There is a lot of buzz surrounding the much anticipated PlayStation 5 (PS5) and its backward compatibility, but what has been confirmed, and what hasn’t? Rumor has it that Sony’s fifth iteration console will be backward compatible, not only supplementing PS4 titles, but quite possibly, PS1, PS2, and PS3 games too. Aside from the somewhat predictable leaps forward in next-gen hardware, reverse compatibility sits firmly at the top of Sony’s priority list.
Mainly because Sony neglected this aspect concerning the current gen; perhaps, underestimating its popularity or relevance at the time, to some degree. Thus, allowing Microsoft to swoop in and satiate fan hunger for nostalgia. At long last, it looks like Sony has come to their senses this time around. Here is our take on the best games in every genre.
Will you be able to play your favorite classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 games on the PS5? Here are some of our favourite game series across various genres that we are most looking forward to revisiting.
The Best Shooter That Sniped Hearts
The Call of Duty series wins hearts all over the world! With its futuristic movements, fluid movements, and realistic effects, Call of Duty was an FPS ahead of its time!
Here are some of the Playstation titles in its series:
- Call of Duty
- Call of Duty 2
- Call of Duty 3
- Call of Duty: World at War
- Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Call of Duty: Ghosts
Here are the nominees for the shooter genre that also hit the mark:
Battlefield
James Bond 007
Time Splitters
The Inspirational Joys of Full Backward Compatibility
In truth, complete backward compatibility with Sony’s deep reservoir of games is a dream concept. That aside, there’s no harm in aiming high. From my perspective, the PS5, (though not guaranteed to be named as such) would benefit from the ability to play most, if not all, games belonging to each generation, both past, and present.
Besides, the PS3 can already play physical copies of PS1 games. Those lucky enough to possess a 60gb console could enjoy backward compatibility with the PS2 library. Not only that, but the PSN dashboard allowed players to download PS1 classics in digital format. The PS4 might have alienated itself from this PS1 area, but its library of digital PS2 titles does in some way compensate for this loss.
So then, to celebrate the reported inclusion of “BC,” I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with a dream list of games and game series that I believe reflect the very best of the Playstation. Without further ado, let’s don those rose-tinted glasses and delve into the Playstation’s dense archives.
Racers that Leave Trailblazers
The adrenaline rush upon hearing those roaring engines leaves one in a state of frenzy! Let’s rush ahead with the best racer!
The rush of steel and heavy engines and blood and crashing metal! Who could resist the urge to hold down the ‘X’ button? It’s our version of “pedal to the metal”!
Showcasing the list of Playstation titles for this rumbling series
- Need for Speed
- Need for Speed 2
- Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit
- Need for Speed: Underground
- Need for Speed: Underground 2
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Need for Speed: Carbon
- Need for Speed: Rivals
Here’s the runner ups for those biting the dust
Gran Turismo
Driver: You Are the Wheelman
As an undercover, this game sparks lots of thriller and are on top of your driving!
More Than A Game!
How could I ever forget one of Man’s early variation of gaming – sports! And the first adrenaline-pumping virtualized game is:
The Tony Hawk Pro Skater series is what I would call a series for pros! It’s large and varied range of skate parks and skate techniques leaves one craving for more and more!
Here’s the skate-tacular Tony Hawk titles on the Playstation:
- Pro Skater
- Pro Skater 2
- Pro Skater 3
- Pro Skater 4
- Underground
- Underground 2
- American Wasteland
- Project 8
- Ride
- Shred
- Pro Skater 5
Here’s the nominees for the various sporting title series
Skate
FIFA
NBA
The Era That Birthed Legends
Sony’s flagship console produced some of the most iconic games of all time and sparked the beginning of many long-standing series. While backward compatibility with the earlier generations hasn’t been confirmed by Sony, they did file a new backward compatibility patent that hints at allowing older-gen games to run smoothly on the PS5. There’s definitely a huge market for this! In truth, there are too many titles to call upon, but some shine out from the pack. Most notably, platforming games, which rose to prominence in the ’90s.
On that note, Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s plumber mascot, Crash Bandicoot, lit up hearts and inspired minds in what was an intoxicating blend of puzzle-based platforming and wonderfully eccentric characters, those of which would eventually be enshrined in Playstation folklore. Add to that are the likes of Spyro, MediEvil, Frogger and Gex, and you have an age of extreme platforming prowess. These are just a handful I would love to play on the PS5.
There are already remakes of the Crash Bandicoot & Spyro series for the PS4, and they were huge successes. However, there is still a nostalgic feeling left to be re-experienced by playing these titles in their former pixelized glory.
Platformers Building Love in Us
The 90’s was pretty much the year for platformers, and some of the best platform games were created back then, including Gamepleton’s Platform of Champions:
The little fuzzball is just about the most adventurous bandicoot and hilarious enough to not make us rage when dying. Did you know that a bandicoot belongs to the family of rodents?
