You might not have noticed with the flurry of AAA titles hitting us all at once right now, but the PlayStation 3 turns 5 years old this week. Even with half a decade behind it, though, the system seems to be just hitting its stride. Console sales are strong, and at least one great game seems to come out at least once a month.
However, the PS3’s success didn’t come without its fair share of very public growing pains, so before we start talking about all of the good times we’ve had with the system it’s only fair that we air our grievances first. It’ll be like if we held Festivus at Kaz Hirai’s house.
So in the first of two parts, here are the five worst moments in PS3 history.
Giant Enemy Crabs
Right from the start Sony wasn’t doing the PlayStation 3 any favors. At their meme factory of an E3 keynote, they announced that the console would release at a staggering $499 for a 20 GB PS3 and $599 for a 60 GB PS3 with wi-fi connectivity. While it was *technically* a good value considering the cost of a Blu-Ray player at the time, not many people were exciting to fork over half a grand for a video game console. The worst part? Ken Kutaragi’s off-putting arrogance saying that fans would be willing to work overtime to afford one.
There was plenty more where that came from, unfortunately. Who can forget the giant enemy crab, plucked straight from Japanese history books? Many ancestors died waging a war of massive damage. At least we don’t have to talk about RIIIIIIDGE RACER because of the PS3 focus of this article (although I think I just did).
GTA IV, DMC4, & FFXIII Go Multiplatform
If there was any consolation to buying a launch PS3 for $500 plus, it was the warm consolation of knowing that the world’s top publishers were working diligently to bring their games exclusively to the PlayStation 3 — it was implied by their relationship with the PS2, at least. It was all for naught, though, as development costs reached a level that made third-party exclusives financially impractical.
At the very same E3 at which Sony were making the gaming world cringe, Microsoft announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would be making its way to the Xbox 360. Less than a year later, Capcom announced that Devil May Cry 4 would also be releasing on 360 and PC. At E3 2008, Microsoft showed off Final Fantasy XIII at their keynote to a stunned crowd.
Obviously, each of these games also released on the PS3, and there was no real reason to be upset about their respective publishers choosing to release them on as many platforms as possible. Not that it stopped internet forums from being engulfed in the flames set by many a scorned fanboy, petition at the ready.
The 2006 conference never gets old.