PlayStation Plus Update: Guardians of Middle Earth Free; Karateka 50% Off

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PlayStation Plus Update: Guardians of Middle Earth Free; Karateka 50% Off

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!

PlayStation Plus Update 2-4-2013

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877 Comments

12 Author Replies

  • @TheTrainJob : 7 months? maybe you have some really unrealistic expectations, also XBL is a total scam, Steam and PS + are the best gaming services atm, and both EU and US content work in a different way.

  • @sab_krit
    @DaGimpe13

    Dudes, thats not this complicated… you cant and you dont need to change your address… just create a new account on your system (sab_krit_EU, for instance), register an europian address, and purchase a Plus EU subscription; then download the Free Games for EU+, then log to your NA account and play there… you can do it, as long as you dont delete the EU account on the system, and any trophies and registers will still use the NA data. Ok?

  • @DaGimp13 I know that and can get EU psn cards. But I have already made a mistake and I have to live with it for a year. So now, since I have already paid 50 bucks for this midget NA plus compared to giant EU plus, all I can do is complain here in the updates blog. So why cant we let NA plus know of their shortcomings and y these hypocrites come here every week and complaiin abt the complainers when its obviously between the complainers and the sony and in no way concerns them, especially when it seems they can be easily satisfied even with these mediocre updates? I just cant imagine what they would do if NA plus start giving good updates like EU plus. I think they should then kiss all the complainers ars*, if that happens.

  • Can we get somebody in the PS plus team that knows about how gamers of this generation think and what games they want. This is a horrible update, and no I will not try the game because it’s like telling me to try to listen to rap when I just don’t like it. Also if gamers of this generation try the game and they don’t like it they will have an unfinished game on their trophy list and that looks bad. Most gamers this generation want games with platinums or trophies, but if the game has 12-15 trophies the games should be good because they aren’t going to spend 20+ hours in a game that doesn’t even have a platinum if the game sucks. (Just like my grammar, but I am bilingual so apologies). With that said, next week I would appreciate if the game had a platinum. Thank you for trying to get us games each week and for reading this.

  • Hey morgan…this update sucks!!! we’re not dumb people, we know the good games, Europe gets good games and we get $15 craps. Be a man and accept it.

  • @felipechueri

    Dude, creating a new account, I have told it in all the comments, but its starting fresh. That’s not just the point it’s all about it started elsewhere and came to chaning the accounts.

  • Cool Guardians of Middle Earth I was kinda interested in that game but never got around to purchasing it.

  • People complaining about others complaining are even worse. Yeah the whole ‘durr PS+ EU IS SO MUCH BETTER’ gets old quick, but if Europe have been constantly getting better games then why shouldn’t people complain? I understand that it’s a different market and not all deals work the same, but hell, if I want to request something here I should be able to do it without having someone jump at my neck. No one is being ungrateful here, all these ‘free’ games come from a service that we pay for, however little it may be. It’s not unreasonable to ask for something we actually want instead of just taking what we get. And I don’t mean to sound like I’m unhappy with it, I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth with PS+.

    With that said, there’s nothing for me this week but I’m AOK with that. Ni no Kuni is keeping me more than entertained and after that I have a pretty decent backlog to go through.

  • For those Morgan is telling to ‘play’ the ‘free’ game in response to the complaining.

    EVEN THOSE WHO PLAY IT HATE IT!

    It doesn’t have horrible public image because no one tried it, it’s percieved as a horrible game because those who have played (like me) have encountered tons of bugs, lag, other problems, plus the nickel and dime you to buy extra heroes or whatever they call em.

    In other words, people are calling it terrible because it is, not because more people need to try it.

  • I refuse to ever spend money on Big Sky Infinity due to the false advertising that US PS+ would get it for free until the day it was released.

    As for the rest of the update, well if Knytt was indeed $5 like it states in the text portion of the post, then I may have considered it, but not at $9.

    So as a Vita user, guess there’s nothing for me this week.

  • @ Morgan Haro. Please have somebody look into the fact that if I download a Plus trial game I cannot buy in the store. Why would Sony ever want to keep me from buying anything off the store since that is what Sony is in business for. I want to download the Ultimate Edition of AC Brotherhood, but when I go into the PS Store is says that I already own the game. So my question is do I have to use the trial before I can buy it? Why would you ever block a person from a potential sale? Why is this process so confusing? I simply want to buy a game and the store denies me from doing this. An response would be much appreciated.

    Sold.

  • Piece of crap.

  • This is a little off topic but maybe you could help me. When I try and redownload infamous, it gets downloaded like a vita game and won’t install on my PS3. And idea why? Thanks for the help.

  • amazon -> EU PSN Card Please -> Thank you.

