New on PlayStation Plus in December: Gauntlet, Kings Quest, more

By: Otisha Sealy:
Winter is coming…. and so is next month’s batch of PlayStation Plus games. Are you ready to delve into epic battles against the forces of darkness, or maybe you’d rather play it a little safer with a light-hearted adventure? Well, you’re in luck because we have both bases covered – with PlayStation Plus, you can fight over dragons and kings this holiday season, rather than who gave the worst gifts.

[DarkOcelet]

I was expecting Sony to end the year with at least one AAA game for the PS4.

Oh well, those games look interesting.

Its great to know Zelda Williams is in King's Quest. Robin Williams was a legend. Rest in Peace.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

King's Quest is AAA... I think.
Edit: the video was turned to private for some reason. Sorry about that.
This one works : https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Balsanoid]

Lol, only episode 1 available for free? Telltale regularly gives us episode 1 of their games for free outside of PS+... so it's supposed to be PS+ worthy for Sierra to give us only episode 1 of King's Quest? I would have been happy with the full season, sure! This is lame though.

[the_dark_one]

@balsanoid

well chapter 2 isnt even out yet, so it cant be given free yet. and the telltale games ep1 given out for free is almost always when the full season is out

[Balsanoid]

@the_dark_one Ah, I see. Still seems like a cop-out choice though. They essentially are giving us a demo, regardless of whether the rest of the season is released or not.

[Blastoise]

Gotta agree with Balsanoid. Giving us the first part of a five part episodic series is a bit of a piss take.

Freedom wars is a good choice though, but I bought that at launch.

[FriedGoat]

Kings quest episode 1 is much larger than a telltale episode.

Edit: Ah the classic disagree.

Walking dead ep 1
http://howlongtobeat.com/ga...

Kings Quest ep 1
http://howlongtobeat.com/ga...

K thnx bai.

[ShutUpDonny]

While I agree that King's Quest is AAAish, the fact that is just the episode 1, defeat the purpose of having it on the IGC. I loved the game, I can't wait for the episode 2 (so many good childhood memories) and I hope the series fill gain more fans with this, but it's still some kind of marketing BS.

[CuddlyREDRUM]

King's Quest is not AAA. It is almost the opposite of AAA. I almost think it was crowdfunded.

If you ever have to wonder if a game is AAA, it probably isn't.

[Tobsesan]

It's not even close to AA

[MajorLazer]

PS+ has been absolute garbage for a while now. Only reason I renew is to play online on Bloodborne

[pyroxxx]

Agreed,.. Hell,.. Vita has way more interesting selection Freedom wars actually looks fun ,.. I'd take that over 3 hous of KQ (unless it was entire season)

[FullmetalRoyale]

Freedom Wars is dope. While I already own it(and imagine a lot of the hardcore vita owners do as well), I enjoy helping newer players to a game when events like this take place, so I'll be playing on it again in December.
My friend and I platinumed Diablo III together, and while I'm not in the mood for Gauntlet now, I'll definitely be grabbing it for later. I won't be dusting off my PS3 though. :)

[Christopher]

Only 1st chapter of King's Quest. It's definitely not for everyone, but not a horrible modern-day point and click adventure game.

[lelo2play]

Another crap month on PS+ for the PS4... as expected.

[TwoForce]

Well, what do you expect ? Underwhelming ? Yes . Bad games ? No.

[Deadlead]

What happened to PS Plus. Damn.

[bouzebbal]

a guy who kills himself is no legend, sorry.

OT: Good line up overall. I always wanted to buy SSX on PS3 it looks interesting and i love the series. Perfect.

[Der_Kommandant]

Where is the Christmas spirit Sony?

[TwoForce]

Not just those games, but the Playstation Plus will have huge discount for every games.

[caseh]

Yeah man, those massive saving that bring the prices of overpriced games down to a price where they are still more expensive to buy than online or in stores. *bravo*

[Dirtnapstor]

Not quite Christmas yet...

[chazjamie]

for playstation 3 owners, this is list is pretty awesome.

