PS-One Classics on PSN

AmazingZoidberg wrote:

I hope this means that more classics will start migrating to the PSN. I see no reason why the PSN Store couldn't develop a virtual console like section for selling older titles.

I concur. Like I said earlier, I already have most everything I wanted to play for PS1...but having all those classics on a PSP is very tempting, and I won't lie, on a PSP, away from my home setup, is likely the only way I'll ever get back to some of them.

MoH: Underground actually isn't too bad at that price point, but you might want to hold out a while to see if they push out the original (re: superior) Medal of Honor as a PSOne Classic release down the line. If you're looking for one and only one PSOne FPS, that's probably the one to get.

OzymandiasAV wrote:

MoH: Underground actually isn't too bad at that price point, but you might want to hold out a while to see if they push out the original (re: superior) Medal of Honor as a PSOne Classic release down the line. If you're looking for one and only one PSOne FPS, that's probably the one to get.

Did you mean this Medal of Honor?

AmazingZoidberg wrote:

Medal of Honor ($5.99)

I don't know much about this game, I'm not a huge fan of FPS (WWII-FPS even less) but I know the Medal of Honor series used to be a big name in that niche. Anyone have any thoughts about how well this classic will hold up, or play on the PSP?

It came out the week of E3 alongside FF7. What makes the original better than underground?

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

PSN Classics are playable on the PSP?

Yeah, and if you hack the PSP, you can turn your own PSX games into PSP EBOOTs and not have to re-buy them for the right to use the PSX emulator that's already built into the dang machine.

Why was FF7 releasing on PSN not all that big of a deal? Because everyone's had it running on their PSPs for forever now.

AmazingZoidberg wrote:

It came out the week of E3 alongside FF7. What makes the original better than underground?

Oh, cool, didn't even see that.

They're essentially the same game, except that the level design and pacing are much tighter in the original. Underground ramps up into controller-tossing territory near the end, from what I (vaguely) remember.

Also, MoH: Underground earned some notoriety during its day for some of its "interesting" bonus missions at the end of the game; rather than spoiling them, let's just say that they don't exactly fit into the context of your typical WWII shooter.

*Legion* wrote:
SpacePPoliceman wrote:

PSN Classics are playable on the PSP?

Yeah, and if you hack the PSP, you can turn your own PSX games into PSP EBOOTs and not have to re-buy them for the right to use the PSX emulator that's already built into the dang machine.

Why was FF7 releasing on PSN not all that big of a deal? Because everyone's had it running on their PSPs for forever now.

Thanks, I guess? Luckily, I've reach the point in my life where $10 isn't that big of a deal, especially $10 given to a company whose hard work I greatly admire, especially since I bought it used in the first place.

OzymandiasAV wrote:

Also, MoH: Underground earned some notoriety during its day for some of its "interesting" bonus missions at the end of the game; rather than spoiling them, let's just say that they don't exactly fit into the context of your typical WWII shooter.

Wow, that was something... else.

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

Thanks, I guess? Luckily, I've reach the point in my life where $10 isn't that big of a deal, especially $10 given to a company whose hard work I greatly admire, especially since I bought it used in the first place.

The point isn't really the $10. The point is the ton of games that still aren't available. The PSP can play essentially any PSX game, yet Sony is keeping that functionality locked up.

It's that time of the week again. Today's release is a classic for fans of giant robots, robot ninjas and the zany fun that is Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid: $9.99

This is one of the few PS1 games I actually have a disc of (I purchased it to get ready for MGS4) but I have yet to rip it to my PSP so I couldn't say how well it plays. I imagine it would work quite well on the portable system, as most of the rooms can be solved within 10 minutes or so and the top down fixed camera control seems better suited to a portable device than a modern console.

Give me Unholy War. I'd pay $10 for that.

AmazingZoidberg wrote:

It's that time of the week again. Today's release is a classic for fans of giant robots, robot ninjas and the zany fun that is Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid: $9.99

This is one of the few PS1 games I actually have a disc of (I purchased it to get ready for MGS4) but I have yet to rip it to my PSP so I couldn't say how well it plays. I imagine it would work quite well on the portable system, as most of the rooms can be solved within 10 minutes or so and the top down fixed camera control seems better suited to a portable device than a modern console.

Having no PSP, but a deep desire to play this classic, I'll come back with impressions.

Hmmm. I'm torn on MGS.

On one hand, I'm not a huge fan of the series, though I did like the first one. Also, I spent $10 on Resident Evil, and am really regretting it....that game just didn't hold up well. I'd bet that MGS held up better.

