Sony’s PlayStation family of consoles is one of the three console titans that has managed to keep a foothold in the market for going on five generations now.
As the middle brother out of the three, PlayStation has given its players a plethora of console exclusives to be proud of in one way or another. It’s also given players a good amount of trash. Lately, consoles have been looking to expand their reach to the PC market, porting more exclusives to the platform. This list will explore some PlayStation exclusive games that haven’t received the PC treatment yet but definitely should, as well as games that can stay right where they’re at.
10 Fine Where It Is: PlayStation Move: Ape Escape (PlayStation 3)
Much like the Xbox 360, the PS3 also tried its hand with motion controls. Released in 2011, PlayStation Move: Ape Escape takes advantage of the PlayStation 3’s motion controller.
A modern VR setup should have little problems with this game. The issue is just how incredibly gimmick-driven the game is. It was panned for its lack of depth and content, and while the game was fairly simple due to the technology at the time, it didn’t exactly make for engaging gameplay. It might as well have just been a tech demo.
9 Needs A Port: Bloodborne (PlayStation 4)
This one is quite obvious. Released in 2015, Bloodborne was met with rave reviews from both critics and players alike.
A 3rd-person action RPG in the same vein as the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne takes place in the dilapidated, Lovecraftian-inspired city of Yharnam. The player controls the Hunter and is free to explore the interconnected city while fending off different horrifying beasts. Bloodborne is widely considered as perhaps FromSoftware’s best work. Every other Souls game (besides Demon’s Souls) has made it to PC. Bloodborne is a Sony-published game, but if Horizon Zero Dawn eventually received a PC port, then Bloodborne has a good chance as well.
8 Fine Where It Is: Basement Crawl (PlayStation 4)
Basement Crawl is a 2014 puzzle action game developed by Bloober Team, a developer that’s probably more well known today for 2016’s Layers of Fear and 2019’s Blair Witch.
In 2014 though, they released what can essentially be called a Bomberman clone in Basement Crawl as a launch title for the PS4. Steam as a platform is already filled to the brim with rip-off games by developers attempting to make a quick buck from unsuspecting users. Yet another clone isn’t necessary. The upside is that Bloober Team genuinely took Basement Crawl’s criticisms in stride and released a remake of sorts in Brawl, apparently attempting to learn from their mistakes.
7 Needs A Port: The Last Of Us (PlayStation 3)
While The Last of Us Part II has been very divisive among players, to say the least, 2013’s The Last of Us is no less a game that absolutely deserves the PC treatment.
There are a lot of benefits afforded to PC versions of games. Some of them are obvious like better graphics and performance. One that tends to fly under the radar is preservation. Consoles come and go and Sony is also very inconsistent when it comes to console backward compatibility. A good PC port gives a game the kind of preservation potential that a console can only offer with limitations. If there’s any PlayStation exclusive that deserves that kind of preservation, it’s The Last of Us.
6 Fine Where It Is: Star Wars: Masters Of Teräs Käsi (PlayStation)
Since EA’s acquisition of the rights to make Star Wars games, it’s hard to fathom that there was ever a time where LucasArts ever put out a truly bad Star Wars game.
Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi is a 1997 Star Wars fighting game released on the original PlayStation. In theory, this idea should be great, but Virtua Fighter with lightsabers this game isn’t. Masters of Teräs Käsi was panned for its poor controls and sluggish character movement. To this day, it’s one of only two officially released Star Wars fighting games. That fact still doesn’t merit the PC treatment, though. It’s simply unfortunate considering how well Star Wars characters worked as guest fighters in Soulcalibur IV.
5 Needs A Port: Shadow Of The Colossus (PlayStation 4)
The original Shadow of the Colossus was released on PS2 in 2005 while the remake came out in 2018 for the PS4. When considering a PC port, the PS4 remake would probably be the way to go as it would ostensibly be the better version.
Either way, Shadow of the Colossus isn’t for everyone. It’s a game built for those that appreciate the smaller details put into making a competent and immersive video game. That fact only further strengthens its case for receiving a port. Like The Last of Us, this is a game that deserves as much preservation as it can possibly get.
4 Fine Where It Is: Lair (PlayStation 3)
Lair is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by now-defunct Factor 5, the creators of classics like R-type and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.
The story of Lair is a very unfortunate one that led to a game that could’ve been much better than how it turned out. Between Sony’s meddling, situations being mishandled, and the PS3 being notoriously harder to develop for than expected, Lair launched with a lot of problems. The biggest being its required motion controls, which were eventually patched to support standard stick controls, but not before Sony sent reviewers a hefty guide on how to play Lair correctly with the motion controls. As such, the story of this game is worth preserving more than the game itself on PC.
3 Needs A Port: God Of War (PlayStation 4)
It goes without saying that it’d be great if every, or at least every mainline, God of War title got a PC port. If one were to be chosen for newcomer PC players, then 2018’s God of War is probably a good place to start.
Kratos’ abrasive nature and what could be considered as dated game design in the Greek-era of games might be a bit off-putting for some. His acceptance of fatherhood and control of his anger as well as the modern spin on the game’s combat in 2018’s God of War might be a better introduction. Either way, Kratos definitely needs the PC treatment.
2 Fine Where It Is: Haze (PlayStation 3)
Haze is a 2008 PS3 FPS game developed by Free Radical Design of Time Splitters fame. Unfortunately, Haze was the last game the team made under that moniker.
Haze was a game that made an attempt to give the PlayStation 3 a foothold in the console shooter market. Unfortunately, much like Lair, Haze had a rocky development cycle and pretty much shipped in shambles, effectively ending Free Radical. Even with speculations of Haze being a timed exclusive around its release, those ports never came. In hindsight, it’s probably good they never did.
1 Needs A Port: Ratchet & Clank (PlayStation 2)
This list wouldn’t truly be complete without a classic platformer on it. Since Spyro and Crash Bandicoot have gotten the PC treatment, it only makes sense for Ratchet & Clank to receive the same.
At the very least, the collection version on PS3 featuring the first three mainline games would be great. If only one could be chosen, though, it’d have to be the first game. Released in 2002 the game features an endearing tone, engaging combat, and platforming mechanics, and an excellent soundtrack. Without a doubt, Ratchet & Clank needs to join its platforming-classics brethren on PC at some point.
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