You have to hand it to Sony: they have made a huge splash since the eighth console generation began. This is in part due to their announcement of PlayStation Now – a streaming service that will allow PlayStation 4 owners to play PS1/PS2/PS3 games via a monthly service. It’s certainly a groundbreaking service that has a ton of potential, yet for the service to really knock it out of the park, it’s going to need to have a solid library of games by the end of 2014. Which PlayStation classics need to make an appearance as quickly as possible? Take a look below dear PlayStation fanatic, and salivate at the thought of playing these classics once again on your PS4.
But before we begin…..
Grand Theft Auto V/ The Last of Us/TellTale Games Franchises
It’s still too early to call these games classics, but if Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us, or TellTale Games’ first seasons of The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us are not going to be released strictly for the PS4, these games need to be at least streamable via PlayStation Now. Think about it: tons of people would be excited to know that they can play these games on their PS4, and it would give a substantial portion of players that oomph they need to purchase the service just so they can play some of these games. A few bucks a month to play these games on demand and more? Sony’s servers would be crashing from the amount of people attempting to sign up!
Your usual Final Fantasy titles
Yeah, yeah, yeah – we all want Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation Now blah blah blah. It’s probably going to be on PlayStation Now faster than you can say, “where’s Final Fantasy VII,” so I’m not including it in the list. The same goes for the rest of the major PS1/PS2 Final Fantasy titles; they’re going to be there sooner rather than later, so it’s not worth including in the list. Yet, what about some of B-team Final Fantasy games, namely….
Final Fantasy Tactics
By B-team, I don’t mean to say that Final Fantasy Tactics is less of a game than the major Final Fantasy releases – far from it. In fact, growing up I was the odd man out that preferred Final Fantasy Tactics to the main franchise. It’s SRPG gaming at its finest, with many believing that it’s actually the best SRPG of all time. While I’m not going to claim if that’s true or not (I do love Fire Emblem: Awakening on the 3DS), it sports a magical blend of tight, strategic gameplay coupled with an array of quality characters that make this not only the Final Fantasy with the best gameplay, but a Final Fantasy that tells a decent story as well. It still holds up well to this day as well, and it’s high time this brilliant strategy title is introduced to a new generation of gamers.
Chrono Cross
The sequel to Chrono Trigger, one of the greatest RPGs of all time, Chrono Cross originally received mixed reviews due to being vastly different from Chrono Trigger. Those wounds have healed over time, as more people have begun to experience the true beauty of Chrono Cross. With little in common with the original RPG epic (aside from a few nods here and there to the original), Chrono Cross is its beast. Sporting a beautiful soundtrack and a huge cast of characters (seriously, this game has forty-five playable characters), it may not be a true sequel to Chrono Trigger, but for what it is, it’s magical.
Journey
This is the definition of ‘instant classic.’ One of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful indie games to ever grace the PS3, Journey is one of those few games that make you stand up and say, “I’ve never had this happen before in a game.” With an atmosphere of zen that makes you feel relaxed, engaged, and genuinely happy to be playing the game, Journey is borderline therapy – and it needs to be on PlayStation Now now.
Every Naughty Dog/Tomb Raider/Resident Evil title
How many games is that? From Crash Bandicoot to Uncharted to the original Tomb Raider to Resident Evil 2 and beyond, that’s a lot of games. But they all need to make an appearance on PlayStation Now by the end of the year – at least most of them. Can you imagine being able to play every Crash Bandicoot and Resident Evil title over a weekend? How awesome would that be?
Metal Gear Solid franchise
I want to marathon every Metal Gear Solid game in a week thanks to PlayStation Now. I want to experience Otacon pissing his pants and fighting the ridiculous Solidus Snake all over again. I want to hear about Big Boss giving birth on a battlefield and seeing tons of Metal Gear characters reunite in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots all over again. I want to experience the magic of every Metal Gear Solid title before Metal Gear Solid V releases later this year, and the PlayStation Now can make this happen.
ICO/ Shadow of the Colossus
It would be cool if we got the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection on PlayStation Now so we could play both games in high definition, but if we get the original PS2 releases that’s perfectly fine. Why? Because both of these games still look incredible – not to mention they both play just as good as the day they were released. Both games feature the protagonist trying to save the woman he admires, be it from escaping out of a haunted castle (ICO) or killing huge titans in order to bring a lost love back to life (Shadow of the Colossus), both games are a testament to the argument that games are not just ‘games’ – they’re works of art.