On the other hand, I feel compelled to buy it to send a signal that there is demand for games on PSN, in hopes that they will release more PSX games.

Duffman wrote:

Hmmm. I'm torn on MGS.

On one hand, I'm not a huge fan of the series, though I did like the first one. Also, I spent $10 on Resident Evil, and am really regretting it....that game just didn't hold up well. I'd bet that MGS held up better.

On the other hand, I feel compelled to buy it to send a signal that there is demand for games on PSN, in hopes that they will release more PSX games.

Yeah I know what you mean I bought it mainly because I want to play it on my PSP that's the main reason for me buying FF7 as well.

Alrighty, it's Thursday and that means another PSOne classic gets added to the store. So this week's selection is...

Mobile Light Force: $4.99

If you're scratching your head then you're not alone. I had never heard of this title. So a little google-fu and I found out it's an American re-release of a Japanese vertical shooter named Gunbird. Apparently as far as re-releases go it's not very good. It seems that rather than localize they stripped out the entire ingame plot including the ending. I guess that's one way deal with the pesky issue of translation.

So anyone actually play this? Is there any hidden gameplay gem in here or should we all just steer clear?

Give me the first two Colony Wars games to play on my PSP and I'll give Sony a kidney.

No PSOne updates today.

PSP users now have access to the UMD Legacy version of the Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, which is a pretty beefy collection with 20 separate classic arcade titles. I'll actually be picking this up because I want access to the arcade versions of Final Fight and Strider. I do wish UMD legacy titles would come down in price though. $20 feels a little pricey for something that's been on the market for well over a year now. /tangent

It's not all bad news though. Yesterday Capcom announced plans to bring out a number of UMD Legacy titles and PSOne classics. No specific release dates have been announced but here's the list of PSOne titles slated for release:

Dino Crisis
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

For a full list including UMD Legacy titles for the PSP check here.

SpacePPoliceman wrote:
AmazingZoidberg wrote:

It's that time of the week again. Today's release is a classic for fans of giant robots, robot ninjas and the zany fun that is Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid: $9.99

This is one of the few PS1 games I actually have a disc of (I purchased it to get ready for MGS4) but I have yet to rip it to my PSP so I couldn't say how well it plays. I imagine it would work quite well on the portable system, as most of the rooms can be solved within 10 minutes or so and the top down fixed camera control seems better suited to a portable device than a modern console.

Having no PSP, but a deep desire to play this classic, I'll come back with impressions.

If you have a Wii/Gamecube, pick up the Twin Snakes GCN release. It's essentially the same game, but with updated graphics(they essentially strapped MGS onto the MGS2 engine).

Happy Thursday! You know what that means kids. It's time for... two PSOne titles I've never heard of.

Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol - $5.99

So I'm guessing that has something to do with, um, stealth? Perhaps on a patrol of some sort?

XS Junior League Soccer - $5.99

OK, don't tell me. I have a good feeling about this one, it's gonna be about kicking a ball. Maybe youngsters will be doing the kicking.

Seriously folks. Does anyone have any experience with either of these titles? The description on the Playstation Blog makes me think that Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol might be a fun game to have on the PSP.

All that I know about the Spec Ops series is that they published something like a half-dozen games on the PS1, most of which were budget titles that didn't review particularly well at the time.

Alright, I've done my due diligence (I was almost asleep last night when I posted the update).

Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol is apparently the third release in the Spec Ops series, a PC/PSX/Dreamcast series.

I also found some gameplay videos on Youtube. Looks like an OK game for the time/platform but fairly forgettable.

XS Junior League Soccer looks to be like a kind of stylized arcade soccer game with terrible sound design.

The good news, there has been a steady stream of classics being released every week. This is much better than say 6 months ago.

The bad news, we've been subjected to a lot of mediocrity as of late. Case in point:

Spec Ops: Ranger Elite - $5.99
This is the fifth game in the Spec Ops series, published a year after Stealth Patrol which was put on the store last week. Same basic gameplay; two man squads, shootin' dudes. I couldn't find anything but the grainyist of Youtube videos so I decided I wouldn't even bother, but it has a metacritic score of a whopping 48, so you know it must be good.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

Spec Ops: Covert Assault - $5.99
Wow, they're gonna put out all these Spec Ops games or die trying. Maybe it's a ramp up to a re-imagining/reboot of the franchise.

Oh well this one doesn't look to bad, gameplay starts at 2:35.

And now for something completely different.

