PS Plus Review (A JRPG Fan's Perspective)

Over my adult life, I've found that I seem to gravitate towards PlayStation products. This is probably because I grew up with a PlayStation in my house and my friends owned a N64, which I was pretty jealous about until I fell in love with classics like Spyro, Tomba and Crash, which then evolved into Final Fantasy, Digimon and Kingdom Hearts as I grew older, all of which I still love now. It was because of the PS Vita (that some have lovingly dubbed the 'JRPG Machine') I discovered many great JRPGs, such as Persona, Gravity Rush and Danganronpa and because of this love of my Vita and wanting to use my PS4 more, I gave into purchasing a PS Plus subscription because of the allure of six games being adding into my game collection every month.

For most PlayStation fans, the PS Plus experience is almost a no brainer because of the six free games a month but if you're a JRPG fan like myself, other aspects of the subscription may seem more attractive because they include JRPGs. Here's a breakdown on my own thoughts as a JRPG fan on PS Plus into this review to help you decide if you really need it or not. Enjoy!

(Note: I use the European/Australian PSN, so if any of the facts, figures or features listed in this article are incorrect in your region, that is why!)

Instant Game Collection

To most gamers, the biggest incentive of PS Plus is the Instant Game Collection, which provides subscribers with six games a month, at no extra cost until the end of the subscription. This feature has the potential to be a major hit to some or an unfortunate miss to others as most of the games are either older triple A games or new indie games.

If you're someone who is 'JRPGS ONLY' in your approach to gaming, the Instant Game Collection may not appeal very much to you. The only JRPG I remember receiving from PS Plus is Muramasa Rebirth for PS Vita (which I still, unfortunately, haven't played past the tutorial). Looking back at the last six months of PS Plus, there haven't been any JRPGs featured on PS Plus, making it hard to see much incentive if you don't spend a lot of time with other game genres.

On the other hand, if you enjoy spending most of your gaming money on JRPGs, the lack of JRPGs can have it's benefits, if you like Western games too. If you're like me and like spending your money on JRPGs and other Japanese games and merch, the instant game collection gives me access to games like Transistor and Rogue Legacy that I otherwise would not have checked out for a long time because I would rather spend my money on JRPGs. It's thanks to PlayStation Plus that I've head the chance to try critically acclaimed Western games while still building my JRPG backlog.

Exclusive Discounts

The exclusive discounts are where it's at for me when it comes to PlayStation Plus. The PlayStation Network already has amazingly good discounts, but it's thanks to PS Plus' extra discounts on top that I've tried many games I otherwise would have thought are too expensive.

Take this month's October sale as an example*. A game I'm interested in for PS4 is Natural Docturine. This month's PSN sale is up to 50% off, but PS Plus offers 70%. Not to get too mathsy, but for a game that was originally $77.95, then $38.98 without PS Plus, with PS Plus I save an extra $15 which is both an awesome saving and also enough to buy a cheaper game on top. Of course, I haven't kept track of the savings I've made from PS Plus, but I am happy with how many games I've been able to buy, even on months when I've had little spending money and I credit most of this to the PSN and PlayStation Plus.

*Note: Example used is based on the European/Australian PSN store, using Australian Dollars.

Online Storage

PS Plus provides 1GB of space for each PlayStation device you own (for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita only. Sorry old mate PSP <3). This has been super convenient at times, if you own a PS Vita with a 4GB memory card like myself - it saves me from having to use my PS3 to back everything up if I'm feeling lazy.

It's also very good backup from a JRPG/general RPG perspective for any games you've spent 100s of hours playing and completing. It's nice knowing that my Platinum Trophy save files for games like Persona 4 Golden and Danganronpa are backed up on both my PS3 and the cloud (even if I'll probably never use them). Even if my PS3 dies (please don't), I have piece of mind thanks to this feature and can keep my saves.

Exclusive Early Access and Demos

Occasionally, PlayStation Plus will give players the change to try exclusive demos, betas and if developers are feeling really nice, sometimes whole games.

During my time as a subscriber, none of this has ever been that JRPG related, but I'm not one to complain about more free things to try. It may not be a standout feature for now for JRPG fans (I'd honestly for the most part forgotten about it), but is a great feature when it features a game you're interested in.

PS4 Online Multiplayer Features

Online multiplayer on PS4 is locked unless you have PS Plus, which isn't a big deal to me as JRPGs are generally single player-based games.

If you enjoy other Japanese games like fighting games or occasionally play Western games like Destiny, you may be interested in this feature. I don't use it often as I usually prefer to play single player games and haven't really dived into PS4 land enough to have even found any JRPGs that can use this (while writing this article though, I did find that Natural Docturine does use this feature). Maybe in future this will be a more important feature, but for now it's not a feature I utilise much and will be more important to other people.

