PlayStation Releases this week (1/7): Don't Starve for PS4, free Devil May Cry for PS3

A couple of free games are available for PlayStation Plus subscribers, and there's a huge load of price changes and add-ons for multiple games for all the PlayStation platforms.

First, here's a look at the new release list:

• Don't Starve (PS4) - $14.99 (PS+ Free)
• Tiny Brains (PS3) - $19.99 (cross-buy)
• Twisted Lands: Shadow Town (PS3) - $11.99 (demo available)
• StreetKix: Freestyle (PSP) - $11.99 (PS+ $10.79)
• Furmins + Bonus World (Vita) - $6.49

It's a pretty light week for new releases. Obviously, the biggest release of the week is Don't Starve, and that will be free for all PS+ subscribers that own a PS4 console.

Don't Starve is a port from the PC game released last May. Marty Sliva of IGN reviewed the game and both loves and loathes the approach of the unique Minecraft clone's ability to "never hold [a player's] hand."It received a 7.0 on IGN's 1-10 rating scale.

Klei Entertainment's stylish take on Minecraft's formula through the lense of a roguelike drops you into the gorgeous wild and immediately abandons you to figure out how to survive on your own. Some adventurers will view this freedom as a liberating canvas on which they can express their patience, creativity, and bravery, but this complete lack of direction or goals beyond simply staying alive prevented me from ever really bonding with Don't Starve.

In this week's Instant Game Collection, PS+ subscribers will not only receive Don't Starve on PS4, but they'll also get DmC: Devil May Cry on PS3

Plenty of games received permanent retail price changes. Here are some of the highlights:

• Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss Add-On - $9.99
• Lego Lord of the Rings (PS3/Vita) - $19.99
• Saints Row IV - $39.99
• Dokuro - $2.99

There's only one sale, and that's Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable, discounted from $39.99 to $14.99.  I explored deeper into the title, and it was a six-year-old port of an Xbox 360 game released last year at this time. It's a 3rd-person arcade shooter that looks like a fun romp for a time waster, but in Polygon's review, the bugs in the game will probably get me to stay away.

A slew of add-ons and themes were also released. Add-on ighlights include the Illustrious Pirates Pack for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (both PS3 and PS4), multiple LittleBigPlanet 2 (and Karting) costume packs, a free Stadium Pack in Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, and the Anime Pack in Saints Row IV.

PlayStation Plus updates (7-23): Free Metal Slug, Thomas Was Alone DLC

We're a little light on the updates this week, but every update can't be mind-blowing right? We'll take a quick glance at PlayStation Plus stuff and then even look at some other new additions to the PlayStation Store this week.

• Metal Slug XX (PSP/Vita) - Free
• Thomas Was Alone: Benjamin's Flight (DLC) (PS3/Vita cross-buy) - $1.74

Since I'm an arcade enthusiast, I couldn't recommend anything named Metal Slug any higher. ESPECIALLY for those that haven't experienced any of the MS franchise. Can't wait for the sequel.

As a reminder, last week's deals on Carnival Island, Sorcery, and Cloudberry Kingdom are still up. While I can't truly recommend the PS Move games, CK does have potential to be pretty awesome.

Also, if you haven't yet, this is the last week to pick up Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. Highly recommended for all Vita owners to pick this one up.

Some other discounts available for everybody is FUSE being discounted to $39.99 (pretty much retail price at this point) and FIFA Soccer 13 getting knocked down to $19.99 on PSP/Vita. That's a good deal for the Vita, assuming you haven't played the previous edition (it's the same thing). As for FUSE, if you've waited this long for a price drop, you can wait until it drops another 20 bucks really soon.

Last but not least, there's a trio of $.99 games for the PS3: Blast Factor, Calling All Cars, and Critter Crunch. I'd recommend them since they're finally priced right, except for those that despise mobile games. For the rest of us, crack open a few beers and enjoy.

