The final PlayStation Classic games lineup has been announced. They are as follows:
The List
Grand Theft Auto
Battle Arena Toshinden
R4 Ridge Racer Type 4
Mr. Driller
Metal Gear Solid
Twisted Metal
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Syphon Filter
Rayman
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Wild Arms
Jumping Flash!
Cool Boarders 2
Final Fantasy VII
Destruction Derby
Revelations: Persona
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Intelligent Qube
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
So Many Classic Feelings To Unpack
You all probably already knew the list. It’s been all over the Internet since Monday. In fact, it might be unfair to label you all as having one feeling about this list. I know I feel mixed. Of course, your initial urge might be to be confused, then disappointed, then even angry. But after calming down, all I’m left with is rationalizations which turned into hype. Tempered hype. Hype with a hundred-dollar entry fee. But still hype.
Future Classics
I find myself asking, why no later era PS1 games. Then I remember that as a cost cutting measure, the Classic will be packed with the original, non-joystick controllers. The later games would suffer in quality without joysticks. And perhaps Sony is thinking about a future Classic 2.
And that surprises me quite a lot. I feel like people forget that Nintendo could release an NES Classic 2 or an SNES Classic 2. Not just an N64 Classic. *
*note – Though with the recently leaked list of games for an unannounced N64 Classic (which could very well be fake), we are looking to be disappointed once again without any Rare games or games with licensed soundtracks
So Sony could very well make a cash grab and release a more expensive PS1 Classic with DualShock controllers.
Missing In Action
I also think to myself, why no Spyro? Why no Crash!? He was arguably the mascot of the system when it was released. Heck, why no Parappa? It was also a game that defined the PS1’s launch. Then I remember the remastered versions.
And honestly, I don’t mean to justify things if you truly believe the game list is horrible, but I don’t think the original Tomb Raider holds up all that well. Still, we could’ve had Tomb Raider 2. At this point, it’s just unrequited wish fulfillment.
Categories That The Games Fall Into For Me
I feel like the games fall into different categories, and honestly, there are less here that don’t belong than I initially thought.
No-Brainers
The first category is that of the “no-brainers”. It’s a no-brainer that these franchises are represented. Some of these, fans might prefer other games in the series, but still. I’m not mad they are here.
Games like Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, Oddworld, and Tekken 3 all belong here. Even games like Wild Arms, Rainbow Six, and Syphon Filter went on to spawn massively popular franchises.
And that’s almost half of the games on here. All these franchises deserve to be represented.
Neat Franchise Origins
Then comes the “neat” games. The games that didn’t need to be on the collection, but a part of me still thinks it’s neat that they are here.
To me, it’s kind of cool that we get to revisit the origins of franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Persona, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and Rayman. I do not know if they hold up, but we will see.
Neat Casual Games
It’s also “neat” to me that casual games that have a nice reputation are also present. Games like Cool Boarders 2, Intelligent Qube, and to a certain extent Jumping Flash and Mr. Driller are all fun casual games that people would like if they tried.
Seat Fillers
That only leaves Battle Arena Toshinden, Ridge Racer, and Destruction Derby. And honestly, they are the games I know the least about as I have never played them. I know some would’ve preferred Gran Turismo to Ridge Racer, but who knows if they could reacquire the licenses to display the cars or music. You just can’t tell.
Conclusion
Separating the games into these categories helped me feel better about the games on the list. But I don’t think anything short of a price cut can actually get me to spend money on this collection. These mini classic consoles are targeted towards those who fell away from gaming but want to, on a whim, return to gaming. Those of us who play more often will have to be patient.
But what do you think? What games are missing on this collection? What are you happy to see? Is the price too high? Should there be a PS1 Classic 2? Let us know in the comments below!
