High-definition remasters for PlayStation 3

Official Classics HD Banner used on European PlayStation 3 game covers.

Sony's High-definition remasters are a series of video games originally released on the PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable video game consoles, re-released for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Playstation Vita. A number of related programs exist, the most prominent two being "Classics HD" (also known as "HD Collection") and "PSP Remasters". The former consists of multiple PlayStation 2 games compiled on one Blu-ray Disc. The latter are individual PlayStation Portable games republished on Blu-ray. These games are not direct ports, but remastered versions in high-definition, to take advantage of the console's capabilities. The remastering of the games include updated graphics, new textures, Trophy support and sometimes include 3D and PlayStation Move support. Some HD remasters are released individually or in bundles as downloads on the PlayStation Store; others are released exclusively as downloads.

Classics HD is the official name given for these compilations in Europe, no equivalent of such name exists in North America or Japan. However, these titles are easily differentiated in North America as they include the subtitle "Remastered in High Definition" or "HD Collection" on the cover while "PSP Remasters" is the official name given by Sony for collections featuring remasters of PSP games.^[1] The PSP Remasters line features all of the same features of the Classics HD line, and will include various features such as cross platform play between the PSP version and the PS3 version as well as the ability to import saves between both versions. According to Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, PSP Remasters will not include trophy support.^[2]

Overview

The first remastered collection to be released is the God of War Collection which consists of God of War and God of War II. This collection was released before Sony decided to officially begin a line of Classics HD games. God of War Collection was brought about from feedback in anticipation for God of War III and what type of content fans would like to see in a special edition of that game. From this feedback, Sony released the collection separate from God of War III as a way to introduce new players to the franchise.^[3]

The success of the God of War Collection prompted Sony to make a new line of games that would be bannered Classics HD in PAL regions (North American copies simply have the subtitle "Remastered in High Definition" or "HD Collection"). One of the reasons why this brand was created is because PlayStation 2 titles are not compatible with most PlayStation 3 consoles (only the 20 GB and 60 GB models, and the first iteration of the 80 GB model are compatible).

The second series of games ported to the PlayStation 3 and first to use the Classics HD banner is The Sly Collection released in November 2010.^[4] The Prince of Persia series is the first non-Sony published games remastered,^[5] published by Ubisoft. After months of speculation, it was finally revealed in September 2010 that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus would be remastered for a September 2011 release.^[6] On November 2, 2010, the God of War Collection became the first remastered collection to be released as a digital download on the PlayStation Store.^[7] In 2010 a remastered version of Frontline was included in the PlayStation 3 version of Medal of Honor with updated gameplay options and trophie support, in 2011 Frontline HD became available as a separate PSN download.^[8] The first three games of the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series was also remastered and was released on Blu-ray in Europe in September 2011 [1] and was released in North America later in that month.^[9] The Tomb Raider Trilogy was announced on December 19, 2010 and included all three second era games of the series: HD remasters of Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the first time on the PlayStation 3 plus Tomb Raider: Underworld.^[10]

At E3 2011 during Sony's press conference, the PSP Remaster line was announced. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD ver. was the first of this line to be announced.^[1] According to Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, the PSP Remasters line will not include trophy support, God of War: Origins Collection despite being both remasters of PSP games is not part of this line thus will have trophy support. Additionally the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will include a PSP remaster for the game (available standalone in Japan) Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which will include the various features that a PSP remaster are intended to have (eg. importing saves between the PS3 and the PSP version).

Oddworld Inhabitants and Just Add Water are currently working on HD remasters of their games. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee are to be released on PSN in 2011 with HD remasters of the first two Oddworld games soon to follow. This set has been dubbed The Oddboxx.^[11] A HD Collection of the first three games in the Devil May Cry series has been confirmed by Capcom for 2012. A Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection was confirmed with both Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. After much rumor and speculation, a HD Collection of the Jak & Daxter series was confirmed for a 2012 release. ^[12] There is a growing demand for HD collections among fans for game series such as Kingdom Hearts, Ratchet & Clank, and Twisted Metal (Popular franchises from the PS2 owned by Sony). Whether these collections will be made or even by the original studios is unknown.^{[13] [14]}

Additional content

Along with trophies, 3D support and HD upgrades the various compilations also boasts various other extras to accompany them. The God of War Collection contains bonus materials for God of War II (originally released as a DVD in the God of War II two-disc set on PS2) and early copies included the God of War III demo while the Origins Collection also contains one for Chains of Olympus and the documentary, God of War - Game Directors Live, the Kratos Legionnaire bonus skin, and Forest of the Forgotten combat arena (originally released as a download via the Ghost of Sparta preorder package). In Japan, the PS3 version of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker: HD Edition is standalone and includes a code to download the PSP version while Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 are packaged separately in Metal Gear Solid HD and come instead with a download code for the original Metal Gear Solid. In North America and Europe, the three HD games are packaged together in Metal Gear Solid HD Collection with no downloadable games. Tekken Hybrid will not only include an HD upgrade of Tekken Tag Tournament and a prologue based on its sequel but will also come with the 3D CGI film Tekken: Blood Vengeance.

