Xbox Games with Gold vs PlayStation Plus Showdown for February

GamerFitNation compares the games in February's Xbox Games with Gold with PlayStation Plus' free games. This month's winner is clear.

[Majin-vegeta]

PS+ will always come out on top.

[Thatguy-310]

Lol it's not even fair. No point since the winner is OBVIOUS.

[xHeavYx]

PS+ owns Games With Gold this month, but I have a feeling that MS (at least for 1 month, probably when they announce an Xbox game for free) will come up strong, but then fade away

[gaffyh]

Don't even have to look at the story to know that the PS+ offering will be significantly better.

[pyramidshead]

I've not scrolled down enough yet but I bet I won't have to scroll down long to read a "B-b-b-b-but you're renting them! GWG is free for ever!"

Fact: PS+ pays for itself over and over.

[Kryptix]

The problem with Games with Gold can be asked in a question, how many times do you actually pick up an old game after finishing it? Not much compared to being excited to playing a game that is really good and came out a year or 2 back. Do you prefer keeping your games and play those the next month or play the games as you get them but they are newer? Think about it, as you're subscribed, you download the latest games given. I'm not gonna subscribe and miss out with older games that I finished the month before.

[Xsilver]

Flawless Victory

[Kayant]

Yep as long as MS continues with their policy of giving the games away. I really don't think they are even trying to compete because we all know that MS have the influence,power,resources to match IGC or even beat it some months if they would lease these games instead of giving away free old games that don't have as much value or relevance as the newer ones offered by Sony with IGC.

Sure I get to keep these games forever most people would have played these games already. It's much better to give your customers access the newer titles that are more relevant IMO.

/rant

Edit -

@ThePope

The percentage of people that haven't played newer games like bioshock:infinite and Metro:Last light will be more than likely higher seeing as Dead Island and the like have been available for *Years* of the X360's lifetime.

[ThePope]

It can be said for the PS+ games. I mean what percentage of people who WANT to play Bioshock haven't?

PS + rents the games to you GWG gives them to you. Both are different, and both are good.

To Majin,

You don’t know what PS+ will look like on PS4, will it be all Indies with only half being worth playing? Or will it be lots of AAA games. Only time will tell. Not only that we have no idea what's in store for GWG. And if you don’t think Microsoft is focusing on spending the money (which on the manufacturers side is all this about) to make the program amazing you’re crazy...

[Gamer1982]

Does the renting argument even apply to ps4 owners anymore though? As nearly every PS4 owner will have a PS+ sub anyway.. So you basically have them for life or until you finally had enough of the console.

[Whiskeyjacked87]

@thepope whatever the PS+ has in store is sure to blow away whatever GWG is going to offer in the future.

[dedicatedtogamers]

Microsoft needs to step it up. In just the past 3 months we've gotten Borderlands 2 (released late 2012), Bioshock Infinite, Brothers, Metro Last Light, Payday 2, and Remember Me (all five of those launched less than a year ago). And that's just for PS3. There was even more offered on Vita and PS4.

Dead Island? That was on PS+ like...over a year ago. Sure, they let you keep your 4-year-old game. Wow. I'd rather pay a reasonable sum to "rent" these games (many of which I'd never buy and I'll likely never replay) than get a few games that I own forever but probably won't replay anyway.

[ThePope]

"many of which I'd never buy and I'll likely never replay"

So who cares then? Sounds like both are offering you games you don't want.

[dedicatedtogamers]

ThePope

Nah, I'm old-school. I actually still rent (well, did rent, prior to PS+) games. I try before I buy if I can. I used Gamefly in the past (but I don't subscribe anymore). I borrowed games from friends and lent my games to my friends in return.

There are a lot of games out there that are okay. Heck, there are a lot of games out there that are really, really great, but I'll never replay them, so why bother with owning them? I didn't get a chance to play Brothers last year, nor have I played Borderlands 2. Why? Not on the top of my priority list. But I'll certainly give them a try, now that they're free to me.

