Essentials (PlayStation)

Last updated
Official Platinum and Essentials banners used on PlayStation game covers. Platinum & Essentials banners.png
Official Platinum and Essentials banners used on PlayStation game covers.

Essentials is the Sony PlayStation budget range in the PAL region, which covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Australia and South Asia. It was launched in 1997 as the Platinum range [1] but was later renamed for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. After reaching the required level of sales, Sony often dropped the prices of the original title to Platinum pricing levels (generally about half of the original retail price), as a way to clear inventory for retailers. Similar budget ranges from Sony include the Greatest Hits and The Best labels for the North American and Japanese markets, respectively.

Contents

History and requirements

Platinum was introduced in January 1997 and the first titles under it were Air Combat , Battle Arena Toshinden , Destruction Derby , Tekken and Wipeout. [2] To become a Platinum release, it was reported initially that a game required over 400,000 or 500,000 sales in its first six months of release. [3] [4]

By 2006, the requirements had been revised to over 400,000 sales after six months on the market [5] (PAL region sales in particular; games that sell over 400,000 units in another region alone, such as Japan or the U.S., do not necessarily qualify for a Platinum title). For PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable releases, there is no specific target required to achieve Platinum status as indicated by SCEE Press Releases [6] and the discrepancies between the Platinum status of specific titles and their chart performance.

The Platinum distinction has since been extended, however since 2010 they have been renamed Essentials for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. The first PS3 titles were released on August 1, 2008, namely: Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword , MotorStorm, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction , Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Virtua Tennis 3 . [7]

For PlayStation 4 games the name was changed to PlayStation Hits. The first games under the new label were released on 18 July 2018 in PS Store and in retail stores for €19.99 / £15.99 each. [8] [9]

Design differences

Platinum Range titles were recognisable by a platinum/silver coloured band on the game's casing, both the front and the spine. The PlayStation design used the same logo that was introduced in early 1997 for all PAL region game cases, [10] the differences being the colouring and that it indicates itself as Platinum. The PlayStation 2 design of the platinum games had a silver band to act as a border and to contain the game's original cover, which is shrunk to fill about 75% of the platinum cover. The early platinum games that were released prior to 2003 had the PlayStation logo repeated twice on the front case, once on the platinum border, and once on the original game's case. (with the original game's case dropping the PlayStation logo after 2002.) In 2005, a new featured layout was introduced; these have a black border, and silver outlines around the shrunken original game cover. There is also a red orb located at the bottom of the original game cover with the words Platinum The Best of PlayStation 2 and Platinum The Best of PSP (PlayStation Portable) for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable games respectively. The platinum band can also be seen on the manual. The PlayStation 3 Platinum range box art replaces the black background of the PlayStation 3 logo on the left with a yellow background, and has the original box art shrunk slightly, with a grey border, and a yellow rectangle on top of it, with Platinum The Best of PlayStation 3 written on it.

PlayStation and PlayStation 2 platinum game discs do not feature any of the original game disc design; instead, it is replaced with a simple silver design – which, along with the copyright notices around the edges, features the game's name in the centre surrounded by a black outline. PlayStation Portable platinum games use the original UMD games' disc design whilst PlayStation 3 platinum games use the original disc design with a platinum design on the disc.

List of Platinum range games

PlayStation titles

PlayStation 2 titles

PlayStation 3 titles

PlayStation Portable titles

List of Essentials range games

PlayStation 3 titles

PlayStation Portable titles

List of PlayStation Hits range games

PlayStation 4 (PAL)

Related Research Articles

The year 2002 in video games saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2003, NBA Live 2003, NBA 2K3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, Final Fantasy XI, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Jet Set Radio Future, Metroid Prime, Onimusha 2, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pro Evolution Soccer 2, Resident Evil and Zero, Super Mario Sunshine,The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, along with new titles and franchises such as Battlefield, Dungeon Siege, Kingdom Hearts, Mafia, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, SOCOM, and Splinter Cell. The year's best-selling video game was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation 2, while the year's most critically acclaimed titles were Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Selects</span> Marketing label by Nintendo

Nintendo Selects is a marketing label previously used by Nintendo to promote best-selling video games on Nintendo game consoles. Nintendo Selects titles were sold at a lower price point than new releases. The program paralleled other budget range software by Sega, Sony, and Microsoft to promote best-selling games on their consoles as well. In Japan, the discount label was introduced in 2015 for various Nintendo 3DS titles as the Happy Price Selection, although South Korea adopted the Nintendo Selects name at an earlier period. The most recent Nintendo Selects titles were released for the Wii U and 3DS and, as of January 2024, no Nintendo Switch games have been rebranded as Nintendo Selects.

Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.

<i>WWE 2K</i> Video game series

WWE 2K, formerly released as WWF SmackDown!, WWE SmackDown!, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw, WWE, and Exciting Pro Wrestling in Japan, is a series of professional wrestling sports simulation video games that launched in 2000. The premise of the series is to emulate professional wrestling, specifically that of WWE, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The series began with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and has continued as an annual release. It was originally exclusive to PlayStation platforms until 2006's WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which expanded the series to other platforms. In 2013, the series was rebranded as WWE 2K, beginning with WWE 2K14.

