‘Exactly the same,’ but different
In order to help keep launch adopters content, Sony has engineered a spat of free games available for the PS4 launch — so long as you are a PlayStation Plus subscriber, which you’ll need to be to get in on the online multiplayer. Indie titles like the fabulously frightening Outlast, Klei’s excellent Don’t Starve, and the cool, spaghetti western style Secret Ponchos will be free for Plus members, while Evolution Studios will also have a freely available DriveClub: PS Plus Edition.
In an interview with PlayStationer, Evolution described the free DriveClub thusly, “the PS Plus version will be the exact same as the full version, except that it may be missing a few assets such as cars or tracks, that will be found in the full version. However the online multiplayer, the asynchronous challenges and the single player campaign will all be present in the PS Plus version.”
So, exactly the same, but different. Oh joy. Still, it’s understandable, I suppose. Some details on how many is “a few” assets that “may be missing” would be nice, but I doubt their absence could severely hinder your enjoyment of the game, and the inclusion of all modes, including multiplayer was definitely the right decision. Evolution also noted that if you, “decide that you want to convert [the PlayStation Plus version] to the full digital version, then you can pay a sum of money” to do so.
It’s a little less exciting, getting the game with strings attached, but as a casual racing fan, the PS Plus Edition of DriveClub will probably be more than enough to sate my appetite. Those that dig the experience can pay a hopefully small sum to pick up whatever they’re missing out on while I play Outlast, Don’t Starve, and Secret Ponchos.
Free PS Plus version of Driveclub will be ‘missing’ a few things [Joystiq]