There are rumors circulating regarding a PlayStation equivalent to Xbox Game Pass, which is being referred to internally as PlayStation Spartacus. According to the leak regarding PlayStation Spartacus, there will be a paid tier that has games from retro systems, including the PlayStation Portable. If that’s true, then Sony needs to get third-party developers on board, as companies like Square Enix produced the best PSP games.
The PSP was Sony’s foray into the world of handheld gaming, which had been dominated by Nintendo for the longest time. The system didn’t sell as many units as the Nintendo DS, which was its main competition at the time, but it still sold incredibly well, especially in Japan. The PSP was superior to the DS in terms of hardware, and some companies made the most of this, with Capcom, Konami, and Square Enix releasing some gorgeous titles on the system.
Sony released a lot of first-party games on the PSP, but even the best ones felt inferior versions of what was being released on the home consoles of the time. It was the third-party devs that pushed the limits of the hardware and released some amazing games. Square Enix was no exception to this, as the company released some of the best PSP games, and it would be a major draw if Sony could add some of these games to PlayStation Spartacus.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
The original entry in the Dissidia series was a Final Fantasy crossover fighting game, with an expansive story mode, customizable characters, and a level progression/equipment system for the roster. There’s no point adding the original Dissidia to PlayStation Spartacus, as all of its content was included in its superior sequel, Dissidia 012. The sequel expanded the roster, added a new Assist system that let the player call in additional characters in battle, added a whole new story mode with an overworld to explore, and revamped the story mode from the original game. Dissidia 012 is a fantastic fighting game that is jam-packed full of content and is a must-play game for fans of the Final Fantasy series.
The Dissidia series performed poorly on consoles, as Square Enix decided to shake up the formula to such a degree that it became unrecognizable. Dissidia NT was a three-vs-three multiplayer fighting game, which relied on six players with a fast Internet connection to be enjoyable. If one of the players wasn’t good at the game or had a bad connection, then it ruined the match. The audience for Dissidia NT quickly dried up and online lobbies soon turned into ghost towns. Square Enix stopped supporting Dissidia NT and it seems as if its failure killed the series. If Dissidia 012 comes to PS4/PS5, then the whole world can see the Dissidia series at its peak of quality. Dissidia 012 is one of the best games on the PSP and it’s deserving of a remaster, but making it available on modern systems through PlayStation Spartacus would still be amazing, and it would be a huge addition to the service.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together was a remake of a game that originally appeared on the Super Famicom in Japan. The game is set in the Valerian Islands, which is home to three ethnic groups that were united under one king. Once the king died, a civil war broke out, causing mass bloodshed. The story follows Denem, a man who goes to war to free his people from oppression. The player chooses Denem’s path through different branching storylines, with multiple playthroughs allowing Denem to join different sides in the war.
The gameplay includes building an elite unit of warriors, with the player able to customize the character class and abilities of their roster, in order to take down enemies in turn-based battles. One major addition to the PSP version of the game was the Chariot system, which let the player rewind up to fifty turns, making it easy to correct any mistakes made during battle. Tactics Ogre was not the only incredible tactics RPG released by Square Enix on PSP, as Final Fantasy Tactics also received an updated release, in the form of The War of the Lions, which would also be a welcome addition to PlayStation Spartacus.
There’s one potential issue that would keep Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics off of PlayStation Spartacus. The list of games in the GeForce Now leak included references to a Tactics Ogre Remaster and a Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster. If these games exist, then they will almost certainly be based on the far superior PSP versions of the games, rather than the inferior SNES/PlayStation versions. If Square Enix is remastering these games, then there’s no way they will be added to a subscription service. As it stands, there is currently no confirmation that remasters of either Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics exist, and if the GeForce Now leak was inaccurate, then they would be ideal additions to PlayStation Spartacus.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an action RPG that acts as a prequel to the original FF7. The story follows Zack Fair, as he joins the elite SOLDIER unit and works alongside some of the greatest warriors in the Shinra Corporation, including the almighty Sephiroth. Zack’s story shows a glimpse of the world of FF7 before Sephiroth’s descent into madness, including the power struggles within the Shinra Corporation, and the origins of the SOLDIER unit. Crisis Core was one of the best games on the PSP and it has one of the most memorable endings in the Final Fantasy series.
It’s surprising that Square Enix hasn’t remastered Crisis Core and made it available on modern systems. 2020 saw the release of FF7 Remake and its storyline heavily references the events of Crisis Core. The ending of FF7 Remake won’t make sense to those who aren’t familiar with Zack’s story. The story of Crisis Core will be retold in an abbreviated form in the upcoming Ever Crisis, but a truncated version of the game released in a mobile gacha title won’t be the same.
Like Dissidia 012, Crisis Core deserves a modern remaster, but Square Enix might want to keep the two continuities of FF7 separate for the time being, at least in terms of new releases. Crisis Core would be a perfect fit for PlayStation Spartacus, as it’s a way for fans to enjoy the original version of the game on modern systems, and to satisfy the fans who are curious to learn more about the events shown in FF7 Remake.
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