"Everyone and their Mother is Backwards Compatible"

Many moons ago I had a very angry rant about Backward Compatibility, using the above quote as a joke to push a point across, and directing the anger towards the Playstation 3 console.

In the period of time since then, I have attained myself a PS3 Slim and have enjoyed what I can on the console whether it's playing a major classic such as Gran Turismo 2, to playing newer games such as Army of Two: The 40th Day, and I've enjoyed it all.

One of my favourite Playstation Exclusive games was Ratchet and Clank. I still remember one of the first stages where the Terrific Twosome are trying to have a meeting with Captain Qwark, Hero of the Galaxy, and warn him of the immenent danger and having to make full use of the Swingshot to reach him.

I finished that game 10, maybe 11, times to gain enough Bolts for the R.Y.N.O. (Rip Ya a New One), an extremely difficult weapon to attain that cost 9,999,999 Bolts! Now that was a hard number to reach, even with the Bolt Detector on hand! Sifting through each of the levels like an old man at the beach with a love of treasure in his heart. It was great.

Most recently I was given as a Xmas present “Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction”. Boy did it bring back memories. The fast pace, the fun guns, the crazy enemies and the visually entertaining levels. It's been too long, but I believe every game has a city set in the sky, or in the midst of skyscrapers, with nothing below the platforms but oblivion.

I still have those games. Even the dodgy port of the PSP game “Size Matters” to the PS2. I've finished each of the games at least once, collecting and levelling up each weapon, giving them upgrades that they have earnt, and laughing again and again at the jokes they pull out.

To play them again would be fantastic.

But alas, I have difficulty. My Playstation 2 console, a loyal friend and so dear to my heart it is, is nearing its time. I have had him for 8, nearly 9 years. I remember picking him up for $400 with a platinum copy of Gran Turismo 3, telling Dad that I needed a memory card and a second controller as well and we were set. I loved Gran Turismo, and having borrowed my brother-in-laws PSOne to play GT2 over the summer holidays was one of the highlights in my gaming career. Until that point, I was still playing the Sega Mega Drive, mastering Sonic 3 and Knuckles, trying my hand at Boogerman, and occasionally putting in the clunky Game Converter to fail at Dragon Crystal, or to play Wonderboy In Monsterland and run out of health in the Labyrinth.

With the coming of the PS2, I had a new range of games available to me, much prettier games than the 640x480 quality stuff that was being pumped out on Mums old TV. No, now it was cleaner at 1024x768 pixels, almost doubling the detail that could be thrown into a game. I didn't know the specific details at the time, I just knew that it was going to be prettier and I was going to enjoy it. But what games were on the PSOne that I did enjoy, I wasn't going to miss out on them because the PS2 could still play them!

I still have the memory card in my PS2 from the day we brought it home, and a recording of something that still entertains me to this day. Dad wanted to have a go at playing Gran Turismo 3. We had a multiplayer game, me driving against Dad. I explained the controls to him, but after about 2 minutes he gave up. I know it was 2 minutes, because that's how long the recording of our race went for. He floundered and drove straight into the wall, and got stuck. I giggled for a little bit and helped him out, but he gave up anyway. I kept the recording as a momento.

Come to 2006. The Playstation 3 was released, a new generation of gaming had begun. They weren't likely to win the games race, what with the Xbox being released about a year beforehand, but that didn't matter. They were contenders, and a well based contender at that. They've got games dating back to 1994, over a decade ago, able to still be played on the PS3 so they weren't losing out on their range at all! To top it off, they added a unique aspect to the system: Blu Ray, a new disc format that includes higher quality videos and more information available for game discs! Their PS3 exclusives would be absolutely Phenominal!

However, there was bound to be a problem. And that problem was cost. The initial price tag for the 20gb Playstation 3 was around the $1000 mark.

$1000? Who could afford that here? I certainly couldn't. I'd just started my current job so I certainly couldn't afford it for quite a while. But I was still content. While the PS3 was just released, they were still bringing out PS2 games, and I could handle that with the knowledge that eventually the price will drop to something I could afford and I could, for want of a better word, Upgrade my PS2 to something more up to date along with expanding my range of games.

