Once an entertaining hypothetical, Sony’s answer to the NES Classic is now an actual retro gaming console due out before the end of the year. Here’s a perfectly reasonable list of games and features that could help make the PlayStation Classic a more enjoyable and authentic experience.
Include The Games We Want To Play
That isn’t a “royal” we. When I say “the games we want to play”, I’m talking about all of us. Right now we only know five out of the 20 games being included in the $149.99 PS Classic — Final Fantasy 7, Jumping Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3 and Wild Arms. Until we get an official list from Sony, the remaining 15 games are comprised of the hopes and dreams of PlayStation fans everywhere.
My hopes and dreams include:
Final Fantasy 9: To be honest, I won’t even play it, but I want it. I know the adventures of Vivi and friends by heart. I’d give up a spot just to see that cover art on the home screen.
Chrono Cross: If I don’t put the sequel to Chrono Trigger here, I’d do something stupid like Legend of Dragoon instead. No one wants that.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater: So here I am, growing older all the time. Looking older all the time. Feeling younger in my mind.
Metal Gear Solid: A true classic. If I didn’t include it here, Heather Alexandra would kill me.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Obvious Choice
Ape Escape: Not so much a hope/dream as it is a near certainty. Sony-developed platformer, cute characters, monkeys — it’s a shoe-in.
Tomba!: The classic tale of feral pink-haired boy versus evil pigs needs to be preserved. Like bacon.
Jet Moto: The original PlayStation was the machine for futuristic hover racing.
WipeOut XL: The original PlayStation was the machine for futuristic hover racing.
Require Memory Cards
An original PlayStation is not a PlayStation without a memory card sticking out of the front. I’m not saying we need actual memory cards to save our emulated games; that would be silly. I’m just saying the system should require little memory card-shaped USB dongles in order for games to play properly.
Do Not Include Memory Cards
How many gamers in the late ‘90s brought home a shiny new PlayStation only to discover that a vital component of stress-free enjoyment of lengthy games such as Final Fantasy 7 was not inside the box? Certainly not just me.
If Sony can recreate the thrill of running to the shops in the middle of the night after playing FF7 for 20 hours without saving, they have my money. More of my money.
Analogue Sticks, But Not At First
Why don’t those controllers have analogue sticks? The original PSX didn’t get dual analogue sticks until 1997. If Sony were to give those to us immediately, it would sour the experience. Wait a couple of years, then charge us $70 apiece.
After A Couple Of Years, Make It Only Work Upside-Down
The original model PlayStations had a silly issue where the vents weren’t properly dispersing heat, which would cause the CD-ROM rails to warp to the point where the console would only work if turned upside-down or on its side. Not only would this feature contribute to the authenticity, it would also pave the way for…
The PS One Classic
The smaller, curvier PS One made the blocky PSX look like a poorly-designed movie prop from a ‘70s B-movie. Toss in a miniature LCD screen that clips on the top and it’s a PlayStation Portable people will actually buy.
Sell Tiny Modchips
Hackers cracked the NES and SNES Classics within days of their release. Is one of the most hackable consoles of all time going to be any different? Sony can get out in front of the modding scene by packaging their own tiny mod chips, unlocking the ability to run perfectly legitimate game backups before everyone does it for free.
As perfectly reasonable as most of my suggestions may be, I understand that Sony might not have the time or inclination to implement them all, let alone your own suggestions. You know what, share them with us anyway. Couldn’t hurt.
Comments
33 responses to “Seven Ways To Make The PlayStation Classic Feel Like The Real Thing”
Was going to say it seems too soon to revive the PS1, but then I remembered that I have colleagues – work colleagues, earning actual adult wages – who are younger than the original Playstation. Also, today I discovered I am a fossil.
No DS = No Ape Escape. It needs the analogue sticks to play.
No analogue sticks means no Ape Escape. It was the first game to require them
Tenchu 2 would make all my dreams come true but it needs DS…
I’d like to see Alundra on there because it’s definitely one of those games that defined the PSX generation for me. Vagrant Story would be another game that would make sense to be on there given how amazing it was at the time.
I want Jade Cocoon 2 more than anything really
I wouldn’t be so certain. Wasn’t Ape Escape the first game to require the analog sticks? The Classic controllers have no analog sticks. This would render the game unplayable and therefore stupid to include. (Unless the console supports DS4 controllers, then it would be brilliant, as people who don’t have one would have to go out and buy them)
Of course, if they sell the analog controllers later as you suggest, then they could offer an update or something including the game.
The controllers just use standard USB ports so there’;s every chance a PS4 controller or even a PS3 controller should theoretically work in the system. But having said that, it would be a pretty silly idea to include a game that requires the analogue sticks when the system itself doesn’t ship with any.
