We’d been offline for well over three weeks, the PSN’s downtime giving many gamers chance to catch up on some single player stuff (or, of course, defect and jump onto other ships) but over the weekend things started to grind back in life, culminating in a stuttering restart on Sunday and everyone (except Japan) back online Monday. It’s been an odd few weeks, people generally feeling a bit left in the dark but hopeful that Sony would get everything fixed and we – the loyal gamers – would get rewarded.
Well, yesterday evening the various territories announced their Welcome Back packs – a selection of PS3 and PSP games that PlayStation gamers could opt for, once the Store’s back online. Whenever that’s going to be. Were people happy? Well, despite the games being offered generally being pretty good titles, the general concensus around the internet (and from 11 pages of comments here on TSA) is that Sony’s most loyal gamers are feeling a little bit hard done by – mainly because they’ve already bought most, if not all, of the games listed.
Let’s take a look at the European options, then. First up, the PS3 games. We’ll be able to pick two out of the following five: LittleBigPlanet, Infamous, Wipeout HD, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty and Dead Nation. Now, we don’t know about you personally, but that’s really not a bad selection of games. You’ve got the wonderful (albeit slightly dated now with the superior sequel) LittleBigPlanet, a massive third person action game in the shape of Infamous, one of the best racing games ever created with Wipeout HD (and the Fury add-on), cute platformer Quest for Booty and top down zombie blaster Dead Nation.
Really, what did you expect?
We’ve seen comments around the net from those that had already bought all five complaining that there’s nothing in there for them – but these are popular, high scoring games, so anyone regularly buying them would have already got them – that’s going to be the case whichever five titles Sony picked. And of course they’re all first party titles, we’d imagine the logistics and licensing behind trying to secure third party titles would have been a nightmare, not to mention the physical restriction of having to ensure the games were available to download from the Store, you’re not getting Blu-rays here.
The PSP selection’s equally strong: LittleBigPlanet is great, ModNation Racers is one of the most rounded games on the platform, Pursuit Force is an oldie but worth looking at, and Killzone Liberation’s a decent enough filler for anyone looking for more Killzone, albeit third person and top-down. Again, all first party, all downloadable, and – yes – if you’re a hardcore Sony fan you’ve probably already got them.
But what were Sony supposed to do? Offer credit for every account? Even if it’s just £20 – a rough figure pulled from approximating the value of the above games – that’s over one a half billion pounds, hardly realistic in anyone’s eyes, right? Could they have offered newer games? Certainly – although Dead Nation’s recent enough the others are a little dated now, but we weren’t ever going to get LittleBigPlanet 2 (it’s still selling) and inFamous 2’s just around the corner, so presumably Sony thought a refresher with the first game might have been a good idea.
Warhawk, though, should have been on there. With Starhawk announced and hype at an all time high, securing the first game would have ignited interest and got people talking about Lightbox’s 2012 offering. Why it’s not on there is anyone’s guess, licensing, perhaps – who knows – but swapping the third person multiplayer shooter for the rather short Ratchet and Clank episode might have swayed people’s minds a little.
And if you have got all five games (and the PSP titles) then at least there’s 30 days of PlayStation Plus to keep you going – but hey – let’s hear your opinions…
gaffers101
I’m happy with the deal too. I know there are some very dedicated people out there that buy every PSN title as it become available but I’m sure there are many more that don’t. In a situation like this Sony have to cater for the majority.
The only other option they could have offered was £10 of store credit maybe, not sure if this has already been suggested though.
3shirts
Personally I am happy with the list because I only have LBP so I get a good selection BUT I can see the point that with some being so old and others being PLUS freebies or discounts, they are rather slim pickings for the loyal customers.
How to make it better though? Perhaps have the option of a longer extension to PLUS if you choose not to take any of the free games
iamtdogg
Do i really want any of the games? well Infamous i was thinking of buying again to replay before Infamous 2 so maybe, but the others i don’t really have any need for. Will i select something else and play it, of course i will, never look a gifthorse in the mouth and all that :)
The PSP ones, i just bought LBP the week before the PSN went down as it was in the spring sale – DOH!!!! but i’ll happily take Modnation and Pursuit Force, it;s all something else to play.
As many people have said, cedit in the accounts was not an option. WOuld these have been my choice – probably not but it’s what we have to chose from… for every upset loyal customer i bet there are as many who just think “at least Sony are giving us something”.
bunimomike
I find it thoroughly pathetic to see people almost with hands outstretched shouting “more, I want more!”. People who are disappointed and getting selfish about it all remind me of Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Nothing was ever good enough. It was “me, me, me” and how unfair the world was.