  • Had Playstation Plus since it started. With the exception of Vita updates, everything else continues to disappoint. EU gets Sleeping Dogs. This might be may last year until things get better, especially since we’re getting leftovers.

  • Im pumped for GOME i was on the fence now i dont have to be i love plus its a love hate relationship every week

  • I think that you guys should put up Star Wars: Battlefront II as a PS2 classic, I loved that game and is the main reason I still have my PS2

  • im not really interested in this update, im not saying that the free game its bad, but i would rather play the free and better games od that genre that are in pc, these moba games are just not intended for anything other than keyboard and mouse, but i do find ironic that last month complainers were asking for this game, it seem the dont even get their stuff together.

  • *skips last four pages of comments*

    @91 casual_pilot – That’s just what I was thinking. It wasn’t but a month or so ago that “everyone” was *****ing about not getting Guardians of Middle Earth (or at least lumping it in as an example of the calibre they SHOULD be getting), and now here we are, and this is **** because Sleeping Dogs is the current “thing” for EU.

    How can Haro & Co. win on this? It takes time to set things up, and by the time the delay works out, the *****fit has forgotten what they were clamoring for because of the latest EU update post!

    Anyway, nothing for me this week. I still haven’t brought myself to understand MOBAs, despite my friend regularly trying to rope me into LoL, and while I’d LOVE to get ahold of Knytt and the others, I’ve gotta hold off for deep sales, way my budget (HAH, “budget”) is.

  • is dog_kitty apart of your team if so what’s with the message he sent 2 free games plus $50 funds to your user. WHAT,S UP WITH THAT???

  • also any chance we can got war of the monsters free or a sequel???

  • @251 sab_krit – Because you still don’t seem to’ve figured it out, you can play games from your EU account while signed in to your NA account (except on Vita, because it’s one account per system).

    Just “Activate” the EU account for your PS3, and it’s just like some other account playing the games from your NA account.

  • @DaGimp13

    Sorry for the delay.

    1) The PS Plus subscription is 40GBP which translates to 62USD and some. That’s an additional buck a month, are you prepared to show that they are only getting a buck more in value every month?

    2) Comparing the two regions is perfectly valid. When two investors in different regions pay very similar amounts for an investment, but one investor gets a significantly larger value in dividends then the next, there is a big problem. This is what is happening here.

    3) A company’s main objective is to give as little as possible while taking as much as possible. The same motivation is shared by the clients of said company. The constant tug and pull of supply and demand is what regulates capitalism, all of these subscribers thus not only have a right but a duty to complain and pull for as much value as they can.

    (continued)

  • @DaGimp13

    (continued)

    4) What’s happening here is not 3 at all, but rather the demand for equality in value, which I am sure even you can’t is starkly imblanaced.

    5) The list of games I posted was the February content, not the “good” games. You are creating a false argument in order to better facilitate your own arguments, read the original post I was responding to and it will make more sense.

    6) and most importantly, how the hell does it affect you what others complain about? Does it have any tangible impact on your life? Why do you feel the need to come in here and bash on complainers?

  • @JoeGoodsnake

    Dude, U got the message. There will be these discrepencies cuz of region issues. There is no way NA+ can deliver as good as EU+, but well we will get our money’s worth of content.

    @felipechueri
    r u sure, with an EU account created and downloading plus games from EU plus store will let me play them with my existing NA account in the same console? have anyone done that before that u know of?

  • @sab_krit

    what one person views as mediocracy and shortcomings, another person can view those as valuable deals. It’s all about each persons differences in taste, regardless of whether its movies, music, fashion or video games….ever heard the phrase “one mans trash is another mans treasure”? just because you and some others choose not to accept the full value of the NA PS+ program, simply because you don’t like the idea or graphics behind it, doesn’t mean that every person feels the same way you do in regards to that game and the NA PS+.

  • @sab_krit

    Someone like boomstickbhg, who said he dislikes the game for numerous reasons, has legitimate reason to complain. he owns the game, has tried it, and wasn’t happy with it. that’s conpletely understandable as to why he would feel the way he does, but for many on here, including yourself who haven’t tried it yet, you don’t have anything to lose by downloading and playing it. as you’ve said before, you’re paid up for the year. even if you don’t like the idea of the game, don’t you owe it to yourself to try it before discarding it? kinda like judging a book by its cover instead of actually reading it to see if its any good. if you download it, play it and like it, you’ve gotten value for your sub. if you don’t like it, at least you’ve tried it then, and have still gotten your values worth. but don’t blame Sony because you don’t want to have an open mind.

