Eight PS2 Games Coming to PS4 Tomorrow, But They're Pricey
Sony has announced the first few PlayStation 2 games coming to PlayStation 4, but the prices seem a bit high.
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With the PlayStation Experience 2015 upon us, Sony has finally offered up the full details of PlayStation 2 support on PlayStation 4. First and foremost, the new system does not connect with the current PlayStation 2 Classics releases at all. Even if you own the original discs or PS2 Classics, you'll still need to re-purchase these titles to enjoy them.
The games are soft remasters. They're kicked up to 1080p in resolution, include digital manuals, and have full support for Trophies, Remote Play, Share Play, Live Broadcast, and PS4 Activity Feeds.
"PS2 remains the best-selling console of all time, thanks in part to the revolutionary tech built into the box, such as support for the DVD format for games and movies, a powerful graphics processor, and specialized chips for particle effects and physics," wrote Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida in the announcement post. "Above and beyond the technical innovations that made PS2 stand apart is the huge catalog of amazing and much loved games, such as Dark Cloud, Twisted Metal: Black, and the PS2-era classic Grand Theft Auto games, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, just to name a few."
Sony will be offering an initial line-up of eight titles tomorrow, which you can purchase and download on the PlayStation Store. Additional titles are coming soon, with future titles playable at the PlayStation Experience including The King of Fighters 2000 and PaRappa the Rapper 2.
The full list of games immediately available is:
- Dark Cloud - $14.99
- Grand Theft Auto III - $14.99
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - $14.99
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - $14.99
- Rogue Galaxy - $14.99
- The Mark of Kri - $14.99
- Twisted Metal: Black - $9.99
- War of the Monsters - $9.99
Give the information above, I'd have to say that I have two issues with the system currently. The first is the titles seem too expensive. Now that's not to say that Sony doesn't need to recoup expenses for the work done to emulate these titles and I'm sure these prices are in line with that. I'm saying I think the price that I'm willing to pay to replay titles that I already own on disc or in PS2 Classics form is around $5-10, not $10-15.
I think $5 is in line with what a number of players would be willing to pay for many titles, though obviously that number skews higher if the game retains special significance to you. I expect Sony is banking on that nostalgia to draw people into the higher prices. In the announcement post, players mentioned SOCOM 2, SSX Tricky, Shadow Hearts, Xenosaga, Silent Hill 2, Burnout 3, .hack, Yakuza, and Onimusha as titles they'd be willing to pay a premium for.
The second issue is there's no cross-buy or discount program if you already own the PS2 Classics version of these games. Since you're picking these games up on the PlayStation Store, Sony should have your license information on hand to see if you've already paid for those titles previously. They could offer those specific titles for free or 50 percent off. Sony will make more money on its current system, but a gesture like cross-buy or a discount would go a long way to build more goodwill for the new program.
Ah, who am I kidding? I'd buy SSX 3 or Silent Hill 2 in a heartbeat for $20.