Backwards Compatible - PlayStation 2 on PlayStation 4 #1

Image lifted from Retro Warez

Sony's recent decision to begin releasing emulated PlayStation 2 games on the PlayStation 4 opens up a vast library of classics and curios. In this short series I'll be doing a quick run down of the titles that made an impression on me during the sixth-generation.

The three Grand Theft Autos have already been released and other established greats like Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater also have pretty decent high-definition spruce-ups, so we'll be skipping over them to concentrate on some (slightly) more obscure output.

1. Silent Hill 2 

Although we've already had a Silent Hill HD Collection on PS3 and 360, that disaster had to be patched umpteen times to reach a level of adequacy. Better to abandon Hijinx Studios poison port to make use of whatever backwards compatibility solution Sony has dreamt up. 

See Also: Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

Guide a rickety waif around a spooky castle, exorcising ghosts with an old camera. 

2. R-Type Final

Irem's psychedelic shooter has the player racing after a fleeing alien armada, doing as much damage to the battered, retreating invaders as possible. Alternate gameplay paths take you through diseased futures and bloody field hospitals, whilst also offering the opportunity to betray humanity and mutate into a higher life form. 

See Also: Gradius V

Treasures scroll shooter is available on PS3 but frame rate drops kill the fun. 

3. Shadow of Rome 

Apparently, Capcom's barbaric gladiator sim was a concerted attempt to appeal to the western market. Thanks! I guess. Players are actively awarded for their savagery with a crowd mechanic that revels in creative bloodshed. Cut a man's head off and you'll receive a polite applause. Sever his arm and beat him to death with it whilst also chomping down on a greasy chicken leg and you'll have the auditorium on its feet, screaming your name. 

See Also: Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

Ghosts 'n Goblins repackaged as a third-person brawler. 

4. Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition

Hyper Street Fighter II featured a novel approach to arcade preservation. Rather than limit the players to one version of Street Fighter II, this Hyper upgrade made every update and revision available simultaneously. Want to pit Championship Edition's Bison against his Super Turbo counterpart? Hyper was your game. 

See Also: Capcom vs SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001

Another fantastic Capcom fighter that allowed players to choose from several distinct super gauge mechanics.  

5. Killer7

Like many of Capcom's Gamecube exclusive, Killer7 quickly made its way to the PS2. Killer7 puts the player in charge of a contract murderer with a horde of distinct, playable personalities as they battle against Sentai superheroes and zombie suicide bombers. Killer7 is a delirious, deliberately fractured experience that uses simple inputs to drive players deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness. 

See Also: Michigan: Report from Hell

An earlier, trashier effort from Killer7 dev Grasshopper Manufacture that casts the player as a leering cameraman hoping to video as many grisly deaths as possible. 

CACPCOM

In response to a waning financial forecast, Capcom is re-releasing four of its best fighters on Taito's online arcade system NESiCAxLive. Japanese players will be able to log wins against networked opponents on Hyper Street Fighter II, Vampire Savior (known in the West as Darkstalkers 3), Street Fighter Zero 3, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike.



Hamster Corporation is taking a different archaeological tact. The company is licensing ancient arcade games like Rygar and Renegade, then putting them out in a no-frills shell on PS4 for ¥823 (about £5). Trophies range from brain dead bronzes - access the Options menu - to a couple of reasonably challenging golds tied into posting high scores.



For a title like Renegade getting to the top of the table is gonna take an hour or two of learning how your attack windows work and what you can do to exploit them. It feels like a worthwhile time investment, you get to engage with the game on a deeper, systemic level and, if you care, your gamer card just ticked up a few numbers.



Hamster has about eight titles available at the moment with more, including Double Dragon, on the way. Aside from the games mentioned, Ninja-Kid is fun. It's a cutesy screen-clearer with a peculiar jump system based on forward momentum. Considering the steady stream of releases, I presume the Arcade Archives series is turning a profit. Hamster's games are even starting to make the jump to the US store, although the prices have stayed a little excessive.

Capcom has tried churning out their older coin-ops like this before, last gen it was Capcom Arcade Cabinet, but the packaging has never been particularly attractive. The bulk of the games are early 80s efforts that have been released and re-released over and over. It's clear Capcom covet their late 80s / early 90s era games and expect them to stand on their own, in an individual package that never materialises. Thus Capcom's re-release schedule remains dull. Where's Strider or Captain Commando?



Capcom also need to learn the value of an easy achievement list. Every single title they release has a trophy set that reads like a part-time job application. An arcade game re-release should attempt to capture the same kind of bright, colourful, instant gratification as the coin-ops they're emulating.

Whether consciously or not, trophy lists set an objective. If the climb looks too long versus the points or rewards you can expect to accrue, the people who care about these things will immediately lose interest. I can't have been the only person who looked at the Darkstalkers Resurrection list and decided to skip it. I wanted to dabble with a game I used to play on the Saturn, not embark on a 2D fighter doctorate.

Given the huge success of the PS4 it's baffling that Capcom hasn't got anything ready to go. I've been expecting an announcement about Ultra Street Fighter IV or a port of the brushed up PC release of DmC: Devil May Cry or even Dragon's Dogma, but they've never materialised. Capcom made inroads last-gen with an early, opportunist release of Street Fighter II' Turbo on Xbox 360 (indeed that's what prompted the revival of the Street Fighter brand). Why aren't they attempting to repeat this trick? Individual arcade releases, attractively priced and following Hamster's hardcore hooking trophy model could be the zero-effort money-spinner Capcom is looking for.

SELECT GROOVE

Ten years ago Capcom released Hyper Street Fighter II, a special anniversary version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo in which players were given the option to select from the five specific arcade incarnations of each of the world warriors. If you so desired, you could pit Championship Edition Bison against the Super version of Sagat or Hyper Fighting's Honda.

HSFII was a showcase for Capcom's fighting game design ethos - balance as imperative. Characters were in a constant state of flux, their moves and control motions subject to tweaks, even outright revision, if it tallied with a better overall play experience. HSFII revealed an evolving approach to the building blocks of fight games, from Street Fighter II's high damage output to Super Street Fighter II Turbo's nascent juggling mechanic. One the evidence above, Capcom are looking to repeat this nifty little trick with Ultra Street Fighter IV.

SUPER CLUTCH

More clutch gameplay from Daigo. In the first clip, Mr Umehara's Balrog follows a total rush round with some teasing rope-a-dope, before throwing out dizzy combos for fun. Clip 2 sees Daigo's copper Ryu win back a round from almost being perfected on Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition. Listen to that crowd! Don't even give Daigo an inch. He plays fighting games like a Dragon Ball Z character; you're never beating him, you're just making him angry.