Mobile games were made to play while drinking, right?

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

[Image credit: Flickr/jstyle.de]

Deadpool Accidently $60 at PlayStation Store, Sony Gives Back Credit

PlayStation owners that bought Deadpool on the PlayStation Store may not have realized that they actually were overcharged for the game.

The retail price for Deadpool is $49.99, which is exactly $10 less than what it was offered on the PS Store. Sony will be giving back $10 in PSN credit to everyone that purchased the game before the fix.

There's an interesting brawl going on in the Destructoid comments, mostly between a moderator and a general commenter, on all sorts of topics such as Sony "breaking the law" by doing this.

No, Sony didn't break any law, nor was this any sort of price gouging. It was a simple mistake on their end that they thought it was at standard retail price, but in legal terms a store can charge the consumer anything.

Hell, Sony could charge $5 for Deadpool today if they wanted to, but they would be losing money for both themselves and the publisher that made the game, and said publisher would demand to either take the game off or charge it at a higher price.

While Sony could simply shrug and go, "Whoops," they actually went out of their way to credit gamers so they wouldn't feel ripped off and it wouldn't leave a bad image on the company. Sure, it'd be nice to be able to get that credit back on whatever form of payment the consumer made, but I highly doubt that anybody that was okay on dropping $60 in the PS Store would never drop $10 more for the rest of their life.

Just remember, before bitching about losing $10, realize you'll lose a lot more than that after dinner with the girlfriend and she finally cheats on you with the next door neighbor. And it's not hard to look up prices on a game -- cheap asses like myself have been getting away with it for years.

[Source: Destructoid]

[Image credit: Flickr/greyloch]

PlayStation Store Updates: Jak and Daxter on Vita, Free Saints Row: The Third

Let's take a look at the best of this week's PlayStation Store updates, highlighted by another collection of classic PlayStation 2 hits ported over to the Vita and a couple of free games for PlayStation Plus members.

It was announced back in April that the Jak and Daxter Collection would be ported over to the Vita in June. With a price tag around $10 to play each classic game, it's not a bad investment, and generally the HD updates look a shade better on Vita's beautiful screen and gives gamers some more options to choose from when they lack a big memory card and currently are on the go.

For those that don't need the portability, the same collection went on sale for the PlayStation 3 for just $10 at GameStop while Amazon has it for just a couple bucks more.

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Can't wait for Grand Theft Auto V? Volition's Saints Row: The Third provides an open-world experience that will fill that void, and doesn't present a carbon copy that tries to be serious. With a price tag still of around $30 even at Amazon, it's a tremendous deal for PS+ subscribers that will give them hours of entertainment during the boring summer days.

Because seriously, who really wants to waste their time outdoors?

Those that do want an excuse to go outside can pick up Gods Eater Burst for free, a PSP game that's compatible on their Vita. If the title doesn't make you interested, the game is generally a Monster Hunter clone that's received mixed reviews from some people almost favoring it over the more famous franchise to the game becoming completely stale as it goes on.

But if it's free, might as well play it until it gets old right?

[Source: PlayStation Blog]
[Image credit: Flickr/Joshua Livingston]

PlayStation Plus Adds Uncharted 3, LittleBigPlanet Karting to June's Instant Game Collection

With free games that have been in the lineup for a year expiring this week, there was anticipation of more games being added this month to the PlayStation Plus service. Sony didn't disappoint with the announcement of three new games late last week.

All three games that were listed are all for the PlayStation 3:

• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Single-player campaign and free-to-play multiplayer)
• LittleBigPlanet Karting
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Both U3 and LBPK are $20 or less in most online stores, XCOM is around $30. It's worth mentioning that it still might be worth getting the U3 Game of the Year Edition for just $20 at Amazon; this edition that's free on PS+ doesn't include the full multiplayer mode and the DLC received in the GOTY edition  is worth it for those that are interested.

