Games with Gold/PSN+ games offer

josemlopes

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So, Microsoft followed Sony with that whole "for 5$ a month you get some free games" thing and their offers havent been exactly on the same level as Sony's (A World of Keflings isnt exactly at the same level of Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen).


With that said there are is one thing that I think is very different on both from a business point of view (not much for the costumer) that does influence the crapptastic choice of games that Microsoft has been offering (that and the fact that companies only care about making money spending the less possible).


The thing is that PSN+ only lets you play the games as long as you are subscribing to them, meaning that if you stop you cant play them anymore while with GWG you can still play them (and redownload) even if you unsubscribe. With GWG you actually get the game and not some kind of rental (as a costumer I would prefer better games as a "rental" to be honest).

Now, for publishers do you think that to make a deal where the game offered is offered for good or part of a rental system where the costumer to take use of their product does have to shell out some money does influence the amount for said deal? Like Microsoft to include a game in their offer would have to offer more then Sony since their service wont bring back more money for the publisher?


Not really here to defend Microsoft (A World of Keflings for fuck sakes, they have a lot of their own games to offer without going after other publishers) but it really seems like something that would weight a lot in a decision for a publisher.
 

tippy2k2

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http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/191966/playstation_plus_good_for_.php

TLDR; Like Netflix, the Publisher and Sony dictate how much they get paid for the product to go onto PS+. No one seems to want to say HOW much is given but I would guess that the money they gain plus the fan goodwill (something that's getting rare nowadays), it's well worth it for a publisher/game maker to get their stuff onto PS+

For myself, give me PS+ any day of the week over Live. I don't care that you get to keep the Live games because the vast majority have not been worth keeping (or have been out so long that if I did have interest in playing them, I have by now). PS+ has a nice mix of hits (Uncharted & XCOM) mixed with some more underground and less known titles.

I've said it many a threads about this and I'll say it again; Live itself is not worth the price of admission anymore. If they wish to keep me as a customer, they're going to have to step up their game and Games with Gold (which is going away at the end of December as of this post btw) is nowhere near good enough for me.
 

JustinDP

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I have no issue putting down money every three months or so, knowing it's only about 20 dollars (at least in Australia. I may possibly be lower in countries where they don't add a 30+ dollar "lol @ you' tax to everything for funsies) and in exchange I get over four games, typically, a month for "free." In most cases even one of those games more than covers the price of admission. Not to mention they have discounts, and other free stuff.

Meanwhile, on the Xbox you don't really get a whole lot from what I've seen. This "games for gold" thing is fairly new, but seems to be a lackluster attempt to rip off PS+. I mean, I know Halo 3 was popular. It's also several years old at this point and the majority of the audience for it would have likely already played it. Meanwhile on PS+ you have Uncharted 3, which isn't THAT old, and Metal Gear Revengeance, which is still fairly new in the grand scheme of things (in spite of having a ridiculous name).

I think it boils down to the fact Microsoft views XBox as a "media device" rather than a gaming console. It just happens to play games. Where as Sony views the PS3/4 these days as a gaming device that just happens to play media. Until Microsoft changes that viewpoint you're always gonna get Sony offering more for the (lower) price.
 

WhyWasThat

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tippy2k2 said:
I've said it many a threads about this and I'll say it again; Live itself is not worth the price of admission anymore. If they wish to keep me as a customer, they're going to have to step up their game and Games with Gold (which is going away at the end of December as of this post btw) is nowhere near good enough for me.
Actually, to be fair to Microsoft they announced some weeks back that Games with Gold will be an indefinite program... On Xbox 360.

They aren't doing it on Xbox One.

If anything I would expect the quality of the games they offer to become worse from here on out.
 

tippy2k2

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WhyWasThat said:
tippy2k2 said:
I've said it many a threads about this and I'll say it again; Live itself is not worth the price of admission anymore. If they wish to keep me as a customer, they're going to have to step up their game and Games with Gold (which is going away at the end of December as of this post btw) is nowhere near good enough for me.
Actually, to be fair to Microsoft they announced some weeks back that Games with Gold will be an indefinite program... On Xbox 360.

They aren't doing it on Xbox One.

If anything I would expect the quality of the games they offer to become worse from here on out.
Not to be THAT guy but....

Do you have a source for that? Both Microsoft.com and the GfG section on the 360 state that the promotion ends December 31, 2013.

