Sony has announced a classic version of the original PlayStation, which will hit stores in time for the holidays on Dec. 3 and give us all a healthy dose of nostalgia. The $99.99 PlayStation Classic follows in the vein of the NES and SNES Classic, both of which were released by Nintendo and came pre-loaded with games.
Everything you need to know about the new ‘PlayStation Classic’
“It could be the best value in gaming.”
via Sony Entertainment
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
What games are on the system?
- Final Fantasy VII
- Tekken 3
- Jumping Flash
- Ridge Racer Type 4
- Wild Arms
It’s a solid mix so far, with Wild Arms in particular being a gem you probably missed. The Wild West RPG is one of the best games released by prolific developer Media.Vision, and is a must-play if you missed it (or are too young) to have played it at release.
Sony has said it will announce the other 15 titles over the coming months.
Here are some sports games we’d like to see:
In an effort to keep this realistic we’re not including games that were published by third-party companies. Obviously we’d love to put several entries in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise on the list, but it seems unlikely that Sony would reach an agreement with Activision on putting them in.
- Everybody’s Golf 2: This 1999 sequel came late in the original PlayStation’s lifespan, and happened to be one of the best gold games ever released. It blended a cartoon art style with astounding ball physics for the time, and it’s a joy.
- Cool Boarders 2: This is pure nostalgia. The Cool Boarders franchise definitely wasn’t the best snowboard game on the market (I will forever be partial to 1080 Snowboarding on the N64), but at a time where extreme sports games were limited it was a joy. Also, “COOOOOOOOL BOARDERS!” every time you booted it up was awesome.
- Gran Turismo 2: It’s rough going back to old simulation racing games, but GT2 was good enough to warrant another look.
- Twisted Metal 3: Car murder is a sport.
- PaRappa The Rapper: Not a sport. Don’t care. PaRappa is awesome.
Ask the expert ...
SB Nation asked Kris Paine, owner of Well Played Games, a vintage gaming store and arcade in Greenville, North Carolina, to give his thoughts on the PlayStation Classic.
“It’s definitely a good buy. It could be worth it just in the cost of Final Fantasy games.” Paine adds he’d like to see more of the series added to the console, including Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX.
Paine sells original PS1 consoles at his store for $29.95, but the classic games are harder to come by — and much more expensive. He tells SB Nation that depending on what games Sony adds to the console it could be a tremendous value.
“Add in a few other RPGs like Wild Arms 2, Legend of Dragoon, etc. and you could really have a monster. They won’t be able to squeeze in all the classics, but if they threw in Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Parappa The Rapper, Bust A Groove, Deception, Spyro, and some of the other insanely priced PS1 games that people missed, it could be the best value in gaming.”
See More:
