PlayStation Plus Update

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PlayStation Plus Update

Happy (almost) New Year! The PlayStation Plus team is gearing up for another banner year in 2013 as we continue to deliver free games, discounts, and access to events, betas and more to give PlayStation fans the edge when it comes to their gaming lifestyle. This week, we welcome PS3 Game NBA JAM On Fire Edition and PS Vita Game Chronovolt to the Instant Game Collection. You’ll also find deeper discounts with the last week of the PSN Holiday Sale.

Important note: We’ll be updating the PlayStation Store today (Monday, 12/31) due to the New Year holiday. Therefore, this Plus update will be live later today when the update has published.

Don’t have PlayStation Plus? Go to the PlayStation Store on your PS3 or PS Vita or click here to get access.

December 31st PlayStation Plus Update

NBA JAM On Fire Edition (PS3)

Free for Plus members

You don’t have to be a basketball nut to have a blast with this one. If you’ve played NBA JAM before, you know it’s all about fast-paced arcade-style basketball action. Of course it features all your favorite NBA players and legends, but with all the fun and irreverence that has hooked countless gamers and tons of trash-talking multiplayer sessions. Crazy modes, secret teams, and rock-solid online play make this a great addition to your collection. Take a look at the video above to check out a match up in the game in the classic ‘big head’ mode, and play it yourself to see why IGN.com gave it a 9 out 10.

Chronovolt (PS Vita)

Free for Plus members

Chronovolt is a puzzle-platformer with steampunk influences where players control the Chronosphere, a discovery that contains the energy that powers time. You’ll guide it through levels using all of the PS Vita’s controls including tilt, the analog sticks, and rear-touch to have a completely unique experience. Not to mention that by collecting power-ups known as Chronovolts, players are able to manipulate time, such as rewinding the game to save yourself from a fall that would have otherwise resulted in death. Set in three distinct worlds including a lush Mayan world, a snow-covered Chinese landscape, and a futuristic setting; PS Vita gamers will find plenty to love with Chronovolt.
PSN Holiday Essentials Sale (Week 3)

Various discounts for Plus members

The PSN Holiday Essentials wraps up this week with great deals on games you might have missed out on. Notables include the unique and completely charming Tokyo Jungle, Sound Shapes, and the remastered HD version of Shadow of the Colossus. Take a look at the full breakdown below:

Game

Normal Price

PSN Sale Price

Plus Sale Price

Batman: Arkham City

$29.99

$20.99

$14.70

inFAMOUS Festival of Blood

$9.99

$6.99

$4.90

inFAMOUS 2

$19.99

$13.99

Free in Plus

Assassin’s Creed 2 Deluxe Edition

$19.99

$13.99

$9.80

Shadow of the Colossus

$19.99

$13.99

$9.80

Bulletstorm

$19.99

$13.99

$9.80

Sound Shapes (PS3 and PS Vita Cross Buy)

$14.99

$10.49

$7.35

Sound Shapes (PS Vita only)

$14.99

$10.49

$7.35

TOKYO JUNGLE

$14.99

$10.49

$7.35

Skullgirls

$14.99

$10.49

$7.35

Touch My Katamari

$24.99

$17.49

$12.25


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As the last Plus post from 2012, I also want to extend a sincere thank you to all those who leave their feedback week to week. Whether you’re excited about an update, or giving your feedback about what you prefer, it’s always great to chat with you all. With PlayStation fans like you guys, I’m looking forward to an awesome 2013, and I hope you all will continue to bring the feedback; positive or critical.

We’ll be back next week as usual, but make sure you make your voice heard in the comments below, and also make sure to vote in the polls. You can also delve into the PlayStation Community Forums in the PS Plus space to continue chatting about Plus, or find other great sub-forums to participate in and build your PlayStation community cred. See you in the comments!

PlayStation Plus Update: 12-31-2012

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505 Comments

7 Author Replies

  • Why does it say Infamous 2 on the holiday sales free for plus, you already gave us it few months ago?

