What the Playstation Store needs...

By now I'm sure you've all noticed that the Playstation Store is receiving an update to make it more "user-friendly", next Thursday. I'm pretty excited about the new features, and in case you forgot, or were just too lazy to look them up, here's a video that explains what it will be like: VIDEO

So, now that the Store is going to be easier to navigate, and have some cool new features, here are a few things that I'd like to see:

-Classic Remakes:
XBL and Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel have a wide variety of classic, arcade/ol' school games for download. While these are all well and good (as are PSN's PS1 Classics) I really believe that updated versions of older games would be best for PSN. No, I'm not talking about ruining a classic game with new gimmicks and attempts to reach the masses of casual players. I'm talking about something similar to what Capcom is doing with "Bionic Commando: ReArmed". Sony should really work towards partnerships with other developers, like Midway, Konami, Sega, etc. in order to take older titles, add some newer features, such as online co-op/vs. and bump the graphics and effects into the HD era.

Let's take a Playstation-centric series for an example. The Metal Gear Solid series (and it's predecessor, Metal Gear) is one of my favorites of all time. I already own the two original Metal Gear games, which I play quite frequently. Now, it doesn't take a genius to know that they are old games, designed for weaker machines. Sony and Konami could team up to bring a revision to the PSN Store. Imagine it: Metal Gear, from the same camera angle, only with next-gen explosions, character models, and environments. Add in a few extra abilities, such as Octo Camo and crouching (this wasn't in the original game) and perhaps some bonus content, like a two-player online/offline co-op mode, and a time trial. For $10-$15, this would be a pretty neat game, even for those of us who have the game layout memorized.

How about another example? "Shinobi III: Return of The Ninja Master" one of my favorite games for the Sega Genesis. Imagine this game with character models on-par with games like Uncharted, only still preserving the 2D stage design. Have Sony and Sega team up to make a game with some pretty crazy improvements. Sword combos, ala Ninja Gaiden for use at close range, next-gen physics for explosions, extra levels to prolong the length of the game, and onlien leaderboards. Pretty crazy, if you ask me.

-Episodic Content:
Valve's done an excellent job with this in their Half Life series, so why has virtually no one else been able to do so? I think this would be great for plenty of already released and soon-to-come PS3 games. Who wouldn't like a few extra levels in Ninja Gaiden: Sigma, Uncharted, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, etc.? This doesn't even need to be limited to full games, Sony could make games that are just episodic.

I don't know what happened to the "game" "Rat Race" that Sony had planned for a December 2007 release, but that was going to provide such an example. And I'm sure you've all heard the rumors of the game "Eight Days" going episodic too. What I'd really love is for Sony to go all-out, and make a game that is updated weekly with new episodes. Perhaps have each "episode" last an average of 30 minutes, and make enough in advance to allow for at least one "season" of weekly releases. Sell them for $1-2 each, and I'm certain that a fair amount of gamers would "gobble them up". Perhaps make a side-scroller which has constantly changing missions, only with the same cast of characters, and task gamers each week with fighting certain bosses and performing certain tasks. Sony could reward those who have every previous episode (obviously later on in the season) by providing better equipment for their character.

That's all for now, check later for updates.