Are PS Plus And Game Pass Worth It In 2023? | Spot On
It’s no secret that the price of PlayStation Plus has risen substantially. Just this past month, all three of the subscription service’s tiers saw a 30% cost increase, with the highest tier now costing $160 annually. But Sony isn’t the only company raising rates. Earlier this year, Microsoft increased the cost of its Game Pass membership, raising its $10 monthly subscription to $11, and its $15 tier to $17. We live in a world where there are an abundance of subscription services in both the gaming space and beyond it. And while many of these services have offered valuable benefits and features, that may not be the case now.
More specifically, what you’re getting may not be what you’re paying for. So, it’s time for us to ask: are subscription services worth it? And if so, which ones offer the greatest value? On this episode of Spot On, Lucy and Tamoor ask themselves that question and discuss whether the value proposition is still there for the various gaming subscription services.
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Spot On is a weekly news show airing Fridays in which GameSpot’s managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest news in games. Given the highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle of the massive video game industry, there’s always something to talk about but, unlike most other news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic as opposed to recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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Devs Reportedly Ask To Have Names Removed From Therapeutic Game After Leaving Company
Devolver co-founder Mike Wilson has publicly distanced himself from DeepWell DTx, a game publisher and developer he co-founded in 2022 to explore medically therapeutic games, Game Developer reports. In a recent LinkedIn post, Wilson says that he had nothing to do with the game DeepWell just released, claiming other developers had also asked to have their names removed from the project.
“I feel compelled today to let my industry friends know that I left DeepWell late 2023, along with almost all of the games industry colleagues I brought to that company,” Wilson said on LinkedIn. “[I] have absolutely nothing to do with the game they released today on the Quest store (which they called Zengeance) and which my colleagues also asked to have their names removed from.”
DeepWell’s debut game Zengence (which was misspelled in Wilson’s post) was released last week on the Meta Quest store. The game uses breathwork as input, with players required to hum into the microphone to master the action title. “Zengence isn’t your typical meditation or fitness game,” the description reads. “This is positive mental health at full throttle.”
It’s unclear why Wilson has decided to distance himself from the company following Zengence’s release, and thus far none of the colleagues mentioned in his post have added their own perspectives. “I still have high hopes and strong beliefs for the power of games and other digital media to benefit people, but could not see a path to getting it done in that company,” Wilson concludes in his post.
Elsewhere on his LinkedIn, Wilson’s work history gives a little more detail on his departure from DeepWell. “I left the company in January 2024 to renew my focus on creating beneficial content, while DeepWell focuses on getting its proprietary IP and SDK approved by the FDA and into the hands of interested developer and publisher partners worldwide,” the entry states.
According to his LinkedIn, Wilson is still actively involved with Medicinal Media, a project he started during his time at DeepWell that aims to explore the use of digital media to support mental health.
A Quiet Place: Day One’s New Trailer Is Coming Tomorrow
After several release date changes, A Quiet Place: Day One will finally be in theaters late next month. However, fans won’t have to wait that long for their next glimpse of the prequel film. Paramount has announced that the next trailer for Day One will premiere tomorrow, May 9. A teaser video accompanied that announcement on Instagram, which invited fans to “hear how it all began.”
Although this is the first film in the series not directed by John Krasinski, he did co-write the script with director Michael Sarnoski. This prequel also moves away from the Abbott family, who were featured in the first two movies. Instead, Lupita Nyong’o will play the new lead character, Sam, as she finds herself trapped in New York on the day the sightless aliens invade.
Stranger Things and The Fantastic Four’s Joseph Quinn co-stars as Eric, one of the first survivors that Sam meets after the rest of the human population in New York is slaughtered. Together, Sam and Eric realize that their only chance to get out of the city alive is to be as quiet as possible. But even under the best of circumstances, that’s going to be very difficult.
The only character confirmed to be returning from A Quiet Place Part II is Djimon Hounsou’s Henri, which means his survival in this particular story is assured. We can’t say the same thing for the other cast members, including Alex Wolff and Eliane Umuhire.
A Quiet Place: Day One will hit theaters on Friday, June 28.
MultiVersus Adds The Joker To Its Rogues Gallery Of Playable Characters
The return of MultiVersus is mere weeks away, and the team at Player First Games has begun teasing what’s new and improved in the platform fighter. Following a pair of blog posts detailing netcode improvements and combat adjustments, the first roster addition of the new era has been announced: The Joker is coming to MultiVersus, with Mark Hamill once again providing his voice.