So its a certainty then…
Bit of a left-field choice – but then surely a few unusual titles will add to the appeal – I had/played/loved a game on the PS called ‘The Unholy War’, would love to see it find some love, pretty sure I may be the only person who ever played it? 😀
You are not the only person to have played this! It was on a demo disc. My brother and I played the shit out of this game. My favourite tactic was the kamikaze attack when I just couldn’t give a toss anymore.
Ha, praise the sun for the demo disc – playing it on a demo is what got me to buy it in the first place!
Funny how few demo’s you get now when i think about how many games i bought based on playing good demos…
I had this! That makes at least 3 people who played it haha.
It’s unlikely to happen, but I would love it if the Legend of Dragoon is one of the games that appear on it.
This x a thousand
I’m rather partial to G-Police and Panzer Front. Maybe some old style Tomb Raider as well.
Wipeout and Destruction Derby…mainly because they’re the first Playstation games I played.
Surely crash bandicoot will be on there? The first game didn’t have analog so it should be fine.
They really should of included both controller types – one with ananog and one without.
But they also just remastered the original trilogy. So I don’t see either Spyro or Crash appearing on it tbh.
Maybe Croc or Medievil (surely a certainty?) if not Spyro/Crash? Ironically I hate all four titles with my inbuilt disdain for platform-esque games! 😀
Crash and Spyro are both owned by Activision now. Unfortunately, the chances of either game appearing on this is pretty low, but you never know.
The fact that Jumping Flash is included is pretty much all I needed to see. JF and JF2 are amazing games, and get no where near enough love.
Omg. How could I forget Syphon Filter?
Nah nah nah nah, if this thing was able to make a way to play Point Blank or Time Crisis etc then there would be so much money thrown at this
Dragon Warrior (Quest) 7 seeing as it’s practically impossible to find anywhere. And Xenogears because why not
Driver and tomb raider for sure I reckon . Two great defining games for the console at the time
The biggest problem with the PS1 classic compared to the Nintendo machines is the number of 1st and 3rd party games on each system. Plus CD’s were great for licenced music but that creates problems now. Also the mid-generation switch to analogue controls. And the fact that HDMI kills off classic light-gun shooters (Time Crisis).
It’s all a bit messy…..
I’ve got a George Foreman Grill era-PS3 lying around that can play most of the PS1 games I want.
What it needs to feel like the real thing? Every, say, 20 boot ups it hangs just a few seconds too long on the orange diamond SCE screen to scare you into thinking it’s frozen.
Like to see future cop LAPD. Solid campaign and a moba like split screen mode.
I can’t see Wipeout making it – they’d have to licence all the music again.
Ape Escape can’t make it because the controllers don’t have analogue sticks which the game required.
Tomba was certainly unappreciated, and it’s a possibility, but I’d rather see Klonoa. And seeing that Namco are already on board, this is a good possibility.
Metal Gear Solid is almost certainly not going to happen. For one thing, they can’t recreate the scene where you need the radio frequency on the back of the box.
They’ve already got a Final Fantasy so I doubt a second one would make it.
Chrono Cross would be a good choice. But I think a more likely choice would be Vagrant Story.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater would be hard (and I’d rather the second one), because you’d need to licence all the skaters and the music again.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is almost a certainty. They’d be stupid not to.
I can’t see any of the Resident Evil (due to the many ports and remakes), Crash and Spyro (remake, Activision rather sell you their version) games happening.
Gran Turismo is a possibility. Depending on whether they still have the licences.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 might make it. It was and remains essentially the best 2D fighter out there. Capcom would likely be able to make it happen. And players get the best 2D and 3D fighters on the system – SCORE!
Tomb Raider might be a tough one – the second one was my favourite and its possible. But with Square now bringing out the latest one in the new series they may not want to see the old one out at the same time.
Oddworld Abes Exxoddus is a possibility. The first one got remade, and the second one is apparently getting remade but taking its time. So unlikely to see the first one. Maybe the second.
Parappa the Rapper or Um Jammer Lammy is likely to make an appearance.
One of the Twisted Metal games is likely to come to the console.
And if Twisted Metal comes, unlikely to see Destruction Derby. I think they had licenced music as well.
Here is my guess based on licencing, and the team wanting the right games for the console:
Breath of Fire IV
Tony Hawk 2
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (or some other Street Fighter)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Medievil
Everybody’s Golf 2
Twisted Metal 3
Colony Wars
Syphon Filter
C-12: Final Resistence
R-Type Delta
Mr Driller
Devil Dice
Parasite Eve
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Metal Gear Solid is already available on PSN so it’s certainly in the running given that they’d most likely be using the same emulator in this.
If by “out there” you meant “on PSX” but if not……STREET FIGHTER 3 3RD STRIKE(!!) was and is the best 2D fighter.
Alpha 2 was the best one
Looking back at this I was surprised to get a few right.