To kick things off, the following games, displayed in no particular order, will be added to the Instant Game Collection throughout March!

March Preview

Spec Ops: The Line

PSN Price: $39.99, Free for PS Plus members

Set in a fictional Dubai which has been wiped off the map by a cataclysmic sandstorm, you’re tasked with leading your squad to find out what happened to the American squad that was sent in to rescue the city, and find out what lies buried beneath the sand, along with the world’s most opulent ruin. It’s a fascinating take on the shooter genre with white-knuckle gameplay and a powerful message only unraveled once you make it to the thrilling end moments of the game. Don’t miss it.

Joe Danger 2: The Movie (PS3)

PSN Price: $14.99, Free for PS Plus members

Take Joe Danger on a death-defying thrill ride across the set of the greatest blockbuster movie ever made. Chase crooks on your police bike, destroy laser firing robots with a stolen jetpack, escape giant boulders in a minecart, time-travel to punch dinosaurs and divert the nuclear missiles on your unicycle. Yes it’s as awesome as it sounds.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (PS Vita)

PSN Price: $39.99, Free for PS Plus members

One of the kings of strategy RPGs makes its debut in the Instant Game Collection! Take a field trip any time you want with Mao, Raspberyl, Almaz, and the rest of the Evil Academy gang with Disgaea 3 on PS Vita! Offering incredible depth and hours upon hours of strategy RPG goodness, Disgaea fans or RPG fans in general should have this one on their PS Vita, which features 5 new chapters on top of the original’s content.

The Cave (PS3)

PSN Price: $14.99, Free for PS Plus members

The Cave is a new adventure game from Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert, and Double Fine Productions. Assemble your team of three from seven unlikely adventurers, each with their own unique personalities and stories, then descend into the mysterious depths to explore locations including a subterranean amusement park and a medieval castle, not to mention a fully armed and ready-to-launch nuclear tipped ICBM. The Cave awaits.

Tekken 6 (PSP; Supported on PS Vita)

PSN Price: $39.99, Free for PS Plus members

Armed with the largest character roster ever in TEKKEN history, a robust single player game experience, countless mutiplayer and online options, and an addictive character customization system, the greatest fighting game franchise soars is here for PS Vita and PSP owners to add to their Instant Game Collection!

We hope you’re as excited as we are to see Joe Danger 2: The Movie (PS3), Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (PS Vita), Tekken 6 (PSP; Supported on PS Vita), and The Cave (PS3) which will be arriving throughout the month of March!

Leaving PS Plus In March

• March 5th – Guardians of Middle Earth
• March 12th – Quantum Conundrum
• March 19th – Dungeon Defenders
• March 19th – Foosball 2012 PS Vita
• March 26th – Plants Vs Zombies

Entering PS Plus in March (in no particular order)

• Spec Ops: The Line (PS3)
• Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (PS Vita)
• Joe Danger 2: The Movie (PS3)
• Tekken 6 (PSP; Supported on PS Vita)
• The Cave (PS3)

March 5th Plus Update

For the week at hand, please welcome the critically acclaimed Spec Ops: The Line to the Instant Game Collection; meaning it’s free for PS Plus members to download starting with the March 5th PS Store update. We’ve also got week 2 of the PS Vita Anniversary Sale with a bevy of discounts on fantastic PS Vita games, with even deeper discounts if you’re a PS Plus member.

Spec Ops: The Line

PSN Price: $39.99, Free for PS Plus members

Set in a fictional Dubai which has been wiped off the map by a cataclysmic sandstorm, you’re tasked with leading your squad to find out what happened to the American squad that was sent in to rescue the city, and find out what lies buried beneath the sand, along with the world’s most opulent ruin. It’s a fascinating take on the shooter genre with white-knuckle gameplay and a powerful message only unraveled once you make it to the thrilling end moments of the game. Don’t miss it.

