PlayStation 2 games are coming to the PlayStation 4 now. You have to rebuy titles to add backward compatibility to the console. It’s a hassle, but at least it means some classics are making a comeback. In fact, Sony’s Dave Thach, PlayStation Worldwide Studios America International Software Development, even asked people to list more games they want on Twitter with #PS2PS4. Too bad it won’t make much of a difference.
The idea is to make people feel like they have a say when it comes to what PlayStation 2 games will come to the PlayStation 4. To help people feel important and as though they’re making a difference. However, #PS2PS4 in actuality is the illusion of influence, rather than really turning the tide. Yes, some of the games named will come to the PlayStation 4, but that could be part of a happy coincidence.
To start, Sony already has ideas about first party games it’s going to bring. After all, it already has Rogue Galaxy , PaRappa the Rapper 2 , Twisted Metal: Black , Dark Cloud , The Mark of Kri , and War of the Monsters on the PlayStation Store. All of these were Sony published, and thus easy to rerelease. Odds are, the majority of PlayStation 2 games coming to the PlayStation 4 will also be tied to Sony, and they’ll be titles the company knows will sell.
Especially since some titles people will be asking for under the #PS2PS4 label might not be possible to port. Think of the Super Smash Bros ballot. Bayonetta was just revealed as the number one pick worldwide “among realizable characters.” That’s going to apply to PlayStation 2 games people may want on the PlayStation 4. There were over 3,800 games released worldwide for the system. Licenses change hands. Developers and publishers disappear. Demand may not be high enough. It might not be possible for some games to make the jump. Of all the games available, how many are still realizable? No one can know.
Especially since the #JRPGVita campaign was a bust. Remember that? In 2013, Sony asked people to name games on Twitter with the #JRPGVita hashtag to tell the company what PlayStation Vita games they would want to see released outside of Japan. The only game requested by people that made it over was Tales of Hearts R . Despite Final Fantasy Type-0 being requested, the game that began on the PlayStation Portable only made it to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. Sony has a track record of not listening to suggestions.
Feel free to use the #PS2PS4 hashtag if you want. It could be a cathartic experience, asking the abyss for games you’d love to play again. Honestly though, you’d probably have better luck checking a Goodwill for a used PlayStation 2 and the internet for cheap copies of the original games than seeing some of them on the PlayStation 4. Temper your expectations, because we’re probably going to see a lot of games that would be easy for Sony to port to the console, rather than elusive titles we actually want. Expect the placebo effect.