And here’s the family’s Playstation titles:
- Crash Bandicoot
- Crash Bandicoot 2
- Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
- Crash Team Racing
- Crash Bash
- Crash of the Titans
Here are the nominees jumping for top place
Toy Story
Spyro
Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time
Castlevania
Legacy of Kain
MediEvil
Heart of Darkness
Gex
Frogger
Hogs of War
The Simpsons
Then came the more obscure entities that eventually inherited cult status known as “hidden gems” all on their own. Who can forget Hogs of War, the hilarious, turn-based battle game pitting pig against pig? Similarly, Worms Armageddon ratcheted up the anarchy with classic player vs. player battles, amounting to endlessly destructive fun.
Strategy Gems that Shine
Remember back when our adults used to say that playing games is a no-brainer? These games proved otherwise. And the most brain-drainer game for us is:
The Command & Conquer series has seen several years of pure entertainment, excitement, and even competitions! Let’s cheers to a better future for the series!
Strategic titles that line the series in the Playstation era:
- Command & Conquer
- Command & conquer: Red Alert
- Command & Conquer: Tiberium
- Command & conquer: Red Alert: Retaliation
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Here are the nominees for the strategy genre of our favorite childhood games
The Sims
Worms
Then there’s Heart of Darkness, the cinematic tale of one child and his dog as he fights off supernatural specters amidst beautiful pre-rendered backdrops. Ah… You can’t beat the retro days of old! Indeed, these gems would undoubtedly compliment the PS5 catalog.
Moving on, we come to the brawler genre. And, once again, the PS1 was pulling no punches. With that in mind, many iconic IP’s made their glittering console debuts on Sony’s watershed console. After all, Tekken’s rightful place of birth is on the very first Playstation. It is a classic fighting sim that rose in stature with each installment, perhaps reaching a pinnacle climax with Tekken 3. Not to mention, the legendary long-standing series, Street Fighter. And of course, the King of Fighter series. The above games truly befit an honorable spot in the PS5’s console library.
Finally, we have classic action games like the epic Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and Capcom’s brutal, reptilian horror show, Dino Crisis, both of which made a statement of intent on the original PlayStation and would go on to become household names. At least in retrospect.
Oh! The Horror of it All—!
Horror, whether in the form of games, stories, or books, have lived in human history since time began! What, then, is the more horror-satisfying game since the Playstation began?
Resident Evil has had a resounding success since its early days on the Playstation, with a remake of the three main characters’ stories done in recent years. And more are expected to come! Oh, what terrors will they tell!?
These are the past nightmares we had from this series:
- Resident Evil
- Resident Evil 2
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
- Resident Evil – Code: Veronica
- Resident Evil Zero
- Resident Evil 4
- Resident Evil 5
- Resident Evil 6
- Resident Evil 7
- Resident Evil Survivor
- Resident Evil: Dead Aim
- Resident Evil Outbreak
- Resident Evil Outbreak File #2
- Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
- Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
- Resident Evil: Revelations
- Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City
- Resident Evil: Revelations 2
- Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps
- Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code Veronica
Here are the scary nominees for this frightening catgeory
Silent Hill
Fatal Frame
Manhunt
All Hail the Console!
Still, to this day, the PS2 stands as Sony’s crowning achievement. The 2nd iteration is the most successful console of all time. Having shifted the most units worldwide, it’s of little wonder, that the PS2 had an extensive array of quality titles, spanning across multiple genres.
The increased power concerning technical aspects gave the PS2 a welcome boost to visuals — all the while, allowing for a more divergent mix of systems and mechanics.
Rockstar, although already an established dev-team, enjoyed unprecedented levels of success with GTA 3 and Vice City, reverting from the traditional top-down, birds eye style, to a sprawling 3D world. Then came Manhunt, an ultra-violent game that gained notoriety from lobbyists and mainstream media, thus, leading to a ban of the sequel in many countries. All these games, despite the controversy, deserve a spot on the PS5 roster. At least in my eyes.
Although now the remnants of a distant memory, the Timesplitters series was a multiplayer revelation at release. The first-person shooter, known for its tight gunplay, dense story mode, and mad, multiplayer mania was a true trailblazer of the genre. Sadly, future online FPS games rendered the series obsolete. But it would be a decent addition to the PS5 archive.
During my childhood, I can recall games like True Crime: New York City and 007 Nightfire, both of which had revolutionary combat and methods of mobility, rarely seen in video games. But I’ve decided to save the best until last. The Metal Gear Solid series may have taken the stage by storm on the PS1. However, it secured legendary status on the PS2, with three classic titles, worthy of any gaming bucket list. Indeed, a series that will go down in history, as one of the greatest. In truth, the PS5 would be lucky to have MGS on the game list.
The Fight to the (Virtual) Death!
The era of hardcore gamers could be said to begin upon the releases of fighting games. Fighting games are best enjoyed mano-o’-mano, which led to friendly rivalries (hopefully friendly) and eventually created competitions! Here’s perhaps our favorite fighter thus far:
Street Fighter simply felt right in the palm of our hands as we punched, kicked, and hadoken’d our childhood! Soon, simple combos weren’t enough, and we demanded for more!
