Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen Hits PlayStation Plus

The latest PlayStation Plus update goes live this afternoon, bringing with it a gratis copy of Dragon’s Dogma, as well as a handful of discounts on fighting games for the PlayStation Vita.

This is actually a pretty special week for PlayStation Plus, as it will be the final week to only include the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita as consoles benefiting from its various promotions. Starting next week (Friday, Nov. 15, to be more specific) the PlayStation 4 will enter the lineup, kicking things off with free copies of Contrast and Resogun.

This week, however, pickings are a bit slimmer. That is, of course, if you can call a free, massive RPG and a handful of discounts “slim.”

Joining the PlayStation 3 Instant Game Collection this week is Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. An updated version of the JRPG from Capcom, Dark Arisen adds some new content, some in-game tweaks and even streamlines a few systems, like getting around the fantasy world more easily.

“This vast roleplaying game includes the original title with a few key changes like fast-travel,” said Sony Senior Community Specialist Kristine Steimer in the weekly announcement. “If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, it allows you to fight massive creatures (and some of them you can even climb on), hire specialized friends (also known as pawns) to help you in combat, all while exploring an expansive world with a new region, Bitterblack Island, thanks to the Dark Arisen expansion.”

Usually going for 40 bucks, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen can be yours at no additional cost outside of a PlayStation Plus membership.

If you’d rather drop the console-based sword and shield for some good old fashioned pugilistic action on the go, however, some Plus sales this week have you covered. The PlayStation Vita Knockout Sale is offering up discounts on five fighting games for Sony’s portable console, which will dip even lower for PlayStation Plus members.

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny will be $14.99 for the sale or $13.49 for Plus members. Mortal Kombat for the Vita is dropping down to $11.99 for everyone, or $10.79 for PS Plus. Dead or alive 5 Plus can be yours for $23.99, or $21.59 for Plus. Real Boxing, which we recently reviewed, is marked down to $6.99 and $6.29 for regular and Plus sales respectively. Finally, Guacamelee is available with its cross-buy bonus intact for $10.49 or $8.39 with plus. While that last one isn’t technically a fighting game, Guacamelee is all about kicking, punching and pile-drivers, so will let it slide.

Look for this week’s PlayStation Plus game and additional discounts to be available as soon as the weekly PlayStation Network update goes live this afternoon. Also, if the games aren't available don't fret, sometimes it takes a while for the updates to get underway but they'll get there eventually.