  • @40 If that is the case then that is fantastic! I wasn’t aware there was another version of NBA Jam except for the Wii version. I like your rude attitude though! Appreciate it! :D

  • Yeah that’s a horrible update I do both us n EU n lately its just EU for downloading retro city last week was awesome great throw back n the obscure references make the game what it is I wouldn’t mind NBA if I didn’t already purchase it when it was on sale the past 2 times maybe next month i just renewed for a year hopefully the next month will b better

  • a) What happened to Lumines? In the other blog post, it was listed for sale, albeit a sale on an outdated MSRP that needed to be updated. Is it just taken off while that issue gets sorted? I was pretty pumped to buy it. I’ve actually been waiting a few weeks to see if it’ll go on sale.

    b) NBA JAM is a fantastic game. I understand everyone’s apprehension, but seriously, I hate basketball, but I love NBA JAM.

    c) Chronovolt is supposed to be a legitimately bad game. Not just bad by taste, but apparently it’s buggy, not fun, and boring. It’s full of microtransactions and is just… bad. It just sounds like it’s not even worth “free.” Why is this the Plus game for Vita? I get that there’s not a WHOLE LOT of Vita games to offer yet, but why offer a bad one? Why not just offer a couple PSP games or a few PSOne games or something?

    • I believe Lumines may have been a typo and wasn’t part of the sale. I’ll ask that the team remove it from the Holiday Sale post. Apologies for the miscommunication there.

    • Actualy, correction: Lumines is sill on sale in the Holiday Sale, there just is not an extra discount for Plus members. So all should be accurate.

    • EXTRA Correction; it will still be on sale, just not part of the Holiday Sale. You’ll be able to find the discount for it under the “weekly deals’ section of the Store. Sorry, everyone is a bit on new Years break mode! =)

  • I wonder if I should finally bite on Arkham City or will that be a future free game on plus…hmmm…a discount like that makes me think that it will be offered free in the near future maybe…hmmmm…never playded shadow of the colossus…hmmm…

  • Ohh nice, a free sports game. Thanks!

  • thanks for another horrible week.
    Morgan let the team know they need to step it up for the new year thanks and have a happy new year

  • I haven’t played an NBA Jam game since the SNES, so I’m looking forward to this. No clue what Chronovolt is, but I’ll give it a go.

    It’s getting kinda funny reading the complaints for Plus from week to week, nobody ever seems happy. I’ve been content with what we’ve gotten recently. Not thrilled, especially because I’ve already owned some of the games (Bioshock 2, Retro City Rampage), but they’ve been good. I certainly don’t feel like I’m not getting value for the whopping $4.17 it comes out to for Plus every month. For the number of games we get every month that’s a steal.

  • omg where is The Unfinished Swan? :(

  • This is seriously not the quality I’d like to see in the coming months. I’ll leave abit of feedback hoping that you’d take it seriously and actually work harder in 2013 as I’ve subscribed for a year now..

    1) Please give us atleast ONE high quality game a month. High quality games like Batman: Arkham City/Asylum, BioShock 2 (good job on this one), UNCHARTED 1/2, The Walking Dead Full Series, Journey, Deus Ex, and such games. Please give us atleast one Full PS3 game which is of a high standard, even if it’s a year old.

  • Hey Morgan, first of all Happy New Year,
    Secondly I wanted to ask you that in your previous posts you said that we will have plenty of content to match EU, this is not it. I don’t know how plus works but since the time you included the Nothing for me option , Nothing for me has been the most voted choice. Just as a question can we expect to see good content before e3 2013 ?

  • 2) I hate comparing US to EU, but we are seriously lacking here when compared to EU Plus. They got Batman: Arkham City for free and a sale on all it’s DLCs, LIMBO (which is an awesome PSN game as opposed to Anomaly and others..), Vanquish (also a high quality game), Bulletstorm, etc. What games did we get which are high quality this month? BioShock and only BioShock. Nothing else is worth playing this month. Again I’m not talking about personal preference or complaints about owning a game which is offered for free, I’m talking about the quality and popularity of the games we’re getting. I’d appreciate Batman or other high quality games if they were offered for free EVEN IF I ALREADY OWN THEM. Just wanna make this clear.

  • hey morgan why do you guys discount games then then give them away free in a few months

  • I normally don’t complain as I’ve been satisfied with my PS+ subscription, but the NBA Jam offering really is a bit insulting. Has Sony not kept up on the news? The description even mentions the “rock-solid online play”, but this is being taken down January 11th with a number of other EA server shutdowns.

    http://www.ea.com/1/service-updates

    Given that online play is a strong draw for this game, that really should be mentioned up above or the game replaced.

