PlayStation Now Adds Marvel’s Avengers, Borderlands 3 In April

PlayStation revealed the lineup of games coming to its subscription service, PlayStation Now. Subscribers will soon get access to Marvel’s Avengers, Borderlands 3, and The Long Dark. The games will be available starting today and will be available through July 5 (in the case of Avengers), September 29 (Borderlands 3), and presumably permanently (The Long Dark).

It’s not a bad addition, and hopefully PS Now subscribers will enjoy the games. But it’s not a very exciting update, and the games aren’t even the upgraded next-gen versions. Given that Sony’s closing the Stores on PS3, PSP, and PS Vita, many are hoping it’ll turn PS Now into a preservation service where users will be able to play the older games they’ll no longer have access to once those stores close.

What kind of a draw are these three games? Marvel’s Avengers got what can charitably be called “mixed reception,” and Borderlands 3, while it reviewed well, wasn’t exactly as loved as the previous games in the series. As for The Long Dark, I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who even remembers that game — it’ll be a fun play for someone who doesn’t already own it, but I highly doubt it’s going to bring all the gamers running. It’s only when you dig a little that you understand why these games are being presented as a big deal: None of them are on Xbox Game Pass.

PlayStation Now has frequently been compared with Xbox Game Pass. It’s a subscription service that offers access to older games in much the same way as XGP does. But comparing the two just doesn’t seem fair to PS Now. XGP is full to bursting with titles both new and old and makes PS Now seem anemic. Perhaps if PS Now were combined with the PS Plus, which also offers several games to subscribers, it’d be a better value.

Source: PlayStation Blog