That's the thing. I like being able to try these games, many of which are less than a year old. Microsoft is offering very old games, many of which already have newer sequels. I am significantly less likely to be interested in trying a game that's 3 years old compared to a game that is less than 1 year old. Not to mention (using the last two months as an example) games like Bioshock, Brothers, and Metro were featured on tons of GotY lists and Best of 2013 lists. Can the same be said for Dead Island?

[Whiskeyjacked87]

@thepope justify it any way you can to help you sleep with your poor choice for gaming but PS+ trumps GWG

[reaperofsouls]

ps+>> games with OLD

[Mister_Dawg]

Easy to give newer games when they are only for rent!

[_FantasmA_]

Yeah, it must be so expensive for M$ to give you games that can be found at garage sales and pawn shops and that you can trade in for 25 cents.

[NeoTribe]

The fact stands that i got to play over 1500 dollars worth of titles i would have never known id love through ps plus. Games with gold games are so old i wouldnt even waste the room on the tiny little hdd xbox 1 has.

[medman]

Are we still doing this nonsense? To date, it has been no competition. We don't need monthly updates on it. When Microsoft begins to offer games that aren't a decade old and complete garbage compared to psplus, that's when articles should be written. Until then, we don't need news we already know.

[PudgeySan]

Don't even need to read the article to know who is the winner here. My PS4 is an atomic free indie game machine and i'm not even mad really. Don't starve kept me busy for the whole months like crack to a.. umm.. crackhead? and Outlast seriously is creepy as fuck and hard to play alone but wicked awesome.. reminds me of the Res dayz. Bf4 is where it's at though, Ea needs to get there shit together right quick though, Jesus H !!!

[Automatic79]

Another website wanting hits.

Many gamers will constantly say that psn is better then xbox live but lets look at a few reasons why they are both great. First PSN + has had a year headstart and as a nextflix subscription based program it has proven to get better with time. Xbox live does not not even have a year out since May gamers have been treated to some great classics and modern games. Now here is the kicker psn + gives you rented games for PSVita, PS3 and now PS4 where as Xbox live is for Xbox 360, MS Surface windows based apps and soon Xbox One. Overall PSN games are rented and Xbox live games are free for ever. Cons if you stop the subscription for psn you lose the games if you stop xbox live you keep them. Both offer great titles and both are considered free when you are part of there ecosystem. Enough with the comparison both have been great value's to current and future subscribers.

[typoknight]

Dead Island is one of the worst games I've ever played.

[PixelNinja]

You have not played a lot of bad games then.
I am one of the lucky ones to have played ET for the Atari 2600 and Superman 64.

[Software_Lover]

He said one of the worst.

[typoknight]

When I played Dead Island with a friend, the game simultaneously froze both of our Xboxes. The dialogue, voice acting and story were terrible. The weapon durability system was frustrating; the best weapons only lasted a few hits before the player has to drop a colossal amount of money to repair them. The gameplay was six hours of hitting the same zombies with sticks, with the occasional special zombie thrown in.

I'm not saying it's the worst game ever made, but it's pretty terrible.

[MysticStrummer]

If the game had worked properly I'd say it was pretty decent, though not amazing in any way. Unfortunately it was hands down the buggiest game I've ever played. Lots of freezing, mostly when I played online, but online or off I had issues with my progress through the game not registering. I had to play multiple sections of the game two, three, sometimes four or five times. As an example, I did the part where you go through the sewer to city hall and back three times before the game gave me credit, even though the maddening autosave symbol would come onscreen several times during the run. I began to hate the autosave symbol. I had weapons vanish from my inventory as soon as I stepped away from the workbench after making them, or disappear into the ground after throwing them. I saw zombies run through walls or down into the ground, only to pop out of the ground in front of me. I had vehicles vanish while I was driving them, then appear down the road. Quest rewards not given to me… the list goes on, and the friend who co-oped most of the game with me had the same problems.

[SonyStyled]

omg superman 64. i dont even remember what you had to do in that game besides fly around

[UnHoly_One]

I loved it. God knows how many times I've played through it both solo and co-op. Probably 6-8 times if I had to guess.

Never had any serious problems with the game and I thought it was a blast.

