PlayStation Plus in 2013: What was your favourite game?

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Chris Howe Group Manager, Content Lifecycle Marketing , SIE

Hi everyone! 2013 has been a very exciting time for everyone involved with PlayStation, and especially the world of PlayStation Plus!
Not only have we grown as a community and shared more and more amazing gaming experiences, but we also welcomed PS4 to the service. We’re confident that you’ll have a great time playing all the games we’ve got lined up for you over the next few months across all three platforms. Sorry, no hints!
But that’s enough about the future for now – we’re here to celebrate the great times we’ve had with 2013’s library of Plus titles. Over the past year we’ve delivered a huge range of top rated titles with an average metacritic rating of 80, proving that PS Plus really is the best place to play.
Check out the video above and remind yourself of the huge games we’ve had in the service this year including Sleeping Dogs, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Thomas Was Alone, Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward and Far Cry 3, to name but a few. And it’s with great pleasure that I can now reveal the top five most downloaded PS Plus games this year:

  1.  Mafia 2
  2.  Remember Me
  3.  Spec Ops: The Line
  4.  Need for Speed Most Wanted
  5.  Saints Row: The Third

Why not share your favourite moments and games from PS Plus this year below? We’ve got five PS Plus annual subscriptions to give away to the most thoughtful and/or entertinaing responses. To kick things off here are mine and Fred’s top picks.
Chris:
Even though it just missed out on making the top five, my favourite game this year was definitely Far Cry 3. Having control over how the story unfolded had me hooked for weeks. The story of the transformation of the innocent Jason Brody into a ruthless hunter, stealthily tracking down Vaas across the lawless island was hugely addictive. I for one am counting down the days until Far Cry 4 might grace my screen!
Fred:
“I’d echo Chris’ choice if I hadn’t gobbled it down on its original release in 2012! So, my nod goes to the wonderful Velocity Ultra. Futurlab’s top-down shoot ’em up melded clever puzzle mechanics and pure action game smarts and comes up with a true OCD speed run classic. The discovery of the year, to be sure.”
So all that is left for me to say is have a wonderful Christmas, a very happy new year and bring on even more exciting and immersive gaming experiences in 2014 with PlayStation Plus.
Not a PlayStation Plus member? Then join today from just £5.49/€6.99 per month. To find out more, visit our PlayStation Plus site. And remember, if you’ve not got access to your PS4, PS3 or PS Vita then you can also buy through our online store.

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153 Comments

  • turbogeek421
    December 20, 2013 at 5:07 pm PST

    I’m a massive geek and kept track of all the games we got via Playstation Plus in 2013 (Instant Game Collection), and across PS3, PS Vita and PS4 we received £1,307.87 worth of games! (Based on PSN prices) All for £39.99 a year!
    Thanks Playstation crew, you have kept me amazingly busy over the last 12 month and given me more games than I’ve had time to play. Keep up the great work because I’m subscribed until Dec 2015!

  • chasloyal
    December 20, 2013 at 5:13 pm PST

    Far Cry 3 was my game of 2012 by a country mile so how could it not be the best PS+ game of the year? Not that I bothered downloading it seeing I’d completed 3 times on the other console but you get my drift.

  • Golwar
    December 20, 2013 at 5:15 pm PST

    My favorite is still Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward.
    The riddle part wasn’t breathtaking and the story more than just a bit confusing, at the beginning. I even wanted to quit playing it after my first escape! But am I glad that I didn’t. :)
    I must generally congratulate Chris to some very good choices. So many games that I underrated, as Mafia 2 or lately Remember Me. Plus gave me some hundred hours of best entertainment. Cursing if I didn’t manage to beat Fred’s Velocity highscores being part of that. ;)
    I kept a best of selection for the time to come, with Far Cry 3 and Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen.
    But in all fairness, I must also mention the most missed games: Our third PS3 game and the annual PSV titles.
    It had been a fantastic year, that it had to end with those disappointements was kind of tragic. Wonder what 2014 will offer.

