Essentials is the Sony PlayStation budget range in the PAL region, which covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Australia and South Asia. It was launched in 1997 as the Platinum range but was later renamed for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. After reaching the required level of sales, Sony often dropped the prices of the original title to Platinum pricing levels (generally about half of the original retail price), as a way to clear inventory for retailers. Similar budget ranges from Sony include the Greatest Hits and The Best labels for the North American and Japanese markets, respectively.
History and requirements Platinum was introduced in March 1997 and the first titles under it were Air Combat, Battle Arena Toshinden, Destruction Derby, Ridge Racer, Tekken and Wipeout.Platinum Release Type PSXPALDB.com At launch, a game required a minimum of 100,000 sales across the PAL region and needed to have been on sale for at least one year before qualifying for a Platinum re-release. These criteria were later tightened, reducing the required time on sale to nine months while raising the sales threshold to 250,000 copies."Winning Economies". Official PlayStation Magazine November 1997 The threshold was subsequently raised again to 400,000 copies.
As of 2006, the requirements were over 400,000 sales after six months on the PAL market.PlayStation Games & Media News: – PS2 goes Platinum: Part 1 Games that sell over 400,000 units in another region alone, such as Japan or the US, do not necessarily qualify for a Platinum title. For PlayStation Portable releases, the target is 400,000 unit sales required to achieve Platinum status. As of 2008, any PS2, PSP or PS3 game that sold over 400,000 units on the PAL market qualified for Platinum status.
The Platinum distinction has since been extended. Since 2010, it has been renamed Essentials for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. The first PS3 titles were released on August 1, 2008, namely: Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword, MotorStorm, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Virtua Tennis 3.
For PlayStation 4 games the name was changed to PlayStation Hits. The first games under the new label were released on 18 July 2018 in PS Store and in retail stores for €19.99 / £15.99 each.
Design differences Platinum Range titles were recognisable by a platinum/silver coloured band on the game's casing, both the front and the spine. The PlayStation design used the same logo that was introduced in early 1997 for all PAL region game cases, the differences being the colouring and that it indicates itself as Platinum. The PlayStation 2 design of the platinum games had a silver band to act as a border and to contain the game's original cover, which is shrunk to fill about 75% of the platinum cover. The early platinum games that were released prior to 2003 had the PlayStation logo repeated twice on the front case, once on the platinum border, and once on the original game's case. (with the original game's case dropping the PlayStation logo after 2002.) In 2005, a new featured layout was introduced; these have a black border, and silver outlines around the shrunken original game cover. There is also a red orb located at the bottom of the original game cover with the words Platinum The Best of PlayStation 2 and Platinum The Best of PSP (PlayStation Portable) for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable games respectively. The platinum band can also be seen on the manual. The PlayStation 3 Platinum range box art replaces the black background of the PlayStation 3 logo on the left with a yellow background, and has the original box art shrunk slightly, with a grey border, and a yellow rectangle on top of it, with Platinum The Best of PlayStation 3 written on it.
PlayStation and PlayStation 2 platinum game discs do not feature any of the original game disc design; instead, it is replaced with a simple silver design – which, along with the copyright notices around the edges, features the game's name in the centre surrounded by a black outline. PlayStation Portable platinum games use the original UMD games' disc design whilst PlayStation 3 platinum games use the original disc design with a platinum design on the disc.
List of Platinum range games
PlayStation titles
007 Racing 007: The World Is Not Enough 007: Tomorrow Never Dies Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere Actua Soccer Adidas Power Soccer Air Combat Alien Trilogy Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare Ape Escape Atlantis: The Lost Empire A Bug's Life Battle Arena Toshinden Bust-A-Move 2 C-12: Final Resistance Chase the Express Colin McRae Rally Colin McRae Rally 2.0 Command & Conquer Command & Conquer: Red Alert Cool Boarders 2 Cool Boarders 3 Cool Boarders 4 Crash Bandicoot Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Crash Team Racing Crash Bash Croc: Legend of the Gobbos Dancing Stage PARTY EDiTiON Destruction Derby Destruction Derby 2 Destruction Derby Raw Die Hard Trilogy Digimon World Dinosaur Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge Disney's Action Game Featuring Hercules Disney's Tarzan Disney's Treasure Planet Donald Duck: Quack Attack Doom Driver Driver 2 The Emperor's New Groove F1 Championship Season 2000 Fade to Black
FIFA Soccer 96 FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 FIFA 99 FIFA 2000 FIFA 2001 FIFA Football 2005 Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy IX Formula 1 Formula 1 97 Formula One 2001 G-Police Gran Turismo Gran Turismo 2 Grand Theft Auto Heart of Darkness In Cold Blood International Track & Field International Superstar Soccer Pro ISS Pro Evolution The Italian Job The Jungle Book Groove Party Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise Loaded The Lost World: Jurassic Park Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Lucky Luke Medal of Honor Medal of Honor: Underground
