E-Distribution Games for PS3

[Shifty Geezer]

I can only say...ugh! So far, look on PSN and you see some really nice looking titles. This is like hanging up some 5 year old house+family pic amongst some Constable landscapes. IMO Sony should enforce spruced up graphics and distinguish PSN from Live! Arcade and Wii VC by ensuring you get better quality, rather than exactly the same service as elsewhere.

Seriously, does anyone who cares about these games not have them already? I've seen them in about 18 different compilations! I don't understand the 'relive 1980's 8 colour 320x240 basic graphics on your 1080p 200+ Gflop console' interest. Given that these games could be created new by a college undergrad tinkering away in his dorm on weekends for a month (including artwork even if he got a D in art-class), I can't see how the cost is justified. If they were $5 for 5 games, maybe. But paying the same price as extremely polished and crafted contemporary games for such minimalistic content? Well, they'll get no custom from me!

 

[Bobbler]

Holy crap. Rampart?

Easily one of the greatest games I completely forgot about. Definitely day 1 purchase! Wow. I read through the list yesterday but I apparently missed the Rampart part or just read over it not thinking what Rampart actually was! Rampart with online play is like a dream come true.

Shifty, you apparently haven't played Rampart if you aren't extremely excited about getting it with online play! I may have played it to death when I was younger, but having it again and being able to play it whenever I want online is definitely a treat. If it didn't have online play, I would question it a little (but still buy it, obviously).

MK2 proper arcade is nice to see too, will definitely get that. I really like the dpad on the PS controllers (which is what stopped me from getting it on the 360). Nice to see it's the arcade version and not Snes version (which wasn't bad, but I can still play the snes version... I can't necessarily play the arcade version -- I recall it looking a fair bit better too... of course it's all ass at this point).

Rampage is another fun one I'll probably pick up. The other three I can pass on... although Gauntlet is pretty fun, especially multiplayer.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Shifty, you apparently haven't played Rampart if you aren't extremely excited about getting it with online play!...

No, I haven't, but...

Rampage is another fun one I'll probably pick up. The other three I can pass on... although Gauntlet is pretty fun, especially multiplayer.

Rampage has had a makeover, which, first review I came across, says is a limited formula with a glossy coat. Gauntlet has also not only been enhanced over the years, but completely superceded by the latest SnowBlind Studios led action dungeon crawlers. These games were good and fun in their day, but these days without even a lick of paint, I just plain don't understand the market. It's like all those kids TV programmes you remember with fondness, and then when you actually watch the DVD, you wonder how on earth you could have ever liked them! These games have no progression in their gameplay, which means the game you have for the first 3 mintues is exactly the same as you'll have in 30 minutes or later. Without even eye-candy to them, what appeal do they have?


Something like Rampart I can see the gameplay aspect being fun, in the same way Mario Kart is no matter how many times you play it, but I still think it's extremely cheap not to offer a nice 21st Century paint-job. It needn't be super-fancy 3D. The PSN Lemmings exhibits higfh quality 2D. It would cost a great deal, and it'd give something nice back to the fans, rather than charging them for the same thing they paid for countless times before. It'd be like buying all your new movies on HD DVD or BRD, with them being the same SDTV res MPG2s used in the DVDs. If you're going to sell the same content, improve it a bit! And no, I don't think online counts enough towards that

 

[Bobbler]

No, I haven't, but...

Rampage has had a makeover, which, first review I came across, says is a limited formula with a glossy coat. Gauntlet has also not only been enhanced over the years, but completely superceded by the latest SnowBlind Studios led action dungeon crawlers. These games were good and fun in their day, but these days without even a lick of paint, I just plain don't understand the market. It's like all those kids TV programmes you remember with fondness, and then when you actually watch the DVD, you wonder how on earth you could have ever liked them! These games have no progression in their gameplay, which means the game you have for the first 3 mintues is exactly the same as you'll have in 30 minutes or later. Without even eye-candy to them, what appeal do they have?


Something like Rampart I can see the gameplay aspect being fun, in the same way Mario Kart is no matter how many times you play it, but I still think it's extremely cheap not to offer a nice 21st Century paint-job. It needn't be super-fancy 3D. The PSN Lemmings exhibits higfh quality 2D. It would cost a great deal, and it'd give something nice back to the fans, rather than charging them for the same thing they paid for countless times before. It'd be like buying all your new movies on HD DVD or BRD, with them being the same SDTV res MPG2s used in the DVDs. If you're going to sell the same content, improve it a bit! And no, I don't think online counts enough towards that

Rampart is probably the most exciting news -- it's the first time with online play (as far as I know, at least) and it's an excellent game that most people never had the opportunity to play. Rampage, Gauntlet, MK2, Joust, etc. definitely hit the nostalgia market though (I think they've all been released several times over the years, especially on those collection packs) -- online play does add some new fun, but overall they aren't really that timeless... Rampart I'd say is actually rather timeless and graphics aren't really that important (although I wouldn't mind some simple graphics updates!). Adding online play to old games and putting them on there at <$10 prices doesn't seem to mean.

I hope the Rampart version is more of a port of the SNES one than the Arcade version (SNES one had a "Super Rampart" mode or some such that added more to the game -- was quite fun).

Overall, I may agree with your sentiment... nostalgia is a nasty mistress. I like that Sony seems to be pushing for original content on PSN... but it's also nice to fall for nostalgia at times (if only to remind yourself that your memory has a funny way of adding frosting to everything). I've recently had the experience of watching an old TV show that I really liked when I was younger, only to find out it was pretty unbearable after only 3-4 episodes -- it was pretty sad!