While LBPK is the weakest offering as an average kart racer, it provides some fun for local multiplayer and could serve as an alternative to a standard drinking game with cards. U3 obviously is a must-play for everyone (now there's no excuse) and XCOM is a turn-based strategy that's received high praise from most reviewers. It currently averages an 89 over at Metacritic.

All these games will be available tomorrow in the PlayStation Plus store.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

[Photo credit: Flickr/naughty_dog]

Limbo Ported to PlayStation Vita, Releases Early June

The former Microsoft Xbox-exclusive platformer will yet again be getting another port, this time over to Sony's portable device.

Limbo will be available at the PlayStation Store for $14.99 for all PlayStation Vita owners on June 4th. Playdead, the creators of the game, noted the transition to the handheld device was seamless and will feature the same quality from computer and console ports.

As we approach the third anniversary of LIMBO, the game is finally ready for handheld devices. Together, with the talented people at Double Eleven, we at Playdead have been working hard to adapt LIMBO to PS Vita without compromising the experience.

Limbo was originally released on the Xbox 360 in July 2010 before being ported over to Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3 a year later. A Mac OS X port was released in December 2011.

What is limbo? It's a 2D side-scrolling game with trial-and-error puzzles. Playdead intended for players to literally do what their company name is - play the game and die multiple times before finding a way to move on.

The struggle doesn't last for too long, and that's some part of the criticism in the game along with the steep price. Praise was given to the art style which resembles film noir.

It's move to a portable device is perfect. However, considering the game is available for $10 on PS3 already, players need to justify an extra five bucks to add portability but nothing else to a nearly 3-year-old game.

[Source: PlayStation Blog / Wikipedia]
[Photo source: Flickr/Angel Barreiros]

PlayStation Store Update Highlights: Week of May 21st, 2013

Here's a quick weekly look at the biggest updates to the entire catalog of the PlayStation Store. Instead of regurgitating the whole list that can easily be found on the PlayStation Blog, or a cleaner and simplified list by FriskyTanuki at Cheap Ass Gamer, here's the biggest and/or most interesting announcements.

Full Games | Mugen Souls ($39.99)

One of the perks of having PlayStation is getting Japanese RPGs. This one isn't the best, averaging around a 50 percent at GameRankings and IGN giving it a 3.9 for "poor writing, ugly visual design, [and] esoteric gameplay systems."

For those that love the genre for better or worse, this is the best deal on the game with the exception of a limited-time deal at Play-Asia for just $24.90. Naturally, it falls 10 cents short of free shipping - if there's nothing else that interests you, the shipping is a shade over $4, but still a better deal.

Ultimate Editions | Starhawk ($23.49)

This PlayStation original is still collecting dust on my shelf, but it's one of the more intense multiplayer games on the console for those interested. Getting all the bonus content at this price is a good bargain - especially for those with PlayStation Plus.

Bundles | Darkstalkers Resurrection w/ Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (14.99)

Almost an instant buy for the guys that spent weekends playing emulated games in their parent's basements when they were kid. Whoops, I mean...play these games at their local arcade hangout. Yeah, that's it...

PlayStation Plus Deals

Instant Game Collection

• Pinball Arcade (PS3, Vita)
• Germinator (Vita)

It's a slight disappointment this week in the free category. A couple of $10 games are on sale; one is a class pinball game featuring at least four different tables and the other being a match-three puzzle game that's probably identical to other games that can be found free on Google Play. Hopefully Germinator isn't the same thing.

Since both of these aren't the longest games, a review should be up shortly this week on both.

All ultimate editions are 75% off! (Includes all downloadable content.)

• Devil May Cry: Ultimate Edition - $47.24
• Max Payne 3: Ultimate Edition - $20.99
• Starhawk: Ultimate Edition - $16.99
• and more!

Darkstalkers Resurrection bundle w/ SPF II Turbo HD Remix - $10.49

[Photo credit: Flickr/Dekuwa]