2 Metal Gear Solid Mickey's Wild Adventure Micro Machines V3 Monsters, Inc. Scare Island Monopoly Mortal Kombat Trilogy Moto Racer Moto Racer 2 Moto Racer World Tour Need for Speed: Road Challenge Need for Speed: Porsche 2000 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus Pandemonium! Parasite Eve 2 Peter Pan: Adventures in Never Land PGA Tour 96 Porsche Challenge Rayman Rayman 2: The Great Escape Resident Evil Resident Evil 2 Ridge Racer
Ridge Racer Revolution Ridge Racer Type 4 Road Rash Rugrats in Paris: The Movie Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf Silent Hill Soul Blade Soviet Strike Spider-Man Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro Spyro the Dragon Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer Spyro: Year of the Dragon Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha Stuart Little 2 Syphon Filter 2 Syphon Filter 3 Tekken Tekken 2 Tekken 3 Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Thunderhawk 2: Firestorm Tigger's Honey Hunt Time Crisis Time Crisis: Project Titan TOCA Touring Car Championship TOCA 2 Touring Cars TOCA World Touring Cars Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear Tomb Raider Tomb Raider II Tomb Raider III Tomb Raider: Chronicles Tony Hawk's Skateboarding Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue True Pinball V-Rally V-Rally 2 Wipeout Wipeout 2097 Worms WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Arcade WWF SmackDown! WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF War Zone
PlayStation 2 titles
007: Agent Under Fire 007: Everything or Nothing 007: Nightfire 007: Quantum of Solace 24: The Game 50 Cent: Bulletproof Athens 2004 Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Ben 10: Protector of Earth Black Bratz: Forever Diamondz Bratz: Rock Angelz Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 Burnout Burnout 2: Point of Impact Burnout 3: Takedown Burnout Dominator Burnout Revenge Call of Duty 2: Big Red One Call of Duty 3 Call of Duty: Finest Hour Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts Canis Canem Edit Chicken Little Colin McRae Rally 3 Colin McRae Rally 04 Colin McRae Rally 2005 Conflict: Desert Storm Conflict: Desert Storm II Conflict: Vietnam Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex Crash of the Titans Crash: Nitro Kart Crash: Tag Team Racing Crash: Twinsanity Crazy Taxi Dead or Alive 2 Devil May Cry Devil May Cry 2 Disney: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Disney•Pixar: Cars Disney•Pixar: Ratatouille Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King DRIV3R EA Sports Rugby 08 Enter the Matrix EyeToy: Groove EyeToy: Play EyeToy: Play 2 EyeToy: Play 3 EyeToy: Play: Astro Zoo EyeToy: Sports FIFA 2001 FIFA Football 2002 FIFA Football 2003 FIFA Football 2004 FIFA Football 2005 FIFA 06 FIFA 07 FIFA 08 FIFA 09 FIFA 10 FIFA 11 FIFA 12 FIFA 13 FIFA 14 FIFA Street FIFA Street 2 Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy X-2 Final Fantasy XII Finding Nemo Formula One 2001 Formula One 2003 Formula One 04 Formula One 05 Formula One 06 From Russia with Love God of War God of War II GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Gran Turismo 4 Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Geneva Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Gun Happy Feet Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Hulk Ice Age 2: The Meltdown Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Jak II: Renegade Jak 3 Jak X Juiced Killzone Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Hearts II Kung Fu Panda Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Madagascar Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Manhunt Max Payne Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Medal of Honor: European Assault Medal of Honor: Frontline Medal of Honor: Rising Sun Medal of Honor: Vanguard Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Midnight Club: Street Racing Midnight Club II Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance MotoGP MotoGP 3 MotoGP 4 MTV Music Generator 2 MX vs. ATV Unleashed Need for Speed: Carbon Need for Speed: Most Wanted Need for Speed: ProStreet Need for Speed: Underground Need for Speed: Underground 2 Oni Onimusha: Warlords Over The Hedge Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Pro Evolution Soccer Pro Evolution Soccer 2 Pro Evolution Soccer 3 Pro Evolution Soccer 4 Pro Evolution Soccer 5 Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Ratchet: Gladiator Ratchet & Clank Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded Ratchet & Clank 3 Rayman: Raving Rabbids Rayman: Revolution Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc Red Faction Resident Evil 4 Resident Evil: Code Veronica X Resident Evil: Outbreak Ricky Ponting International Cricket 2005 Rugby 2004 Scarface: The World Is Yours Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem Shadow the Hedgehog Shrek 2 Shrek The Third Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 Smuggler's Run SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs Sonic Heroes Sonic: Mega Collection Plus Soulcalibur III Spider-Man Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 3 Spyro: A Hero's Tail Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly SSX SSX 3 SSX: on Tour SSX: Tricky Star Wars: Battlefront Star Wars: Battlefront II Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars: Starfighter Star Wars: The Force Unleashed State of Emergency Stuntman Tekken 4 Tekken 5 Tekken Tag Tournament The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe The Getaway The Getaway: Black Monday The Godfather The Incredibles The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring