Final Fantasy VII Hits Japanese PSN; We Are Not Amused

As you’re all likely aware thanks to other sites across the internet reporting the news, Final Fantasy VII was added to the Playstation Store this morning…but only in Japan.  This isn’t entirely surprising, considering the American PlayStation Store hasn’t had a new PS1 game added since Suikoden hit in December.  However, it strikes deftly to the heart of a growing, increasingly frustrating problem regarding the Playstation Store; the lack of collusion between the different regions of the Store.

While Microsoft generally does their best to release content in all regions simultaneously, barring demos and trailers of Japan-only games, Sony’s update patterns for the PlayStation Store are extremely inconsistent; content will go up in one region but not in others, or every Store but one will get a piece of content added simultaneously.  Even the update schemes are inconsistent; content can be added at any time of the week in Japan, while the US and Europe only update on Thursdays.

SCEA’s treatment of PS1 games is especially criminal; while SCE Japan has seen fit to cross-promote major releases like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Resident Evil 5 by releasing their PS1 forebears on the Store, SCEA has time and time again avoided such money-making opportunities.  Even Final Fantasy VII‘s release is a marketing tie-in, being launched the week before Advent Children Complete hits stores.  The Japanese PS1 Classics line includes keystone titles like Metal Gear Solid, the entire Resident Evil series, Xenogears and others, as well as cult titles like Einhander, SaGa Frontier, and Bushido Blade.

Meanwhile in the West, PS3 owners turn on the PS Store on Thursday nights, praying for something – anything - to be launched in the PS1 Classics line.  And week after week, we are given nothing.  We don’t even get table scraps; we get nothing.  Despite John Koller’s insistence that more PS1 titles are coming, and despite Capcom confirming on their blog that they’ve submitted several PS1 games for verification, we have been given nothing.  After a four-month drought with nary a release in sight, I think I speak for everyone when I say I am not amused.

Do you want our money, Sony?  Instead of releasing PSN titles with no demos and expecting us to part with our money, why don’t you put up a few pieces of our childhood for once?  I can tell you right now, I’d be much more likely to spend $15 on a PS3/PSP compatible version of Final Fantasy VII than I would on a PSN/XBLA title I’ve never heard of and can’t test before I buy, and I’m sure other PS3 owners agree.  Fix this.