Summary
Games In the Wrong Categories
One of the first things I noticed when recentlybrowsing the PlayStation Plus games catalogis that quite a few titles appear in sections that don’t make much sense.
When browsing PlayStation Portable games, for instance, I sawUncharted: The Legacy of Thieves CollectionandDragon Ball Z: Kakarot,both modern titles that were obviously never released on that system. It’s unclear exactly how these games ended up here, but it is likely some kind of logistical error.
Meanwhile, numerous other games appear listed as PSP games that, while they did receive PSP ports at one point, are the original home console versions.Lego Star Wars 2appears in the category, for instance, which did get a port on the PSP, but the version included is the PlayStation 2 release.
This may not be an issue for some, as both versions are comparable in terms of gameplay, but they are far from identical. It is somewhat misleading to see it featured alongside PSP titles likeDaxterandKillzone: Liberation.
Including Games You Can’t Even Play
PlayStation Plus has a serious FOMO problem. Without a filter to show only games you have access to as a member, it’s easy to be set up for disappointment when you come across a game that excites you, only to find that it’s not available for your tier.
There are no tags or filters to specify which tier you’re a member of or exclude games you won’t have access to, which can be frustrating.Xbox Game Pass lets members view catalogs specific to each tier, but with PlayStation Plus, it feels like Sony is weaponizing the fear of missing out to encourage people to upgrade to the maximum tier.
Misrepresentation of Games
The way many games are represented to consumers in the PlayStation Plus catalog is somewhat misleading throughout the service.
A lot of games featured in the PS3 catalog are not original PS3 games but HD ports of games from the PS2, so it’s a bit misleading to call them PS3 games. Some of them feature improved graphics, but they are effectively the same games as their PS2 versions, sometimes with technical issues that didn’t exist before.
Some are labeled with inaccurate titles or cover art once added to your library, such as the recent port ofSiren.On the store page, it appears normally, with the correct art and title for the US release, but once I added it to my library, it was labeled with the European PAL region title,Forbidden Siren.
Inaccurate depictions of games don’t stop there, either, asLego Star Wars 2features screenshots of levels that are not even in the game. It is possible that when listing the game, screenshots were pulled fromThe Complete Saga,which features levels from both games, by mistake. These aren’t huge dealbreakers, but they could be handled better.
Doubled-Up Ports in Multiple Categories
Many of theRatchet & Clankgames, staples of the PS2 era, don’t even appear in the PS2 catalog, instead being relegated to the PS3 library, while others appear in both. They might be graphically upscaled PS3 versions of these games, but it is a little unfair to present them as original games for that console.
This might not be so bad if the catalog was at least consistent in where these games appeared. Even there, though, they are often spread across both the PS2 and PS3 categories, making it even clunkier for those fans who may be looking for games from one console or the other.
Streaming-Only Versions Of Games That Already Exist On PS5
Looking through the list of games on the PS Plus catalog, mainly for the Premium tier, was exciting initially, as it wasfull of classic exclusives and third-party games from a wide range of genres. However, when looking closer, I began to notice some strange choices in the catalog, mainly in the versions Sony chose to include.
Resident Evil 4, 5,and6all appear on the service along with theDevil May Cry HD Collection,which made total sense at first. That was until closer inspection revealed that they were the PS3 versions of each game only available through streaming, despite already having native downloadable versions on the PS4 and PS5.
PS Plus’s streaming service works better than I expected, but I always assumed Sony’s reliance on it was a concession to more easily release titles that were difficult to port natively. It makes a lot less sense to opt for a streaming-only PS3 version for games that have already received native ports.
Curious Choices For Native Ports
On the other side, a lot of games that have received native, downloadable versions on PS Plus make similarly little sense.The Premium and Extra tier catalogsfeature classics from all eras of the platform’s history, but the ones that get native ports compared streaming versions feels somewhat arbitrary at times.
It’s nice to have classic series likeSly CooperandGod of Waron the service, but it’s odd to see them relegated to streaming while more obscure titles get native ports. While major PlayStation franchises remain exclusive to streaming, movie tie-ins like Disney’sUpand a lot of other third-party titles have downloadable versions.
Streaming via PS Plus Premium is surprisingly decent for what it is, but the performance of the games will never compare to playing them natively. That makes it all the more frustrating to see titles likeIce Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventureget chosen in favor of iconic titles likeInfamouswhen it comes to being ported.