And 6 hours? Are you saying you played the entire game in 6 hours, because that seems impossible? I think my FASTEST playthrough was near to 30 hours.

[Redinfamy]

Dang it is that bad, I played it for like 30 minutes but I wished I played it with friends

[ABizzel1]

@typoknight

Dead Island is a decent game, with way too many glitches.

I wouldn't say it's the worse.

[Hicken]

Like bringing a pea shooter to a nuke fight.

[Angels3785]

A grain of sand to a Russian nuke fight

[MasterCornholio]

Plus is better.

:)

[strigoi814]

no match...plus free games are way way better

[Software_Lover]

are we really doing this again?

[Dehnus]

Yup...

[Bowzabub]

That is kind of an odd question for a software lover...oh, I see.

[JAT2304]

Xbox Games with Gold DEAD ON ARRIVAL!

[AngelicIceDiamond]

@Jat alright relax enough with the doom and gloom already.

At this point if anyone hasn't picked up Dead Island will be welcome to try it out at this point.

I've never played Toy Soldiers but from what I've heard its pretty good.

http://www.ign.com/articles...

Overall score: http://www.metacritic.com/g...

Not to bad I'm sure a great deal of people will try this out.

[JAT2304]

The point is they only give Live very old games! I have to pay $60 to own older games....no thank you. I'm letting my Live...die. I'm down with M$!

[Mr_Luke]

PS+ wins.... FATALITY!

[UnHoly_One]

I personally think they both suck most months.

The only time either of them put up a game I don't already own is when it is something I don't want to play anyway.

I guess the moral of the story is I buy too many games and I'm not the target audience for either of these services.

[Redinfamy]

I hope with Games with Gold for Xbox One improvements will be made and more games. 2 is not enough each month.

[cyberninja]

More like jokes with gold vs ps+, lol.

[BattleTorn]

I can't believe people consider these lists comparable.

Dead Island (released Sept.2011)
Toy Soldiers: Cold War (Aug 2011)

Outlast (PS4) (Feb.2014!!!!!)
Metro Last Light (May 2013)
Pay Day 2 (Aug 2013)
Remember Me (June 2013)
Mod Nation Racers (PS Vita) - (Feb 2012)
Street Fighter X Tekken (PS Vita) - (Oct 2012)

Not only is there twice as much offered on PS+ - THEY'RE ALL NEWER!!

[tommygunzII]

Don't forget:

Bioshock: Infinite
Hitman: Absolution
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Sleeping Dogs

Plenty more I can't think of that released recently.

[Kivespussi]

Competition is good for customers of both sides... Too bad there's no competition in this. It's pretty obvious which one is the better one.

[Death]

By all means, Plus gives away a ton more content. As a gamer I love the service. As a business owner I'm not sure how much profit is to be made giving games away. Plus is great for gamers, bad for Sony. Perhaps this is why the PS4 hasn't seen the same quality content that the PS3 offers. I would not blame Sony if they followed a different business model with the PS4 version of Plus.

[LeCreuset]

Would you please stop trolling with the same unsubstantiated nonsense?

[Ricegum]

You always have to put a negative spin on everything. I'm sure there is plenty of profit to be made for Sony. And I think you'll find the PS4 has just come out, is it possible to give out free games at this point. I have been more than happy with Contrast, Resogun, Don't Starve and Outlast as well as the f2p games. A whole lot more than Microsoft have offered.

[admiralvic]

"I'm not sure how much profit is to be made giving games away."

I'm willing to bet it doesn't cost Sony a whole lot to offer these games for free. One of the core concepts behind Plus, is that it is good for exposure, in the same way that a humble bundle might get you to try something new.

The core idea is to typically take something that isn't making money or enough money to care and let Sony give it away so you can turn your nearly worthless game into new sources of profit. This is a big reason why we get a lot of games with several DLC packs or sequels coming out. It obviously works out pretty well for all sides or else they wouldn't do it.

"Perhaps this is why the PS4 hasn't seen the same quality content that the PS3 offers."

