Sony releases PS3 backwards-compatibility list

One of the big issues around the launch of Sony's next-generation console in Europe has been that of how many PlayStation 2 titles would be playable after the removal of the 'Emotion Engine' from the PlayStation 3. Sony has now sought to answer that question with the launch of a Web site that lists all playable titles.

The PlayStation 3 launches on Friday 23 March in Europe and will require a firmware upgrade (to version 1.60) in order to play the games listed on the Sony site. The upgrade will be available from midnight on Thursday on both the PlayStation Network and PlayStation.com. It will also be available on a disc for those without Internet access, according to Sony's statement today.

According to 'semi-official' blog Three Speech, 1,782 out of 2,451 PS2 games available in the SCEE region will work on the PS3. Sony's database uses a rating system where three squares mean that the game works with "no known issues to date", two squares mean that the game will play on the PS3 with "some minor issues", and one square means the game will work but with "noticeable issues". Games which are not on the list do not currently work with the PS3.

Games which will work with the first firmware update, 1.60, include The Sims, The Sims 2, Half-Life, God of War, Quake 3 and Dragon Quest VII: Journey of the Cursed King. Games which will play with "noticeable issues" include Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 3, Kingdom Hearts, Canis Canem Edit (Bully in the US), many of the Need for Speed Titles, FIFA 07, and Pro Evolution Soccer 4, 5 and 6.

Titles which do not currently work at all include Guitar Hero I and II, Tekken Tag Tournament, Test Drive Unlimited, Black, and Hitman: Blood Money.

David Reeves, president of SCEE, said in a statement: "Our engineers have been working overtime, and have succeeded in delivering a significant number of playable PS2 titles for the European launch. We will be adding additional titles to this list in future firmware upgrades, but as we have made clear before, in the future our resources will be increasingly focused on developing new services and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, rather than on delivering PS2 backwards compatibility."