Grow the fu**-up and realise the world doesn’t revolve around you, you egocentric plebs. You know what? I have all of those options. Do I care? Yes. Am I angry? No, not one bit. Sony have been through the grinder this last month and you moaning numpties are the scourge of the internet with how hard you’re done-by.
Stop for a moment and realise that you might, just one day, need to see something from someone else’s perspective. Even if it’s a giant corporation like Sony.
Grow up.
Smallville2106
LMAO at Charlie and the Chocolaye Factory reference!!!!
KetchupBBQ
Funny, you sound VERY angry to me.
bunimomike
Yeh, but it’s not a “reaching for my gun” angry but more a “disappointed in humanity” angry. :-P
Kreisash
I lost faith in humanity long ago.
I blame the internet.
And Nsync.
But mostly the internet.
moshi
*Applauds wildly* if only I could have put it so eloquently myself instead the anger takes over.
aerobes
aerobes likes this. aerobes also has no idea why he’s speaking in the 3rd person. I think aerobes needs a nap. :)
moshi
Nurse.
3shirts
The last sentence in the article is asking for peoples opinions. That’s what people are giving. I don’t think many people are as angry and demanding as you are making out. Finding out that there will be free games, then finding out you have them all already is bound to cause some disappointment so here is a forum to discuss that.
nofi
Indeed. Chill out Stereo Mike. ;)
bunimomike
I don’t have a problem with this. I don’t have a problem with disappointment. What I do have a problem with is the culture of self-entitlement. The self-serving and sometimes immature people who frequent every aspect of our world (but especially the internet). The ones who have little respect for other people’s situation; the situation Sony has been in. Why can’t they see that Sony can’t give great big handouts. Things like that can cripple a company. As owners of their genuinely lovely console, it should be us supporting them. Sure, things have gone wrong. Maybe partial blame lies at their feet if things simply weren’t secure enough. Regardless, people getting angry about how shit the games are or almost demanding something utterly disproportionate to the PSN being down is laughable at best.
They are egocentric and rarely think about other people or take the full situation into consideration. Those are the people I’m venting my over.
iamtdogg
well said!
tomhat
Im actually quite excited about this now, hopefully wont be too long before the store is back (c’mon sony, pull your finger out, gaawwd) bit of sarcasm there…. I was actually Just wondering if someone could tell me, is there any point in getting PS+ free for 30 days if i know im not going to subscribe afterwards? can i still play the games i would download afterwards?
Smallville2106
No I don’t think so. After the 30 days think the content is locked until/if you subscribe.
3shirts
Some of them you can and any you buy at the discounted rate that PLUS offers will obviously still be available afterwards
KetchupBBQ
Looks like it benefits people who don’t buy games more than those who do. I would say I would get LBP and inFamous so I could trade in the disc copies but now they won’t be worth anything. LBP was even already given away free to Plus customers so who would want it now?
A discount seems like a much better idea, that was nobody is left out. I can’t really complain since lots of people are happy but it jsut feels like I’m being penalised for actually using my PS3. These games are years old, come on.
Charmed_Fanatic
It could never please everyone. For me, im happy as ive only got 1 of them!
MXZ
I own both InFamous and LBP. (hell, i bought PS+ just to get LBP on my HDD)
and to choose Quest for booty seems kind of redundant as i already own Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time so to get a filler game when i already own the official (main) games would seem pretty pointless.
so i think ill just go with Dead Nation and RaC: booty shakers because honestly i dont care (and i think i already have WipeOut) as long as PSN stays online, ill be decently happy.
Coggi
I don’t think it’s a bad offer…I only think that they could increase the choices. Like offer 2 games but between a selection of more than 5 games so that the value is pretty much the same(2 games) but more people could be satisfied by having more games to choose from like adding GoW Collection, Warhawk, some PSN titles.. nobody is asking for AAA new titles.. IMHO
slbsamoes
Can someone tell me that if you phones stop working or your network is getting bad , or your broadband is not what should be or your car break down or whatever bad happens with our gadgets and stuff , are we gonna ask the car company to ship us some gps or alloy wheels for compensation or your phone’s reception is bad and you gonna ask for 5000 minutes extra ??????
Come on.
Shit happens everyday , everywhere . We should be glad that they r send us some free stuff ,good or bad. Because after a week or 2 the REAL games are coming out and then the free one are gonna be deleted or ending never to be touched again.
STOP COMPLAINING GUYS.
Just raise you hand to the sky that Sony made this Beautiful machine for us to enjoy , but because of some idiots we can’t at the moment.