What The Hell Is Up With Sony???

Posted by on Monday, October 3, 2011 · 4 Comments 


 
 

I mean, seriously people. What the hell does Sony think they’re doing??

They’re all… like… doing things people want… and shit.

I know, right? What the hell??

Now before you get all righteously indignant on me, one way or another, bear in mind that I DO have somewhere intelligent I am going with this, despite my earlier sentence fragments. Earlier today, Sony announced the ‘Only on PSN’ program, an organized focus on the PSN titles that are coming to the PSN exclusively in the coming months. The fine print, however, revealed a surprising twist that actually seems to be aimed towards answering fan requests. More after the break!

Along with the ‘Only on PSN’ announcement, Sony also quietly announced that with the program, a batch of classic PS2 games would be released on the PSN. We’re not talking Madden or Killzone here either; God Hand, GrimGrimoire, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, Odin Sphere and Ring of Red will all be released for consumption on October 4th to the PSN.

All of these games could easily be considered ‘cult classics’, which in and of itself is a huge thing; Sony does not easily pander to the niche gamer, and this is certainly that. But take a step back and look at the bigger picture here, the forest for the pixels, as it were. They just announced PS2 GAMES BEING RELEASED DIGITALLY FOR THE PS3. It’s akin to announcing that a new console is being added to the Wii Virtual Console, and what’s more, these aren’t exactly mainstream titles.

Sony could have easily limited this initial breakthrough to massive sellers like Grand Theft Auto 3, or even Sony exclusive franchises like Ratchet and Clank or Gran Turismo, but they have breached this beachhead with Odin Sphere. To a so-called “hardcore gamer” like me, this bravery speaks volumes.

And this isn’t the only brave step they’ve made. Battery issues and AT&T aside, the Vita is a textbook example in design, with a super-light frame, solid construction, a beautiful camera and screen, a responsive touch screen, and a host of system features designed to take advantage of the expanding popularity of social networking. They’re releasing a $500 (albeit a bit small for most households) 3D television, allowing an entry point for 3D that most gamers can afford.

This is the company that said back in 2006 that they could release a GAME SYSTEM without any GAMES and people would still buy it. This is the company that thought they could push a proprietary portable movie disc format. This is the company that thought they could release a handheld with only one joystick and still focus on shooters and ports of games that needed two sticks. This is the company that called implied that only children played their competitor’s system. This is the company that forced developers to make games in 3D, even when their franchises were traditionally 2D.

So what’s the deal, Sony? Are you actually acceding to good business practices? Are you finally embracing your wider fanbase, instead of treating them like outside garbage? Are you finally no longer under the arrogant assumption that you can just put your logo on something and it will sell ridiculously well, just because you had success the last go-round?

What changed things for you? Was it the fact that your flagship system was running third-place for so long despite its powerful hardware? Was it the fact that your handheld would have completely tanked if not for Monster Hunter, a few well-timed titles, and a dedicated following of modders and fanboys?

Come on, Sony. What’s the deal? Where’s that badboy-lovable-loser arrogance we all know and love? Why do you have to go and actually do things that make sense and that people want? Can you explain to me just who the hell the Internet is going to make fun of now? Come on, Sony, why can’t you think of others for once? Geez.

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  • Anonymous

    When was sony ever shitty? Just because you hated the ps3 launch doesnt make them shitty. Nintendo is having a shitastic launch and fucking with gamers by not bringing key franchises here, can I piss on them?

  • Anonymous

    Also, do your research. Monster Hunter isnt the only saving grace for psp in Japan.

  • Mark Ross

    You’re a fucking fanboy.

    1) I never mentioned Nintendo in this article. Nintendo is not what this is about. This is about Sony. Yes, Nintendo botched the 3DS, I am not saying they have not. And you know why they did? Arrogance, which is the same problem that plagued the mindset of Sony 5 years ago. Now Nintendo has it, and it sucks on toast.
    2) Resistance was a mediocre shooter and Folklore, I wouldn’t even grant mediocre. It had great art but was so goddamn boring. This doesn’t change the fact that they said THEY COULD RELEASE A GAME SYSTEM WITHOUT GAMES. Also, Nintendo having a pretty damn mediocre 3DS launch does not change the fact that SONY SAID THEY COULD RELEASE A GAME SYSTEM WITHOUT GAMES.

    3) Because of mandatory 3D policies, the PS2 did not have quality games from historically 2D franchises, like Castlevania and Mega Man. Instead we got Shit Castlevania and Shit Mega Man, while the only good games from those franchises in that generation ended up on handhelds because they were designed for 2D. Either way you look at it, it’s stifling creativity in order to push an agenda. The games you mentioned are all PS1, when this policy was not being enforced as rigidly as it was on the PS2.

    4) I didn’t say Monster Hunter was the ONLY saving grace. Read it again. There were a few well-timed titles that also did a lot to keep it alive, such as Crisis Core, Dissidia, God of War, Liberty City Stories, and Gran Turismo. They were evenly spaced so as to keep the system’s head above water, which was a smart move on Sony’s part. But the number of truly successful-in-the-US titles is rather small for a handheld seeing a next-gen successor. All of these titles, especially Monster Hunter, which moved millions of consoles all by itself in Japan, are rather precarious Jenga pieces keeping the tower standing. Pulling any of them could have resulted in the whole thing coming down. Not saying it would have. Could have. Acid was a great game, but it wasn’t a system seller in any way. Coded Arms and that non-isometric Killzone game both controlled horribly, too. Either way, it’s not a place you want a system to be at.

    Look, take this for what it is: an argument that Sony is now actually a company one can get behind, because they’re doing (almost) all the right things (goddamn Vita battery). Despite their past, despite their mistakes, they’ve moved on, become a better company, and are worth supporting right now. I can’t easily say the same for other companies at the moment. There’s no reason to get your panties in a bunch.

  • Anonymous

    You forgot to mention those horrible ads they made during the early days of the PS3.