Sony has confirmed that PlayStation Home – PlayStation 3’s virtual world relatable to something like a Second Life and Sims hybrid – will be closing its doors completely on the 31st of March, 2015. Furthermore, according to the PS Forums, PlayStation Home will cease to publish new content from the 12th of November and players will not be able to download any new content from the 3rd of December onwards.
I still remember back in 2008 when PlayStation Home opened its doors for the PlayStation Nation and back then many Australians (myself included) still had semi-awful internet so the download took quite some time but what came after the client had downloaded was something rather intriguing. A world crawling with potential, weird shops and interesting gaming spaces. PlayStation Home was a home for many of us that wanted to jump out of the 12-year-old shoes of Habbo Hotel, Faketown and the real world and enjoy something that was a signal of the teenage years to come (I was only 13 back then, so I was pretty ecstatic).
To celebrate PlayStation Home and everything it’s done right over the past 6 years, here’s 5 spaces in the game that I absolutely adored visiting.
5) Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
Centered around Gadgetron HQ, A Crack In Time’s game space in PlayStation Home was full of great mini-games that came with rewards, a personal space and a shop that enabled you to buy Ratchet & Clank themed items. Hoorah to one of the best duos in gaming history.
4) Resistance 2
Resistance 2 was in my opinion the best of the trilogy and the PlayStation Home space was much more capable than Resistance 3’s so there was no reason as to why it shouldn’t be included. The game space featured a turret-style FPS mini-game called Four Barrels of Fury that would reward players for kicking ass as well as having one of the coolest promo campaigns within PS Home. In the European space for Resistance 2, there was a poster that replaced a video screen that had a code on it for players to redeem. Only 3,000 users were able to redeem the code, but they received a Resistance: Retribution t-shirt because of it. Not too bad if you ask me.
3) SingStar
Comon, SingStar was a global phenomenon back in the 2000s and its representation in PlayStation Home was a further emphasis of that. Comprised of a SingStar Video Juke Box that enabled players to vote on songs playing and a Music Quiz that tested the nerve of fellow SingStarians – SingStars home was truly on PlayStation… Home… Yeah.
2) LucasArts Space
In 2010, we got a taste of Star Wars in PlayStation Home when LucasArts had its own space installed into the world of PS Home in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars. It had its own store for Star Wars items, a video screen and the best of all – a band and bartender from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Beat that Disney.
1) LittleBigPlanet/Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Now this one is a tie genuinely because I couldn’t decide which one I loved more. LittleBigPlanet is one of my favorite series of all time and its recreation in PlayStation Home was wonderful as well. Boding King’s Snap Happy Photo Challenge which entailed various photography skills from players (kind of like Pokemon Snap), a LBP store and the ability to create your own wallpaper for your PS3’s XMB – the LBP Playground was quite the popular place in PlayStation Home.
As well as that, Uncharted 2’s space in PlayStation Home was one I attended quite frequently (probably due to the fact that I absolutely adored the game). Comprised of three mini-games (Mask Mayhem, Torch Race and Fortunate Thieves), access to the Uncharted 2 Blog online and a screen replaying advertisements for the game over and over – what’s not to love about the Uncharted 2 space in PlayStation Home? Nothing. That’s what.
PlayStation Home has been an interesting experience for me personally, and I’m sure for many of you out there as well. It’s been an intriguing concept to watch weave its way around the world and I spent way too much real world money on furniture for my own little home in Home, but what separates PlayStation Home from other places like it is its glowing sense of community. Everyone there was all part of one eco-system, one nation dedicated to PlayStation – and that’s pretty damn cool. So long PlayStation Home, you’ve been great.