Microsoft’s next selection of free Games with Gold offerings go live tomorrow for Xbox gamers, but now, Sony has finally announced which six games PlayStation Plus members can snag for free in June. On PlayStation 4, NBA 2K16 and Gone Home: Console Edition will be offered, with Echochrome and all twelve episodes of Siren: Blood Curse being offered for PlayStation 3, and both launch title, Little Deviants and PlayStation Portable game, God of War: Chains of Olympus being offered for PlayStation Vita.
The new PlayStation Plus games will go live next Tuesday, June 7th, at which point they will replace May’s free rewards. Thus, if you have yet to redeem Tropico 5, Table Top Racing: World Tour, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, LocoRoco Cocoreccho!, Switch Galaxy Ultra, or God of War: Ghost of Sparta, you have until then to do so. As usual, you must have and maintain an active PlayStation Plus membership to redeem and play any free game rewards at any time, on any platform.
Be advised as well that PlayStation Plus members can start redeeming the entire second season of PlayStation Original Series, Powers for free today, in both the U.S. and Canada. The first three episodes of the season launch today, with the first being free for everyone, and the other two being available exclusively for PlayStation Plus members, with new episodes in the season to release over the next several Tuesdays. Previously, Season One of Powers was restricted to the U.S. last year, though Season Two will also be made available to Canadians with PlayStation Plus memberships at no cost. PlayStation Plus members can also score a free digital copy of the first issue of the Powers source comics, which can be viewed online at docs.playstation.com on any internet-capable device.
NBA 2K16 is being brought free to PlayStation Plus members on PlayStation 4, in partnership with the NBA for the upcoming NBA Finals. The game is the latest entry in 2K’s highly-celebrated series of basketball sims (excluding the recently-announced NBA 2K17), and was widely praised by critics for its highly-tuned gameplay, improved A.I. and usual degree of outstanding production values. NBA 2K16 is also available for PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iOS and Android.
Gone Home: Console Edition brings the much-lauded PC indie game to the console space, recreating the story of the mysteriously vacant mansion in Portland, Oregon, circa 1995. Players wander around the home, examine household objects, and piece together the mysterious storyline in doing so. Gone Home was highly praised on both PC and consoles for its mysterious, passive gameplay and highly emotional story material, even if some lamented the game’s brevity. Gone Home: Console Edition is also available for Xbox One.
Echochrome is an innovative puzzle game that has players guiding a mysterious figure through an abstract path of environments. By flipping the perspective of the shapes, players can alter the path for their autonomous character, with the objective being allowing them to reach a goal of collecting the right ‘echoes’ through outside-the-box thinking. Many critics praised Echochrome upon its initial release in 2008, with its minimalist monochromatic style, level design, innovation and audio work all receiving especially high approval. Echochrome is also available for PlayStation Portable.
Siren: Blood Curse is a PlayStation 3-exclusive re-imagining of the original cult horror game, Siren for PlayStation 2. Now divided into twelve episodes with varying perspectives, players utilize careful stealth and ingenuity to navigate around vicious, unstoppable creatures called Shibito, as they try to uncover the twisted mysteries of ominous town, Hanuda Village, Japan. Siren: Blood Curse got good reviews upon initially releasing in 2008, with critics praising its scary, suspenseful gameplay and atmosphere, even if some repetitive locations and occasionally frustrating controls were criticized.
Little Deviants served as a PlayStation Vita-exclusive launch title for Sony’s handheld in 2012, having players take control of the title characters in a series of minigames that were designed to show off the Vita’s unique set of control and gameplay features. Little Deviants was praised for its creativity and clever use of the unique Vita functionality, though was also criticized for some frustrating minigames and a few unresponsive control methods.
Finally, God of War: Chains of Olympus was the beloved series’ first entry to grace the PlayStation Portable. A series prequel that details a mission that protagonist, Kratos undertook while in service to Ares before the events of the original God of War game, God of War: Chains of Olympus involves Kratos investigating and fighting through the mysterious black fog of dream god, Morpheus. The game was praised for capturing the style and action of God of War on Sony’s last-gen handheld, though was also criticized for being shorter, easier and less deep than the God of War games designed for consoles. God of War: Chains of Olympus is also available for PlayStation 3, bundled with its sequel, God of War: Ghost of Sparta in an HD collection, God of War Origins Collection.
After the rather disappointing PlayStation Plus selection of May, it’s satisfying to see Sony rebound with a far better selection of free game rewards for June. The PlayStation Vita rewards are still being noticeably phoned in, with one launch title and one PlayStation Portable game (even if God of War: Chains of Olympus is still a pretty good game, especially for free), though Echochrome and Siren: Blood Curse are two great, lesser-known hits for PlayStation 3 owners to enjoy throughout the month. NBA 2K16 is the biggest treat in the package, even if non-sports fans may turn their nose at it, and Gone Home: Console Edition also makes for a fantastic freebie for PlayStation 4 owners, even if it’s also a pretty short game that you’re bound to be done with rather quickly.
Keep revisiting Eggplante for all news and updates on PlayStation Plus, and other PlayStation incentives.