PlayStation Plus 'pointless' new freebie is dividing fans

If you subscribe to Sony’s PlayStation Plus service then you will have a variety of perks at your disposal. Obviously, the higher the tier that you subscribe to, the more perks you’ll be gifted with.

For the top tier, PlayStation Plus Premium, you’ll have a wide selection of games to choose from across multiple generations such as the original PlayStation as well as PS2, PS3, PSP and of course, PS4 and PS5. What’s more, you’ll also have access to cloud streaming (not the Final Fantasy character), and the newly revised Sony Pictures Core, giving PS Plus Premium subscribers a curated selection of movies.

Check out the Baldur's Gate 3 trailer below!

Another perk of being a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber is having access to trials for selected games. These PS Plus trials can last anywhere from less than an hour or up to five hours. Recently, PS Plus added two trials to arguably the best and worst games of 2023. Seriously, someone at Sony PlayStation must have made this decision on purpose, right?

The two trials in question are for Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. One of those games is terrible and the other is Baldur’s Gate 3. For obvious reasons, fans are divided by the latest PlayStation Plus freebie. I can understand a trial for Baldur’s Gate 3, as it serves as a taste to see what all the fuss is about. That being said, word of mouth alone has probably sold more copies of Baldur’s Gate 3 than anything else. It’s just a shame that word of mouth doesn't get a commission for those sweet sales.

As for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, from my own perspective only morbid courtesy would compel me to try that game and I’m seriously considering downloading the PS Plus trial. However, I can’t see in what universe there’s a scenario in which someone plays that Gollum game via a trial and then decides to spend money on the full game. I suppose, unless you hate yourself, but even then it’s a stretch.

With that in mind, gamers on Reddit have been discussing the recent PS Plus perks. “PlayStation Plus Premium gets a two-hour Baldur’s Gate 3 trial and a one-hour The Lord of the Rings: Gollum trial,” posted Redditor Turbostrider27.

“The best and worst. Perfectly balanced,” replied BitingArtist. “Come on man Baldur's Gate 3 is not that bad,” joked kinophallus in response. “Really generous to give us a whole hour when you only need 10 minutes to realise it’s a sh** game,” exclaimed OcelotWolf, presumably referring to The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is out now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. As for Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s available on PC, and PlayStation 5, and is expected to arrive on Xbox Series X|S next month.