So Patiently I waited for the price to drop. And it dropped slowly, but at a serious cost. The elimination of Backwards Compatibility with PS2 games.

“What? Why” I question to myself as to the motives of the Sony Corporation Playstation Division. "How could you become a Eunich so willingly? Especially with such an impressive endowment?"

The range of games for the PS2 is phenominal! My computer freezes when it tries to load up the Wiki page! And the number outshines any other console on the market, and of any other previous market, and continues to do so!

For years after I had hope, hope that they did make a mistake and they're bringing back the compatibility that I appreciate so much, a signature aspect for two generations of an entire console family! Built in Backwards Compatibility! Not many consoles had that before the Playstation 2. In fact, I don't think there were any aside from the Sega Mega Drive Converter!

Then my heart shattered.

During an interview for the new model of Playstation 3, the PS3 Slim, the spokesman was asked about the backwards compatibility with Playstation 2. And he laid he cards on the table and said "it's not coming back. It's just not a selling point any more."

"Not a selling point? Of course it isn't! Everyone and their Mother is backwards compatible!" I howled in outrage. "How could he be so stupid! He keeps the PSOne games, but PS2? Oh no, that's no good for the PS3 is it! Really brings down the generation there, dunnit!" (Sometimes I get a bit Pommy when I get angry)

It confused me, even the other reasons behind it made no sense. 'Difficult to integrate into the system'? You had 2 variations of it: Hardware Integration and Software Emulation. I can understand the Hardware Integration. That increases the cost of the actual device and the lack of profit would be staggering. But then you made a Software Emulation! It didn't work properly with certain games in the end.

So you have a Software Emulator installed to the 60gb PS3. Fair enough.
It's really buggy. Fair enough, nothing's perfect the first time.

So what's wrong with organising a division of the Playstation Department to work on these bugs? Refine the Emulation and occasionally update with the updates. Better yet, release the Emulator for all consoles so that everyone has access to the Backwards Compatibility! That would be a grand idea! Nobody misses out except those who don't have access to the internet.

It was at this time, when the Spokesman made his declaration, that I gave in and bought the new PS3 Slim. At half the original price tag, it was at least within a range that I could afford. And the console exclusives were slowly growing with some real golden pieces in there. InFamous is a good example, a Comic Book hero Sandbox game. Think GTA but add in climbing and balancing acrobatics with electrical attacks. And instead of doing lots of bad things, you can choose to do lots of bad things or lots of good things! It has nothing to do with the movie of the same name.

But I still have my PS2. My almost 9 year old PS2. So dust filled that even air in a can may not be able to help (Although that isn't a bad idea anyway). The Memory Card Slot is practically broken, although the card doesn't get taken out for years at a time. I wouldn't be surprised if they have rusted together. It all still works which is good, and if I want the old feel of the original hand controllers, then I can easily go over to a shop and buy a new one. Frankly, the Logitec Controller is a little too small for my hands and makes playing it uncomfortable after a little while.

If nostalgia really takes my fancy to an extreme level, then I'll probably return to the Ol' Gerry and have a crack at some of the games I haven't finished, or just want to have another crack at.

The only other thing I would wish of the PS3 is Reversed Remote Play. Currently, the Remote Play function allows your PS3 to be played through the PSP, allowing access to PSP games, and the occasional PS3 game. It also allows you to play music and videos through it as well, optionally with the sound through the PSP or through the PS3. Works well if you have the PS3 set up through a sound system.

But the Reversed Remote Play? Well, I have a range of PSP games. Unfortunately, I really don't like the handling of the PSP Controls, I find it just too janky to actually use without getting frustrated. I would love to play it through my PS3 on my TV with something that sits comfortably in my hand, specifically the PS3 controller. Were it on a TV, I could see everything clearly too. The lower Resolution is fine because my TV has trouble handling the graphics on most PS3 games anyway. The Lower Resolution will be a small grace on my eyes that strain sometimes to see what's going on in the crazy frenzy of the PS3 games.

I would love to play my PSP games, like Dungeons and Dragons Tactics, Locoroco, Patapon and whatever else I have that I've lost track of. An external UMD drive to plug into the PS3. That would be grand, for sure. But, that will only remain a dream.