PlayStation Plus: October Preview

I’m a sucker for fantasy.  If a game allows it, I’ll create an elf mage because magic is awesome.  This month I can do just that as Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is entering the Instant Game Collection.  With a tale crafted by NY Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, stunning visuals from Todd McFarlane, and a customizable combat system, Reckoning has a lot to offer RPG fans.  The mix-and-match combat means I can get my magic fix while also smashing things in the face with a hammer, or stabbing them with a sword and other various pointy weapons, which is pretty cool if you ask me. 

You may remember that last month we added Team Ico’s original cult classic ICO to the IGC, so their equally beloved sequel Shadow of the Colossus seemed like a natural follow-up.  Slaying the majestic Colossi should make you feel something (read: incredibly guilty), but hey, you gotta save your #1 girl, right?  In a completely different vein, Plus members will also receive Poker Night 2, which is an amusing twist on the classic card game.  With GLaDOS as the dealer and opponents like Claptrap from Borderlands and Ash from Army of Darkness you can sit back, have a laugh and bet all your fake money away. 

PS Vita owners are in for a couple treats – both the gorgeous shmup Sine Mora and the critically acclaimed top-down shooter Hotline Miami are joining the Instant Game Collection later this month.  Sine Mora boasts stunning backdrops and cinematics as well as a slightly different shoot-em-up mechanic – you are in a constant race against the clock and the only way to get more time is to kill enemies.  Hotline Miami embraces hardcore twitch-based play, which means you may need to repeat levels multiple times, but once you get through it it’s incredibly satisfying.  Since Hotline Miami is a Cross-Buy title, you’ll be able to download it for both PS Vita and PS3. 

These games will hit the Instant Game Collection at various times throughout the month, so check back with us every Monday morning for that week’s update. 

October PlayStation Plus Preview

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PS3)

Free for PS Plus members, Regular Price: $19.99
Immerse yourself in an all-new massive universe from the minds of bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, world-renowned artist Todd McFarlane, and legendary game designer Ken Rolston.  Choose your path and battle through a sprawling master-crafted world featuring some of the most intense, responsive, and customizable RPG combat ever. 

Shadow of the Colossus (PS3)

Free for PS Plus members, Regular Price: $19.99
Experience a majestic journey through ancient lands, on a quest to bring a girl back to life.  The only way to save her is to slay sixteen Colossi.  Explore expansive landscapes and seek out each gigantic beast in its own natural habitat.  Armed with only a sword, a bow, each Colossus presents a unique challenge to test your wits, determination, and skill. 

Poker Night 2 (PS3)

Free for PS Plus members, Regular Price: $9.99
The chips are down and the ante is up in this sentence already bursting with poker clichés!  Take the fifth seat in Poker Night 2, at a table featuring Claptrap (Borderlands 2), Brock Samson (The Venture Bros.), Ash (Army of Darkness) and Sam (Sam and Max series).  Your dealer is GLaDOS (Portal), but at no point will you be considered as a candidate for a visit to Aperture Science’s Enrichment Center.  Unless you lose. 

Hotline Miami (PS Vita/PS3, Cross-Buy)

Free for PS Plus members, Regular Price: $9.99
Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gunplay and skull crushing close combat.  Set in an alternative 1989 Miami, you will assume the role of a mysterious antihero on a murderous rampage against the shady underworld at the behest of voices on your answering machine. 

Sine Mora (PS Vita)

Free for PS Plus members, Regular Price: $9.99
SINE MORA is a horizontal shoot’em up that provides a unique take on challenge, where time is the ultimate factor.  Mixing classic shooter sensibilities with contemporary presentation, SINE MORA is a gorgeous shmup that offers a Story Mode that weaves an over-the-top tale and an Arcade Mode that provides deep, satisfying gameplay to challenge fans of the genre.  With many ways to manipulate time, SINE MORA features over 60 weapon combinations to complete each beautiful stage that form fits to the player’s skills with scaling difficulty. 

If you’ve got feedback on PlayStation Plus make sure you take the poll above as well as leave a comment below.  To chat about all things PlayStation, including this update, you can head over to the PlayStation Community Forums.  You’ll also find other topics you can contribute your thoughts to, or you can start your own discussion. 

Pretty Good.  Can’t wait for Hotline Miami.  Talk about it and Playstation Plus on the Go For Rainbow Podcast all the time.  Always feels weird to own some of the free offerings though.  Makes you really realize you really shouldn’t keep a backlog. 

In before the whiners complain that we’re not getting as good of games as the EU. 

This is a great set of games in terms of quality. 

-Sine Mora is fantastic and needs to be played to be believed.  It’s one of the best-looking, best-playing shmups out there, and it’s gorgeous on the Vita. 
-The definitive version of Hotline Miami is on the Vita. 
-Kingdoms of Amalur is one of the best games of last year and many people missed out by not playing it. 
-Poker Night 2 is tons of fun.  Brock Samson FTW! 
-Shadow of the Colossus is a fantastic game that really shines on the PS3 (and is a great follow up to Ico)

If you don’t own any of these games, then it’s a great month for you.  I personally already own Shadow of the Colossus, but it will be AMAZING if this is your first time playing it.  Also, not supper psyched about Poker Night 2, but I like Claptrap, Glados, and Sam as characters, so it should be interesting to see the jokes that arise from them.  Sine Mora looks fun, but I need a Vita :(.  REALLY excited about Hotline and Kingdoms of Amalur, though! 

