PlayStation Classic: In or Out? Quiz

Answer:

The PlayStation Classic (PSC) didn't really hit the mark with the gaming community. One of the console's main difficulties was that the equipment looked very similar to - though less bulky than - the original PlayStation (PSX) that it was seeking to emulate. The PSX is not exactly rare and many gamers would still have had the original console in their possession along with a substantial collection of games. Another issue that plagued the Classic was that a sizeable number of the twenty preloaded games were fairly bog standard and didn't really excite the gaming world of the late 2010s.

A number of PSC games, such as 'Jumping Flash!' (1995) and 'Intelligent Qube' (1997, aka 'Kurushi'), are interesting enough and perhaps worthy of inclusion due to a degree of significance as early and formative examples within their genre; it would however be a stretch to say that these two games, along with 'Destruction Derby' (1995), have broad contemporary appeal. Then there are the interesting but somewhat more niche titles such as 'Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee' (1997), a high-difficulty platform game where the player's aim is to free enslaved Mudokons from their miserable existence at a meat-processing factory (try as I might, I cannot get close to completing this game!).

The PSC showcased only a handful of true gems, titles recognisable by the vast majority. Games such as 'Rayman' (1995), 'Final Fantasy VII' (1997) and 'Grand Theft Auto' (1997) had, and still have, a quality that sets them apart from the others in the PSC crowd.

The following games were not preloaded on to the PlayStation Classic:

'Quake': a late 1990s relative of the classic first-person shooter 'Doom' not released on PS1.
'Minecraft': a 2011 sandbox game with huge 3D maps released for Windows and MacOS.
'Super Mario 64': Mario and Princess Peach in a Nintendo 64 classic, enough said!
'Pokemon Red': Part of the original trio of 1996 'Pokemon' games for Nintendo Game Boy.
'Wii Sports': Get "active" by playing different sports in this 2006 title for Nintendo Wii.
'Olympic Games Tokyo 2020': An uninspiring button-masher that postdates the PS Classic.
'Sonic the Hedgehog': Sega's pride and joy of 1991.
'Pac-Man': The iconic arcade game unleashed upon the world in 1980.