The Clown Prince of Crime was revealed in a brief teaser posted to the official MultiVersus Twitter account, which shows Batman approaching his archnemesis while passing Bugs Bunny, Shaggy, and Arya Stark, who had all been defeated. Joker emerges from a cloud of billowing smoke, taunts Batman, and the teaser ends.
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A few snippets of gameplay for The Joker were then shared to the official MultiVersus Discord server, which show off the character’s standard emote and a flashy air combo. His info card was also unveiled, which lists a few of the moves in his repertoire:
- Crowbarred is a vertical crowbar swing that can be charged before the attack.
- Dirty Dealer is a projectile with one of three effects. Each effect cycles as the move is used.
- Blastoff is a rocket-launcher projectile that can be charged before firing.
Mark Hamill returning to the role of The Joker is notable, as at a FanExpo event in San Francisco last November, the actor said he would never assume the role of The Joker again, as he refused to reprise the role without Kevin Conroy as Batman. Conroy, who passed away in November 2022, does provide the voice for Batman in MultiVersus.
MultiVersus will launch as a free-to-play title on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on May 28.
Anya Taylor-Joy Explains How Her Dune: Part Two Cameo Happened
One of the big surprises in Dune: Part Two was the reveal that Anya Taylor-Joy had a small cameo role in the film as a future version of Alia Atreides, the unborn younger sister of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. But getting that small scene together and keeping it a secret was no easy feat for Taylor-Joy. During a profile with Variety, Taylor-Joy revealed that the biggest obstacle that almost kept her out of the movie was her leading role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Taylor-Joy also told Variety that she’s a big fan of Dune director Denis Villeneuve, but she was dismayed to learn that his sequel was filming at the same time as Furiosa.
“I skipped all the stages of grief and went straight to begging,” recalls Taylor-Joy. “I was like, ‘I can do this. I can be in Australia and Abu Dhabi at the same time.’ He wanted me to be part of the universe. We kept in touch. I just had this feeling that it wasn’t over.”
Although she attempted to keep tabs on Dune: Part Two’s production while shooting Furiosa, Taylor-Joy was told by her agents that the film had started shooting without her. It wasn’t until she was finished with Furiosa that Taylor-Joy discovered that Villeneuve had made special arrangements for her.
“[Villeneuve] said, ‘I made a deal with the studio: If I was on budget and on time, I could do this.'” That allowed Taylor-Joy to shoot her scene with Villeneuve and a small crew in Namibia. Villeneuve and Taylor-Joy also went to great lengths to keep her role a surprise.
“No one at the studio knew,” recalls Taylor-Joy. “My face had been blurred out [in early cuts of the film].”
Dune: Messiah was announced shortly after Dune: Part Two was a hit at the box office. And Villeneuve made it clear to Variety that he wants Taylor-Joy back for that movie as well.
“Shooting with Anya in Africa was nothing short of magical,” said Villeneuve. “Her generosity, candor and passion truly moved me. I can’t wait to go back on Arrakis with her.”
Elden Ring Fans Can Win A Huge Statue If They Make A Cool Trailer
Ever thought of yourself as a top-notch video editor? Now is your chance to put hundreds of hours honed by creating anime music videos to the test in Bandai Namco’s Elden Ring contest. The publisher of 2022’s hit game has challenged players to create their own Elden Ring trailer, and the first-place winner of the Return to Grace contest will win a 10-foot statue of Messmer the Impaler as a prize.
Tarnished, can you feel the anticipation for ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree?
Begin the celebration by entering the Return to Grace Video Contest.To enter: Submit a video under 5 minutes to the website below that commemorates your experience in #ELDENRING. pic.twitter.com/zKqYedMPuZ
— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) May 6, 2024
The runner-up winners of the best narrative, best action, and best direction awards won’t be walking away empty-handed either, because Bandai Namco will reward them with a life-sized replica of Malenia’s prosthetic arm. Or maybe that means they are walking away empty-handed.
Finally, the winners of the best comedy, best use of sound, best armor design, and the most original use of the Elden Ring IP will win a replica of Messemer the Impaler’s helmet. This contest is only open to US residents, trailers must not be longer than five minutes, and they must be uploaded to YouTube to be eligible. You’re probably going to want to see if you have enough space for the grand prize in case you win, because that is a big collectible.
For the rest of the Elden Ring fandom, it’s not long to go before the game’s highly anticipated expansion Shadow of the Erdtree launches on June 21 for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. This will be the only DLC expansion for Elden Ring, as game director Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed that no other new content will be added to the game after it arrives.
Bandai Namco stated that Elden Ring would be made “in a variety of other areas” besides gaming, and so far, that strategy has seen the rollout of several terrific action figures and a hilarious Elden Ring manga series.
Call Of Duty Patch Fixes Tac-Sprint Issue And More For Multiplayer, Zombies, And Warzone
The newest patches for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Warzone have arrived, fixing some key issues that were introduced in the recent Season 3 Reloaded update.
Specifically, this update fixes an issue pertaining to sprinting. After the Season 3 Reloaded update went live, players noticed that when using the Commando Gloves perk, reloads became canceled when running with automatic tactical-sprint. However, this bug is now fixed.
The update also fixes an issue on the Skidgrow map that previously allowed players to reach an “exploitable location” on the roof. For Zombies, the patch fixes bugs pertaining to reloading and AI incorrectly targeting players, and it also clears out an issue that caused players to get stuck outside the map.
The Warzone patch, meanwhile, fixes the same tactical-sprint bug mentioned above and addresses an issue where squad members would see an incorrect ping.
You can see the full patch notes below for Modern Warfare III multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone, as shared on the official patch notes website.
In other Call of Duty news, Activision could be gearing up to announce the next entry in the series soon, and it could be Black Ops Gulf War.
MULTIPLAYER
UIX
- Bug Fixes
- Hardcore Quick Play will no longer display an erroneous Free Trial tag.
- Weekly Challenge countdown timer will no longer display an invalid time as the Midseason update approaches.
- Fixed overlapping weapon images on the HUD when two Melee weapons are equipped.
PROGRESSION
- Max Weapon Level prerequisite for Weapon Prestige Camos is now consistently applied, as intended.
- Challenges involving Stim usage no longer require at least 50% regain to progress.
MAPS
- Skidgrow
- Added collision to prevent players from reaching an exploitable location on the Roof.
MODES
- Escort
- Resolved an issue causing poor performance and lack of functionality upon joining a match.
- Lights on the MAW will no longer appear to detach as the match progresses.
- Implemented various fixes for match timer inconsistencies.
- Care Package crates are now destroyed upon collision with the MAW.
PERKS
- Commando Gloves
- Reloads are no longer canceled upon moving when the Automatic Tactical Sprint setting is enabled.
EQUIPMENT
- In Hardcore game modes, the minimap is now displayed on the HUD while an EMD tracking device is active on an enemy.
RANKED PLAY
- Restricted the Scratch 20-L Suppressor Attachment.
- Restricted the EMD Mine Equipment.
- Restricted the Enhanced Vision Goggles Field Upgrade.
ZOMBIES
UIX
- When completing the Calling Card Prestige 9 Mastery Challenge, the correct title, “Let ‘Em Have It!” will now be displayed.
- Fixed a bug where splash notifications after completing Armory Unlocks and events appeared blank.
GAMEPLAY
- Dark Aether Rift
- All squads can now contribute Zombie kills to the Relic Attunement.
- Decreased kill requirement to complete Relic Attunement.
- Fixed a bug that resulted in the final obelisk being activated earlier than intended, breaking the story sequence.
- Fixed a reload inconsistency that occurred after Pack-a-Punch with the JAK Wardens Conversion Kit equipped on the Lockwood Mk2.
- Fixed a bug where Wonder Weapons appeared as common gray instead of gold rarity in a Dark Aether Rift.
- Resolved a bug that resulted in players getting stuck in out of map locations after being grabbed by a Mimic.
- Resolved an issue at Rainmaker’s Fortress where Mortar AI incorrectly targeted players with an intact Sergeant’s Beret disguise.
PROGRESSION
- Resolved an issue where completing one squad’s Attunement prematurely ended another’s.
- Launcher Camo Challenges for MWII weapons have been adjusted to facilitate completion.
WARZONE
BUG FIXES
- Fixed the issue causing automatic tactical sprint to interrupt attempts to reload a weapon.
- Fixed an issue causing the Prioritize Interact setting on controllers to prevent players from reloading.
- Fixed an issue preventing the host from starting a Private Match when over the player threshold.
- Fixed an issue causing Squad members to see the incorrect ping on the Champion’s Quest contract.