[itsjustexuma]

There's a huge possibility we're going to get more games to download during PlayStation Experience

[FPSRUSSIA]

im sure there saving the big ones for PlayStation Experience just like what they did with drive club.

[RiPPn]

We got Garden Warfare free also..

[RiseofScorpio]

Wasn't that to celebrate the 20th anniversary?

[Khlydo]

I'm thinking the same thing, I hope so...

[StormLegend]

SSX and Farcry 3 is a pretty good deal!

I'm disappointed with the PS4 selection tho

Could have been Farcry 4

[Christopher]

It could have also been Witcher 3 or Fallout 4 for that matter...

It's all a matter of what deals they can make. Apparently it costs too much to go with other games at the moment.

The only downside I see here is the lack of cross-platform games this month.

[TFJWM]

Fallout 4 the month after it came out...A game that still costs more than a whole year of PS+...

Are you ok...?

[Ricegum]

@TFJWM

You didn't get his comment. He was using Fallout just as an example for his point. He isn't saying we should get Fallout lol.

[slappy508]

Ooh Ill definately take Kings Quest and Freedom Wars

[pecorre]

My sub just ran out and this won't make me renew. By the way, play SSX on the PS3, it's an awesome game!

[TriangleOffense]

Yeah same here, no reason to pay for plus right now even the discounts are pathetic

[killer_goat]

So you don't play any multiplayer games?

[PsyMonk3y]

SSX was a million miles better on ps2! the ps3 version was a dumbed down peice of @%¥€ cash grab really loved the previous games but ps3 version was a massive letdown.

On the the ps2 ssx games you had to time and land tricks correctly or you would crash and grinding involved skill practice and balance!

Where as the ps3 version to land tricks all you had to do is release the sticks and it auto landed for you and grinding was a joke you would lock onto the grind and no balancing was required, such a shame loved ssx! :(

[pecorre]

SSX was the first and only game I bought for PS2 when it was launched years ago. I liked every game in the series except "On Tour". SSX 2012 was actually quite fun if you gave it a chance. There was tons of content and even if I hated some of the "survival" aspect, there was enough other type of events to keep me entertained.

I really hope we'll get a PS4 SSX that is closer to SSX3.

[IAmLee]

SSX Tricky > SSX PS3.
I enjoyed it on PS3, but it just didn't feel the same :/

[mike32UK]

Ditto this is absolute turd! 2 year anniversary just passed with 30M consoles sold and this is what we get? What a load

[Hoffmann]

Gauntlet! Thats awesome. wanted to buy that game in the upcoming January since I get psn cards at christmas anyway.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon woooohoo.

[SmokingMonkey]

Wizard needs food badly.

[InahimeHondaSengoku]

Death has appeared! :-)

[andibandit]

I was actually gonna buy the game to play some local coop with the wife. SO glad its comming on PS+.

[Hoffmann]

Yeah, looking forward to play it with my girl as well. Somehow the classic Gauntlet game from the eighties is one of her favourite video games of all times

[Eonjay]

Freedom Wars for Vita!

[pyroxxx]

PS4 selection is really shitty,.. I take it back for pissing on november,.. I'll take MAGICKA2,Walking Dead Season 2, Dragon Fin Soup (this is actually surprisingly addicting, once you get used to shitty UI,.. it probably works great on the Vita though) over Gauntlet and KQ 1 episode any time of the week,...

I wonder if we might get some "bonus" PS4 games next week at PSX. Otherise this isn't that great of a month for PS4 plus.

PS3 and Vita selection are great,.

[Flashback001]

I'm happy with the Vita games at least... The ps4 games are lame...

[Smokeeye123]

After Resogun, Outlast, and Dont Starve right after launch, PS+ ps4 games have been crud.

[HammadTheBeast]

ROcket League was pretty good.

[MeteorPanda]

there have been a few good games but yeah, recent months have just been filler

[PhucSeeker]

Rocket league was a nice addition. But yeah, Ps4 is in its top form so asking Sony to deliver like they did with the Ps3 is pretty far-fetched.

[Master-H]

Rocket League and Towerfall Ascension are great too.

[akaFullMetal]

They have been pretty good, but once another year comes around I can see way more bigger games being released.

