Zero Escape And Discounts Hit PlayStation Plus This Week

The final PlayStation Plus update of June is upon us, bringing with it a new free title for the Instant Game Collection in the form of Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward for the PlayStation Vita, as well as discounts on a handful of PSN games.

But don't run off to your PlayStation 3 or Vita just yet, because you won't get very far. Sony announced earlier this week that it would be holding a scheduled PSN maintenance throughout the day today, rendering online functionality, like the PlayStation Store, useless. To help make amends, however, the regular weekly update scheduled for today actually went live late last night. So, if you didn't happen to log on and grab your PS Plus content yesterday evening, then you're going to have to wait until tonight to grab your free game and sales. That is, of course, assuming we don't have an extended maintenance period on our hands.

But either way, PSN will be back up eventually and, when it is, you'll be able to take advantage of quite a few offerings this week.

First up is Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, discounted 100 percent for the Instant Game Collection. In this bizarre puzzle game for the PS Vita, nine people wake up in a strange facility to discover they have been kidnapped. Worse, they're now unwilling participants in a sinister game of death requiring them to work as small teams in order to solve puzzles. If they refuse to take part in the games or try to escape, they'll die. You'll solve tricky puzzles, get to know your fellow captives, trust some, and betray others if you hope to be one of the lucky survivors.

If free games aren't your style, or perhaps you just don't have a Vita, then maybe you'll want to grab some of this week's other discounts instead.

First up is the Creat Studios’ Summer Survival Pack, bundling seven of Creat Studio's games into a single package, including Mushroom Wars and its Premium Pack DLC, Germinator, Labyrinth Legends, Digger HD, Pinbalistik, Test Yourself and Psych Yourself. Regular folks can get this bundle for $19.99 while Plus member will see it discounted down to $15.99.

Fat Princess is also hosting a sale this week, offering the core game at $3.75 for Plus members with the Fistful of Cake DLC marked down to the same price.

Other discounts include Escape Plan for the PS Vita for $3.75, Hydrophobia: Prophecy for the PlayStation Network for $0.60 (Yes, $0.60), and the newly released billiards game, Pool Nation for just $5.09.

You can take advantage of all of these deals starting this evening when the PlayStation Network (hopefully) goes back online.