Simple common sense would explain why the PS4 doesn't see the same "quality content" the PS3 offers. This is to say, the PS4 is too new for any company to want to give away a full retail title. Most PS3 full retail titles are usually 6+ months old and the newer ones are usually things that did absolutely terrible in sales. Currently it just isn't worth it, but in a year we might start seeing things like Knack get listed.

"I would not blame Sony if they followed a different business model with the PS4 version of Plus."

Again, it's too new. Early Vita stuff was only good because the system was several months old by that point. Things will change as the install base grows and the selection also grows.

[Kayant]

@Death

So you care more than MS are making money as a business than them trying to offer you value.

Am starting to think you have a MS employee or have major shares in MS.

@admiralvic

Well said and explained.

[Death]

@LeCreuset,

You are not required to read or respond to anything I write. Unsubstantiated nonsense? Sony hasn't been able to sustain a profit in gaming for quite some time. The company as a whole has been selling off assets since last year to try and slow down their losses. We have watched their stock value drop and graded to junk status across the board. Sony is heading into bankruptcy faster than they have reduced their losses.

You seem much smarter than me. What is it Sony is doing different than Microsoft that they haven't been able to sustain a profit with roughly the same user base? Was it free online? Was it giving away games? Too many first party developers?

What has Sony done the last couple years? They have shut down first party studios, restructures others and started charging to play online. What is left that can hurt their business model? The "free" games are the only thing they have carried over. If I were Sony or an investor that is the first thing I would stop.

Like I said, as a gamer I love the service. I don't buy nearly as much for my PS3 as I did before subscribing. If I were a Sony only fan I would be buying more games and not too hurt if they altered the service so they were not losing as much.

Please explain to me how this is wrong. So far the only response I have seen is "Sony knows what they are doing" or "Sony make enough money". I honestly believe Sony fans need to stop relying on the service and buy more games if they want to see Sony succeed.

@Kayant,
No, I do not care that Microsoft makes money mroe than they offer value. They have enough revenue and profits where I can afford to feel entitled and say they owe me for using their products. Sony can't afford to add value to their customers at the expense of revenue and profit since they don't have enough revenue and just lost another billion for the year. Sony needs their customers to step up and spend more and ask for less. Plus is a great value for gamers to get subscriptions. Now that subscriptions are mandatory Sony should offer less with the service and focus more on profitability so they can be around for a next generation in gaming.

[tommygunzII]

@ Death
One of the reasons PS4 is outselling the X1 is because of the great reputation PS+ has.

[LeCreuset]

"You seem much smarter than me."

That's because you spout nonsense like a child who has just learned how to read Dr. Seuss attempting to lecture on Shakespeare. Your whole argument is that Sony the parent company is in trouble, so Sony the gaming division is in trouble, so somehow PS+ plays a part in these troubles. I'm out of bubbles, so if you need further explanation about why that leap in logic is ridiculous, get someone else to give you a remedial lesson. Suffice it to say that you have done nothing to substantiate your argument against Plus, besides throw around conjecture. Sony, which encompasses more than just the gaming division, projecting a loss does not automatically legitimize any wild theory you decide to pull out of your rear.

"You are not required to read or respond to anything I write."

You are not required to read or respond to me calling you out, but I will call you out for the benefit of others here. I don't believe you are as invested in a corporations bottom line above your own interests as a consumer as you pretend to be. I am inclined to agree with Kayant. I believe you are a paid employee. Anyone taking a gander at your comment history can see your obsession with pushing this "Plus is bad for you" agenda.

If you are so concerned about Sony's bottom line, put your money where your mouth is. Drop your Plus subscription and buy those games.

Along those lines, I'll make a deal with you. If Sony is no longer in gaming by Dec. 1, 2014, I will make one final post acknowledging that you were right, then never post on N4G again. If Sony is still in gaming, and PS+ Instant Game Collection is still around (gave you some wiggle room), you will make one final post acknowledging that I was right and you were wrong, then never post on N4G again. Do you accept? "Yes," or "No" answer please, as I'm on my last bubble.

[Kivespussi]

http://www.psu.com/a022421/...

