Digital publisher GOG has been a shining beacon of light reviving beloved classics of yesteryear, quite recently with Resident Evil and Dino Crisis, however, it’s pretty much a PC deal only.
GOG has a game preservation program that keeps classic titles alive and well. Tons of great PC games are no longer compatible or simply run poorly with modern operating systems, such as The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 to name a few.
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Granted, none of the three titles above are available on GOG yet, but by giving fans the choice to vote on which titles they’d love to see revived on the PC platform, such as games that may have been abandoned by publishers and developers, there is at least a glimmer of hope that they’ll be accessible one day.
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Video game preservation is an important topic for a lot of gamers and not just for collectors. The digital age offers the luxury of instant access to video games and only our internet speeds will determine how quickly we can play them without leaving the comfort of our homes.
It’s certainly a wonderful age of convenience and as a disabled gamer, not only having the option to buy a game without leaving my home or the need to get up to swap discs is always beneficial to me and so many others in similar situations.
That being said, as we’ve seen over the years, as the popularity of the digital age continues to grow, it’s slowly but surely killing physical media.
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I get that many prefer digital games over physical games but if the day comes when physical media dies, it will be a sad time for the industry and will give more control to publishers over the games we don't really own. If that doesn't convince you, hopefully, the words of a Ubisoft executive telling us to get “comfortable” with not owning content should be a stark warning to all.
Sure, there’s a contradiction when it comes to my praise of GOG on some level, but what that company is doing is helping to keep retro games alive like Resident Evil and Dino Crisis, many of which are not easily accessible today.
When the newly revised PlayStation Plus arrived in 2022, the PlayStation Classic Catalogue came with it and not long after that, Resident Evil: Director’s Cut was playable on PS5 and PS4.
More recently, another classic Capcom game was made available on PS Plus (and eventually for a standalone purchase), namely Dino Crisis. Both Resident Evil: Directors Cut and Dino Crisis being available on modern PlayStation consoles is a glorious thing, especially with the enhanced resolution and additional features such as save states and the ability to rewind gameplay.
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That being said, as great as it is to play both of those classic Capcom titles on PlayStation, I can’t help but look on in envy towards the magnificent work GOG is doing for PC gamers.
I know, these classic Capcom games are not very demanding whatsoever on modern PCs, but to accompany Resident Evil: Director’s Cut on PS Plus with the original Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 would not only be a fantastic nostalgia trip for veteran fans but would also be a great opportunity for new fans to experience some of the best games ever that may have been lost in time.
I don’t even think trophy support is a must (though I’d love to see it) but if Capcom would make the entire original Resident Evil trilogy available on modern PlayStation consoles courtesy of PS Plus, it would be incredible to fire them up, sitting on the sofa playing on the big screen using the DualSense controller.
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Plus, as much as I love collecting physical retro games, being able to access this trilogy so easily via the PlayStation Store will be a whole lot cheaper than buying from expensive third-party sellers.
Topics: Capcom, Features, Nintendo, PC, PlayStation, Playstation Plus, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Xbox, Retro Gaming