  • DarklingLewis
    December 20, 2013 at 5:18 pm PST

    My top game had to be Sleeping Dogs, it had been 5 years since we had GTA 4 and Saints Row had ventured into the ridiculous (yet still awesome) I was craving a serious sandbox game in that genre, that and the focus on hand to hand combat and little gun play was welcomed. The move away from a US type city was also a nice change. Sure it had flaws but running around Hong Kong dressed as Tony Jaa beating everyone to a pulp was epic.

  • Voodoo341
    December 20, 2013 at 5:18 pm PST

    You see… there you go misleading people again! You’ve delivered a huge range of games yes but not a huge range of games with a metacritic score over 80! That’s putting a misleading spin on PS+ and you’re selling it as something it isn’t. Why can’t you just be honest for once?

  • WhiteBishop12
    December 20, 2013 at 5:18 pm PST

    Fred you forgot a very important game in the picture. One which I would say was the best ps plus game of the year. That being gravity rush for the PSV.
    The art style, story, music and characters brought that game to life. I will definitely look out for the next one!

  • reisseli
    December 20, 2013 at 5:19 pm PST

    I’ve got to say my favourite one was Sleeping Dogs. I never would have bought it because I took it as just another GTA clone, but once I downloaded it from Plus Hong Kong just swept me away. I’ve played it through twice and meaning to go back for a third. And I can’t stop listening to 24herbs now.
    Close second is Remember Me. I was very near in bying it but desided against it based on reviews, but again after getting it from Plus I really enjoyed it. Yes, the gane mechanics were a bit clumsy but the story and feeling kept me interested.
    All in all a very good year, thanks to everyone at the Plus team.

  • GOWDeWiz
    December 20, 2013 at 5:20 pm PST

    So many great games this year, but my shout goes to spec ops for ps3.
    Wasn’t expecting much from it but I ended up playing through it 3 times as I enjoyed it so much.
    Favourite on vita has top go to Thomas was alone. I would never have bought that game as its not normally my sort of thing, but i gave it a go as it was free and i was hooked! Pure genius.
    I love how plus gets me to try games I never would have looked at otherwise. Seems like every month there’s another gem in the collection. Cheers fells!

  • Azuardo
    December 20, 2013 at 5:22 pm PST

    There was a fantastic selection of PS Plus games this year, and I enjoyed so many, but I would have to say I spent easily over a hundred hours in Dead or Alive 5.
    My last DOA game was DOA2, and since PlayStation consoles missed out on DOA3 and DOA4, it wasn’t until DOA5 came to PS Plus that I finally had the chance to play it again. I was absolutely hooked in and got to work on trying to become a half-decent competitive player online with Kasumi. I’m still no absolute pro, but I did manage to reach my highest rank not long ago, B-. That didn’t last long, though, and I’m back on C+ now, haha. But I think I’ve got to a good standard, and the amount of hours I’ve put in is because of that.
    I have Sony to thank for giving me the opportunity to become so obsessed with this series all over again, and it’s so much better than I remember it when I was a kid, now that I’ve actually learnt how to play the game properly!

  • Jestersoil
    December 20, 2013 at 5:23 pm PST

    it is REALLY hard to just pick one…
    but ME3, Amalur, Demon’s Souls, AC3, Far Cry 3, MG Rising, Borderlands 2, DMC are for sure some of the greatest IGC deals!!!
    Have awesome holidays everyone and hopefully 2014 will be much more awesome!
    p.s. can’t wait for my PS4…sooooon :D

  • Serpantino
    December 20, 2013 at 5:23 pm PST

    PS3: Okami (the reason I signed up.)
    Vita: Metal Gear Solid HD (even though I missed it, I still own it.)
    However you had to dirty it all by removing the 3rd PS3 game without any good explanation and not updating the yearly Vita games with a pitiful excuse. As you’re the lead it’s on your head and combined with your lack of replies to pages of legitimate questions & issues on the blog pages… I think you should be replaced.

