A full list of the games available on the highly-anticipated PlayStation Classic has been released, and there is one game in particular that is conspicuously absent: Xenogears. Xenogears is not only one of the greatest RPGs of all time (developed and published by then Squaresoft), but one of the best games to ever come out on the original PlayStation. With the resurgence of the Xeno brand, it would make perfect sense to put such a classic on the upcoming PlayStation Classic. Sony has opted not to do this, in a move that makes absolutely no sense. While Xenogears is available on the PSN store on the PlayStation 3, it is not available on the PS4. Sony had the perfect opportunity to introduce a whole new generation to this classic, but decided to include one Final Fantasy game and barely any RPGs. For a system that was built upon RPGs, this doesn’t make any sense from a business perspective. Here is the full list if games coming to the retro system:
- Battle Arena Toshinden
- Cool Boarders 2
- Destruction Derby
- Final Fantasy VII
- Grand Theft Auto
- Intelligent Qube
- Jumping Flash
- Metal Gear Solid
- Mr Driller
- Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
- Rayman
- Resident Evil Director’s Cut
- Revelations: Persona
- Ridge Racer Type 4
- Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
- Syphon Filter
- Tekken 3
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
- Twisted Metal
- Wild Arms
The list of games isn’t very impressive either. There are a few gems here and there, but Nintendo has done such a better job with their Classic console game lineups. I will admit I am a bit biased. The Xeno series is my second favorite, right behind The Legend of Zelda. The fact that Xenogears isn’t available on the PlayStation 4 or the upcoming PlayStation Classic (among a number of other top-notch RPGs which were released for the system) betrays what made the original PlayStation so great to begin with. When Square left Nintendo for Sony, that was a big deal. Xenogears is a game that was made with limited resources but still managed to become one of the greatest games of all time. Surely someone will mod the system and put the game on there, but that’s not the same. Sony once again is proving they’re anti-consumer and the PlayStation Classic is merely a cash in on Nintendo’s success from their classic consoles, which have been fantastic.
The original PlayStation has a wealth of content and is one of the greatest systems of all time. Why isn’t Sony taking advantage of this and releasing one of the greatest games of all time? It’s not only a travesty but shameful as well.