  • Wow! I just want to say that I’ve been a Plus member since it launched and I still am. I’m grateful for some of the content I do have, while at times I’m not as happy. That’s my entitlement as a plus member as it is all of you who enjoy the content. I have to say these comments are crazy. I laugh at those that want to burn Sony down for not giving them certain games. At the same time I also laugh at those who “white-knight” for Sony Plus system because you don’t like it when people complain. This is a forum where people are entitled to their opinion, whether you like it or not.

    Now here’s my thing. I’m one of those whose from the U.S. that has been kind of disappointed with the content as of lately. Ever since EU has gotten Batman Arkham City, it seems as though the content in the EU market has been….well a bit better. I really hate the region thing. I see Microsoft doesn’t have a problem with releasing content across all regions, but I digress as I don’t fully understand the region based business side of things.

    Overall, I want what everyone wants…EQUALITY! I’m sure we’ll get there some day. Be easy PS fam! (all regions)

    • Well said! A point to consider:

      MS doesn’t secure free content across regions; we’re the only ones who do. Of course publishers will work world wide to get their game out across all territories to get $$; but delivering free content poses a different challenge.

  • sleeping dogs
    sleeping dogs
    sleeping dogs
    sleeping dogs
    sleeping dogs
    sleeping dogs
    sleeping dogs

  • UGH!!! i just bought GomE!

    i really think that if we purchased a game that is free on PS+ we should get our credit refunded. It really angers me when i pay for a game to find out that it is free the next week. i hate the idea of paying for PS+ then buying a game on sale just to see it go free.

    If it is possible to get a refund someone let me know. if i dont get any replies i will be calling or emailing someone.

  • @201 ProfessorGerbik – The Wii U has a “Digital Deluxe” program, which offers points (think PlayStation Rewards) which offers cash-value for the eShop.

  • Hmm…

    Having read his replies, Morgan obviously has no clue what the gaming community considers good or quality games.

    If MH really thinks these Plus deals are so much better than most of the community, then it seems the problem here is what MH thinks is good, isn’t. Or what is good to MH isn’t good to Sony fans/the community

    So easy solution, get rid of MH (when it comes to Plus related stuff, he can do other work I’m sure) and bring in some people to the Plus team that have a clue what gamers are like and what we want for this paid service that keeps getting worse and cutting content.

    Obviously MH is completely out of touch with the consumer base, time for a fresh face and fresh ideas in Plus please.

  • Nice update! Will there be any racing games in the future?

  • @JoeGoodsnake

    1) extra buck per month or not, they still pay more, therefore should receive more. if you pay for more coffee at Starbucks or Dunkins, do you expect more coffee? thought so.

    2) comparing the regions is NOT valid. you state so yourself by saying “When two investors in different regions pay very similar amounts for an investment, but one investor gets a significantly larger value in dividends then the next, there is a big problem”….the problem you’re having is by COMPARING the word SIMILAIR with the word SAME….unfortunately, while there are SIMILAIRITIES between the 2 regions, they are NOT the SAME.

    3)you knew that signing up for PS+, therefore having no one to blame but yourself as YOU CHOSE to sub, not Sony made you sub.

  • Ive been seriously dissapointed lately… Keep your vita stuff seperate i dont pay for playstation plus for vita, i dont have a vita, i don’t want vita stuff. Stop giving us Americans crap, the last few updates sucked, and the one good game i got nba jam is now not even supported online.Sony fix these problems or you wont get my 50 bucks again.

  • Cry baby buntings! :D

    We still have all of February folks. That means probably 2 free full games and a vita and or other ps3 game. I’m coming over and kicking all of your dogs. :D

  • @DaGimp13

    I cant explain mediocrity more clearly than JoeGoodsnake. And the 6) point of him makes more sense, I dont understand where u fail to understand that.

  • Hey, @210, DaGimp13, you have been extraordinarily patient with your young padawan, Sab Krit, but you Canadians are just nicer in general. :-)

    I got tired of posting my advice on the topic of having a euro acct since whining is apparently preferred over action here. I never thought about the DNS part. Ah, that clever monster Sony. What I did was create a second acct, which I’ll never reveal here, using a genuine foreign address but one of my real, US based email accts. I know many padawans don’t realize that you can get a game from, say your fake Transylvanian acct, sign out after downloading, then sign back in with your real, good ol’ made in the USA acct, & then happily continue doing what’s most important to you, increasing your trophy count. You do have to google “where to buy Transylvanian PSN cards”, though.

    For example, I’m playing Ni No Kuni under both accts & earning trophies under both. I would add a Japanese acct but since I only know English & Transylvanian…

  • I will agree that this week leaves something to be desired. (Sleeping Dogs? ^_^)

    On a more general note, I went over to the comments on the February EU+ post: https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2013/01/28/playstation-plus-your-february-content/#comments

    WOW does it look like Chris’ job is way more enjoyable than Morgan’s lol

    P.S. Somebody made a nifty google docs spreadsheet. Interesting info in general.
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmRRDLosxQLIdGJmcVJudmxhSzhsb1hkX19ZRWMxS0E#gid=0

  • Why do people keep insisting that more games are coming so we shouldn’t complain.

