Recently, we reported on the final results of Microsoft’s traditional Summer of Arcade lineup for this year, likely the last to be featured on Xbox 360 before Xbox One officially becomes its successor in November. As usual, Sony has responded to the Microsoft promotion with their own answer to the Summer of Arcade; PLAY.
PLAY began in 2011 as an attempt to compete with the Xbox digital event of the Summer, though it works a tad differently. Whereas Microsoft gives you a reward for multiple purchases in the Summer of Arcade each year, Sony instead rewards players for pre-ordering a set of digital games on the PlayStation Store, though still with a digital PlayStation funnybucks rebate as a reward. PlayStation Plus members also enjoy exclusive discounts on the spotlighted titles.
PLAY 2013 has just finalized its details, so PlayStation gamers had best ready their own digital wallets! Each of the four PLAY games, like the Summer of Arcade games on Xbox Live Arcade, will release onto the PlayStation Store on a separate week, starting on July 23rd (next Tuesday), and going to August 13th.
Players who pre-order two of the PLAY 2013 games will get a $3 rebate. Pre-order three games, and you get $6. Pre-order all four games, and your rebate goes to $10. If you have a PlayStation Plus membership, all prices are reduced by 20% as well.
The four spotlighted games are: Stealth Inc.: A Clone in the Dark, Cloudberry Kingdom, Ibb & Obb, and DuckTales: Remastered. Be advised that none of these games are exclusive to the PlayStation Store, though pre-order and purchase benefits obviously only apply to PlayStation gamers.
If you’re unfamiliar with any or all of these games, we’ve provided a brief description of each, along with pricing and release info, below.
July 23rd: Stealth Inc.: A Clone in the Dark
A renamed re-release of Stealth Bastard, a digital download game for PC, Stealth Inc.: A Clone in the Dark is essentially a hybrid between Metal Gear Solid and Super Meat Boy. Players must balance being quick with being careful in this hardcore, stealth-oriented 2D platformer. Levels are filled with treacherous obstacles and watchful traps that demand sneaky, yet agile precision! Once again developed by Curve Studios (Fluidity, Thomas Was Alone), the re-release is coming to both the PS3’s and Vita’s PlayStation Store, and is cross-buy. Buy one version, and get the other for free!
($9.99, $7.99 with PS Plus)
July 30th: Cloudberry Kingdom
A spoof of platformer convention, Cloudberry Kingdom is another 2D platformer, this time about a washed-up retro side-scroller hero re-discovering his glory when given another chance to save a princess. Level design tailors itself to player skill, and can be anywhere from laughably easy to impossibly punishing! It is the debut game of Pwnee Studios, and will be published by Ubisoft. The game is not only planned to release on both the PS3’s and Vita’s PlayStation Store (cross-buy is supported on Sony platforms, so buy one version and get the other for free!), but also PC, Mac, Xbox Live Arcade, the Wii U eShop, and the 3DS eShop.
($9.99, $7.99 with PS Plus)
August 6th: Ibb & Obb
Ibb & Obb is a co-op-based puzzle-platformer that utilizes gravity manipulation, the first offering of Sparpweed Games. Ibb and Obb exist on opposite ends of the floor, with gravity being reversed underneath the upper ground. The two characters must flip between the planes and work together to open paths and solve puzzles, allowing them to proceed. The game is not only coming to the PS3’s PlayStation Store, but will also be downloadable for PC.
($9.99, $7.99 with PS Plus)
August 13th: DuckTales: Remastered
A high-definition remake of Capcom’s DuckTales on the NES, DuckTales: Remastered bolsters the NES title with all-new 2.5D graphics, expanded story elements, and even the voice actors from the original Disney cartoon! The remake is being developed by WayForward (Shantae, Mighty Switch Force!), and will be receiving a $20 retail package, exclusively on PlayStation 3! PLAY only applies to the digital release of course, with DuckTales: Remastered not only arriving on the PS3’s PlayStation Store, but also PC, the Wii U eShop, and later in September on Xbox Live Arcade.
($14.99, $11.99 with PS Plus)
Microsoft already has a stronger-than-average Summer of Arcade lineup this year, but Sony’s PLAY 2013 selection is nothing to sneeze at either! Their variety is a little wanting, but if you love side-scrolling platformers, then you’re definitely in for a treat, because all four of the featured games have extensive platforming elements! The PlayStation Plus discounts, compounded by the fact that two of the four games are cross-buy, only make the promotion seem all the more generous and worthwhile for the PlayStation faithful!
As usual, Eggplante will be delivering all of your news related to hot gaming sales, promotions and other noteworthy bargains, on the PlayStation platforms and otherwise, as they appear!