2015 PS4 games:

Aaru's Awakening
Apotheon
Broken Age
Counterspy
Dragon Fin Soup
DRIVECLUB (PS+ Edition)
Ether One
Futuridium EP Deluxe
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
Grow Home
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
Hohokum
inFAMOUS First Light
Kings Quest Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Limbo
Magicka 2
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes
Mousecraft
Never Alone
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty!
Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate
Race the Sun
Rocket League
Rogue Legacy
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition
Sound Shapes
Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones
Styx: Master of Shadows
Super Exploding Zoo
Super Meat Boy
Super Time Force Ultra
The Swapper
Teslagrad
Tower of Guns
Transistor
Trine 2: The Complete Story
The Unfinished Swan
Unmechanical Extended
Valiant Hearts: The Great War
The Walking Dead: Season 2
Xeodrifter

[Ulf]

The sad thing is that you could probably get at least that many good indie games, from a larger selection on Steam, for less than the price of one year of PS Plus.

MGS:GZ is the closest thing to a full retail game on that list, and lets face it, it was a glorified demo of MGS V. I suppose Walking Dead: S2, and Magicka 2 kinda count -- they are sub-$40-release "A" titles, at least, albeit not "AAA".

A lot of those indies are good fun, but again, lets compare with the Steam indie sales of the last year, and.. do they really tally up to the same gaming value?

Can't Sony at least shovel some of their own titles onto the PS Plus freebie program? Games like Knack, maybe? Order: 1886?

[P_Bomb]

@smokeeye
Injustice Ultimate Edition, inFamous First Light and Ground Zeroes were top notch for freebies (although I had already bought first light and ground zeroes by that time), but the PS4 AAA's overall have been few and far between.

PS3 offerings remain steady, I find myself downloading them the most.

[Smokeeye123]

Not compared to PS3 when they get full AAA games. It's been two years since the PS4 has been out, so using the "it's too soon for them to offer big games on PS+" as an excuse is getting far-fetched. We should be getting games like Knack and Killzone by now

[P_Bomb]

I agree on that, even Tomb Raider Remastered has been on xbox one already.

Lotsa "lesser" AAA games they could make deals for. Knack, Lego Marvel, FF 13 online, Ultra SF4 even. Theres like a dozen last gen remasters out there no one tapped like Metro. TLOU has already sold umpteen million. Why not throw Remastered up there for the anniversary? Why not Beyond two souls for a month? It already passed a million on ps3. I platinumed it. Will never pay for it twice but i'd check it out on plus.

[Majin-vegeta]

Gauntlet is more than enough for ne.I was just about to buy it last nite.

[Relientk77]

I wanted to try Kings Quest, nice!

[Kalebninja]

Ah sweet, I was about to buy kings quest too.

[elarcadia]

It's only Chap. 1, so if you like it buy the full game! Sierra is amazing :)

[bleedsoe9mm]

if it was all the episodes i'd be fine with these two games , i thought last months offering was extremely disappointing . i've been a + member since day1 and i won't be renewing next year .

[elarcadia]

@bleedsoe9mm Even on BF the whole King's Quest is only around 29.99/39.99 I believe. It is still a really new game, and each chapter is about 3x as long (if not longer) than a typical Telltale Game. I understand the frustration (the PS4 picks this month are pretty mediocre) but having the KQ season pass (when only 1 episode is out as of now) would just be wayyyy too costly for Sony to make a deal. If Sony is smart, they will have a good freebie game during the Sony Experience next week, and if they are even smarter they will make it only for current PS+ members.

[Ulf]

Okay, this month seals it for me. PS Plus is just plain not as good as Games with Gold. Sony's free games offering is basically trumped 100% of the time by Microsoft's.

What's up with that? They have 2x the marketshare, you'd think they could be a little more generous with the PS Plus offers.

[PhucSeeker]

You know why they gave away awesome games in the PS3 era ? Because the thing was losing the market share to its competitor.

[Ulf]

Hmm. You're right. So sad.