  • Over the course of the year I get plenty of “free” games and discounts to justify the cost of my PS+ subscription. It’s not even close. Still, the last two months have been a little shakier on both fronts. I knew the Vita selection would’t be great after the initial push because there aren’t that many games on the system that fit the model for what PS+ has provided PS3 players, usually older games with a ton of DLC to purchase or well-received but undersold smaller PSN titles. The Vita has great games but the library isn’t extensive enough to expect much out of it for the platform. Because of this, I hope they at least continue with steep discounts on older Vita titles without immediately turning around and making those free the next month. I bought Hot Shots last week but Im almost certain I’ll see it as a free title in the coming months.

  • 3) Monthly updates are much better, please return the PS Plus posts to the older format. I noticed that while weekly updates makes us look forward to more stuff, we still get that disappointment of finding a game we don’t like. Having one post containing 4 games is more likely to have a better look than 4 posts with 2 awful games. Please consider this.

    Again, I’m not complaining just for the sake of it. I’m complaining and offering feedback just because Plus has gone down the hill for the past 2 months. EU are getting better with the service while we’re getting worse. I do remember visiting the EU Blog throughout 2012 and hearing complaints about the US being better. Now it’s the other way around, they’re getting the good deals and we’re left with the crappy ones. Please do something to make up for those lacking updates in 2013.

    Oh and speaking of 2013, have a happy new year Morgan!

  • I’m happy I got plus. At least they don’t keep giving me free games I already own like Batman: Arkham City. Love it when I get games I’ve never thought of buying and end up liking it. Thank you Sony can’t wait for next week.

  • WOW really Chronovolt this is just wack!

  • Morgan, is nba jam considered our retail game for the month? Or is next week considered the first update of January?

  • I think people need to give NBA Jam a chance. The game is actually fun with all the sillyness going on when the game gets started, and it’s one great knockoff of the NBA series. Nice to see a new PSV game free to; even though I’ve never heard of it till now.

  • im baffled on them taking out a retail game for a psn game, wich looks like a mini.

  • can’t wait for the drama to begin!
    I see donkey is here but where’s wabbit and primero?
    you guys make this blog worth reading for! Love all you’re comments and opinions.

  • hey morgan. happy new year. i have a great idea that im sure would shut allot of people up about the whole E.U vs. N.A versions of plus. if you guys at sony would allow us to select a limited amount of games per week. that way, if we own some, or most of the games on the list, we still would have a chance too select a game we dont own. i dont own nba jam. & im happy with it, but if you would have given me the option of either nba jam or lets say sound shapes, i would have chosen sound shapes. if the e.u gets a game that is considered a superior game by most, then why not just throw all the E.U & N.A games on a list & let us choose which games we want. giving the customer the option to choose is always good for both buyer & the seller.

  • Why is it that so many people are mentioning Chronovolt’s low score but now NBA Jam’s high score? Because they need something to complain about every week. Constructive criticism is fine, but whining about Plus being a ripoff is downright stupid. It’s the furthest thing from that, no matter how little value you get out of it. It’s just not for you then. Here’s a suggestion: List the kind of games you’d want, how much value you think you’ve gotten from PS+ this month, what kind of features you would like to see on PS+ (be realistic). Saying SCEA is giving you “the shaft” because you didn’t get a retail title makes you sound entitled.

    @Morgan
    Are NBA Jam and Chronovolt part of December’s games or January’s?

  • Why not give us the credit to choose our OWN game that each of us wants, instead of giving us garbage?

    Whatever happened to the Blog.Share? It hasn’t been updated since October, and I would love to know why EVERYONE ON THE PS PLUS TEAM IS STILL EMPLOYED?!

  • Hope 2013 the US plus dont get GENERIC EA GAMES…

  • Last update I compared the offerings to being a seven year old who got a sweater for Christmas.
    This week feels like after you saw my reaction to the sweater so you went around the corner to the gas station and got me a pack of sugar free gum and a tire gauge.

    The instant game collection started with a bang but with each week lately it becomes more of a joke. NBA Jam? Are you even trying anymore or did you just spin a giant wheel with third rate titles on it and this is what came up this week.

    There is more out there than aging fighting games, physics based puzzle games, and mediocre sports titles, please feel free to explore the other possibilities out there. I want to support what you are doing here but you are not making it easy.

    You have a whole new year to turn things around, let’s see what you do with it.

  • And the Sound shapes saves the week!