And it's amazing that sony even offers anything on PS4. It just came out so of course they aren't going to give away anything like killzone shadow fall or infamous when it comes out. But even though they aren't giving AAA games they're still giving games that easily goes to top 5 games on the entire system at the moment. Resogun and outlast (don't know anything about contrast. Not even if it's any good)

[gobluesamg]

Haha Death the broken record.

[Redinfamy]

I think Microsoft will improve though with Xbox one gwg, because they need to gain more influence and that was one of their strenghts with their users. I do not think they want PS to win with online. They have a lot of 3rd party partnerships so they should beef it up a bit.

[Death]

I don't think Sony is "winning" by giving the games away and reducing revenue that selling games provides. The only thing Sony is doing is training Plus subscribers to not buy games or at the very least buy less games while they rely on Plus more and more for their gaming needs.

[tommygunzII]

They sell more consoles. If you bought a PS4 you will not be buying X1 games at all. That is what hurts sales.

[BattleTorn]

So far GWG is non existent on Xbox One - so I don't know what gives you this impression...

[LeCreuset]

I don't approve/disapprove articles, but if I did, I would disapprove this one. Not for any legitimate reasons, in line with N4G's policies. Just out of mercy. I would be like, "Don't do it to 'em. They don't want it. They sorry." This is like an athletic commission sanctioning a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Justin Bieber.

[TristanPR77]

PS Plus wins by knock out in the first second of the first round.

It was like putting Mike Tyson to fight against your grandfather lol

[LeCreuset]

This is so lopsided that if you limited me to one game, for one system, I would take just one of the games offered for either the PS4, PS3, or Vita over the totality of GWG's offerings for the month.

[A LIVING LEGEND]

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure this one out....
I mean Ray Charles could see that for gamers,one service is superior to the other.

Only a misanthrope or someone who has been sleeping for years would argue otherwise.

[LexHazard79]

PS+ has the better games, but if MS steps up their free game offers(with newer games) it could be better than PS+ free games offer (just to clarify,not overall package)seeing as you actually own the games MS gives you whether you keep Xbl Gold or not.

[LeCreuset]

The only reason MS is able to give away games, permanently, is because the offerings are so old. Why do you think Sony doesn't give away Plus games permanently? The more marketable the game, the more the publisher has to be compensated. If you're talking about giving away that game, permanently, it's going to cost more.

[LexHazard79]

No doubt, but still keeping your games be it old or new still has to count for something... sleeping dogs and tomb raider gaurdian of light are old but good games worth a download if you had the space for it! And its yours to keep...

Also the new games for this month are cool cause I haven't played them.

[Flames76]

Gold has always been better better online service plus the games you get are yours to keep.With playstation plus you only rent them if you get rid of your service then say goodbye to your games pathetic really

[tommygunzII]

I have over 110 games in 2 years with Plus, why would I ever cancel the service?
The only thing I can think of that is more stupid than that is being a Microsoft customer knowing the value PS+ has.
Some people paid for Live for almost 10 years with nothing to show for it.

[Gamer666]

So a gamer loses their job and their PS+ subscription is up for renewal and they can't afford or justify to their family the PS+ renewal over feeding their family and paying their life bills.

That is not stupidity, that is putting your priorities in the right place.

[static360]

as a 360 owner, this shit is not even fair. i admit getting dead island and such shows they are getting better at giving decent games but still unfair comparison

[blademaster09]

Fool's Gold

[arbitor365]

the value you get in free and discounted content is on PS plus is literally over ten times that of games with gold. there is no contest

[tommygunzII]

The more Microsoft falls behind, the better their games will get. They know the formula for success, but they would rather milk their fanbase until that time comes.

[DualWielding]

we need Microsoft to step its game with GWG or else Sony would have no reason to really try anything..... I mean we get all this games because that's what we are paying for, I am concerned we won't get the same quality of games when most people would be paying primarily for online rather than the games

[MasterofMagnetism]

Plus wins. Nuff said.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

MS should consider to copy PS+ game rent service. Then I might consider to buy an X1 as soon as possible but for now I just wait for a big price drop to happen :D

[RosweeSon]

This'll be a hard one, let me guess Microsoft will give us a free copy of Kameo or perfect dark zero... Thanks!