As usual, PlayStation Plus subscribers are getting access to a trio of games this month: God of War, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. All three games will be free to download on both PS5 and PS4 for members of the PlayStation Plus subscription service. These games will be available from June 7 until July 5. Once you claim them, you can download them anytime, so long as you still have an active PlayStation Plus subscription. The clear headliner of this lineup is God of War. This 2018 reimaging of the iconic PlayStation franchise is widely considered one of the best PS4 games. With a sequel, God of War Ragnarök, due for release later this year, its inclusion seems well-timed. This pick is great for PS5 owners as well, as the game plays even better on Sony’s next-gen console. Next up is Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker which is a team-based online game that allows up to eight ninjas to fight simultaneously in 4v4 battles. Based on the wildly popular Naruto manga series, Shinobi Striker offers a striking art style that aims to capture the distinctive look of its source material. It also packs a wealth of customization options and a combat system with plenty of depth. Finally, rounding out the lineup is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. This is another well-timed inclusion as its biggest competitor, MultiVersus, just held its closed-alpha last month. Mashing together some of your favorite Nickelodeon characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Danny Phantom, the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, this platform fighter is cut from the same cloth as Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers. series. This is the ideal game to break out when friends or family come over — just try not to stomp them too hard!
Here’s why PlayStation Plus subscribers aren’t happy
On paper, this is a fairly strong PlayStation Plus lineup. But it would appear that a not-insignificant number of subscribers aren’t feeling quite so impressed. Rather surprisingly, it’s actually the inclusion of God of War that is drawing the most ire. A thread on the PlayStation Plus subreddit (opens in new tab) has attracted more than 100 posts, and the vast majority aren’t particularly positive. The top comment read “oh well, there’s always next month” with another highly upvoted comment expressing frustration by saying “[Sony is] trying to be insulting at this point.” Those are pretty strong words, considering that God of War is often cited as one of the best PlayStation exclusives ever made. So, why all the outrage? It primarily stems from the fact that God of War has been available via the PlayStation Plus Collection for more than 18 months at this point. PS5 owners have had access to this library of almost two-dozen games since the console launched. Thanks to this collection, millions of PlayStation Plus subscribers are technically being offered the same game for free a second time. 2018’s God of War has also previously been included on Sony’s PlayStation Now service, which is being folded into PlayStation Plus later this month. The game has also regularly been on sale for as little as $7 on both the PlayStation Store and at traditional retailers. It may be fair to suggest that anybody who truly wants to play God of War, by this point, has probably already done so. Some gamers also expressed disappointment at the fact that both Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl are fighting games, which leaves little variety in this lineup. Nevertheless, with a subscription service like PlayStation Plus, you can’t assume that every single month will appeal to you, personally. Sometimes the games on offer won’t be to your taste. From Sony’s perspective, God of War is a pretty logical inclusion. It’s a well-received game, it’s got a sequel coming out in a few months (fingers crossed, no delay) and as a first-party title, Sony can offer it without having to pay a third-party publisher a fee. Whether or not Sony foresaw this backlash is another story, but the gaming giant probably hopes that the launch of the all-new PlayStation Plus on June 13 will get the PlayStation community back on its side quickly.