  • hmm i can never complain about getting more free games and discounts on games for the price of +, i am really happy not that most of the games on this new holiday list ill buy cuz i own them however sounds and shapes looks like fun. this year with ps + ive gotten more games then ever i am pumped to see how next year fans out

  • i was expecting a big game or something big for new year and we get this stupid nba jam basketball game :(

  • Most of the deal of the week are on old game that most of us should already own anyways a Nother nothing for me week :-(

  • I understand that we can’t have AAA games every week, but this is getting ridiculous. At least give us one AAA game every month or so. After Borderlands we haven’t really got anything of the same level. Bioshock 2 IMO is an amazing game, but most people that like that sort of game probably already had it (I did).

    And then there is that thing that you guys should know about, it’s called “The Internet”. It allows us to check out what Europe is getting, and boy are they getting better deals…

    The IGC on PS3 started well but is now mediocre, and I’m afraid that the Vita IGC is heading in the same direction. :(

  • Please dont give sound shapes FREE at least in six next months, i dont have money to waste.

  • Bulletstorm under 10$? SOLD

  • And yet another week where the “nothing for me” has a srong majority.

    Not a good sign when you’ve been having what should have been your biggest sales of the year the past few weeks.

    Also NBA Jam? Love the game but I recently bought it when it WAS ON SALE WITH PLUS!!!!

    Stop putting recently discounted games in the IGC already!!!!!

  • can i just set my system to 1 week ahead to download next week’s stuff, rather than this week’s garbage?

    I’m at least hoping 2013 will give us better garbage this these past 2 months.

  • NBA Jam and I guess I’m getting Tokyo Jungle w/ that price!

  • Since the E3 Plus update (summer 2012) I have not been happy with Plus, because, after the E3, the monthly and weekly games you guys have released for free, I have already purchased and spent money on it the past :-( . Its a disappointment for me to be waiting for next months free games and to finally open the Plus Update Blog and find out this months free games, I already own. I strongly suggest that if a current Plus member already owns/purchased the free games of the month/week, we should get a credit or an alternative game. This just makes me not buy any games you guys put on special (since you will eventually give them for free later on).

  • I voted Chronovolt, but more because nothing else appeals to me and at least I’m getting SOMETHING for Vita. That being said, if the (bad) reviews are any indication and talk of an abundance of microtransactions is true, this is going to be rather disappointing. There are plenty of other Vita-exclusive games that could have been provided instead with much better ratings, both critically and from users.

    Or why not Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus? With the sequel coming out in a couple months, does nobody at Sony and Tecmo think it would be a great marketing tool to give the original free to PS+ users to entice them to buy the sequel? Sometimes I wonder if any thought is put into choosing the IGC.

  • i think we dont get the good games in NA cause we spend more on games then EU

  • I don’t understand all the complaining here. This is definitely not the most exciting update of the year but come on, don’t tell me you don’t get your $50+ back in great discounts and freebies all year round. Personally, I already got more than $80 worth in perks in less than 2 months and I couldn’t be happier with my investment.

  • Noow, another EA game? Im very disappointed

  • This is why I haven’t bought PS PLUS in 8 months. Why buy this when I pay 10.99 at blockbuster and get to choose from all AAA titles. Never have to be disapointed.

  • Morgan PLEASE answer this comment. Do you understand what the people is asking for?? I think we made it pretty clear that we want the content to match the EU plus,but this games are pure crap compared to the EU PLUS. What is your excuse this time morgan??

  • Most people probably dont care but in case sony does.

    I own all those games on sale and have for a long time.

    You should try what EU did, LBP Karting, Far Cry 3, Family Guy the game, etc… a ton of new releases have been on sale this holiday season.

    In the US we get.. AC2… really… only 3 games since then…Infamous 2, currently free for plus. SotC ok game bought on sale with Plus a long time ago. Bulletstorm, same deal. Most of the rest have been free or discounted through Plus.

    Terrible choice of games. Once again all youre doing is reycling games that have been free or on sale before.

    After a month of replies hyping how great the last updates of the month and xmas sale would be, this is not anywhere close to what was promised, same for the last 2 weeks.

  • This is just terrible, they are giving us the shaft. Seriously, dudes do something about plus for NA or you are not going to get much renewals.

  • Morgan. i’m sorry but if you plan these games out, then shame on you. I’m tired of waiting for good game and all they give us is poop. The only reason i like this update a little is because of sound shapes. After that nothing for me.

  • See you all on the court! I’m going to kill it with Pipen and Rodman!

  • Nba Jam is taken offline not NBA Jam: On fire Edition they had two different versions of this game and on fire edition came out 6 months later

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