A high-kicking list of titles from the Street Fighter series are as follows:
- Street Fighter: The Movie
- Street Fighter II Movie
- Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
- X-Men vs. Street Fighter
- Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Street Fighter IV
- Street Fighter Alpha 2
- Street Fighter Alpha 3
- Street Fighter EX
- Street Fighter EX2
- Street Fighter EX3
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Here are the nominees fighting their way to the top of this list
Tekken
Mortal Kombat
Dynasty Warriors
Yesterday’s Joys are Tomorrow’s Too
Let us take a look at the compatibility of PS4 games. PS5 designer Mark Cerny confirmed in an interview with Wired Magazine that the PS5 will be backward compatible. This is probably the most important game generation compatibility to current players since most gamers excited about the PS5 will already have an extensive library of PS4 games, with more slated to be released.
Backward compatibility with PS4 games just makes sense. On the PlayStation store, there is a hefty list of “coming soon” games set to be released this year, and some major ones at that. The Last of Us 2, despite being pushed back several times, is set to be released in October 2019 on the Playstation 4. The Last of Us is one of the PlayStations most successful exclusives and its sequel is hotly anticipated. It wouldn’t be too popular if these 2019 and 2020 games were released only for players to only get a few months out of them before upgrading their console.
Game developers could make The Last of Us 2 a PS5 exclusive, but that would marginalize a large portion of existing PS4 owners. It would definitely encourage more to upgrade to the newest console, but it would also hurt market sentiments. Customer is king, isn’t that what they always say? Making a PS4 edition of the game, while also creating an edition optimized for the PS5 would definitely have the most market sense. Hopefully!
Aaaaaaaand Action!
Games basically deliver loads of fun, and some of the greatest excitements are in the acts of playing. Thus, action games are all the rage when gamers wanna go all out to have fun! Admittedly, there are many games that closely fit this action genre, but the most significant was
Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid is a solid series of fun! Not only are his works of great innovation and design, the start up of his own production studio is proof that anyone can control their own destiny, even for those already famous!
The stealthy titles snuck onto the Playstation with a loud bang!
- Metal Gear SurviveMetal Gear Solid
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- Metal Gear Survive
- Metal Gear Solid: Integral
- Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
- Metal Gear Acid
- Metal Gear Acid 2
- Metal Gear Online
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
Here are the nominees for the action-packed genre
Tomb Raider
Red Dead Redemption
Monster Hunter
God of War
Grand Theft Auto
Demon’s Souls
Ninja Gaiden
Dino Crisis
True Crime
The Lord of the Rings
The True Way Forth is to Go Back
So, there you have it, folks — my ultimate list of games I would love to see grace the PS5. As you can tell, it’s a directory rich in quality. If Sony does incorporate full backward compatibility into the new console, it will be a game changer! There’s a huge nostalgia driven market for the older gen games that we’ve had to trade in or shelve in favor of the latest console. Full backward compatibility will allow for a rich and diverse gaming experience on the PS5 that will be difficult to rival.
Above all else, I would argue that every era should have the opportunity to revisit those iconic games of the past.
Despite occupying an age where remakes and remasters are all the rage, there’s nothing quite like the real thing: pre-war pixels and polygons, in all their flawed magnificence. Bring on the classics Sony!
And the Best Role-Playing Award
Some of the greatest games of all-time on the Playstation are those that also inspired more such games, or created new heights for the gaming industry. Such games are forever embedded into the history of mankind, in particular, the more rewarding RPG of all:
The Final Fantasy series grew from strength to strength since the early days of the Playstation. It’s even possible that the growth of the Playstation was due to Final Fantasy VII! Did you know why “final” was added to the title to the very first game in this series?
Let’s hope the titles in this series will never reach finality! And here they are:
- Final Fantasy
- Final Fantasy II
- Final Fantasy III
- Final Fantasy IV
- Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
- Final Fantasy V
- Final Fantasy VI
- Final Fantasy VII
- Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
- Final Fantasy VIII
- Final Fantasy IX
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy X-2
- Final Fantasy XI: Online
- Final Fantasy XII
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Final Fantasy XIII-2
- Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
- Final Fantasy XIV: Online
- Final Fantasy XV
- A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV
- Final Fantasy Tactics
- Final Fantasy Type-0
- World of Final Fantasy
While we all remain hopeful of Square Enix continuing to produce more and more beautifully crafted Final Fantasy titles, we all need to face the reality of the real world, the possiblity that Final Fantasy 15 might be the final game in this fantasy. Read about our views here!
And here are the final list of nominees for the best role-playing games
Kingdom Hearts
Persona
Tales
Suikoden
One Console to Play Them All
And on the Screen, Bind Them
After all the glam and hype, and my own pep talk of the wonders of the PS5’s backward compatibility, can the PS5 truly play each and every single game made in the history of the Playstation?
There’s a need to consider region-locked games from Europe and Japan.There’s also a need to consider region-banned games, like Call of Duty: World at War that negatively depicts Japanese soldiers in World War 2, and has thus been banned in the Land of the Rising Sun.
But as long as political and societal restrictions are not brought into play, then I truly believe the PS5 can be completely and 100% be backward compatible and allow us access to all our favorite games again.
What do you think? Would you like the PS5 to accommodate for each era? Also, which games would you most like to see? Let us know in the chat below. As always, we value your contributions.
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