PlayStation Plus Lineup for September 2016

The folks at PlayStation sure waited until the last minute to reveal their September lineup of incentive titles for PS Plus subscribers. With the yearly subscription cost of the service increasing (for the first time in 6 years) from $50 to $60 on the 22nd, now would be the time to show subscribers the value of the service.

So what’s on the menu?

PlayStation 4 owners will have access to the Dark Souls-ish role-playing game Lords of the Fallen (which was included in the Xbox Games With Gold lineup back in March of this year), along with one of the most iconic exclusives in Journey.

Journey is a game that I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives, because there’s simply nothing like it. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s not going to jive with everyone, but it’s one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played.

It’s worth noting that the PS3 version of Journey will also be available via PS Plus in September.

With the recent release of Plastic’s artsy platformer Bound on PS4, it makes sense that Sony is giving PlayStation 3 owners a look at their earlier project, Datura, next month. Datura is an experimental game that took advantage of the failed PS Move controllers, and, like the controller itself, wasn’t received very well. The game can be played with a standard DualShock controller, but I hear it’s actually worse that way.

Also up for PS3 is Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which holds a respectable 75% on Metacritic. The biggest difference between The Forgotten Sands and the better games in the series on PS2 is the Prince’s ability to wield elemental powers and use them to interact with the environment (freezing lakes, etc.).

Sony’s Vita handheld has been getting a bit of the shaft over the last few months, receiving just one Vita game in addition to a rather old PSP title. So it’s with great pleasure that I, a Vita fan, announce that in the year of Yoshida, 2016, that we finally have two full-on Vita games in our PS Plus subsciption back for September!

First up is the downright incredible 2D platformer-ish title Badland: Game of the Year Edition. Don’t let the game’s mobile roots fool you — this game is fucking awesome. I played and reviewed the Xbox One version and I truly believe it’s fantastic and worth every Vita owner’s time. Thanks to cross-buy, Badland will also be available on PS3 and PS4.

Also up for Vita owners is the visual novel (more specifically an otome) Amnesia: Memories. I can’t recall the last time a visual novel was offered in the subscription, so it’ll be interesting to see how it’s received. The otome focuses on a female recovering her lost memories while building relationships with male characters, which isn’t uncommon in the visual novel genre. The term otome literally means “maiden game.”

I was curious about Amnesia: Memories myself and just picked it up last week during a Flash Sale for $11. I haven’t even started it yet, so this one stings a little. I hate when games are discounted, only to be given away a week later. Ah well, we can’t predict these things and I’m happy to support hard working developers and publishers.

What are your thoughts on next month’s PS Plus offerings?

Overall, I think the quality of games are great. Journey is outstanding, and I had a pretty good time fumbling my way through Lords of the Fallen. Both PS3 games are kind of a wash, but on the Vita side of things I can’t recommend Badland: Game of the Year Edition enough. Amnesia: Memories is also a lengthy game with many, many outcomes, and it’s also drastically different from your standard twin-stick shooter or arcade indie we’d normally get.