[jb227]

I'd personally rather have newer titles that I might not have otherwise tried than a bunch of 2 year old games that most everyone has already played & sold off. Different strokes for different folks I suppose, but there have been far more games I've never played or don't own on PS+ than GWG.

[NeoGamer232]

X1 is getting Van Helsing... Yet another PC to console port (But at least it is a new port and not something already released)...

And Thief a two year old retail game.

So its not a bunch of two year old games.

And the 360 games which are guaranteed BC on X1 are Sacred 3, Castlestorm, and Operation Flashpoint.

PS4 list doesn't even hold a candle this month.

King's Quest is a re-imagining of the old King's Quest games, and Gauntlet is yet another PC to console port.

And the PS3 and Vita games can't be played on PS4.

So, if you are a X1 owner you get a new port and 3 older retail games versus PS4 where you get a released port and a reimagined released game.

[DOMination-]

Neither have been amazing. But I've had more out of ps+ so far..

[Darkfist]

nice i can finaly try Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon

[akaFullMetal]

Gauntlet, sweeeeeeet!

[uth11]

Both Gauntlet and King's Quest were on my "to buy" list, so I'm thrilled! :)

[elarcadia]

Just meh for me this month. But, hey it is free so I can't really complain! I am planning on getting Kings quest on XB1 for the BF deal, but heck I'll play ep. 1 on both systems! Why not! I wish they would do another Gauntlet in the style of Dark Legacy...that is still my favorite Gauntlet to this day. So good!

[Atomicjuicer]

Where do you get your ps plus? my subscription wasn't free!

[elarcadia]

Let's just say my work has some nice perks ;)

[Luvofdegames]

Looks like I will not be renewing my ps plus. There is absolutely no reason anymore seeing as I play single player games and the offering from sony has been a joke.

[ironcrow2386]

What id like to know Sony is why in the actual crap are you still bothering with ps3, that time is over, be nice if you start concentrating on the here n now

[elarcadia]

Hey now, I just got my PS3 earlier this year and I've been enjoying the releases for both systems :).

[ironcrow2386]

Theres nothing with the ps3 but im sure you have to admit it would be nice if ps plus was reserved solely for ps4 😃

[Majin-vegeta]

That self entitlement of a gamer...I hate people like you.

*Oh I should be getting this and not them*

That's what you sound like.

[jambola]

I hate people like you
people can't complain or ask for something without people like you calling them entitled,

"Wanting something?! not being happy with a huge decrease in quality?, you're so entitled"

that's what you sound like.

[towelie1288]

ps plus games for ps4 is a disappointment again.....

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

I disagree. But I get that you have a different opinion.

[hardcorehippiez]

ps3 is far from over ... my kids still play ps3 and its still very active online . for them having ps plus has more than paid off because their hardrives are full of games. ps plus goes acrooss 3 platforms so if you have only got a ps4 well that is your own fault really for not getting the other systems to benefit from it .

[FITgamer]

Almost picked Gauntlet up on PC a couple of weeks ago. Glad I didn't.

[esmittystud101]

Its not that the PS4 PS+ titles are really bad or anything, they just don't hold a candle to Xbox One's multiple AAA releases this past year with Games with Gold. I have both consoles as well with both services, I love both of them. But Sony is far behind Microsoft when it comes to this matter.

[richyque]

This is a trash line up when compared to the xboxone.

[jznrpg]

I almost bought Kings Quest but get to try out the episode that's out now for free cool . Gauntlet is another game I don't have which is cool as well. Last month they gave Dragon Fin Soup and it is a fun a game, I keep going back to it when I am taking a Fallout break.

[RiPPn]

Not much love for Gauntlet, but I'm way excited for it.. great month in my book.

[NotoriousWhiz]

This is great. I was going to buy a PS4 and gauntlet for Black Friday. Now I don't need to pay for Gauntlet.

[Rookie_Monster]

Meh for this month. Com on Sony, give us at least one retail AAA PS4 game.

[gangsta_red]

I always wanted to check out King’s Quest. But yea, other than that it is lacking in December.

[S2Killinit]

Gauntlet: Slayer Edition (PS4)

King’s Quest – Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember (PS4)

Wow really happy with these (:

[trywizardo]

Sony you dumb a** mother F***ers , why the **** are you doing this you ignorant pieces of goddamn ****
**** you ..|..

