Disappointed with this month's PlayStation Plus selection? It sounds like Sony will be giving you the choice to select your freebies moving forwards. A trailer on the 'What's New' section of the PlayStation 4 confirms that a new feature is on the way, allowing you to vote for which title you want to be given away for free. Judging by the clip, you'll have three titles to pick from each month, and the one that gets the most votes will be added to the Instant Game Collection.
The trailer notes that the two losers will still be available on the PlayStation Store and will secure discounts for PlayStation Plus members. It looks like the voting functionality will be built into the system's user interface, with bar charts allowing you to see the current winner in realtime. The three games demonstrated in the trailer are: Zombie Vikings, Armello, and Grow Home – the latter of which appears to be coming to the PS4 after a successful PC launch.
We expect Sony to reveal more about this in the coming days. Still, this sounds like absolutely huge news, and is going to give you a little more power to decide which games you get for free each month. What do you make of this forthcoming feature? Make a choice in the comments section below.
Comments 51
So will there be one definite game each month and one that is voted for?
It's all kicking off today!
I like this idea a lot, let's just hope the selection's good. I know for a fact that either Knack or Killzone will be in the first lineup
This is huge!
Why not just offer each subscriber the option to download any one game out of the three on offer and at the end of the month Sony can divvy up the cash to the dev companies based on the % of people who choose their game. At least that way everyone's happy (apart from those subscribers who don't want any of the three).
@Pipr 'Cos this way Sony gets a ton of PR as people discuss the games up for selection, and developers compete for your votes. This is just so smart it hurts.
It'll probably be a choice between three equally crappy indie games..
I'm not that keen, a lot of people who think games like killzone are fantastic whilst I don't, and the surprises and indie games are usually very enjoyable and well received by me. I'm hoping Jamestown plus makes its way over at some point soon but how many would vote for that?
@Anchorsam_9 not so sure myself, the phrasing of the advert where they mention the winning game will be made available free "on release", makes it sound specific to new releases. As though perhaps they will decide on our existing release each month, while we get to choose the other title from a selection of incoming stuff. Dunno, maybe I'm just reading too much into their wording!
Give us Broforce for free please!!!!!!!!!!
Lol knack or kx @anchorsam_9
I have no idea how good the other two games shown will end up being, but Grow Home is one of the best games I've played this year, and one of the best things to come out of Ubisoft in a long time, if they could even offer games half as good that is, then we're in for a good time.
This is an excellent idea it wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft copies it in the near future.
Armello!
@SteveButler2210 It may be just to save their butts incase said game gets delayed for whatever reason.
No interest in any of those, and this month the only one that's of any use to me is Limbo and I didn't bother buying it when it was on sale last month. so that's two months in a row where I've wasted money on the subscription.
Which indie platformer to choose..
I like it. Now people can't complain about the free game each month cause they voted for it themselves.
@Tasuki not likely, now they will just moan about not liking any of the games offered!
I don't really see the point in complaining. As someone who owns a PS3, PS4 and PS Vita, I am effectively getting 6 games each month for the princely sum of about 56p each. Even if some of it is rubbish, the overall value for money is still staggering.
Thats basically telling you one of three games is free regardless of whether youd like to see them on there or not.
Im not sure how different this will be in reality for those of us that want very different offerings than those that you are forced to choose from if you want to vote, from a list thats picked for you regardless.
Then the ones that dont "win" will get put on the store anyway, exactly the same as it is now, so if you really wanted a game youd just pay anyway.
Giving a choice out of ten or maybe even 5 or 6 would give a better chance of the votes meaning anything.
And you can guarantee they will be very similar genres, and almost definitely "remasters" from the PS3 or PC.
But I notice people complain about remasters on the PS4 but somehow its mysteriously ok if its an Indie release…
Anyway, Im not convinced.
@SteveButler2210 I only have a PS4 but am holding out hope for a decent DmC style game on there!
Ultimately if Im not remotely interested in the "choices" I just wont vote.
I'm with the first comment... We get 2 games a month now but this only says one game gets chosen... So is there gonna be a definite game and a voted game or what?
"The trailer notes that the two losers will still be available on the PlayStation Store and will secure discounts for PlayStation Plus members."
I love this.
Omg thank you Sony!
@Tasuki Oh they will because some will never get what Plus is for.
Man, this is such a good idea. Not only will we continue to get the usual free games of the month, but now there will be discounts on games that lose the vote. So really...PS Plus just got a bit better because everybody wins in some way! lol
Where's BLPs and his persistent complaints?
good idea but my tastes are not always the norm so this scares me a bit.
I said they should do this ages ago, it's a good way to gauge what's wanted instead of telling us what is. Hopefully it'll mean we get better games.
@SteveButler2210
@Johnnycide Or a stream of exactly the same genre because thats the most popular, rather than whats neccessarily the best games.
I think it could end up biased against those that have more specific tastes like myself, where irrespective of the vote, could never ever see a game on there that appeals.
Extreme yes, but very possible.
Unless the three offered are always vastly different which in my experience so far, is unlikely.
@arsenio3d you realize we'll be getting the crappy end of the AAA games right? why would you rather have Watch Dogs or Need for Speed than great games like Rocket League or Transistor? gobbling up $60 committee made garbage is a problem in this industry. it's the same reason why we have a yearly rehashes of CoD, Assassins Creed, and EA sports games.
Don't get how this is good news. It's not like people really wanting one of the games over the others won't rig it and constantly vote, or find some way of disrupting it. Effectively we now have the idiots of the masses deciding what we play rather than Sony. Huge news.