Mega Man X Collection
I absolutely love the Mega Man X series, and the Mega Man X Collection is one of my most cherished games I still own. It’s the entire reason why I still have my GameCube unpacked, and I would love to see the PS2 version of the collection available on PlayStation Now. Featuring Mega Man X – 6 (Mega Man X7 – 8 were left out) and even Mega Man Battle & Chase, it’s one of the best ways to experience the magic of Mega Man X in one complete package.
God of War franchise
Like the Metal Gear Solid franchise, I want to see all of them. While I only played the original God of War, that’s a big reason why I want to experience the last two all over again. I want to jump into the shoes of Kratos once again, throw my extremely inconvenient chain/axe combination around at the baddest Greek gods mythology has to over, and kill them one by one until I reign supreme across the land. I want to jump into that universe once again and just be a bad ass, as I know I’ll have a great time.
Katamari Forever
There is something addicting about the weirdness that is Katamari Damacy. On one hand, the gameplay seems a bit dull: roll a ball, pick stuff up, make it grow bigger, rinse, repeat – next level. But it isn’t – at all. Once you start getting that ball rolling and you start seeing it grow bigger and bigger, you find yourself furiously trying to pick up bigger and bigger items in order to make your katamari ball bigger. Add to the fact that there’s some weird Japanese soundtrack playing with lyrics you can’t even grow close to understanding, and it all blends together into one addictive yet completely weird experience.
For my money, Katamari Forever is the best in the series as it includes a wide array of new modes and challenges previous Katamari titles didn’t offer before it. I want weird. I want fun. I want Katamari Forever!
Silent Hill/Silent Hill 2
A double dose of scary goodness, Silent Hill in my opinion is one of the scariest series of all time. A popular opinion I know, but for my money, games rarely get scarier than Silent Hill. Turn down the light, walk through some fog, and prepare to uncover the mysteries of Silent Hill. Geez, I’m getting scared just thinking about it (and it’s currently daylight outside).
Fatal Frame
Want to know the only game on a PlayStation console that has made me more afraid than Silent Hill? It’s Fatal Frame. The concept of Fatal Frame is simple, yet it’s completely frightening: you have to walk through haunted environments and photograph the terrors of ghosts flying toward you aiming to do you harm. It’s a matter of being forced to look at the ghosts straight ahead and photograph them, making this a game where you cannot close your eyes at any moment, and must instead meet your fear head-on.
Red Dead Redemption
This is Rockstar Games’ greatest game to date. My apologies fans of GTA V, but with Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar pulled out all the stops and created one of the best open-world games of all time. Making you truly feel like an outlaw with a purpose, Red Dead Redemption was as the name implies a game about redemption, betrayal, family, and a nation that was in the middle of transitioning from the Wild West to the hustle and bustle of 20th century America. From lassoing outlaws and allowing them to get ran over by a train to hunting wolves to riding your horse to Mexico and back, Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar’s magnum opus.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1/2/3/4
One of the greatest gaming experiences of my life was playing ‘HORSE’ in the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The franchises subsequent releases were also a lot of fun as well, and it would be an absolute joy to be able to experience them one after the other on PlayStation Now. As much of a letdown Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD was, I’m looking forward to potentially getting my skate on like it’s 1999 all over again.
Lunar: Silver Star Story
I believe this should hit PlayStation Now for selfish reason – mainly because I never had the chance to play it. Lunar: Silver Star Story was a huge hit on Sega CD, yet unlike the original, the PS One version sports fully animated cut-scenes, added secrets, and an altered storyline. It’s one of the best RPGs not a lot of people played, and with a release on PlayStation Now, that will hopefully change.
Persona – Persona 4
Persona 5 isn’t even out yet even though it’s going to be released on the PS3, so don’t expect it to hit PlayStation Now anytime soon. Even so, we can dream about playing Persona – Persona 4, and take it from me: more Shin Megami Tensei games are never a bad thing. Involving bands of teenagers that can summon facets of their minds (known as Personas), the Persona franchise is one of the most consistently awesome JRPGs of all time. Heck, the series will be 18 years old this fall, so what better time to celebrate than have all of them released on PlayStation Now by the end of 2014?
Fallout 3
As much as I enjoyed The Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim, it can’t top one of Bethesda’s true masterpieces, Fallout 3. Trading swords and arrows for machine pistols and baseball bats, Fallout 3 tasks players with not only finding their lost father and bringing order to the Wasteland, but also avoiding a group known as the Enclave bent on controlling what used to be Washington D.C., and from there? The rest of the former United States of America. Full of super mutants, feral ghouls, killer robots, and tons of radiation, Fallout 3 is a game everybody needs to experience at least once, and the best place to do it is going to be on PlayStation Now.
What about you guys? Which PlayStation classics do you want to see on PlayStation Now by the end of 2014? Heck, which games do you want to see on the streaming service period? Let us know in the comments below!