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Ultimately, you may not find the same value as other gamers do in the monthly free games, but features like the exclusive discounts cam save lots of money and the cloud service works across all my devices, which gives me piece of mind for my platinum saves. As with anything, your enjoyment of this subscription service will depend on your gaming preferences, but as a person who probably plays 75% Japanese games and JRPGs and 25% other games, I find value in the free games because I never feel like I'm missing out on other games while I purchase the games that I'm drawn to. Having features like Online Multiplayer and Exclusive Access might not be features I've used much now, but they add to an already good value subscription service. If you buy games from PSN regularly and predominately use PlayStation consoles to play your JRPGs, Playstation Plus is great way to make sure you can always save during sale time and enjoy a bunch of other bonus features.

If you're interested in PlayStation Plus, you can purchase a subscription from your local PlayStation Network Store.

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Leave your opinion on PlayStation Plus in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter for updates on content and random, shorter musings on JRPG news and games!

Note: Not sponsored, just love my PS Plus.

This Week's PSN EU/AU PSN Releases, JRPG Style! (2/5/15)

Some of the platforming action you can expect from 'Sayonara Umihara Kawase'

Good day good friends, welcome to another week of Playstation Network updates for those who love Japanese RPGs and video games in general!

This week includes the release of the fun old-school platform Sayonara UmiharaKawase+ for PS Vita, a PS4 port and Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo, which appears to be a deep cut as I only stumbled upon by chance when looking at it's corresponding DLC.

Regular readers may notice the lack of a deals section. This is because between writing the first half of this post and finishing it, the PSN has become unavailable for me yet again (and possibly others of course...gyah ><). I will update this post when the PSN is live again, so keep an eye out here on the site or @JRPGJungle on Twitter for updates to this post and the other content on this blog. Thanks for reading and happy gaming! This post has been updated to include deals now! The arcade event from last week is still running, as well as the great Child of Light being on sale as well. Happy gaming!

New Releases

• Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo (PS Vita)
• Sayonara UmiharaKawase + (PS Vita)
• Toukiden: Kiwami (PS4)

DLC

Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo (PS Vita)

Paid:

• Old Hero and Broken Gears of Time (Part 1) - Cloaked With Dishonour
• Old Hero and Broken Gears of Time (Part 2) - Last Stand of a Hero

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (PS3, PS4)

Paid:

• Showstoppers Encore Christie
• Showstoppers Encore Helena
• Showstoppers Encore Lisa
• Showstoppers Encore Mila
• Showstoppers Encore Nyotengu
• Showstoppers Encore Phase 4
• Showstoppers Encore Rachel
• Showstoppers Encore Tina
• Showstoppers Encore Set

Free:

• Costume Catalog 3

Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires (PS4)

Paid

• Edit Parts - Female Equipment 6 (PS4 only)
• Edit Parts - Male Equipment 7 (PS3, PS4)
• Edit Voice 5

Hatsune Miku Project Diva 2nd F (PS3, PS Vita)

Free:

• KittyCape Checkered - UI Skin (PS Vita*, Free until 16/6/2015)
• TricksterNightDream - UI Skin (PS Vita*, Free until 16/6/2015)

Paid:

• Akito Neru Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• Hatsune Miku Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• Kagamine Len Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• Kagamine Rin Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• Kaito Swimwear V Module (PS Vita*)
• Kaito SwimwearV Alt Module (PS Vita*)
• Kasane Teto Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• Luka Swimwear P Module (PS Vita*)
• Meiko Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• SakineMeiko Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)
• Yowane Haku Swimwear Module (PS Vita*)

*Currently only listed for PS Vita, however the DLC description says this will entitle the buyer to the PS3 version as well. Perhaps to be added in future?

Toukiden Kiwami (PS4, PS Vita)

Paid:

• Armor Zhao Yun and Wang Yuanji Set (Cross-buy)

Deals

• Child of Light (PS3, PS4, PS Vita)
• Dead or Alive 5 Plus (PS Vita)
• Final Fight: Double Impact (PS3)
• Guilty Gear (PS3, PS Vita, PSP)
• The King of Fighters XIII (PS3)
• The King of Fighters XIII Gold Edition (PS3)
• Neogeo Heroes -Ultimate Shooting- (PS Vita)
• Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (PS3)
• Sonic the Fighters (PS3)
• SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP, PS Vita)
• SoulCalibur II HD Online (PS3)
• SoulCalibur V (PS3)
• Tekken (PS3, PS Vita, PSP)
• Tekken II (PS3, PS Vita, PSP)
• Tekken 6 (PS Vita, PSP)
• Tekken 6 + SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny (PS Vita, PSP)
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3)
• Ultra Street Fighter IV (PS3)

You can check out these games and more at the Playstation Network Store.

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Pick of the week (so far): Sayonara UmiharaKawase + looks interesting and visually reminds me of one of my childhood favourites Tomba. What's yours and will you be picking up anything from the PSN this week?

I love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle and follow if you want to keep up the content we post. Thanks for stopping by!

Please note the content available is subject to change by region and the content listed in this post is based on the European/Australian PSN at the time of writing.

