Sony’s removal of PS2 compatibility from the PlayStation 3 was ill-timed from a consumer standpoint; the system has been condemned by users and the media alike as too expensive. Even though the removal of this ancillary feature came with a price cut, the ire it raised among potential customers was high. The rallying call (and buying obstacle) of “I won’t buy it until it plays PS2 games again” became a very real stumbling block for Sony.
Cut to two years later; Blu-ray is the dominant format, Sony’s online offerings have been enriched to the point where there’s little difference between PSN and XBL. Sony announced that along with God of War III that they would be releasing a re-mastered version of the series’ first two hits from the PlayStation 2.
The timing was perfect and the price was right; At $39.99 at launch, the God of War Collection included a high definition Kratos along with new challenges in the form of trophies as well as all of the special features that accompanied the games the first time around. Gamers also received early access to the God of War III E3 demo as a bonus. While it didn’t hit number one, the compilation showed staying power in the top 20 in many regions over the course of the months before the GoWIII launch.
News comes today from Kotaku that one of their readers has taken a particularly interesting survey from Sony. The questionnaire asked if the user would be interested in more multi-pack, single disc “upgraded” titles in the vein of the God of War Collection.
Listed among the potential titles were:
- Metal Gear
- Shadow of the Colossus/Ico
- Ratchet & Clank
- Grand Theft Auto
- Resident Evil
- Gran Turismo
- Final Fantasy
- Yakuza
- Silent Hill
These franchises represent some of the PlayStation 2′s major traffic drivers. The financial motivation behind the removal of PS2 compatibility has suddenly come into stark focus. Nintendo has made a mint with a similar strategy over the years (moving NES and SNES titles to handhelds, then to the Virtual Console) but Sony may actually be improving on the formula and making it more palatable to gamers. Offering some great older games with upgraded features and modern gaming “rewards” like Trophies lessens the blow, reducing the price into impulse territory makes these titles a low-cost, potentially high return investment.
Assuming Sony does as good of a job with these titles as they did with the God of War Collection they would be a day one purchase for many gamers. While it was sad to see PS2 compatibility go on new units, the possibility of seeing these classics in HD may have been worth the loss.