[ault01]

they could just decide not to do the free games... be happy they are offering games. Impossible to offer games for everyone to enjoy every month.

[trywizardo]

then i will sell this sorry ass console , the network and party are already broke , and if they removed the features then **** them

[Yobo5]

lol, imagine if they did get rid of the "free games" more guys like wizard would be flipping their lid at Sony.

I get why people are annoyed though, it's $50 for mostly content they don't like or choose, and most only have it just because it's required for online.

I'm one of those who is only in it for the multiplayer. I understand the games aren't really free, but for some people it really is the only thing keeping them around.

It's just unfortunate Sony has to force it this ime around. I know I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, although the cloud storage is one perk I find more useful.

[Artemidorus]

Very disappointing for me. Always next month....

[ault01]

is this for North America also? I didn't see anything stating for NA

[P_Bomb]

Disappointing way to end off 2015 for both Plus and Gold, but Gold only cost me $1 for a month and I'm not renewing. PS+ I have to (for multiplayer and cloud) but I really don't want to.

SSX is probably the highest rated game across both console's offerings but it was also free on Gold a year ago. Gauntlet is better than the garbage that is Sacred 3 but it's still a massive step down from last December's AAA Injustice: Gods Among Us ultimate edition.

Kings Quest episode 1 out of 5 is just an insult. Anyway you slice it its 1/5th of a full game. Glorified demo you need to fork over another $30 in order to get the whole story. Nuts considering walking dead season 2 was just free in its entirety and free episode 1's are common already what with back to the future, Sam and Max, tales from the borderlands, walking dead, game of thrones, RE revelations 2 etc. I'm not paying for demos.

@ault
It's for NA as well. The same games were posted on the NA PS Blog

[MikleDemi]

Are you kidding me? I love the Gold offerings. They annihilate what PS Plus is getting.

I am going to be spending a LOT of time with Sacred 3, Van Helsing, and Thief. Don't really care about Flashpoint or that castle game though, but I know a few friends that are pretty excited for Operation Flashpoint.

Moreover you can get 1 year Gold membership cards for $30 or less quite often, I stocked up on the $25 offer, so now I have enough to sub for years lol. PS Plus rarely falls below $40. So Gold wins hands down, especially for the price.
Don't forget all Gold games are BC with the One.

[P_Bomb]

Flashpoint is like 6 years old I believe. Not much value there considering something contemporary like Titanfall is only $4.99 this week on marketplace. Still that's probably the one I'll play the most from this months gold.

I don't have an X1. If I did I'd try VanHelsing. Thief was already free on plus earlier this year, so kinda cancels out with SSX, which was free on Xbox first.

Critically, Sacred 3 averaged a horrible 51% on 360. Gauntlet for ps4 averaged 71%. I'd say I'm probably better off with Gauntlet from that genre, but truly want neither.

Platinumed FC3 couple years ago right after launch. Good game but I feel complete there. No urge for BloodDragon. Castle-storm I'll probably give a quick whirl. Kings quest I'll try on the wife's account so I'm not stuck with some 5-10% completion rank.

[Sketchy_Galore]

Sony foresee a future in which all retro styled sword and sorcery games will be free on ps4

[MikleDemi]

Very disappointed with December's offer, especially the lack of cross buy - considering the Xbone is getting 5 games playable on the One.

Gauntlet is a poor man's Sacred 3 (which the One is getting in December).

Heck the only good game on that list is Freedom Wars, and that's for the Vita.

Blood Dragon isn't bad, but very short and odds are everyone played it already.

Sad to see the PS4 didn't get a single AAA title this year. Wow.

[DivineAssault]

Freedom wars and blood dragon.. Nice!

[waltyftm]

Lovely jubbly, SSX and Blood dragon make me happy, and i will just add the rest to my immense PS+ backlog, until that joyous day i get a Vita or PS4.

[captainexplosion]

It's very odd PS Plus hasn't given away more first party PS4 games like Killzone. There has to be a reason. My theory is they are likely adding PS4 games to PS Now. I wouldn't be that surprised if Sony created a EA Access like membership program either.

