Sony lawsuit: Top five PlayStation games to play before they are gone forever

Sony, tech titan and owner of the highly coveted PlayStation brand, has found itself in a weird spot in the gaming industry over the past decade.

Its recent decision to halt all sales of digital downloads through retailers has sparked both consumer and lawyer interest.

Now, it faces a class action lawsuit alleging monopolisation of the sale of digital games in the PlayStation Store. Fans can no longer purchase classic PlayStation games anywhere other than the PlayStation Network.

Bloomberg notes that one of the arguments in the lawsuit is as follows: "Sony's monopoly allows it to charge supracompetitive prices for digital PlayStation games, which are significantly higher than their physical counterparts sold in a competitive retail market, and significantly higher than they would be in a competitive retail market for digital games."

What does that mean for me as a PlayStation fan?

Class action lawsuits against tech giants are usually debated by people who are as far away from the gaming industry as the earth is from the sun.

However, they do have a point whether they were intentional in finding it or not. Soon, the only way we will be able to play our classics is by purchasing them from the PlayStation Store.

Unless you have an old console, you'd better play these games while you can. We don't see why Sony would lose rights to its own property, which means they will most likely win this lawsuit.

In the event they fail, though, we can only imagine their reaction being: "If I can't have it, no one will have it."

Top five PlayStation games to play before they are gone forever

It’s too early for immediate concern.

However, it is an excellent time to talk about some of the best PlayStation games ever to grace our 4:3 resolution box TV sets. Here are our picks for the top five PlayStation games to play before they are gone forever.

5. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

The Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise took the gaming world by surprise. No one could have predicted how successful it would be.

There was no question whether Neversoft would make a sequel, and we got the PlayStation gem called Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.

With increased goals and stages that are revered as some of the best in the series, Neversoft found a way to take their success with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 and multiply it.

The introduction of the manual increased the range of combos you could string together ten-fold, and if you somehow managed to get tired of the fantastic play areas, you could just create your own park.

4. Resident Evil 2

Ah, Resident Evil: the franchise that is responsible for every child’s nightmares about zombies.

Resident Evil 2 was unique in that it was one of the first games to implement a meta-gameplay system with the gamer. Most games are linear and stuck in one playthrough, no matter what.

However, Resident Evil 2 had a system built in that allowed separate playthroughs to be connected. It was an innovative game design ahead of its time, but basically, your first playthrough could affect subsequent runs, which is a feat even by today’s standards.

Of course, the sequel had to bring everything you loved about the original Resident Evil, but it did so with much more tension, way more encounters, and double the action. There was a much bigger budget the second time around, enabling another home run with half the effort.

3. Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII is one of the last games that we can recall that needed more than one CD to play.

We might be showing our age with this anecdote, but the game was so massive that you’d have to switch CDs in the middle of playthroughs to move onto the next section of the game.

Many games did this, but we guarantee more people know of this multi-disk-one-game concept from the ’90s because of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Final Fantasy VII has a charm to it that none of the other entries could match. There are classic characters situated throughout the series progression through the various consoles.

However, Cloud, Sephiroth, and other memorable characters have all transcended the game. People who have never played the game know these characters by name and face.

2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

With the explosion of 3D technology via the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, Konami held firm to the notion that you don’t need to chase graphical trends to produce quality content.

Castlevania was among every gamer’s list of top franchises, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night respected that passion for the series by delivering more of what we love.

This 2D masterpiece detracted the linear nature of past Castlevania titles to experiment with the Metroidvania design, which is a combination of Metroid and Castlevania.

They both share similar qualities in that there is no concrete progression. Instead, you explore until you get stuck.

Then, you backtrack until the tools you have defeated a boss or opens a door that leads to another instrument or powerup that will allow you to return to previously inaccessible environments until you eventually find the end of the game.

If that explanation sounds confusing, it’s because you’ve never played a Metroidvania game. What are you waiting for? Get to it, newb!

1. Metal Gear Solid

At the top of our list, we have arguably the most popular PlayStation game ever to be launched.

Don’t get us wrong; some prominent heavy hitters helped carry Sony to become a gaming behemoth. However, Solid Snake and the Metal Gear series are top dogs. Metal Gear Solid is undeniably one of the most impressive games of its generation.

Metal Gear Solid was so inventive that it allowed players to play a game in ways you would never imagine.

From faking an injury with ketchup to finding crucial information on the physical packaging for the game, there are still games to this day without such attention to detail.

When you think about the words “classic” or “legend” or “ahead of its time,” just stop and say “Metal Gear Solid.” Everyone will know what you mean.

What PlayStation games are you going to miss?

What games on the PlayStation do you remember that could have made this list? Which ones are you playing now? Let us know in the comments; we’d love your feedback.

We would like not to imagine our beloved games becoming relics, but Sony is about to be in a court battle that could make this a temporary or even permanent reality.

All we can do now is keep our heads in the present. Speaking of, there are tons of popular games that Eldorado.gg is servicing.

There are boosting and account services at the site, but you can also trade virtual currency such as OSRS GP or TBC gold to make some IRL money or cryptocurrency. We’ll see you on the other side!

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