<i>WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw</i> 2004 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 on November 2, 2004, in North America. It is the sixth installment of professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s video game series, the sequel to 2003's WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain, and the first game to be released under the SmackDown! vs. Raw title. The game series was rebranded after the introduction of the brand extension which divided WWE's roster into two brands, the latter brand in the game's title being named after WWE's weekly Monday Night Raw program.

<i>WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006</i> 2005 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 is a professional wrestling video game and developed by Yuke's that was released on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable by THQ in 2005. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw video game series based on the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and is the successor to the 2004 game of the same name. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was also the first game in the series to be released on PlayStation Portable and the last game in the SmackDown!/SmackDown! vs. Raw series that was PlayStation exclusive.

<i>WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain</i> 2003 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 2 in North America on October 27, 2003. It is the sequel to WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, the fifth and last game in the WWE SmackDown! series based on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

<i>WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth</i> 2002 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth is a 2002 professional wrestling video game released for the PlayStation 2 by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is the fourth game in the WWE SmackDown! video game series, based on the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and the sequel to WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It. It is also the first game in the series to be released under the "WWE" banner.

Platinum Hits is a term used to refer to a line of select Xbox games that were considered by Microsoft to have sold considerable units on the platform in the nine months after release, and have dropped in price from their original MSRP to a newer, lower price, generally that of $19.99, although multi-game packs may sell for more. A similar budget range in PAL markets is known as Xbox Classics for £19.99 and Best of Classics for £9.99. In Japan, they are known as Platinum Collection games and generally cost ¥2,800, with certain games such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Dynasty Warriors 6 at a higher price point of ¥3,800. Sales requirements may vary by region.

<i>WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007</i> 2006 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ in 2006. It is the third game under the WWE SmackDown vs Raw name, the eighth game overall in the video game series based on the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestling promotion, and is the successor to 2005's WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006. The game was released worldwide in November 2006 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and a month later for PlayStation Portable. The Xbox 360 version was the first game in the series to be published on a seventh-generation video game console. A PlayStation 3 version was also planned as a launch title but was later canceled.

<i>WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008</i> 2007 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ in November 2007, and developed by Yuke's for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation Portable video game consoles, with Amaze Entertainment overseeing development for the Nintendo DS version.

<i>WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009</i> 2008 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360 video game consoles, with TOSE overseeing development for the Nintendo DS version. The game was first released on November 9, 2008, in North America. It is the tenth overall installment in the video game series based on the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the fifth game under the SmackDown vs. Raw name, named after the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brands. It is the sequel to 2007's SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and the second game to feature the promotion's ECW brand.

<i>WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010</i> 2009 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable (PSP), Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, and iOS. It was released worldwide in October 2009, with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions for Japan in January 2010. TOSE oversaw the development for the Nintendo DS version, which was the last installment to be released for the handheld. 2010 was also the first installment to be released as an iPhone app, launching on App Store on December 23 the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Multitap</span> Peripheral for the PlayStation game console

The PlayStation Multitap is a peripheral for the PlayStation. It is an adapter that can be used to plug in up to four controllers and memory cards at the same time in a single controller port. With a second multitap, up to eight controllers and memory cards can be plugged at once.

<i>BigHit Series</i> Video game series

BigHit Series are video games for the Korean Sony PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles that have been officially re-released at a lower price by Sony and third parties that meet specific criteria. While the term "BigHit series" only applies to selections in South Korea, equivalent programs exist in North America, PAL territories and Japan and Asia.

PlayStation Experience, also known as PSX, is an annual event for the video game industry presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment used to reveal and advertise PlayStation games and game-related merchandise. The event is open to the public and showcases various panels and many unreleased games, with playable demos.

References

  1. ↑ "PlayStation History in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific – History of Events". Absolute PlayStation. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Low price Next generation". Total Games. 1997.
  3. ↑ "Hot Games, Cool Prices". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Platinum Special): 3. 1999.
  4. ↑ Hickman, Lucy (9 October 1998). "Platinum: cannibal or cash cow?". MCV (6): 20–21.
  5. ↑ PlayStation Games & Media News: – PS2 goes Platinum: Part 1
  6. ↑ "Sony Computer Entertainment Europe - Virtual Press Office". 2007-10-11. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  7. ↑ "PS3 Platinum range in UK from August". Computer & Video Games. Archived from the original on 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  8. ↑ Sprenger, Linda (2018-06-20). "PlayStation Hits – PS4-Spiele ab Juli zum Budget-Preis, was lohnt sich?". Gamepro.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  9. ↑ Dealessandri, Marie (20 June 2018). "Sony to launch PlayStation Hits range, including Uncharted 4, Batman: Arkham Knight and Bloodborne". MCV . Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  10. ↑ "Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (1996) PlayStation box cover art".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.