WILD ARMS 2 - $5.99

The first Wild Arms has been available on the PSN for a while now. It's a steam-punk/western JRPG series. I've always been intrigued by the art style but I've never actually took the plunge. Any feedback from series veterans?

AmazingZoidberg wrote:

And now for something completely different.

WILD ARMS 2 - $5.99

The first Wild Arms has been available on the PSN for a while now. It's a steam-punk/western JRPG series. I've always been intrigued by the art style but I've never actually took the plunge. Any feedback from series veterans?

No veteran I, but I still have my copy of this, picked up during my hardcore JRPG phase. You'd switch between characters on the overworld map (if memory serves), each with their own special platformy type move, like the big guy who could move rocks. Trouble was, nothing was marked on the overworld map--you had to find it with this, like, sonar pulse type move, which got quite annoying. I enjoyed what I played, but it didn't grab me like an FF or a Suikoden, so I never finished it.

Well it's another Thursday, so I'm going to skip over to the playstation store and dip my cup into the digital well to find...

Spec Ops: Airborne Commando - $5.99

Really? I was gonna go out on a limb and say it's just like the others, but with parachutes. Then I found this video and it turns out I was wrong:

Looks to be an isometric shooter, which could actually be fun. Anybody played this one?

The real upshot of this is that they've run out of Spec Ops games to sell. Perhaps next week will bring us something without Spec Ops in the title.

Be still my beating heart, I knew today was Marvel vs Capcom 2 day on the PSN, but I didn't know that it was gonna be a big day for PSOne classics.
Here's the haul:

Dead in the Water - $5.99

Think Twisted Metal, but with boats. The presentation actually seems pretty funny.

Ten Pin Alley - $5.99

Bowling, you know, knocking down pins and whatnot.

Tomb Raider - $9.99

I'm not sure if the price is a Square tax (they do have publishing rights for Tomb Raider now don't they) or just the price of having been popular. I did enjoy TR2 on the PC back in the day, and this one has a dinosaur. It amazes me that what was cutting edge back in high school is now a portable game for all intents and purposes. Any thoughts on this version? Was there a better version at the time, would it hold up as a portable game (methinks it would)?

Well now, here's a title I wasn't expecting.

Bloody Roar - $5.99

Think Tekken, but with less restraint. This is a 3D fighter with the gimmick that every fighter can turn into an anthropomorphic animal after charging a meter. Apparently this game inspired several sequels and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Bloody Roar 2 in the next few weeks (it was the only other PS1 title in the series).

Here's a gameplay video.

Someone was asleep at the switch in the Sony digital distribution factory this week. But on the plus side we got a triple shot of classic PSOne titles, lets get to it.

CoolBoarders 2 - $5.99

It's like snow boarding, except you carve into drifts of freshly fallen "cool." All of the gameplay videos I've seen make this game look bland and uninteresting.

Tomb Raider 2 - $5.99

Quick note, this tomb raider is more reasonably priced than its predecessor. As I mentioned earlier I played this title on the PC and I'm tempted to pick it up for nostalgia's sake. Then again I don't really have the budget to be feeding nostalgia right now.

SimCity 2000 - $5.99

Another title I played on the PC in my gaming youth. When I think about the SimCity franchise this is the title that immediately springs to my mind. It seems like the gameplay would fit perfectly on a portable system. Anybody have a history with the PSOne version of this title. Was it gimped or hopelessly broken in any way?

I purchased the PSOne classic MediEval over the PSN as I hadn't played the game and heard positive things about it.

I couldn't get through 10 minutes. The archaic graphics and SD mode on a 50" plasma were atrocious.

Some things are better left in the past.

FSeven wrote:

I purchased the PSOne classic MediEval over the PSN as I hadn't played the game and heard positive things about it.

I couldn't get through 10 minutes. The archaic graphics and SD mode on a 50" plasma were atrocious.

Some things are better left in the past.

I enjoy the classics much better on PSP rather than on an HD screen. That being said I do enjoy Symphony of the Night on both systems.

AmazingZoidberg wrote:
FSeven wrote:

I purchased the PSOne classic MediEval over the PSN as I hadn't played the game and heard positive things about it.

I couldn't get through 10 minutes. The archaic graphics and SD mode on a 50" plasma were atrocious.

Some things are better left in the past.

I enjoy the classics much better on PSP rather than on an HD screen. That being said I do enjoy Symphony of the Night on both systems.

MGS' visuals didn't trouble me, but the archaic controls were brutal.