  • Rukkaset
    December 20, 2013 at 5:24 pm PST

    It was amazing year with all the PS+ offers. Because of that I even got myself a Vita this autumn and while I was little skeptical at the time whether it was going to be left to dust after the initial curiosity, I’m happy to say to say it was totally worth it and it’s been in almost daily use since.
    But my favorite PS+ game and pretty much my game of the year too was hands down Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen. It sucked me completely in and until now I’m starting to get back to the overwhelmingly long back log of other games.

  • RS_Daimon
    December 20, 2013 at 5:27 pm PST

    Binary Domain in PS Plus EU? When did this happened?

  • Miro33no
    December 20, 2013 at 5:31 pm PST

    Virtues last reward is definitely the best game from PS+ I’ve had this year. That game got me into whole visual novels thing ! And all the love for Vita just makes me happy :) Another thing I really love about + is, that it feels like getting presents every month ! And since we don’t know what it is until it’s announced here on blog, it’s kinda like unwrapping a surprise gift box. Which in my opinion feels FANTASTIC ! The feeling of excitement about what will be next is just plainly awesome :D

  • Phene90x
    December 20, 2013 at 5:31 pm PST

    My favorite game by far was Metal Gear Rising Revengeance I didn’t expect to like it but finding new ways to make my enemies into spaghetti is awesome  , besides this the music in the game is great especially the one where u fight Samuel and the senator ( REALLY enjoyed killing him) . so great game all around, definitely got me interested in the metal gear series.

  • FnlD
    December 20, 2013 at 5:32 pm PST

    @RS_Daimon
    Some country got Binary Domain instead of Sleeping Dogs I think. Same for Gotham City Imposters (instead of Mortal Kombat).

  • giorgo
    December 20, 2013 at 5:33 pm PST

    Far cry 3 und Hitman for PS3
    Rayman for Vita
    Guacamelee for both

  • D_wing
    December 20, 2013 at 5:33 pm PST

    I just logged in to congratulate people in charge of the PS+ offerings this past year, they did an outstanding job, and should be commended on doing so! Congratulations on a job beautifully done, dudes and dudettes!
    As per my favourite title of the year… Probably Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen, and its mighty beasts!
    Here is to a great year, and hopes of a better one to follow suit!

  • rutea7
    December 20, 2013 at 5:35 pm PST

    probably likke king’s story, i spent a LOT of time on that one and i even bothered to get the platinum

  • ipot_04
    December 20, 2013 at 5:39 pm PST

    I’m gonna pick MGS 2 & 3 HD for Vita since I only have a Vita.
    I was about to pick Soul Sacrifice but noticed that my account is in EU region and SS was free last month for US PS+ subs.

  • sithknight666
    December 20, 2013 at 5:41 pm PST

    I think its the vita titles that we received through ps plus that really made me happy as I didn’t even own a physical game until recently and I refused to pay the over priced ps store prices. Not as amazing as uncharted and gravity rush from 2012 but I was happy with lego lotr and unit13 to name but a few. There has been some awesome ps3 instant collection games like ass creed 3, uncharted3 and bf3 but I already owned most of them. Im a trophy hunter and like my 100%’s so I love the ps plus discounts we get on the dlc packs but im still cursing at Lumines for the black belt trophy and for taking vita memory card space and taking my time up when I could be enjoying other igc games.ahhhh.

  • Zomorodh
    December 20, 2013 at 5:41 pm PST

    Mine was “Uncharted: Golden Abyss” as it was the reason for me to subscribe for 3 months instead of buying the game, but I was really glad with the service and the games I got from ps+ so I extended my subscription.
    Thank you for this amazing service, and I regret I didn’t subscribed earlier.