PS Vita Anniversary Sale Week 2

Various Discounts

It’s week 2 of the PS Vita Anniversary Sale and the deals keep coming. To celebrate the PS Vita’s anniversary even more, pair up these discounts with the Get $10 For Every $50 Spent promo that’s on now. Remember, you’ll get $10 back for every $50 you spend throughout March. The earned credit will be sent to you on or around April 12th via email and XMB message on your PS3.

BIT.TRIP Presents Runner2 Future Legend Of Rhythm Alien

20% Discount for PS Plus Members – PSN Price: $14.99, PS Plus Price: $11.99

The BIT.TRIP series arrives to the PlayStation family this week, and what better way to welcome it than to pick up this new addition to the critically acclaimed series with a 20% release week discount. Runner2 merges rhythm-action platforming with incredible music and unique environments to run, jump, slide, and kick towards your goal. Check out the video above and also read the PS Blog article featuring Mike Roush, co-founder of Gaijin Games to hear about their additional plans to bring the series to PS Vita.

What’s your favorite content from this week’s update?

What was your favorite content from February?

What do you think of the new update format?

Remember, check back every Monday to learn when Joe Danger 2: The Movie (PS3), Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (PS Vita), Tekken 6 (PSP; Supported on PS Vita), and The Cave (PS3) are arriving to PS Plus members. You’ll also find more discounts and other exclusives that we weren’t able to detail here just yet. Remember the month preview is subject to change.

Leave us some comments on the new format, and of course, chime in with your thoughts on Spec Ops: The Line, the PS Vita Anniversary Sale, and any other PS Plus feedback you’ve got. If you’re looking to engage with more of the PS Plus community, we’ve also got the PS Plus section in the PlayStation Community Forums where you can continue chatting about PS Plus, or find other topics to contribute your thoughts to, or start one for yourself. See you in the comments!

I sat in on a demonstration of Spec Ops: The Line at the 2010 E3 Expo, and learned more about the game’s improvisational combat and tense atmosphere, as well as the difficult decisions you’ll face as a Delta Force squad leader.

The story finds inspiration in the film Apocalypse Now. As Delta Force Captain Martin Walker, your team ventures into the Dubai wastes to track down a distress signal from Colonel John Konrad, who went AWOL following the sandstorms. The fate of Col. Konrad and his men will be revealed as you play, but if you’ve seen Apocalypse Now, you might have some clues about the dark territory this tale will explore.

Post-apocalyptic imagery aside, sand plays a key role in The Line’s action mechanics. During the third-person shootouts, you can target barricades and barriers to unleash sand avalanches on top of nearby enemies. Enemies can also exploit the sand traps, so it will pay to keep a close eye on the treacherous, ever-shifting terrain. At times, the action will migrate into the tomb-like skyscrapers that lay beneath Dubai’s suffocating sand dunes. These scenarios are tense and atmospheric, veering closer to survival-horror territory as Cpt. Walker and his men try to piece together the bigger picture while fending off surprise attacks from squatters and survivalists who have reclaimed the ruined city.

In firefights, Cpt. Walker can issue commands (flank, advance) to his Delta Force squad mates — though the developers promise that the computer-controlled allies can easily take care of themselves if you’d rather focus on the dirty work. Combat is up close and visceral, with a large arsenal of high-powered military shotguns, rifles, and carbines at your disposal.

Other surprises abound, such as a white phosphorus attack on Cpt. Walker’s team that sets an entire city block ablaze and sends fireballs drifting lazily through the air. Your decision-making prowess will also be put to the test during the game. In one scene I saw, Cpt. Walker had to choose between interrupting the execution of an ally or holding fire in order to conceal his presence and succeed in a larger objective. Choosing between what’s “moral” and what’s “necessary” will be a reoccurring theme in Spec Ops: The Line, meaning that your gameplay decisions will have a direct outcome on the characters, relationships, and outcomes of the game. And yes, there will be multiple endings.

Spec Ops: The Line hits the PS3 in 2011 and will support multiplayer features, though specifics aren’t public yet. If you have questions about the game, ask away in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.