Like a lot of subscribers out there, I've been prone to doubts about PlayStation Plus. The online service has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, particularly when it comes to the monthly free games.
Let me say right off the bat that it's obviously impossible to keep everyone happy when it comes to monthly freebies. For one thing, Sony can't predict who already owns a game and who doesn't. Yes, it's genuinely annoying when you've just picked up a title one day before it gets announced as a PlayStation Plus free game for the month, but you can't blame Sony for that. At any rate, Sony appears to have been offering refunds in cases such as this recently, which is a pretty great move on its part.
So yes, choosing which games to make available for free is a tightrope walk that Sony has clearly struggled with in the past. But that's why I feel it's all the more noticeable that for the last few months, PlayStation Plus has kind of been knocking it out of the park.
This is all a matter of opinion, I suppose, but it first started for me in November 2020. PlayStation 4 users got Middle Earth: Shadow of War, and Hollow Knight. Now I've played and completed both of these games before, but the mix of AAA action and indie metroidvania was something I genuinely loved to see, and it gave me an excuse to dive right back in two great games.
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As if that wasn't enough, Sony opted to make Bugsnax a free download for PS Plus subscribers with a PlayStation 5. A brand-new game I might otherwise not have checked out as part of my subscription? This was an encouraging sign for PlayStation Plus taking big steps forward on the next-gen console.
PlayStation 5 users with a PS Plus subscription were treated to another genuinely ace incentive in November, of course, in the form of the PlayStation Plus Collection. This extra freebie gives players access to a library of some of the best PlayStation 4 games around, and finally gave me a reason to check out the likes of Days Gone and Persona 5. Not too shabby at all.
The last few months have seen Sony continue this trend of great indie games, AAA classics, and brand-new titles. January 2021 saw two massive games in the form of Shadow Of The Tomb Raider and Greedfall, with the surprise edition of Maneater on PlayStation 5. February hit us with the double-threat of the next-gen edition of Control and the gorgeous Concrete Genie, while this month we can enjoy Final Fantasy VII Remake and fresh-out-the-box Annapurna indie Maquette.
Hell, maybe next month's offerings will be another pair of games that do nothing for me and leave me completely cold, but I feel like there's been a real shift in the way Sony approaches the monthly free games. We already know that April will give PS5 owners access to the long-awaited Oddworld: Soulstorm as soon as it launches, which certainly suggests this approach is set to continue.
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It feels to me as if there's a little bit more thought being put into the variety of games on offer, and that's been great to see. A big AAA for those who want it, and an indie hit for those of us after something a little bit different. Throw in the occasional brand-new release or multiplayer hit like Fall Guys and Destruction AllStars, and everybody wins. If Sony ever sorts out backwards compatibility and starts throwing in the occasional PlayStation 2 or PlayStation game into the monthly mix, PlayStation Plus could just establish itself as the premiere subscription service. As it stands, it's very much well on the way.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: GAMING, Features, PlayStation, PS Plus