To help showcase the addition of the Playstation Move, The Sly Collection includes various additional minigames as well. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD may also have PlayStation Move support, however, it will only be an option and not a requirement. A XMB Dynamic Theme based on Stranger's Wrath was also confirmed. The Ico collection features bonus content, including two XMB Dynamic Themes and exclusive video content for Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian (for which an inclusion of a demo was considered but never included). It will also feature the original PlayStation 2 cover arts for both games on the inner side of the case.

A notable feature with the PSP Remasters is that one can import saved games between the PSP version and the PS3 version and vice versa.

Games

Title	Games	Developer(s)	First released	Japan	Europe	North America	3D	Move
Beyond Good & Evil HD →	Beyond Good & Evil	Ubisoft	2011-June-08NAJune 8, 2011 a	Unreleased	02011-06-28 June 28, 2011	02011-06-08 June 8, 2011	No	No
Devil May Cry Collection →	Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening	Capcom	Unreleased	02012 2012	02012 2012	02012 2012	No	No
Final Fantasy X HD →	Final Fantasy X	Square Enix	Unreleased	02012 2012	02012 2012	02012 2012	No	No
God of War Collection →	God of War, God of War II	SCE Santa Monica Studio, Bluepoint Games	2009-November-17NANovember 17, 2009	02010-03-18 March 18, 2010	02010-04-30 April 30, 2010	02009-11-17 November 17, 2009	No	No
God of War: Origins Collection →	Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta	Ready at Dawn, SCE Santa Monica Studio	2011-September-13NA02011-09-13September 13, 2011	02011-10-06October 6, 2011	02011-09-16September 16, 2011	02011-09-13September 13, 2011	Yes	No
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection →	Ico, Shadow of the Colossus	Team Ico, Bluepoint Games	2011-September-22JPSeptember 22, 2011	02011-09-22 September 22, 2011	02011-09-28 September 28, 2011	02011-09-27 September 27, 2011	Yes	No
Jak and Daxter HD Collection→	Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, Jak 3, Jak X: Combat Racing	Naughty Dog	TBA	0TBA	0TBA	0TBA	Yes	No
Medal of Honor: Frontline HD →	Medal of Honor: Frontline	EA Los Angeles	2011-June-08NAOctober 12, 2010	Unreleased	02010-10-12 October 12, 2010	02010-10-12 October 12, 2010 a	No	No
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection →	Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, Peace Walker	Konami, Kojima Productions, Bluepoint Games	2011-November-01NANovember 8, 2011	02011-11-23 November 23, 2011	02012-02-03 February 3, 2012	02011-11-08 November 8, 2011	No	No
Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD ver. →	Monster Hunter Portable 3rd	Capcom	2011-August-25JPAugust 25, 2011	02011-08-25 August 25, 2011	Unreleased	Unreleased	Yes	No
The Oddboxx →	Munch's Oddysee, Stranger's Wrath	Just Add Water Ltd., Oddworld Inhabitants	Unreleased	0TBA	0TBA	0TBA	No	Yes
Prince of Persia Trilogy →	The Sands of Time, Warrior Within, The Two Thrones	Ubisoft Montreal	2010-November-19EUNovember 19, 2010	Unreleased	02010-11-19 November 19, 2010	02011-04-19 April 19, 2011	Yes	No
Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection →	Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles	Capcom	TBA	0Error: invalid timeTBA	0Error: invalid timeTBA	0Error: invalid timeTBA	No	Yes
Resident Evil Revival Selection →	Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Code Veronica X	Capcom	2011-September-08JPSeptember 8, 2011	02011-09-08 September 8, 2011	02011-09-21 September 21, 2011 a	02011-09-20 September 20, 2011 a	No	No
Silent Hill HD Collection →	Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3	Konami	2011-November-01Unreleased	02012 2012	02012 2012	02012 2012	No	No
The Sly Collection →	Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves	Sucker Punch Productions Sanzaru Games	2010-November-09NANovember 9, 2010	02011-01-27 January 27, 2011	02010-12-03 December 3, 2010	02010-11-09 November 9, 2010	Yes	Yes
Tekken Hybrid →	Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue, Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D (CG-animated film)	Namco	2011-November-01Unreleased	02011-12-01 December 1, 2011	02011-11-25 November 25, 2011	02011-11-22 November 22, 2011	Yes	No
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Trilogy →	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory	Ubisoft Pune	2011-September-16EUSeptember 16, 2011	Unreleased	02011-09-16 September 16, 2011	02011-09-27 September 27, 2011	Yes	No
The Tomb Raider Trilogy →	Legend, Anniversary, Underworld	Crystal Dynamics, Buzz Monkey Software	2011-March-22NAMarch 22, 2011	Unreleased	02011-03-25 March 25, 2011	02011-03-22 March 22, 2011	No	No
Zone of the Enders HD Collection →	Zone of the Enders, The 2nd Runner	Konami, Kojima Productions	2011-November-01Unreleased	02012 2012	02012 2012	02012 2012	No	No