MURAMASA REBIRTH COMING TO PLAYSTATION PLUS EU IN MAY!!!!! (plus other games!)

That moment when a game you were going to spend real money on comes to Playstation Plus is OH SO SWEET.
SO VERY SWEET!

I even think this makes up for the fact that the day after I bought the Walking Dead game for Vita, the PS4 remake was announced.

Playstation Europe's blog has announced May's list of Playstation Plus games. Which by the way, is:

Stick it to the Man (PS4)

(I miiiiiight play this after Child of Light. If I'm not playing Final Fantasy X-2 HD.)

Puppeteer (PS3)

(It's funny, Puppeteer is a game I'm pretty sure I like and looks very charming. Yet while I hope I play this game, I don't feel compelled to do it soon. I do like Japan Studio's creativity though, so I expect it will be good and is probably worth a download for fans of quirky games.)

Payday 2 (PS3)

(This will probably be a good one for online or with the boyfriend. Looks like good, stupid fun.)

Muramasa Rebirth (PS Vita)

You can clearly see my excitement above. Anyway, I love games with an Eastern feel and this has it down with stunning artwork and multiple endings. The battle also looks really fun and this will look stunning on OLED, I'm sure of it. Here, have a trailer:




Everybody's Golf (PS Vita)

I've heard this is actually fun, but I just can't see myself playing it. Maybe one day once I've gotten through enough J-RPGs to be satisfied (but I don't know if that's possible).

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So obviously my pick is Muramasa Rebirth, although Puppeteer could also be good. I would also love Stick it to the Man to be an outstanding game. The PS4 needs some outstanding games.

Leave your picks below and remember to pick these up in May if you have Playstation Plus. If you don't and you can afford it, I highly recommend Playstation Plus. It's really good value (And I'm not being paid to say that!)

Happy gaming!

Reasons Playstation Plus is AWESOME!!

When you wake up on a Thursday morning on the first week of every month and see five free games waiting for you, it's hard not to argue that Playstation Plus is the most amazing thing ever since oxygen. Throw in Cross-Buys for PS Vita partnered in with two of these games and I can't find many reasons to not recommend this service! But 4 months ago, I was as skeptical as most people are to any subscription service. I understand the pain of renewing a subscription and the fear your card being automatically charged when you needed that money for food. However, Playstation Plus has never been anything other than a really good value game subscription and I'll tell you as much as I can to help you make your decision.

Instant Game Collection - are they for real? + Game banking

Yes. Oh sweet lord yes.

Every month, games for PS3, PS4 and PS Vita get put on Playstation Plus for you to download for free until the end of your subscription. You basically add these games to you shopping cart (like I did in my photo) and they're yours once you finish the Checkout process.

I'm pretty sure they repeat games sometimes (I saw Uncharted and Gravity Rush for Vita on there multiple times), but ultimately there's at least one new game per console every month. For PS4 users, I think Playstation Plus is brilliant as the game is always a new game and PS4 is currently somewhat lacking in the games department...plus the games they do have cost a pretty penny. In my financial state, I would rather pay $19.95 every three months for a different PS4 game every month than $89 for one game that I'm only buying because Final Fantasy XV isn't out yet. #justsaying
Also, Playstation Plus' game library has introduced me to some great PS4 games such as Resogun and Contrast! I would have shown interest in both these games but I would never have bought them with money. Resogun is one of my favourite PS4 games, so I am eternally grateful for my subscription!

Also - GAME BANKING. I discovered this tip from the Beyond! podcast from IGN (available on iTunes or the IGN website). If you have the Playstation mobile app, you can select all of the games across PS3, PS4 and Vita for Playstation Plus, checkout with them and not download them yet, but keep them for downloading at anytime. This saves hard drive space and gets your most money's worth. I would never play PES 2014, but I keep it in my downloads in case I ever have a friend around who would. And why the hell not, it's free in your subscription!
Bear in mind - pretty sure you lose all these games once your subscription ends. I never let mine run out, but it's up to you. Just don't get too attached if you know you'll be canceling your subscription.

Other features I've used

• Cloud saving is pretty neat. I'm glad to know my perfect Persona 4 Golden save is backed up on the cloud.
• Online features for PS4.
• Discounts at the Playstation Network store: these aren't always substantial discounts and it's not on everything, but not complaining!

Credit Card fears and Automatic Renewal

You can turn off automatic renewal and once that's off, you won't be charged for Playstation Plus once your subscription is over. It will just end if you don't renew it yourself and you'll be a regular PSN User again.

You can subscribe to PSN for 1 month ($9.95), 3 months ($19.95) or 1 year ($69.95) at the moment. I do the three months as I don't normally have a spare $69.95 lying around by the time it's time to renew my subscription, but the one year is the best value. I would recommend using a free trial to see if you like this service or trying a 1 month. If you own a PS3, a PS Vita and a PS4 frankly I think it would be stupid not to take advantage of this service as there are really nothing but benefits!

Back again soon!

Tara
(PSN: guittaraxx)