  • pinkplaybunny
    December 20, 2013 at 5:41 pm PST

    I’m actually quite surprised by the top 5 though I haven’t had a chance to play those ones yet. I always download all of them anyway even so I’m surprised they don’t all have the same score :-)
    My favourite was Sleeping dogs. I found it the most entertaining sandbox game I’ve ever played with a really strong story I still can’t get over the wedding!! The location was a welcomed change and one I could appreciate having visited Hong Kong. I much preferred this to GTA which I bore with easily!

  • RS_Daimon
    December 20, 2013 at 5:42 pm PST

    @ FnlD
    Thanks, that explains it. Completely forgot about some substitutions.

  • solarwind12
    December 20, 2013 at 5:42 pm PST

    Although theres no plus sign by my id, i am a constant subber, since in fact the first minutes it went live, was about 8th to rate it, my how it has all changed, am just using a public id etc… My fav this year was xcom, a game i would Never have bothered playing, but thanks to plus’s variations i have sunk close on 60 hours of enjoyable gaming time in, but am still to face ironman play-through, do not agree with moaning about losing A ps3 game like certain op’s, however my years old gripe is that chestnut of US being given Far superior service, am Still reeling at their plus being able to buy Defiance for $2.50, which is prob not to far off. 99pence deal… When we get such treats?, till then adios

  • vigilante_man
    December 20, 2013 at 5:44 pm PST

    So many amazing games on the PS3 and then you guys give us more on the Vita as well. I was holding out on buying a Vita but when you put Uncharted and Wipeout on Plus I had to buy mine within days.
    So without the great games on PS plus I may not of got my Vita. As much as I loved my PSP the Vita is such a step up in every way! So its no surprise that my No.1 pick is Virtue’s Last Reward. What an amazing story – kinda scary, but gripping at the same time.
    I am tempted to pick Resogun for my second choice as I love this game (Power cut stopped me in the middle of my top score with 7 million and on last level!!). BUT I must pick another game that blew me away with its originality – Catherine!
    This is what PS Plus is all about. Getting us to play games we would not normally do and open up new fantastic worlds.

  • link1983
    December 20, 2013 at 5:45 pm PST

    Mine is easily Velocity Ultra. It had such a classic feel to it that hasn’t been in other ‘Retro games’ I got Velocity from Plus a couple of years back and loved that but ultra was just so much better. I can’t wait for the new one. I just hope Vita TV is out here by then I love the vita games but would prefer to play them on my TV.

  • Amine-Tet1
    December 20, 2013 at 5:46 pm PST

    Mass effect 3, dragon’s dogma and Remember me

  • Amine-Tet1
    December 20, 2013 at 5:50 pm PST

    And Xcom

  • BluSpykz
    December 20, 2013 at 5:50 pm PST

    Thought I knew for sure! I wrote “Arkham City!” and then remembered Thomas Was Alone. And then remembered Metal Gear Solid HD collection, and then I remembered Remember Me, and then I remembered Dragon’s Dogma.
    So to answer the question, I imagined being stuck on a desert island with a PS3 console, a TV, and electricity that would only last for 1 night.
    Which game would I play? Well if I put it like that, it’s easy. Uncharted 3!
    Absolutely the most graphically beautiful, generation pushing game EVER! (Until a little known game called The Last of Us!). What a thrill ride. And when I thought a certain silver-haired fox was going to die, I actually nearly wept. What an engaging, and gripping plot, easy to handle controls, and near perfect gameplay.
    Thank you for releasing it!

  • solarwind12
    December 20, 2013 at 5:51 pm PST

    Oh, just seen the list above, top 5 downloaded etc, out of list i owned mafia2 psn, saints3 and spec ops on disc, though i only needed one trophy for spec ops and welcomed chance to revisit it, i was gutted when the disc save wouldn’t load on the digital game… Why must this happen, ever?, surely it would be feasible to use plus uploads ( saves) to somehow convert the 1kb difference, ?, Is such a thing possible?.

