 | Here's a look at what I have and what I consider the standout software on a number of platforms affected... |
I've already blogged about why I believe it is a shame the PlayStation 3, Vita and PSP software libraries will no longer be available for purchase after July 2nd (for PS3 and PSP) and August 27th (for Vita). I won't repeat all of that here. Instead, I thought it might be useful to outline some of the games you can still buy today through the ludicrously awkward PlayStation Store on your PS3 console that you won't be able to purchase after the above dates.
I could think of no simpler way to do this than to highlight the games I myself have already purchased, or in some cases received from PR for long-forgotten coverage purposes. It amounts to a list of 246 titles at present, though the number may go up just a little bit ahead of the store closure.
HonestGamers blog tools make it a breeze to put together a list the games you own on consoles and handheld devices, and from there to sort them according to physical or digital items in your collection. So that is what I have done, and below are links to each mini-collection (just click on the desired heading) with commentary on any general significance I see and titles of particular value. I tend to like games from a fairly wide variety of genres, but I like RPGs in particular and I tend to continue supporting most readily those companies that have meant the most to me since my earliest gaming days.
PSP digital titles
As you might notice, most of my PSP acquisitions are games from NIS America, which was just establishing itself around this time and produced some neat stuff, a lot of it not yet available on newer platforms. A number of noteworthy titles rank among the best of the very affordable and sometimes surprisingly good PSP Minis. Highlights include:Black Rock Shooter: The Game
Disgaea Infinite
Jeanne d'Arc
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess
Patchwork Heroes
Valkyria Chronciles II
PlayStation Classics
There are a lot of PlayStation gems you can get digitally for a mere fraction of the cost of proper physical releases, and the emulation on the PS3 is generally quite effective. There are too many titles on this list to detail them all individually, but standouts include:Breath of Fire IV
Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Legends 2
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne
Shadow Tower
Suikoden
Suikoden II
Xenogears
PS2 Classics
I would like to pick up another dozen or so games not reflected here, but otherwise this is a pretty good list of the PS2 gems someone saw fit to make available again on PS3 as "classics." Dark Cloud 2, Wild Arms 3 and Okage are actually on the PS4 and don't technically belong here, but feel free to keep them in mind. Otherwise, this is a list of a number of neat games you can pick up for $10 or so instead of paying a premium on eBay. A number of these have been remade for newer hardware, but there's something special retro fans will appreciate in playing them in something closer to their original rough forms. Some key titles:Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
God Hand
GrimGrimoire
Growlanser: Heritage of War
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Twisted Metal: Black
PS3 digital titles
A lot of these games were also released digitally for Xbox 360, or physically for both systems, so there's not quite the pressing need to get them before they totally disappear... though their time must be nearly up even on the Xbox Store. Often, titles disappear from that service without fanfare. For PlayStation fans in particular, some potential highlights are:Battle Princess of Arcadias
Blue Toad Murder Files
Darkstalkers Resurrection
Final Fight: Double Impact
inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle
Legasista
Siren: Blood Curse
Tokyo Jungle
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls
PlayStation Vita digital titles
Vita is unique in that it has remained fairly popular, long after Sony decided it wasn't sufficiently popular to warrant continued support. Limited Run Games has made a number of the titles on my list available physically, but you may have to spend a lot on physical editions even when they are available due to the whole "limited" side of things. Buying them digitally while you still can makes a lot of sense, and that's especially true for some niche titles that never had a chance at physical release. In particular, look into:
Soul Sacrifice Delta
No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either!
Dustforce
As I noted above, I may yet add a bit to these collections before I am truly content. There are PS and PS2 classics I don't yet own that I would like to add, though most of them I do have. There are a limited number of PS3 and Vita games I would also like to pick up. I'm probably missing a game or two that also ought to be a priority, so if you look across the lists and notice any glaring absences, do let me know. Before I close a chapter on any particular platform, I do like to get as many of the must-haves as my budget will permit.
If you are curious to see what games off-site critics think are important for any of the above systems or others, that's also possible from another site tool available here that lists the top 100 PSP games according to critics. Many of the ones listed are available both physically and digitally. You can use the dropdown menu to select a different platform and submit to see fresh results, provided any external reviews are linked for games appearing on the specified hardware. I sometimes use this feature when I want to get an idea whet gems I might have missed.
I hope some of you find this information useful as you potentially decide on games to add to your own digital collections ahead of the cutoff dates, or even as you try to decide what else to look for on a service like PS Now that makes broad libraries available to you for a monthly fee. I find the tools provided helpful myself, but I also don't advertise their utility as much as perhaps I should. So now I have done that, sort of. Happy game hunting!
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dagoss - April 10, 2021 (06:10 AM) Great list. Some of these games are real treasures (like Suikoden II) and it's sad to see them become harder to find again. The Mega Man Legends games are also criminally underrated. I remember playing Labrinth of Lost Souls back when I had a PS3. I tried so hard to like it, but the art style really ruined it for me. |
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