When deciding on a platform to invest in, it’s as much about value-added services as it is the games and hardware.
These days, with the Rand currently in the toilet, the value-added services we most concern ourselves with are any subscriptions that might score you games worth a lot more than you initially invest into the subscription.
All three of the major platforms represented in South Africa – the PC, Xbox One and PS4 – offer such a subscription, with the Humble Monthly Bundle recently offering a similar service for PC.
We know PlayStation Plus and Xbox Gold is a must for console owners as it is needed to play online, but how do they compare to their new PC counterpart?
Let’s compare the 3 services and see who offers the best games for the money.
*All review scores are based off the Metacritic average for their particular platform.*
Humble Monthly Bundle
The Humble Monthly Bundle sets you back $12 and is available on the 5th of every month. The service launched back in November of 2015, and offers an extra game for new subscribers.
The thing that has stood out for Humble Monthly Bundle thus far is a much higher inclusion of AAA titles.
Previous months have included the following titles:
November
Total Value – R1109.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| TowerFall Ascension | 94% | R159.00 |
| Besiege | 97% | R87.00 |
| Valkyria Chronicles | 93% | R219.00 |
| Lethal League | 98% | R149.00 |
| SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition | 97% | R87.00 |
| Saints Row IV | 92% | R159.00 |
| Legend of Grimrock 2 | 93% | R249.0. |
December
Total Value – R1910
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| Banished | 91% | R219.00 |
| Rust | 83% | R219.00 |
| Payday 2 | 75% | R219.00 |
| Payday 2: The Big Bank Heist | 61% | R47.00 |
| Payday 2: Gage Mod Courrier | 70% | R47.00 |
| Payday 2: Gage Assault Pack | 65% | R47.00 |
| Payday 2: Dragan Character Pack | 60% | R47.00 |
| Neon Struct Die Augen der Welt: Deluxe Edition | 96% | R199.00 |
| Chroma Squad | 95% | R159.00 |
| Company Of Heroes 2 | 78% | R409.00 |
| Company of Heroes™ 2: The British Forces | 50% | R149.00 |
| Company of Heroes™ 2 – The Western Front Armies: US Forces2 | 0% | R149.00 |
| Company of Heroes™ 2 – The Western Front Armies: Oberkommando West | 0% | R139.00 |
January
Total Value – R1264.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| The Talos Principle | 96% | R409.00 |
| The Masterplan | 77% | R219.00 |
| Mushroom 11 | 92% | R159.00 |
| Grim Fandango Remastered | 89% | R159.00 |
| Spelunky | 91% | R159.00 |
| A Fistful of Gun | 90% | R159.00 |
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus has been around for some time now, and we all love to hate on the line-up for the Instant Games Collection.
In life, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Here are the past few months games included in the Instant Games Collection.
Remember, we’re going as far back as November (the start of the Humble Monthly Bundle).
November
Total Value –R1154.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| Dragon Fin Soup | N/A | R299.00 |
| Mass Effect 2 | 94% | R229.00 |
| Beyond Good and Evil HD | 83% | R149.00 |
| The Walking Dead Season 2 | 84% | R149.00 |
| Magicka 2 | 72% | R218.00 |
December
Total Value – R1383.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| Gauntlet: Slayer Edition | 71% | R299.00 |
| King’s Quest – Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember | 82% | R149.00 |
| Freedom Wars | 73% | R369.00 |
| RocketBirds: Hardboiled Chicken | 76% | R119.00 |
| Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon | 81% | R218.00 |
| SSX | 81% | R229.00 |
January
Total Value – R1379.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| Dragon Age: Origins | 91% | R229.00 |
| Medal of Honor: Warfighter | 55% | R149.00 |
| Grim Fandango Remastered | 80% | R218.00 |
| Hardware: Rivals | 54% | R309.00 |
| Nihilumbra | 73% | R129.00 |
| Legends of War: Patton | 51% | R439.00 |
Xbox Games with Gold
Xbox Games with Gold has been improved over the past few months, particularly since the addition of backwards compatibility for the Xbox One, allowing owners to play free Xbox 360 games on their Xbox Ones as well.
November
Total Value – R816.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| DIRT 3 | 86% | R249.00 |
| Dungeon Siege 3 | 72% | R199.00 |
| The Walking Dead: Season One | 92% | R199.00 |
| Pneuma: Breath of Life | 63% | R169.00 |
December
Total Value: R809.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing | 65% | R149.00 |
| Thief | 69% | R249.00 |
| CastleStorm | 79% | R109.00 |
| Sacred 3 | 51% | R199.00 |
| Operation Flashpoint | 77% | R99.00 |
January
Total Value: R846.00
| Game | Reviews | Retail Price |
| DIRT: Showdown | 75% | R149.00 |
| Deus Ex: Human Revolution | 89% | R149.00 |
| Zheros | 59% | R149.00 |
| Killer Instinct Season 1: Ultra Edition | 73% | R399.00 |
Adding up the value of the games across the months shows that Humble Monthly Bundle comes out on top as best value for money, followed by PlayStation Plus, and then Xbox One.
In terms of reviews, the same order follows.
| Service | Cost | November | December | January |
| Humble Monthly Bundle | R190.00 | R1109.00 | R1910.00 | R1379.00 |
| PlayStation Plus | R149.00 | R1154.00 | R1383.00 | R1379.00 |
| Xbox Gold | R49.00 | R816.00 | R809.00 | R846.00 |
We know that Alien: Isolation, yet another AAA release, will be offered as part of the next Humble Bundle Monthly, so we plan on comparing the services across the platforms when the February bundle is released.
What are your thoughts on these bundles? Worth your money? Let us know in the comments and forum.
Speaking of which
PlayStation Plus for February includes Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Hell Divers
Xbox Live’s Games with Gold for February – Styx: Master of Shadows, Gears of War 2 and more
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