PlayStation and Capcom Checked Another Big Item Off Players’ Wish Lists

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As a long-time fan of Capcom and Sony, I can’t help but feel like Christmas came early this year! The unexpected release of Resident Evil Director’s Cut and Dino Crisis on PS4 and PS5 is a dream come true. Growing up, these games were the cornerstone of my gaming experiences, providing countless hours of horror-filled fun and dinosaur-slaying action.

Even though the 2024 holiday season has just begun, some PlayStation owners have received an unexpected gift early. On November 26th, with little announcement from Sony and Capcom, Resident Evil Director’s Cut and Dino Crisis became exclusive digital purchases for PS4 and PS5, a perk that wasn’t available before. Previously, these Capcom titles from PlayStation 1 were part of Sony’s PS Plus subscription plan, but only in the Premium tier, which cost $159.99 annually. It was an unusual path for Resident Evil Director’s Cut and Dino Crisis, but this is welcome news for fans and a positive sign for the future.

All three companies, including Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, offer subscription services for their console’s online features, yet their pricing, service tiers, and perks associated with those tiers can differ significantly. Often, PlayStation Plus is perceived as offering less value compared to its competitors. This becomes evident when a well-known classic game like Dino Crisis appears exclusively on PlayStation Plus, causing quite a stir. Sony and Capcom learned this the hard way in October 2024 when the release of Dino Crisis on PS Plus sparked criticism, but it’s good news for everyone involved that they ultimately reconsidered and withdrew their decision, considering the public response.

PS Plus Exclusives Are Steadily Becoming More Available

Currently, “Resident Evil Director’s Cut” and “Dino Crisis” are still available in the PS Plus bundle, but also offer standalone purchases priced at $10 each. This strategic move benefits both Sony and Capcom, as it is not an uncommon practice for them. Sony has previously offered multiple PS Plus exclusives for individual purchase after they have been part of the service for a certain period. In 2023, this was quite common, with titles like these being among them.

  • Mr. Driller
  • Ridge Racer 2
  • Ridge Racer Type 4
  • Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
  • Tekken 2
  • Tekken 6

The reasons behind the initial creators and Sony deciding to take these actions are frequently uncertain, but the quick succession of Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and Tekken 6‘s PSP port joining and leaving PS Plus – which is reminiscent of what happened with Dino Crisis – seems to indicate that fan interest played a role. Although the exact reasons aren’t stated, this trend is still beneficial for fans of these games and for preserving older games on modern consoles. It’s likely that games will continue to periodically provide new purchasing options while still being available on PS Plus, and given Resident Evil Director’s Cut‘s two-year run on the service, it appears that this option will always be available.

Capcom Is Listening To Demand For Its Classics

To put it simply, enthusiasts of Capcom’s golden era are particularly thrilled by this development. Resident Evil, one of Capcom’s flagship series, has a new release in the form of Resident Evil Director’s Cut, which is sensible given that it’s not the DualShock version of REDC with a less appealing soundtrack. Interestingly, the Dino Crisis franchise, dormant for over a decade, has seen a resurgence in interest. In a significant Capcom poll, Dino Crisis surprisingly ranked high, particularly in the category of series fans most wanted to see a sequel for. Given this, it’s understandable that there’s a strong reaction against Dino Crisis becoming an exclusive for PS Plus.

Old Capcom Titles Returning Could Be Just The Beginning

Although it hasn’t yet completely disappeared from people’s wish lists, Dino Crisis still requires a fresh installment to achieve that status. However, making the original game accessible once more is definitely progress in the right direction. Over the past few years, Capcom has been busy re-issuing some of its most popular games, including collections for various fighting games and beat-’em-ups, as well as the Marvel vs. Capcom fighters specifically. This resurgence also coincides with their efforts to get every primary Resident Evil title running on PC and current consoles. It is possible that Dino Crisis 2 could be the next game to receive such treatment, perhaps initially as a standalone release, and if so, there’s no telling how many of Capcom’s classic PlayStation games might follow suit afterwards.

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2024-12-01 16:53