Now that the PlayStation 3 is officially in the Retro bracket and we’ve had the first list of games on Sony’s PlayStation Plus Premium (check out Tom Ivan’s list on VGC over here) it’s a good moment to have a think about what’s missing but would still be cool to play. Given how it’s also reported that the emulation of PlayStation 1 & 2 can be a little ropey (check out John Linneman’s deep dive at Eurogamer over here) this is all going to be under the proviso that you could theoretically download the games and play them locally, we can dream!
Silent Hill 2
Let’s get the most obvious and unlikely title out of the way first. Silent Hill 2 is forever going to be a retro or PC game if you want to play and enjoy it. The same can be said for Silent Hill 3. You could play the HD Collection but this is the same as choosing to drink a cup of diluted out-of-date off-brand Ribena instead of a fancy Merlot. It’s not going to come to the PPP or any modern ports anytime soon but we’ll likely see a new attempt at ruining it instead (the blooper team news isn’t great but it’s here thanks to VGC) It’s still worth tracking down an Xbox copy if you want to play the classic otherwise there’s always Silent Hill 4 on GOG.
Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone
It would be amazing to see some obscure PSP games like .hack Link translated across to the PPP but if you’re going to port an obscure title that few people will remember it might as well be Yddra Union. A fantastic Japanese SRPG that most people will remember originating on the Gameboy Advance. The PSP port of Yggdra Union was great and had a Fire Emblem feel all of its own. The sprites and artwork for the characters would likely scale up to a 4k screen nicely and the gameplay is still solid.
Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
Yes, I know. I mention Capcom Vs SNK 2 and Marvel Vs Capcom 2 every chance I get (Marvel Vs Capcom Origins should be on the PPP to) but that’s because they’re still incredibly fun fighters to this day. CVS2 is still only available on either the Dreamcast or PlayStation 2 (you can read more about why it’s worth getting a copy here) Sufficed to say it would be nice to play on a modern console and even if it’s only local multiplayer it’s still as much fun as a Capcom Collection.
Gitaroo Man
Given Gitaroo Man has both the PlayStation 2 original and the Gitaroo Man Lives! PSP version available either would be great to play again. The PlayStation 2 classic still holds up but the PSP version would be a nice inclusion as it had a multiplayer mode with its own extra 3 songs. Likely due to licencing it’s a shame the soundtrack hasn’t made its way to Spotify or streaming yet but keep an eye out as it’s just the kind of game to pop up out of nowhere and rock your world.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
This smash-like may have a roster that’s B-tier at best and although it’s a mid-tier fighter most people would jump on to play for a few minutes. Given the list of other titles for the PPP this would fit right in. Despite the PPP not including the DLC in the titles it seems like the perfect title to use those extra PlayStation 5 controllers you’ve lying around.
What do you think is missing from the PPP? Let me know in the comments below!
ElderlyGoose 