I'd look myself but I'm at work (don't tell my boss! :D)
 

Z of the Na'vi

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tippy2k2 said:
Not to be THAT guy but....

Do you have a source for that? Both Microsoft.com and the GfG section on the 360 state that the promotion ends December 31, 2013.

I'd look myself but I'm at work (don't tell my boss! :D)
Here you go, Tippy. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.831457-Xbox-Live-Games-with-Gold-Now-a-Standard-Feature-on-Xbox-360]

I'm pretty pleased with the Game for Gold offering, actually. Some games haven't been all that spectacular, but then again, they are free and I don't have to download them if I don't want.

One can't really complain about free things.
 

shrekfan246

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Z of the Na said:
One can't really complain about free things.
I don't see it as "complaining about free things" so much as "complaining that the free things from one company which aren't really free aren't as good as the free things from their direct competitor which also aren't really free".

It's a net positive that Microsoft is doing the 'Games for Gold' thing to begin with, that's indisputable. But if they're not offering better deals than Sony, it's not unreasonable to suggest that they should step up their game a bit.
 

tippy2k2

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Z of the Na said:
tippy2k2 said:
Not to be THAT guy but....

Do you have a source for that? Both Microsoft.com and the GfG section on the 360 state that the promotion ends December 31, 2013.

I'd look myself but I'm at work (don't tell my boss! :D)
Here you go, Tippy. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.831457-Xbox-Live-Games-with-Gold-Now-a-Standard-Feature-on-Xbox-360]

I'm pretty pleased with the Game for Gold offering, actually. Some games haven't been all that spectacular, but then again, they are free and I don't have to download them if I don't want.

One can't really complain about free things.
Huh...I wonder how I missed that news since that is an Escapist news story and I spend way more time than is healthy here...also, I wonder why Microsoft hasn't updated their own information.

All well, that's good to know that they will continue it. Hopefully one of the games they give us will be younger than 3 years :p (Had to get the cheap shot in).
 

Saltyk

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While I didn't get into PS+, at first, I now wish I had sooner. They have offered so many good games that I didn't buy. Each month they seem to be offering about $120 or more in games across the Vita, PS3, and soon the PS4. And the games never seem to be more than a year old or so. Add in other discounts and offerings, and there's plenty of reason to love PS+.

From what I've seen Games with Gold is a pale imitation. The only games they offer this month are each two years old or more and certainly don't compare to Oddworld: Munch's Odyssey, Dragon's Dogma, and Resogun, as well as others.

Honestly, it's like comparing a Thoroughbred horse in his prime, to a sickly half dead colt that was just born. There's no contest.
 

smithy_2045

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shrekfan246 said:
Z of the Na said:
One can't really complain about free things.
I don't see it as "complaining about free things" so much as "complaining that the free things from one company which aren't really free aren't as good as the free things from their direct competitor which also aren't really free".

It's a net positive that Microsoft is doing the 'Games for Gold' thing to begin with, that's indisputable. But if they're not offering better deals than Sony, it's not unreasonable to suggest that they should step up their game a bit.
If you're only getting the subscription for the free games, then yeah, it's not free. But most people with Live are getting the subscription to play games online, GWG is just a bonus that doesn't really affect the choice to subscribe. With Sony's offering the games rental is actually one of the main reason to get the subscription.
 

Church185

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cloroxbb said:
Do you have a source for that nugget? I haven't read anything where Microsoft said "yay" or "nay" about adding that perk to the Xbox One.
Ask and ye shall receive. This comes straight from Xbox's support page.

"Q: Why are these only Xbox 360 games? Is this going to be extended to Gold on Xbox One?

The Games with Gold promotion runs from June 10, 2013, to December 31, 2013. There are no plans to include Xbox One games in the program at this time."

Sauce: http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/games/games-with-gold
 

Able Seacat

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Church185 said:
cloroxbb said:
Do you have a source for that nugget? I haven't read anything where Microsoft said "yay" or "nay" about adding that perk to the Xbox One.
Ask and ye shall receive. This comes straight from Xbox's support page.

"Q: Why are these only Xbox 360 games? Is this going to be extended to Gold on Xbox One?

The Games with Gold promotion runs from June 10, 2013, to December 31, 2013. There are no plans to include Xbox One games in the program at this time."

Sauce: http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/games/games-with-gold
Looks like they've done another 180° :p

Major nelson has just tweeted the Games with Gold programme will be coming to Xbox One.

Source: IGN