[Kyizen]

If you want Killzone you can buy it for $15 now if you really wanted it you already own it, and if both of those don't appeal to you why do you care if it's on ps plus or not

[captainexplosion]

Not a bad month. Great for Vita and PS3. I'm getting sick of all the hack n slash RPGs though. So many of the recent Plus games have looked exactly the same.

[1060FX8300]

Freedom Wars? Fu*k yeah!
A decent month for Vita owners, it seems ;)

[CuddlyREDRUM]

Don't most "episodes" have the first one for free eventually, anyway?

Not that Games With Gold is better for December, it is actually worse.

[fxa5209]

Welcome to PS Plus, the home of Indies.....

[Germany7]

Sadly i don't have a Vita because Freedom Wars looks amazing.
For me it's a good month, i will try SSX, King's Quest and Gauntlet.

[BronyAssassin]

Woohoo, Gauntlet: Slayer Edition

[explicitbaron]

Entitles gamers complaining about free games. Come on people it's still free. IF you have PS4 you need PS Plus just to play online everything else is a bonus. I'm happy with SSX and Far Cry, Finally something good for PS3. So many games I have for PSV and PS4 that I can't play until buying those great systems.

[trouble_bubble]

I don't think you understand what "free" means.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 ep 1 just came out free. Even on 360. Kings Quest ep 1 requires PS+ subscription so technically it's not free. The obvious hypocrisy is they're releasing a demo by any other publisher's standards, on a paid service that's supposed to offer complete games. It's borderline fraud. The entitlement is on their part, feeling they can get away with borderline breach of contract.

If anything they should offer a tiered PS+ service where you pay a cheaper rate just for online access, if you don't wanna feel defrauded by them passing off demos as games.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

Been had Freedom Wars since launch so I am skipping this month as well. Was planning to renew PS+

[magiciandude]

Sony should give out The Order 1886 as December's free game for the PS4.

[EricHonolulu]

Wow! King's Quest. I didn't expect this to be on Playstation Plus!!!!

[FN4GM]

Gotta love free games.

[Kyizen]

Everyone complains you don't get a triple A game, and then when they give us a triple A game one of two things is going to happen either it will be a game everyone has or beat, or a game everyone didn't want like Knack. I love getting the Indies and smaller games cause I buy the triple A games I want and then pad my library with these fun games that weren't even on my radar. Once the library of Triple A is larger like PS3 we'll get the back catalog but till then i'm fine with the PS Plus offerings

[brando008]

Freedom Wars on Vita this PS Plus month YEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

[ZorinInc]

The comments belonging to this article are the most incriminating evidence of Sony fanboyism present on N4G. I'm pissed off with the choices, the replies on all the official blog are raging and everywhere else I go people is in disbelief at what they're giving us. Yet on here its 80% positive reception and anyone who believes otherwise is down voted to hell. Stop being an apologist as PS+ continues to go down the toilet.

[magiciandude]

Dude, well said. I agree with everything you said. But the thing is, Sony is more interested in charging for multiplayer than giving out content worth playing for more than 3 minutes. Ever since the PS4 launched, PS+ content have taken a nosedive. You know it's going to get even worse now that we're getting an episode of a game instead of a full game.

[DC777]

Remember, don't shoot food.

[SlightlyRetarted]

PS Plus is getting it's ass kicked by Gold this year. There is not a single game i've played from start to finish. And games like Super Meat Boy, that can be bought for 50 cents on Steam sale. Where is games like next-gen version Tomb Raider, like Gold has? And i have my hands tied and have to pay for PS Plus if i want to play anything online. It's ridiculous.
Does the voice chat atleast work without Plus? I'm really close on canceling it. I can get more and better games on Steam with that 50e/year price.

Sony is making same mistakes as Microsoft at the end of the last generation. They have 2X more consoles sold and think they can lay back and just keep the lead.

[PS4XBOXONEPC]

Can't wait to try out gauntlet,been on the fence with that title

[TriangleOffense]

@killer_goat not a single one