Summer of Arcade, PSN Play, and 8-bit Summer: Major Downloadable Games of the Season
Summary
In this article, we provide an overview of the major downloadable games coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation, and Nintendo 3DS this summer. We discuss the Xbox 360’s Summer of Arcade, Sony’s PSN Play, and Nintendo’s 8-bit Summer promotions and the games included in each. We also highlight the bonuses and incentives offered by each company.
Table of Contents
- Xbox 360’s Summer of Arcade
- Sony’s PSN Play
- Nintendo’s 8-bit Summer
- Conclusion
Xbox 360’s Summer of Arcade
Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade offers major downloadable games to fill the summer void. This year’s lineup includes Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, a high-def remix of the classic original game; Rekateer, a Kinect game where players use their body to guide cannonballs into a castle; Deadlight, a 2D side-scrolling survival game with post-apocalyptic graphics and zombies; Hybrid, a first-person shooter from the makers of Scribblenauts that breaks the rules of the genre; and Dus, an Elysian Tale, a gorgeously hand-animated 2D side-scrolling action game. Microsoft also offers a bonus of 400 points for purchasing any three of the Summer of Arcade games.
Sony’s PSN Play
Sony’s PSN Play promotion includes four major downloadable games. The Expendables 2 is a four-player cooperative shooter based on the action film franchise. Sound Shapes is a musical journey game available for PlayStation Vita, with a free PlayStation 3 version. Papo E. Yo is an indie game about the relationship between a boy and his father. Counter Strike Global Offensive updates the classic competitive shooter series with PlayStation Move motion controller support. Sony also offers incentives for purchasing PSN Play games. For buying two games, players receive $3, for three games, $6, and for all four games, an extra $10 to spend on more PlayStation downloads.
Nintendo’s 8-bit Summer
Nintendo’s 8-bit Summer promotion releases classic games to the Nintendo 3DS. The games include the original Legend of Zelda, Kirby’s Pinball Land, Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters, Wario Land Super Mario Land 3, Sonic Blast, and Sonic Labyrinth. Nintendo’s promotion does not offer any bonuses or incentives for purchasing multiple games.
Conclusion
Summer of Arcade, PSN Play, and 8-bit Summer offer a variety of major downloadable games for Xbox 360, PlayStation, and Nintendo 3DS. Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade provides a bonus of 400 points for purchasing any three of the games. Sony’s PSN Play offers incentives for purchasing multiple games, with an extra $10 for buying all four games. Nintendo’s 8-bit Summer does not offer any bonuses or incentives, but it does release classic games for the Nintendo 3DS. With these promotions, gamers can enjoy a variety of games during the summer months.