Notes:

a. Released exclusively as download.^[15]

See also

• New Play Control!

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.1up.com/news/psp-remaster-games-ps3-run-on-psp-engine
2. ^ Ishaan (2011-05-23). "PSP Remaster Series Won’t Include PS3 Trophy Support". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/23/psp-remaster-series-wont-include-ps3-trophy-support/. Retrieved 2011-07-29. 
3. ^ Caiazzo, Anthony (August 31, 2010). "God of War Collection – Blu-ray Disc Compilation Available This Holiday Season!". Sony Computer Entertainment. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/08/31/god-of-war-collection-blu-ray-disc-compilation-available-this-holiday-season/. Retrieved August 31, 2010. 
4. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (May 28, 2010). "'Classics HD' line for PS3 in Europe, starting with Sly Collection and God of War". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/28/classics-hd-line-for-ps3-in-europe-starting-with-sly-collecti/. Retrieved September 10, 2010. 
5. ^ McWhertor, Michael (September 25, 2010). "Mortal Kombat, Prince of Persia HD Collections Go 3D on PS3". Kotaku. http://www.kotaku.com.au/2010/09/rumour-mortal-kombat-prince-of-persia-hd-collections-go-3d-on-ps3/. Retrieved October 9, 2010. 
6. ^ Shuman, Sid (September 15, 2010). "Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection hits PS3 Spring 2011 with 3D". Sony Computer Entertainment. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/09/15/ico-and-shadow-of-the-colossus-collection-hits-ps3-spring-2011-with-3d/. Retrieved October 11, 2010. 
7. ^ Caiazzo, Anthony (October 20, 2010). "God of War Collection on the PlayStation Store 11/2". Sony Computer Entertainment. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/10/20/god-of-war-collection-on-the-playstation-store-112/. Retrieved October 20, 2010. 
8. ^ Scalzo, John. "Medal of Honor: Frontline, Breath of Fire IV added to PS Store". http://www.warpzoned.com/?p=12726. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
9. ^ Winfrey, Lorenzo (January 2, 2011). "HD Splinter Cell Compilation Coming In March As PS3 Exclusive". ZoKnowsGaming.com. http://zoknowsgaming.com/2011/01/02/hd-splinter-cell-compilation-coming-march-ps3-exclusive/. Retrieved January 2, 2011. 
10. ^ Reilly, Jim (December 19, 2010). "Tomb Raider Trilogy Confirmed". IGN. http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/114/1140977p1.html. Retrieved December 20, 2010. 
11. ^ Harman, Stace. "You had me at Hello – Just Add Water talks all things Odd". vg247. http://www.vg247.com/2011/07/05/you-had-me-at-hello-just-add-water-talks-all-things-odd/. Retrieved August 18, 2011. 
12. ^ "Sony Confirms Jak & Daxter PS3 Collection". IGN. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1212038p1.html. Retrieved 11/9/11. 
13. ^ Gilbert, Ernice. "Insomniac Games Responds To Fans Calling For Ratchet And Clank HD Collections". GamesThrist. http://www.gamesthirst.com/2011/06/25/insomniac-games-responds-to-fans-calling-for-ratchet-and-clank-hd-collections/. Retrieved June 25, 2011. 
14. ^ Sanchez, David. "Top 5 Video Games That Need an HD Remake". Bright hub. http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/console/articles/78970.aspx. Retrieved Jul 24, 2010. 
15. ^ LJX. "Just Add Water exclusive interview!". GotGame. http://gotgame.com/2011/08/21/just-add-water-exclusive-interview/. Retrieved August 21, 2011.