Not bad.  Not impressed with yet ANOTHER port of an indie Android game, but the other offerings are a lot better than most months.  Love R.A. Salvatore, so Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning should be a fun one for me.  Already had Shadow of the Colossus, but still haven’t played either that or ICO. 

Poker?  Well, it’s not pinball.  Hotline Miami, for some reason, brings to mind Retro City Rampage, but I haven’t really even looked into that game yet. 

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning might make this month worth it.  Still too busy playing GTA V, and when online drops on Tuesday of next week, no one’s gonna care about PS+. 

Holy crapanoli!  Shadow of the Colossus ($20) and Hotline Miami ($10) plus a bunch of other games I have to learn more about.  For $5, I’m a happy Plus Member!  BTW if I renew plus for $49.99 will I still get the $10 credit from the latest promotion? 

Well now I feel like an idiot for buying SoTC when it was on sale for $5 on PSN 2 months ago.  Oh well, at least I get to keep the game forever (not like I plan on unsubbing for a looooong time).  Anyway, aside from that I’m rather pleased with this months offerings.  Hope you can match Europe next month and offer us Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen.  Also enjoy that we get two native vita games this month instead of a PSP game and a Vita game.  Honestly guys this is a really great and month and I look forward to playing everything except Poker Night 2. 

Amalur is underrated. 
Shadow of Colossus is a classic. 
Poker Night 2 I never played, but the first one was funny. 
Sine Mora I’ve always been interested in, though I can get it for a $1 in the Humble Bundle for PC. 
Hotline Miami is a bit overrated, IMO, but I’m curious to see how it plays on Vita. 

Another month where I own most of the content, but Kingdoms of Amalur makes up for it, I’ve been wanting to play that. 

So here’s a question: has any thought been put into any way to give something back for people who already own the plus games that are being given away?  It’s been a bummer these past few months as I’ve personally owned most of what’s come out.  How about a point system, where you get a point for each game you already own, then you can spend those points on a preset selection of games?  Just something for those of us who maybe buy more games, because as it is now we’re almost being penalized for buying these games before they go on Plus. 

Okay… Not that these games are bad, BUT REALLY, The time you guys choose to give 2 Vita games they’re PSN Only titles… Really!?  Smh… I’m giving up on PS+ for Vita, PS3 content is no complaint but seems apart from once every 4 months, PS Vita gets shafted, Last months Rayman and GTA would have been great if Rayman wasn’t on Sale for practically nothing just before that months announcement. 

Please decrease the number of Vita games perpetually on the IGC from 3 to 2.  Having 50-60% of the games on the list never changing is way to high of a percentage compared to the PS3 IGC which is 25-30%. 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU KRISTINE !!!  i was waiting for Hotline Miami to go on Sale 50% off so i can buy it.  but now i get to play for free.  if i like it i’ll buy it when it hits 50% off then !  thanks for the heads up Kristine

Hi hope you can answer some questions please? 
1- What sales are planned for the month of October?  Will there be a sale on PSP and PSX games? 
2- Any chance there’ll be a ‘Buy 1 year of PS Plus, get 3 extra months’ like what you did earlier this year? 

Unfortunately, Plus sales are announced the Monday before they go live, so any discounts for next week, etc.  will be posted then.  As for the Plus membership sale, we currently have our spend $50, get $10 back, but there’s nothing to announce re: any other future Plus promotions. 

Wow this is an amazing lineup!  Completely redeems for September, IMO one of the worst months (both games and discount wise) since the IGC started. 

Kingdoms of Amalur – I’ve been waiting forever for it to get to $10 retail, but it just won’t drop to that price.  So I will absolutely take it for free! 
Shadow of the Colossus – Great game.  I already have the collection disc, but now that I have both Ico and SotC on PS+, I can resell the disc and make back a little bit of money. 
Poker Night 2 – Looks like a fun game.  Best part about this game being free is that it’s never been on sale before, so I’ve never been tempted to buy it. 
Hotline Miami – I’ve heard great things, been dying to try it.  And see my comment before, it’s never been on sale before, so I was never tempted to buy it.  I love seeing a few never-been-on-sale-before games in the PS+ lineup every month. 
Sine Mora – This one was on sale before, but I didn’t buy it because I already had it on the other console.  I’m excited to replay it on my Vita though! 

So 5/5 for me this month, excellent job.  And absolutely best of all, NO PSP GAMES!!!  The Vita has a stellar enough lineup now that I’d love to see 2 Vita games per month and no more PSP games! 

HOTLINE MIAMI, one of the best indie soundtracks ever, add to that the insane acid fueled/hyper violent trip of playing the game.  It was one of my favorite games of last year on steam and I cannot wait to play through it again on my ps3/vita. 

YES – thank you for KoA, been waiting for that to come to NA+ and now it’s here, I knew you wouldn’t deprive us, this makes me super happy subscriber.  My only wish is that Sine Mora wasn’t Vita only.  The other games are great offers too, so thanks!  Plus game offers have gotten SO MUCH better over the last year.