    Based on recent history, when we hate one game and wait another week or two for the next… we hate that one as well.

    It would be easy to put off this as a bad week and wait for the next, if there was any reason to think it would improve.

    But Plus has been in steady decline since the IGC, until something happens to change that, all the unhappy paying customers have more than enough reason to be upset with this and any other update.

    It’s a paid service. We pay, we don’t get what was promised/strongly hinted at/etc… we have a right to be unhappy.

  • This update is a dud, game sucks. I really wish you’d go back to the month system so even if some weeks are crap they’d be something people want in the update.

  • @DaGimp13

    As a pre-emptive defense, I just want to clarify that when I say quality, I don’t mean subjective quality but objective quality. Subjectively, things like owning the game, whether you personally like the genre or game itself, the developer being your favourite or least favourite, etc. are not important. These will always be vastly different and very few people will agree on subjective quality.

    Objective quality on the other hand, are things like price point, release date, and major reviewer ratings. These are attributes that cannot be argued, and hence more concrete when judging value. Comparing EU and US based on objective value for the last 6 months will depress even the most hardcore Sony fan, including myself.

    To better demonstrate this, let me clarify that even if they gave us a game I already have (anything AC, anything Dead Space, anything Batman, any of the Uncharted series, etc), if it is a retail game that is well received and recent enough, I will be more than happy. Not because I get to play the same game again, but because I know my investment isn’t being looked at as worthless compared to EU.

  • @JoeGoodsnake

    4) value per region is based on how much each region pays, so again, it dont matter if they pay a dollar more per month, fact remains they still pay more, and theres MANY more people per capita in the EU then in NA by comparision.

    5) your Februrary list still contained 2 games that had already been given out recently in NA PS+. good games or not, you tried to use your list as a comparison guideline to the EU PS+ based on games they’re getting, which cant be done as again, they pay more, have more people, etc…but again, we still got those 2 games they’ll get this month, and received them priorly too.

    6)others complaining nonstop on here does have bearing on my enjoyment, as I come here to read up on the information posted by Sony, not to read 10 pages of self-entitled brats who believe the world should be handed to them on a golden platter. they subbed to NA PS+, but expect EU PS+? it just doesn’t work that way. if it did, I’d buy NHL Season tickets and go see every NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, and NLL game.

  • Oh, I see I was ninja’d by @ 267, TJF something.

    Yes, Sab, I have done it. Not a problem at all. For PS3, not Vita. Sony has a different policy for handhelds because it was like that for my psp go.

  • GOME doesn’t look like my kind of game, but I’ll give it a try anyway. I’ve been pleasantly surprised before. Not a big deal, as more games are always on the way.

  • we want Sleeping Dogs, you’ll never see us happy until a free Sleeping Dogs-like game or better

  • @280 – If you are talking about NBA Jam – On Fire it still has support for online play.

    @ 281 – Won’t we get that traditional text this week?

  • Ouch! I feel for the U.S PS+ members!

    At least you guys got…

    > More content in your Ni No Kuni: Wizard Edition’s box.

    > The Last of Us: Post-Pandemic Edition which we DON’T get in EU.

    > Hitman: HD Trilogy – we only got the regular game, no artbook.

    > Metal Gear Rising Limited Edition – all we get is the game, dlc and figure – THAT’S IT!

    … and the list goes on.

    I have no clue why Sony is treating U.S so differently to EU. You get things we don’t, we get things you don’t.

    WTH.

  • @292 US has some pretty bad over priced special editions, though I agree thie hitman bonus was nice.

    The EU is CONSTANTLY getting special editions of games that NEVER come out in NA.

    There are more EU special editions I’d want to own than US version by maybe a 4 to 1 ratio, but most if not all of those special editions never come here, except for hundreds of dollars on Ebay.

    So cry me a river, but the EU gets a ton of unique special editions, plus many of the same ones we get (sometimes under a different name).

    No doubt some game you want you can’t get the special version in EU and that sucks for you, but it also sucks for all the NA customers that want the constant special editions that only the EU gets.

  • Funny. I see people complain that we dont have the right to complain for something we pay for. I dont pay for xbox live because i bought a playstation that has free online. I choose to pay for Playstation plus out of my money that i work my ass off for. Im not expecting every update to be great but in the 2 years ive had playstation plus ive seen way to many subpar releases in North America. We have every right to expect the same service as Europe. We all pay for the service why should one be better than the other.

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