I have been playing on the Playstation Network (PSN) and downloading games there for a year now. The question I am asking myself: is it enough? In all honesty, no! I will admit that I have love for many of the games that I have downloaded, but where is the depth of games that Xbox Live Arcade has to offer. A few games that I am missing are Luxor 2, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Pac-Man: Championship Edition.
I have loved the Luxor games since I fist played them and find it delightfully addictive. I picked it up along with Pac-Man CE on the Xbox Live Arcade Compilation disc. I simply do not understand why the PSN does not offer at least one of these great games. Further, where is UMK3? Sure many purists swear by MK2, but I have love for the run button and would love to try my skills against players worldwide.
I am not going to say that the PSN lacks great titles, but I expect more. I find myself playing PAIN and it's expansions more than most of my disc-based games. However, it gets old faster than I like to admit. PAIN is also amazing in that my 8-year-old son and I can get lost in it for hours on end.
I am glad to have Super Puzzle Fighter HD and Rampart to lose myself in. They are great classics that I have already spent quality time with them. If you ever get a chance to play Rampart head-to-head give it a try it is still amazing after all these years.
I am a Sony guy true and through, but I feel let down whenever I head my Xbox loyal friends exclaim about the latest downloads. If Sony is to stay competitive with Microsoft, then they increase the number of games available and offer a larger variety of arcade classics. At least they have rolled out recent treats like Echochrome and Linger in Shadows, but I need more to satisfy my gaming hunger.
Article comments
1 - Zach
I don't have many PSN games, but the ones I do are really good. SSHD and WipEout HD are freakin awesome. and I've played a few others that are really good. I think it is lacking, but at the same time doing what it should.
2 - Mark Cullison
I have Super Stardust HD, but have not broken down and bought Wipeout HD yet. SSHD is a ton of fun. It demands a lot of attention and twitch reflexes.I just find myself losing interest a little faster than I would like. Try Rampart, it is very affordable and a ton of fun for the savvy discount gamer.
3 - Nathaniel Edwards
I actually like the layout on the Playstation Network. Yes, it can't have EXACTLY the games that are on XBLA, but The Last Guy, Warhawk, PAIN, Pixeljunk Eden, Everyday Shooter, and Echochrome are all extremely good for downloadable games, plus they're exclusive to PS3.
4 - Cruiz Dwyer
You are highly misinformed author. The very idea tat you think BXLA has better titles then PSN is ridiculous.
Does XBLA offer titles such as:
Warhawk - third person online title.
Tekken 5 - fighting title.
Burnout paradise - a downloadable version
Siren - download full title once again
the likes of the Pixeljunk series, super stardust HD, wipeout HD.
heck the upcoming titles blow away anything XBLA has coming:
Bomberman
EyePet
Fat Princess
GomiBako
Noby Noby Boy
Red Baron Arcade
Savage Moon
Spelunker HD
The Punisher: No Mercy (A FPS multi player title)
Twisted Metal HD
Wheel of Fortune
There is far more variety to be held in PSN then in XBLA.
Shame on you on letting your xbox friends get to you when you have a lineup for the rest of 2008 and 2009 that trumps the xbox lineup (even none download titles)
5 - Jamie
Really, all the XBL Marketplace has is a bunch of rehashed or redone old arcade games, other than a few exceptions. PSN is offering NEW ad UNIQUE titles like the PIxelJunk games. Why would you be complaining about the lack of old arcade games on the PSN where there are so many great ORIGINAL games on it!!
6 - Mark Cullison
I have not seen all of the titles that will be coming out for the PSN through 2009. Even if they are promised by a certain date, will they arrive on time? Or will they be delayed? Again it is hard for to comment on what will be rather than what is.
Right now XBLA offers more games and they also offer Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, whereas PSN offers the more dated and less fun to play Mortal Kombat 2. I feel like a small child when I say " I want my Mortal Kombat" (UMK3).
I agree with you 100% about the great games that PSN offers now, but are they really enough? The Pixeljunk line of games are amazing and are hard to put down. Super Stardust HD looks and plays great and is the best example of this style of game, but how many other similar titles are on both systems?
I can and do complain about the fact that the classic line up for the PSN is lacking. There are only two or three PS1 titles on there that are worth playing. Castlevania: SOTN and Jumping Flash are worth the loot are still a blast to play, but XBLA also has Castlevania: SOTN. And what is PSN releasing lately? Sno-Cross? Really? Are they serious? Who wants this???
Tekken 5 is a great game, but it is overpriced especially if the online package is purchased. Can't we just pick this up used for the PS2 cheaper? Also, why would I want to download Burnout: Paradise when it can also be found used at about the same price? We only have so much space on our Hard Drives.
I still need to buy Warhawk and Wipe HD before I comment on them, but I am sure they are great. I just want more choices from PSN. I am not big into what the Wii has to offer, but they are loaded with great classics on the Virtual Console and are finally kicking some good stuff on WiiWare.
All in all, I just want more classic choices for my PS3 with all the PS1 had to offer this should be easy, so why has Sony not hooked us up?
7 - Guy Incognito
Just to correct you on one game "Linger In Darkness" is really "Linger In Shadows"
8 - Brylon
It's Linger in Shadows, not Linger in Darkness.
9 - voice of truth
If you want to play old arcade games just startup the Playstation browser and play all the flash games based on arcade classics on sites such as addictinggames.com .
IF original games aren't your thing you should take a time machine trip back to the 80s.
10 - Mark Cullison
Original games are great don't get me wrong, but I still enjoy the mid to late 90s classics and some of their remakes, XBLA has many of these whereas the PSN does not.
XBLA also has Castle Crashers a great original side-scroller with rpg elements type game, where is this on PSN?
I have at least 10 original games from PSN and I enjoy all of them, but it is nice to have some other choices as well. I grew up in the arcades in the mid 90s so I have a soft spot for what I played back then. However, I am digesting new areas of gaming with my PSN. That does not stop me from wanting my old haunts available to me on PSN.
11 - Eyal
I really don't understand what the fuss is about?
If your intention is to compare the classics of XBLA vs PSN then i assume that XBLA wins hands down.
But claiming that PSN lacks variety, options, or plain fun time then i think this is far fetched. The games that PSN alone provides can be more than enough for hours over hours of fun. Hell, i have friends with over 500 hours on Warhawk alone! GT5P, Tekken, Every Pixeljunk game, flOw, everyday shooter, calling all cars and supersonic acrobatic rocket powered battle cars are just few of the robust line-up of original exclusive high quality games. almost every week we get another high quality game, unlike the XBLA trash. compare quality, not recycling of the same old corny games. so you don't have UMK (great as it is). so what?
12 - Ken Edwards
You are such a highly misinformed author Mark! I mean Bomberman is so gonna be, like, way better on the PSN than the version thats out on teh Xbox 360 LOLZ.
Seriously, each console has its own exclusives. But there have been far more on XBLA, and it has nothing to do with the year difference with the launch of both systems. XBLA just gets more. That means more good AND more bad, but at the end of the day there is more to chose from on XBLA.
I love the PS3 exclusives though. Just like I love the XBLA exclusives.
13 - Ken Edwards
Oh and BTW Mark, I would love to know what the heck Linger in Shadows is.