Let’s get physical

Ten games to get now in physical form, before prices start to rise

While you’re still able to download digital games now, as Sony backtracked from its planned closures, who knows how long that will last? Owning games you love in physical form is the only way you can be sure you’ll keep them (obviously you’ll need to keep the corresponding consoles too to play them).

Not sure which to priotitise? Here’s our pick of the bunch, the games that won’t break the bank now but could begin to climb in price when their digital counterparts are no longer available to buy.

01 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV: THE COMPLETE EDITION FORMAT PS3 / PUB ROCKSTAR GAMES DEV ROCKSTAR NORTH

PHYSICAL PRICE APPROX. £20

DIGITAL PRICE £29.99

Surely a bestseller like GTA will always be easy to find? Its DLC might not be. Episodes From Liberty City remains Rockstar’s only true foray into expanding a game’s narrative post-launch. Both The Lost And Damned and The Ballad Of Gay Tony are on disc here. The Complete Edition can be harder to find than the original edition. If you do find it, the price isn’t too bad just yet, but when it gets digitally hijacked, the Liberty City saga will be locked behind bars. Red Dead Redemption’s complete package faces a similar situation, but is easier to track down.

02 THE RATCHET & CLANK TRILOGY: CLASSICS HD FORMAT PS3 (ALSO ON PS VITA)

PUB SONY / DEV INSOMNIAC GAMES,

IDOL MINDS / PHYSICAL PRICE £45-£70 (AND RISING) / DIGITAL PRICE £19.99

This duo’s original three adventures hold a special place in the hearts of many. Packed with creativity and worlds to explore, the jumping and shooting are still solid. In a lot of ways, these games are more focussed than the PS3 entries in the series. With Rift Apart due on PS5 very soon, interest in the pair’s early outings is rising. There’s never been a better time to get into the series, and these HD ports are the best way to do it. Problem is, they aren’t even on PS Now, and compared to the other PS3 releases, the trilogy is starting to become hard to find.

03 PERSONA 4: GOLDEN FORMAT PS VITA / PUB NIS AMERICA

DEV ATLUS / PHYSICAL PRICE APPROX.

£40-50 (AND RISING)

DIGITAL PRICE £8.99

Since the third game in the series was released Persona has gained in popularity, but this is the instalment that really brought in the crowds. With a small-town murder mystery vibe (people are being found hanging from TV aerials), it combines a captivating whodunnit with an unforgettable cast of teens, all with their own problems. Golden improved extra material, on the and PS2 made version what with is easily an 80-hour adventure portable. Dirt-cheap digitally, the physical edition is already spiking in price, and you can only expect the JRPG behemoth to become harder to find when digital’s off the table.

04 DRAKENGARD 3 FORMAT PS3 / PUB SQUARE ENIX

DEV ACCESS GAMES

PHYSICAL PRICE APPROX. £30 DIGITAL PRICE £15.99

Yoko Taro’s debut PS3 game, Drakengard brought the hack-andslash dragon series to HD (and pushed itself a little too hard as the framerate could get dicey). Since Nier: Automata’s release, interest in Taro’s earlier work has risen, and Drakengard 3’s had a particular boost because one of the bonus endings is the catalyst for Nier’s world (and it’s a prequel to the other two games, so no reading up needed). Only released digitally in Europe, many North American copies have been available in the UK for some time as an importers’ favourite. Now’s the time to snag a spare copy at a decent price.

05

SILENT HILL

FORMAT PS1 / PUB KONAMI

DEV KONAMI, TEAM SILENT

PHYSICAL PRICE APPROX. £50-£60

DIGITAL PRICE £5.79

Given it’s been ages since we’ve had a new Silent Hill, and over 20 years since this first game released without any kind of port (aside from the digital PSN release), the instalment that started it all is in serious danger of becoming very hard to play. It’s surprising how well the game holds up to this day, playing much the same way as SH2 and SH3. What’s more, it drips atmosphere, exploiting PS1’s technological limitations in a way that ensures it’s still creepy. PS1 discs can be played in a PS3, and it’s not unreasonably pricy to track down, so secure this first game in a legendary series while you can.