PS Classic review: The spirit of the 90s is alive in Sony

The year was 1994 and grunge bands roamed the Earth giving teens everywhere a reason to be all "whatever" about everything, Pog fever was at an all-time high, and Sony was about to enter the competitive world of home video game consoles with the launch of the first PlayStation. Who would’ve known that 24 years later there would be four generations of the PlayStation and the Walkman would be no more?

As gamers from the end of the 20th century enter their 30s or 40s, they’re craving a hankering hunk of old-school nostalgia. And gaming companies have been all too happy to offer up a tasty ‘memberberry pie in the form of “classic” or “mini” consoles. So far we’ve seen compacted versions of the NES, SNES, Commodore 64, and NeoGeo just to name a few. Now, on the cusp of its 24th anniversary, Sony is ready to throw its hat in the retro ring with the PlayStation Classic.

Circles and squares

Much like its contemporaries, the PS Classic is a miniature version of the original console that contains 20 titles from its prolific library. There are several titles on here that many would consider key experiences from the console’s history. That includes game-changers like Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and Twisted Metal that helped define the console. A handful of my personal favorites somehow made the roster as well like Jumpin Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, and Puzzle Fighter.

Overall, I think most of the titles selected to be included are good, solid, games. While I would agree with some of the early fan criticisms that there are a few key titles missing, I’d also say that my problem isn’t so much that X game was chosen over Y, but that there could’ve been more games overall included in the package. I definitely feel like Crash Bandicoot would’ve made more sense than Intelligent Qube, but why not both? Especially when you consider that the PS Classic has an MSRP of $99.99 with 20 games versus the NES Classic for $59.99 with 30 games or the SNES Classic for $79.99 with 20 titles. Maybe the PS games are a bit more advanced, but I still feel like another 10 games would’ve blown people out of the water, particularly since the price tag is at least $20 more than its competition.

With that said though it would be hard for me to deny that the PS Classic didn’t succeed in its mission to satiate my retro appetite. There are so many titles I remember pouring all my free time into as a kid that I immediately got hooked on again when putting the Lilliputian PlayStation through the wringer. What’s really key for me though is there’s a small number of games that flew under my radar back in the day either for lack of interest or funds that I ended up getting really into. I am now obsessed with Mr. Driller which I’d never heard of before using the PS Classic, and while Final Fantasy 7 was a huge title that essentially skyrocketed the PS1 to fame, I have never played it because I was insanely poor when it came out.

X's and O's

The real issues I personally had with the PS Classic were the same problems that plague other mini-consoles and retro gaming in general. The controller cables aren’t long enough to reach the couch from the TV, which is a problem you’d think the game industry would’ve figured out in the last half a century. You also have to interact with the console itself to switch games, which is definitely how it used to be, but I think being able to switch from the controller or do a hard reset with the controller would’ve been good. I also encountered an issue where I lost sound after switching the TV to another input and had to reset the console to get it back which seemed a bit odd.

Some outlets have mentioned that certain games on the Classic are the 50Hz Pal versions, I honestly could not tell you if or how that affected my experience overall since I haven’t played many of these games since their launch if I ever had before. A lot of them could seem slow just because that’s how games were back then. What I can say is that if you’re the type of person that these sort of micro-consoles are made for you will probably have your retro itch scratched by the PS Classic.

While I feel it could’ve offered a bit more bang for its buck, had longer controller cables, and maybe used a few UI tweaks, the PS Classic still delivers on the functionality it promises. Retro collectors and Sony fans will be the real judges in the end, but I had a good time playing some of my favorite games from years gone by and discovering a few new ones. I imagine that anyone that the console’s 20-game roster strikes a chord with will have a similar experience.

This review is based on a product sample provided by the publisher. The PS Classic will be available for purchase on December 3 for a retail price of $99.99.    

Blake Morse

Events Coordinator

Blake has been writing and making videos about pop-culture and games for over 10 years now. Although he'd probably prefer you thought of him as a musician and listened to his band, www.cartoonviolencemusic.com. If you see him on the street, buy him a taco or something. Follow him on twitter @ProfRobot