to see dragon age origins or a game closer the the caliber of sleeping dogs then gaurdians of middle earth.
FOLKLORE! Please find a way to give us this game in the future. With the popularity of Ni No Kuni a lot of people would enjoy that game.
dont think I am going to renew when my membership expires, trash
i will now be making an EU account and ordering a EU psn card off the internet and getting plus on it, american ps plus sucks, they get way better games than us and i dont even understand why, im def not renewing my plus
Sure we get sleeping dogs but you guys get better stuff than us you also get god of war 3days early. Wtf
just went out and bought skyrim,
not even mad yo….
The only reason i havent renewed my plus is due to lack of material we get in the eu this month is proberly the best 1 i have seen in a year but still not enough to make me renew
I’m going to get the PSN+ from EUR.. Definitly!
Dont its not worth it it will get worse trust me stay with us 1
I would love to know how to get a European Plus membership, short of living there. If we are not going to get the same games they get then perhaps I can get the Plus membership for there and get the great deals they get instead…nice thought
why does EU have the good games?
why does asia and EU have sleeping dogs and all we get is LOTR?! not fair sony US :(
Guardians of Middle Earth seemed a little interesting but Karateka? Really? Clearly this is a ploy to raise the sales on these non-delivering titles. And why hide the poll results? At least let us keep seeing the obvious: Right now, Europe clearly does better business…
im staring to think ps plus it not worth it anymore.
eu adoraria ver uma atualizaçao com prototype 2
Shessh a lot of your aren’t gamers, just complainers. EU gets Sleeping Dogs so what. If you guys do some thinking haven’t you noticed a certain pattern here. EU got Darksiders first then US got it. EU got Borderlands first then US got it. EU got Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition then US got it. If this pattern continues I’m sure we get Sleeping Dogs down the line. Oh and if it makes anyone feel better We get to buy Sly Cooper Thieves in Time and EU has to wait till the end of next month.
Was hoping for a deal on sly, but i’ll buy it anyway at 40$.
Morgan said in reply to post 63 that they work their best to get us the best games possible. Well, not to sound mean, but the team in Europe is 100x better than you guys if that’s the case. How is it they can get $50 and $60 games to give out to plus members and highly rated ones at that but we in the US get $10 and $15 PSN games? And what’s upsetting about it is that it’s a frequent occurrence. And every time, fanboys jump on us who bring up this complaint. Well I pay for this service and it sucks to see another region get much better offers than we do in the US. And more upsetting is how the workers on here always tell us great updates are coming. Yeah, real great. Europe gets Sleeping Dogs and F1 Race Stars while we get GOME which is mainly an online game and is only $15 with lots of dlc which means it might as well be free to play anyway. Will we ever get great offers like Europe or just the endless lies of great updates coming?