  • Jeff-Andrew-NL
    December 20, 2013 at 5:52 pm PST

    God.. I missed so many amazing games.. Makes me so sad :(
    Wish I’d gotten a PS3 sooner. Meanwhile I was supporting those M$ asshats.. Ugh.

  • EddCoates
    December 20, 2013 at 5:52 pm PST

    @Serpantino Chris already explained it’s because we’re getting two ps4 titles a month. We got one this month but the total still adds up to five, so we’ve lost nothing!

  • Serpantino
    December 20, 2013 at 6:05 pm PST

    Unless you don’t own a PS4…

  • mitri6771
    December 20, 2013 at 6:07 pm PST

    PS3: Mass Effect 3; Far Cry 3; Spec Ops: The Line
    PS Vita: Rayman Origins; Zero Escape; Velocity Ultra (and of course Golden Abyss & Gravity Rush)
    Thanks, guys! I hope we will see many great games next year:)

  • dark_angel69
    December 20, 2013 at 6:16 pm PST

    So hard to choose one. But I think I would have to go for:
    1) Far Cry 3
    2) Borderlands 1
    3) Sleeping Dogs
    4) Uncharted Golden Abyss

  • superJCwarrior
    December 20, 2013 at 6:21 pm PST

    First three that came to mind are Sleeping Dogs, Remember Me and Thomas Was Alone, but then I realised I missed out Guacamelee.
    Guacamelee is one of the best games I’ve played in years and I never would have played it if I didn’t have plus.

  • Lt_Combo
    December 20, 2013 at 6:22 pm PST

    For PS3 XCOM enemy unknown, Far cry3, Dragons dogma. For VITA, Gravity Rush.. I never imagined I would enjoy it that much, I even avoided playing it for a while expecting not to enjoy it, but I LOVED it. It was the game that made me realize I had the best hand held ever made in my hands.
    That said, I haven’t been with PS+ or playstation for that long since I made a switch from the competition to PS4 for next gen (Did own a PS1 back in the day) and bought a VITA in advance. A little before that my little brother bough him self a PS3, so when I got PS+ I installed most of the games on his PS3. He played them but I never got around to playing them and I also already owned XCOM, FC3, Mafia2, etc :)
    Still planning to play trough Dragons Dogma one of these days.. Also planning to pick up a PS3 one day just so I can play PS3 exclusives I missed but really wanted to play.
    Really happy I switched .. really happy with my day one PS4 and my VITA. SCE/Playstation has upped its game, happy to be back. I also love how Sony has become like nintendo (only much better, since the big N is a shell of its former self) in the sense that it plays in to our nostalgia …. who didn’t own a PS1 or PS2 at one point or another.

  • randomtrav132
    December 20, 2013 at 6:24 pm PST

    It’s been one massive year for the instant game collection, and I can’t thank the team enough for the great experiences that I have had playing the games since I joined the service a little late into 2012.
    With that said what I love most is that it is always a surprise to find out what is next to come to the collection, and no doubt it will only get better.
    For me personal, my favourite games have been Virtues Last Reward for the PS Vita, with Dark Souls and Malicious for the PS3.
    Each of the games were completely different to what I was expecting, and it was interesting to see where the games would take me. However, if I was only allowed one game to take the cake, it would have to be ICO and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection. Beauty defined in a Video Game.

