Sony has announced the perks for PlayStation Plus for the US and Europe in April 2014, which includes mercenaries, dark knights, and more.

For the PlayStation 4, both the US and Europe get the same new game: Mercenary Kings, a pixelated side-scrolling shooter where players take control of the Mercenary Kings and defeat the evil corporation known as KLAW with the help of customizable weapons, blades, and body armor.

 

For the PlayStation 3, both the US and Europe will get two different sets of two games, with the US also getting a third game.

 

Americans will get Batman: Arkham City, the great sequel to Arkham Asylum and the second in Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy. Players take control of the Dark Knight as he takes on criminals after being locked inside a section of Gotham known as Arkham City.

 

The US can also expect Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark, another stealth game where players have to use their minds and stealth goggles avoid instant death by sneaking through 80 different levels. Cross-Buy applies here, so Vita owners will get this stealthy release as well.

 

Lastly, Disney’s finest comes to PS+ for the US in the form of Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse. Here, Disney’s mascot has to rescue his girlfriend Minnie from the Castle of Illusion, just like in the Sega Genesis version that this game reimagines.

 

For the Europeans, The Dark Knight gets traded for the Thievius Raccoon, Sly Cooper. His latest, Thieves in Time, becomes available, and allows players to experience his time traveling adventure as he finds his ancestors to preserve the Thievius Raccoonus. Also, because this game supports Cross-Buy, Vita players also get this entry in the Sly Cooper series.

 

For something completely different, Europe gets Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (Football?), which is Konami’s soccer (again, football?) simulator that runs on their MASS physics engine and features the AFC, Argentines, Chileans, and the Arabs for the first time in the Pro Evolution series.

 

Vita owners will also get two different sets games for the US and Europe.

 

The US gets Velocity Ultra, a fast-paced arcade shooter with Trophies, teleportation, and bombs.

 

They also get PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD, the game from the studio at PixelJunk, who are the makers of games like Eden and Shooters. In this tower defense game, Tikis have to survive and keep their babies from dying.

 

Europe, on the other hand, gets Hotline Miami, the fast-paced uber-violent game where one-hit kills are standard, whether it is from a katana, shotgun, or even a knife. With a variety of masks and weapons at your disposal, the game takes a quick yet methodical take on the twin stick shooter.

 

Europeans also get MotoGP 13, a motorbike racing game that, with both a career mode and an online mode, should be fast and fun alone or with friends.

 

As always, if a game comes on the Instant Game Collection, it will only stay for a month, so be sure to pick up March’s perks before we move on to April.

 

My Opinion

 

These are awesome games, both for Europe and the US. I am most excited for PixelJunk Monsters and Velocity Ultra and, of course, Mercenary Kings. I wish I had Sly Cooper, also, but sometimes, Europe gets the best things. While it may seem that the US got the better deal this time around, these are both good reasons to get PlayStation Plus.

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Shawn Richards studies games to understand how they work. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.