Sony “Know about” Issues with EU Store
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Looking at how Sony treats Europe at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s a serious amount of “middle-child” syndrome flying about.
After all, the region doesn’t get the fervent attention like the US does (youngest child); probably due to the obvious importance this seedling possesses in terms of its parents’ future.
The Old Continent is also not getting the “You got all the attention in the past – you can take care of yourself” treatment reserved for Japan (eldest sibling); the virtues of which are a different debate altogether.
In terms of Europe in this analogy, it’s like Sony is barely aware that there is another small person living in its house, wandering around aimlessly in disarray and flagrantly drawing on the walls out of contempt of how they’re being cared for.
With big titles still missing and no sign of the stores’ updates harmonising, read on for details of just what content still hasn’t shown up and what, if anything, Sony are doing to address the problem.
If you’re a European gamer you will be all too familiar with the weekly PSN updates served up for your delectation and (Sony hopes) your purchase. Though the service has definitely improved over the last few months, there are still a way to go for Europe to catch-up with its neighbour across the water.
BritishGaming has looked into the games previously released State-side currently MIA in the European store and, taking out content with a distinctive Americana flavour (we’re thinking that NFL Score Charts might garner a whole ten downloads in Europe – we could be wrong though), they’ve come up with the following egregious omissions.
- Cash Guns Chaos
- Cuboid
- Lumines Supernova
- Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One and Two
- PowerUp Forever
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
- Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars
Though we probably should be thankful that Cash Guns Chaos hasn’t hit us yet (our American cousins say it’s not that great but, if you like it, feel free to tell us why in the comments), Cuboid is an awesome puzzler that Europeans, with their high-brow aristocratic and non-violent demeanour (yeah right, anyone remember the Crusades?) would graciously lap up.
Lumines we know is imminent (as in, maybe tomorrow) as is Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. PowerUp Forever is also pretty new so we can forgive a slight delay, but where are the big hitters like Penny Arcade Adventures, SOCOM and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix?
Of course it’s not just PSN titles the Europeans are missing. Game spaces in Home, specific game updates and trophy support for titles such as Echochome and High Velocity Bowling; all this and more have not hit the EU store at the same time as its US counterpart.
Sony’s Network Management team have admitted that there are “known issues” with the release schedule across the multi-regions and promise things are being “looked at”. We reported last year that the approval process in Sony, with its fragmented region specific sign-off requirement (all games must be separately approved by SCEE, SCEA and SCEJ) was being streamlined into a centralised procedure with one approval gated solution for all but, so far, there’s no sign of it. The big questions is however: how much damage has Sony caused to the European market by this apparent display of indifference?
Let your opinion on this issue be known in the comments section below.
Back in December of 2007 they actually forgot to update the Norwegian store for 3 weeks or so. Everyone else got their update. Many people complained through email yet it took 3 weeks for them to notice. Amazing.
I remember that. 3 horrible weeks
While I think it’s relatively minor (right now, I’m struggling to recover from the game glut of the last couple of months of last year – they can delay a couple of PSN games another couple of weeks if they like!), I think it’s important to have coordinated global releases (if they intend global releases – we should cut them some slack on some of those zany Japanese releases that we’d never play anyway) for globally released games. If the translations for the various European countries have been done then you wouldn’t think it’d be that hard…
I got to be honest it’s not just Sony.It’s gaming in general,if your in europe,your gonna get treated like bollocks.
Luckily region free gaming on the PS3 and PSP,is a means of relieving some of the gaming problems for Playstation gamers.
Well, there is a looooooong history of this second-class-ness around the EU. With our languages, history, and generally inconvenient differences, other markets are easier to cater for.
Heck, even the original PS3 machines which were fully PS2 compatible were actually here in the UK ready for the original release date. But Sony dcided to pull the release here in favour of having more PS3’s in the US.
Interesting, huh?
But going back further, all games have been staggered. It seems that we are just expected to accept this. And until someone at Sony acknowledges this, there is unlikely to be any change anywhere in the industry.
Sad but true.
I though the delay was released here because of something to do with how the b/c was implemented? I could be wrong tho, it does happen…very rarely! :p
The thing i find about the disparity of the stores is the add-on content and game patches, take High Velocity Bowling for an example, we still have no online play mode! How lame?
That was one line that was given.
But another ‘factor’ was that Sony wanted more PS3s for the US release so they were shipped to the states. They were actually here in the EU ready to go and were pulled at the 11th hour.
As far as I am aware, that was the over-arching reason for the delay.
That is so pants.
It’s not like the EU seems to perform the best for Sony out of all the teritories or anything…