  • hayzink
    December 20, 2013 at 6:27 pm PST

    this is hard for me to answer as i really hardly played my games i got from plus for the ps3 as i had a habit of buying what i wanted but ill go for x-com i had the physical game when it was added to plus but still had loads to do so i got rid of the disc and used the plus version.
    vita’s a different story as i have enjoyed many a game from plus such as urban freestyle, velocity ultra, coconut dodge and most recently the fantastic guacamelee (not going to say gravity rush or uncharted as they were games from 2012 that have hung around ;) )
    the ps4 is a clean slate and i have loved resogun and the upcoming dont starve was my most wanted game on ps4 until infamous second son im looking forward to getting lots of indies through plus for ps4 as most of them will be free at launch meaning we are all getting something we dont already have which is great.
    as a day 1 plus user i have seen many changes to the service some good, then some great, then some not so good as we look to the future i hope it continues to be a great service and evolves in positive ways and not negative ways like it has in the latter half of 2013.
    anyways merry christmas guys

  • Lt_Combo
    December 20, 2013 at 6:27 pm PST

    Totally forgot about Contrast and Resogun .. Contrast I liked .. I played it mostly on VITA trough remoteplay, really charming little game.
    Resogun is really fun and beautiful. Not a big arcade game fan but I liked both resogun and stardust which I got for VITA.
    But I’m even more excited for Don’t starve.. which I LOVED on PC, can’t wait to have that on my PS4 and also one of those games that will be perfect for remote play. (I realize that Don’t starve is 2014)

  • Shinobi-vs-Gast
    December 20, 2013 at 6:29 pm PST

    I really enjoyed Sleeping Dogs and Far Cry 3, they were so addicting and I kept playing it through the depths of the night. Such good memories.
    Thank you Playstation Plus.

  • MissDreamer
    December 20, 2013 at 6:32 pm PST

    My favourite games are Gravity Rush for the Vita and Machinarium for the PS3.

  • Artanis91
    December 20, 2013 at 6:37 pm PST

    Most of the time when plus had good games this year it was quite fun , my list would be :
    1. Hitman Absolution
    2. Far cry 3
    3. NFS Most Wanted
    4. Remember me
    Still have to find time to play guacamelee and grif , but yeah most of the time it was fun

  • Artanis91
    December 20, 2013 at 6:39 pm PST

    P.S Have a VITA , but didn’t come around to love any PS+ game for it …

  • Stonesthrow
    December 20, 2013 at 6:39 pm PST

    Since you guys didn’t add a list of all the games that passed, off the top of my head : Virtue’s last reward on vita. As for the top 5.. Owned them all on disc except for Spec ops which I got during a sale on the ps store. And that would pretty much be my general opinion, owning too much of what comes in the (ps3) selection. Ironically I was pleading for more full games last year, but since I always seem to own most of them I’d like to see more of those small Indie type of games, games I’m not likely to try or buy myself, and then end up being better than expected. Love Contrast and I’m enjoying Velocity too eventhough it’s not my genre at all. Can’t wait for Driveclub (hopefully full version) and Soul sacrifice! Minecraft would be a lovely pick down the line too ;)

  • the1free_man
    December 20, 2013 at 6:40 pm PST

    Out of the ones I’ve played (and not saved for later) and not counting the ones I’ve bought before they appeared on Plus, my favorites were:
    Remember me – PS3
    Zero escape – Vita

  • trickydisko
    December 20, 2013 at 6:43 pm PST

    For me it was Mass Effect 3. I didn’t really get on with the original Mass Effect, it seemed like a grind to me, so I gave up on the rest of the series. But I gave ME3 a try when it came out on Plus, and really enjoyed it – it’s become one of my favourite games of the last few years.
    Which is what Plus is all about for me, it encourages me to try games I wouldn’t otherwise play. I’ve only really got into maybe 10% of the games from Plus in the past year, but I don’t always know what I’m going to enjoy so it’s nice to have some recommended games pushed out to me every month so I’m less likely to miss something great.

  • Stonesthrow
    December 20, 2013 at 6:47 pm PST

    Velocity = Resogun, srry :p

  • trickydisko
    December 20, 2013 at 6:50 pm PST

    And on behalf of my kids, Okami HD was really popular. I’d played it years ago on the PS2 and had been thinking about digging out the old console to replay it. I don’t think I’d have been happy to pay full price for a game I still own but having the HD PS3 version on Plus was a treat.

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