Despite Microsoft having their January 2015 Games with Gold selection for Xbox One and Xbox 360 known for several days, Sony has only now revealed next month’s PlayStation Plus freebies for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The PlayStation 4 offerings were teased in advance earlier in the Fall, but this is the first indication of the free rewards coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita for PlayStation Plus subscribers in January.
As usual, you must have and maintain an active PlayStation Plus membership to both redeem and play any free game rewards at any time. Also, be advised that these new games will replace the current December selection on Tuesday, January 6th. Thus, if you have yet to redeem Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition, Secret Ponchos, Hitman HD Trilogy, Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, Final Horizon, or Titan Attacks!, you have until this coming Tuesday to do so, before they go back to their original prices.
Without further ado then, let’s outline this coming month’s freebies!
To start, PlayStation 4 owners will be able to redeem Infamous: First Light. This standalone prequel/expansion to Infamous: Second Son doesn’t require a copy of its original to play (and obviously not to redeem it from PlayStation Plus), and places you in control of supporting character and neon wielder, Fetch Walker. Players can once again explore Seattle with a new story, as Fetch and her brother run afoul of an opportunistic drug dealer, as well as test their combat skills in the Curdun Cay Battle Arena challenges. This expansion is of course a PlayStation 4 exclusive. We reviewed Infamous: First Light around the start of the Fall, saying it was ultimately inferior to Infamous: Second Son, but its exciting and addictive combat challenges in the new arenas still made it well worth checking out.
Second, PlayStation 4 owners will be able to redeem The Swapper, an atmospheric indie sci-fi puzzler where players must explore a derelict space station, using a mysterious tool that lets them generate clones, and swap their consciousness between them. The game was a big award winner since it debuted on PC the previous year, and our review of the PlayStation re-release was one of our highest of 2014, declaring the game to be a masterpiece of ambience and cerebral gameplay. The Swapper is also cross-buy on PlayStation, so redeeming this PlayStation 4 reward will net you the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions for free as well! Aside from PlayStation platforms and PC, The Swapper is also available for Mac, Linux and Wii U.
Next, PlayStation 3 owners can get their hands on retail offering, Prototype 2 to start. This sequel to the original Prototype, a violent, fast-paced and unhinged superhero-style open-world game, has players take control of James Heller, another man affected by the strain of shapeshifting powers that define the series. Heller is hell-bent on hunting the original game’s protagonist, Alex Mercer, whom he blames for the death of his family. Prototype 2 received slightly more favourable reviews than its predecessor, being considered a solid superhero sandbox experience overall. The game is also available for Xbox 360 and PC.
Secondly for PlayStation 3, DuckTales: Remastered will be on 
offer. Primarily a digital game, though one that did see a special retail release in limited quantities, DuckTales: Remastered is a remake of NES hit, DuckTales, inspired by the Disney cartoon of the same name. Players take control of Scrooge McDuck as he hunts for treasure in five sectors of the world, which players can take on in any order. The game is a 2D platformer that makes use of a special pogo mechanic, allowing Scrooge to bounce along the ground and enemies when the Square Button is pressed with proper timing during a jump. DuckTales: Remastered received solid reviews, mainly praising its production values, even if its content was considering lacking by some. The game is also available for PC, Wii U and Xbox 360.
This just leaves PlayStation Vita owners, who can start by redeeming Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition. This port of the highly beloved 1990’s PC shooter classic was originally released on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux. It includes all of the game’s expansions and presumably most of its customization options, along with potentially its multiplayer. The game’s thin storyline involves Duke Nukem crash-landing back on Earth following the events of Duke Nukem II, and subsequently discovering that aliens have invaded Los Angeles, and mutated the local police force. The game initially incited controversy for its violence and display of erotic elements and apparent mistreatment of women, which only became worse when the game’s long-in-development follow-up, Duke Nukem Forever finally launched. Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition is launching for the first time on January 6th, apparently moved up from its originally planned launch of January 13th, and will also come to PlayStation 3. It’s currently unknown if the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions will be cross-buy.
Lastly, PlayStation Vita owners can redeem arcade-style compilation, Woah Dave!. Brought to us by Choice Provisions, the studio behind highly beloved indie rhythm game series, Bit.Trip, Woah Dave! brings back the score-chasing gameplay of 80’s arcade cabinets with all-new challenges and designs. A PlayStation 4 version of Woah Dave! is also available, and both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions can be netted together via cross-buy when you redeem this reward. The game is also available for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Nintendo 3DS, and was well-received on all platforms.
This is a pretty strong month for PlayStation Plus, as with December. PlayStation Plus members then had best not to forget to kick off the new year right with these selections, which boast an excellent combination of indie and retail sensibilities, with an extra action-packed focus to boot!
Keep revisiting Eggplante for all news and updates on PlayStation Plus, and other PlayStation incentives.