PlayStation's Newest Remaster Proves Why Physical Games Still Matter

Remasters are a big part of the PlayStation lineup these days, a brand strategy that's courted some controversy in recent years. It's always nice to see great games of the past come back to the forefront, especially when obtaining original copies is hard, a struggle that's become common for virtually anything that could be defined as a cult classic. On the toher hand, remasters of recent games can feel a bit more needlessly indulgent, and they don't add as much excitement to the slate of releases as completely new titles could.

The biggest problem with PlayStation's newest remaster, however, isn't how recent it is. Announced at the September 2024 PlayStation State of Play broadcast, might not be quite as egregious as , with seven years having passed since 's launch on the PS4. Considering how well the original game has held up, there still might not be enough reason to opt for the new one, but one decision from PlayStation is insulting to anyone who might opt for the older release.

As noted by, the price of on the PlayStation Store digital storefront doubled after the reveal of While the game had been sitting at an MSRP of $19.99, it jumped to $39.99 in the wake of the announcement, the highest price it's sported since early 2018 according to PSPrices. The change was clearly made in light of the pricing model for, which costs $49.99 as a standalone purchase but only requires a $9.99 upgrade for owners of the original game or the Complete Edition.

The price change was first spotted by GamePittReviews, who tweeted screenshots of the before and after prices in the UK on PSPrices.

For anyone who's invested in a PS5 disc drive, it's still possible to get the game for much cheaper. Sealed physical copies of can easily be found for around the $20 range, and used copies go even cheaper. Anyone with a digital-only console is straight out of luck, however, which points to a major frustration that comes courtesy of PlayStation's current approach.

Digital storefronts come with