Sony promised that when the PlayStation Network services were restored, they’d be offering us some free goodies as part of a “Welcome Back” initiative to make up for the time lost on our online games. Now, the PSN is back, and they’ve detailed the free games, subscriptions, and other content we’ll be enjoying.
First up, PlayStation 3 users will be able to select two PS3 titles from the following list:
Dead Nation, InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, and Wipeout HD + Fury. PlayStation Portable users can grab two from LittleBigPlanet (PSP), ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force, and Killzone Liberation.
A host of other perks will be available as well. Sony will select a weekend when a selection of “On Us” movie rentals can be downloaded, PlayStation Plus subscribers get two additional months of the service free, non-Plus subscribers get a free 30 day trial, over 100 free items will be available in PlayStation Home, and Qriocity users get a free thirty days.
I gotta say that’s a nice mix of media… except on the PS3 side. Most of those games have already been offered as either free downloads or discounted items on the PlayStation Plus program. And it’d be hard to imagine a hardcore PlayStation fan who doesn’t own InFamous, LBP, Stardust, and Dead Nation. I would have much preferred a flat $20 credit to get whatever we want. Lord knows the PSOne Classics and Japanese Imports I want would never be offered on a Welcome Back list. Right now, it seems like PlayStation’s biggest supporters are getting rewarded the least for their loyalty.
