Welcome to our weekly recap pertaining to all things Inside PlayStation Network. Every MON-FRI, PSU shines the spotlight on a piece of content plucked from the digital delights of Sony’s online service, be it a chunk of DLC, PSOne Classic or regular PSN release. In case you missed out on any of this week’s entries, here’s your chance to catch up and see what titles we dissected under the microscope.
Monday – Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Next to Super Mario World, you’d be hard pressed to find a game that defined the 16-bit generation more than Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Released back in 1992 on ‘Sonic 2s Day,’ the fast-paced platformer single-handedly put SEGA’s Genesis console back in the race against the SNES, increasing the flagging console’s market share by a whopping 50 percent within six months. While Sonic’s inaugural adventure cemented the blue hedgehog as one of the primary players in the platform gaming space, the sequel resulted in a meteoric rise in popularity for the spiky speedster, putting him on even ground with Nintendo’s turtle-bashing plumber. (Click here for full article).
Tuesday – Explodemon
Arriving on Sony’s online service in February 2011, Explodemon spent much of its infancy being shoved around from one platform to the next in the fiery pits of development hell. And, despite a strikingly familiar outing ‘Splosion Man arriving on the scene during this time, the chaps at Curve continued to chisel away behind closed doors, eventually delivering the stonking retro-flavoured blastathon we have today. (Click here for full article).
Wednesday – Tomb Raider III :Adventures of Lara Croft
Lara Croft mania had reached fever pitch upon Tomb Raider 3’s release back in December 1998. After the success of the stonking original and its follow-up TR2, consumer demand for the nimble archaeologist and her exorbitantly big boobs had surpassed even the likes of Mario and Sonic, and PlayStation sales skyrocketed as a result. Still, Core knew they had to inject a little more flare into the proceedings, and as such Adventures of Lara Croft saw some of the most drastic changes to the formula in the series’ history. (Click here for full article).
Thursday – Driver ’76
Driver has had the unflattering distinction of riding Grand Theft Auto’s back bumper for much of its lifespan. Despite a promising start with the original PSOne classic and its sequel, the franchise has been overshadowed by Rockstar’s crime juggernaut for almost a decade now, though continues to chug along with a series of so-so offerings. (Click here for full article).
Friday – Braid
It’s fair to say that Braid turned quite a few heads upon its Xbox 360 debut back in 2008. Conceived by Jonathan Blow, the game garnered universal acclaim for its combination of familiar platforming elements and unique time-based mechanics, not to mention its emotionally powerful narrative. The end result? A gripping, cerebrally-challenging monster hit that scooped up numerous awards and won the hearts of countless gamers around the globe. Indeed, PlayStation 3 owners had reason to feel they were missing out on something special, though fortunately, Braid finally made a running jump to PSN in 2009. (Click here for full article).