It won't last anyway, be gone in a couple of months just like when Sony asked people to mark the Plus choices and they quickly took them away when they didn't like what they were told.
@Tasuki and what will the people who complain about the complainers have to do with their lives? They far outnumber the complainers, here in particular. Criticise Plus and you're effectively telling them you've slept with their mum and filmed it the way people overreact. Some people like things others don't and are allowed to say so without it meaning they are somehow anti-Sony scum. Why is that so hard for a lot of people (not having a go at you here by the way) to understand that?
@Goodacre0081
Because I really enjoyed Watch Dogs and NFS, spent a lot of hours playing them both. Great graphics which is one of the reasons I got a PS4 in the first place.
If I wanted 16bit indie games, I could have just kept my old PS3.
I really like Rocket League and have it Platinum'd, but that and Skulls of the shogun is probably the only games I enjoyed so far on PS+.
@rastamadeus I get that.
Ive said the exact same thing in the past.
You cant criticise Indies because they are low budget (as a rule), no matter how similar it is to another game or whatever.
This seems to be the general consensus.
My major issue is, if 5 straight months all three "choices" are things I dont like the look of, which is possible, why would I vote?
Or if a niche game I really liked the look of, but it was up against something as popular as say Transistor for example, what game would I be getting?
Because lets face it, you could blow smoke up the back end of Sony regarding this, its still hugely stacked to the "majority" and Id argue lowers the chances for something different to come along.
Making those whom are selective less likely to recieve something.
Hmmm.... option A wins by 79%, option B 21% and option C 10% (all votes are secret). Game B is offered as freebie, but option A (majority vote) gets discounts!!. This is just my idea of a teeny marketing conspiracy theory. Hope we can see how many votes per option.
Great stuff....Bloodborne please
Why do I see a bunch of old games that nobody cares about anymore, or ones that people already own that will be available to choose from? Also, does this mean that it will only have one game as a freebie with the rest on sale, or will we still have 2 freebies?
To be honest, all this criticism is a criticism of voting in general. It's often said that one of the reasons less and less people vote in general elections is because the choices are all bad. There's also the sense that even if there's a good choice in there, it'll get drowned out by "the masses" and there's nothing your single vote can do to stop that.
The positive way to look at it is that you can basically veto a bad choice. Let's say if the potential choices were Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN, Skullgirls 2nd Encore and then... Rise of the Robots. If you want Skullgirls, you'll probably no be happy. GG would probably win. But at least you got rid of Rise of the Robots. Of course, there's always the risk of ironic voting for the bad choice. Hmmm.
I have asked you to watch the language now I am through asking -Tasuki-
I like not picking as you find hidden gems like titan attacks and rogue legacy.
@bbq_boy I see your point... 110%.
@ToOGoodOfAPlaya well I'd rather see something I didn't necessarily want that most other people did (rocket league, though I'll shout overrated at the damn thing til I'm hoarse), than something a minority wanted that is just terrible (Hohokum, sportsfriends, never alone).
Many of the most vocal members of various forums cry out for JRPGs. This would lead many to think that they were a good idea. If people voted anonymously then I'm sure that they wouldn't be well received.
This is a good way to have at least one crowd pleasing title per month, then sony can shovel whatever else they like on there.
I can't see the Vita or PS3 being part of rhe igc for long now. Maybe a year, after which the ps4 lineup will hopefully have a bit more backing behind it.
Maybe I'm wrong, but this has the potential to be great.
@Johnnycide Yeah I hear that.
I just think that there could end up being a percentage of players that flat out never get anything.
Id rather Sony just put up games, than constantly see the obvious choices that the majority want always being the freebie.
That way if you just get games, theres more of a chance you could get a game you love.
I dont know, Im just trying to argue the toss.
My worry is that having played or seen gameplay of the all of the titles, they're vastly different experiences, so the winner of said vote is likely just going to be the most popular genre as opposed to what's the best game. I can't fault anyone for personal preference. It has a lot of potential, but I do hope it's not just a selection of vastly different indie games in the future and we get a choice of somewhat similar games, at least in the same genre. At least the three offerings do look really solid.
Sony Rep: "okay you've moaned and moaned about Plus, so we're going to let you decide what goes on"
Typical forum poster: BUT I DON'T WANT TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THREE CRAP INDY GAMES"!
Sony Rep: Bangs head on desk
@Matroska Please can you watch the language, man. @Tasuki has been editing your posts, but you keep using bad language. We prefer to keep the site here family friendly as much as possible.
Thanks.
Kewl!
Well I think it's a good idea. It keeps the community involved. Some people are saying it can lead to people voting for the worst game on offer on purpose. Just to be awkward. However isn't that a risk of voting in general ?. No system is perfect.
Choice can only be a good thing, as long as what we have to choose from is substantial. I can imagine going forward that there will be an obvious choice and then two other meh titles. Also, I will miss the monthly announcements. Kind of like knowing what presents you're getting for Christmas before you open them.
@stevie85 Yes it is.
So the only way to eliminate it is not to do it to start with.
We will still see the same names on the IGC anyway so its neither here nor there.
There will never be a niche game or something different as long as its coming up against the likes of say, Transistor or Velocity for example.
Which to me alienates those who would like to see those niche and different games, but as I said, that doesnt happen now anyway, well, very rarely.
@Bliquid Too much work.... (Says the guy who just preordered N++, Galak-Z, and King's Quest Complete in one week...)
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