PAIN is the most downloaded game on PSN in 2008

by Andrew Yoon { Dec 19th 2008 at 1:00PM }

The latest episode of Pulse reveals the top PSN game downloads of 2008. At the top of the list is Idol Minds' PAIN. This isn't too surprising, considering it was included for free with the Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle earlier this year. However, we're surprised to see how well High Velocity Bowling has done. Other surprises include Aquatopia and High Stakes Poker.

Do you think the top 10 list is missing any games? We certainly think so. Where's WipEout HD? Although it's a PSP remake, we think it's an incredible value.

Here's the list, for those of you unable to see the image above:

Pain
High Velocity Bowling
Super Stardust HD
PixelJunk Monsters
Flow
Warhawk
Aquatopia
Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection
High Stakes Poker Edition
Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty

Tags: pain, psn, pulse

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Blackbyrd82 @ Dec 19th 2008 1:12PM

Wow...I'm not going to say that people are wasting their money on mediocre PS Store offerings (to each their own, and others are obviously looking for very different kinds of games to download).

But there are some truly excellent games not getting the sales recognition they deserve: where's SSF2Turbo, WipEout HD, Bionic Commado Rearmed, Pixeljunk Eden?

TONY @ Dec 19th 2008 1:15PM

only download i really regret is PAIN, just because its not as much there as i hoped would be.

Devin @ Dec 19th 2008 1:23PM

I agree,

PJ:Eden is an amazingly addictive and fun title.

Where's Elefunk? That was an awesome game. I love the two player mode. It's like Jenga, but on a different scale.

Where's echochrome? That, now with trophies, is a must-buy IMO. It offers 1000's of levels and actually makes you think 'outside of the box'.

kentuckyfried @ Dec 19th 2008 2:23PM

Pain kind of sucks. It's a silly distraction at best, I suppose if you're stoned if might be really hilarious, but for the average person it's engaging for all of 10 minutes.

I'm surprised Bionic Commando isn't anywhere on that list. That's one of the best DL's I've made this year in terms of the PSN content.

Mo @ Dec 19th 2008 2:41PM

I just wanted to confirm, when you're stoned it is infact hilarious. I've even seen someone set it up at a trade show to garner attention. Having said all that... not a big fan, and the trophies are ridiculous, but I d/l'ed with a voucher. Would have been pissed to buy it...

daniel @ Jan 30th 2009 7:28PM

would som1 help get [some psn games because i havent got eney plzzzzz :(

TONY @ Dec 19th 2008 1:12PM

im surprised WIPEOUT HD isnt on this list

mindshed @ Dec 19th 2008 1:31PM

Too young for a credit card? :P

Tony @ Dec 19th 2008 2:12PM

It doesn't charge me taxes. I've lived in two states(NC & FL) neither place have I been charged tax.

Gaucho @ Dec 19th 2008 3:30PM

I've always used a credit card for PSN store purchases. . . how did you buy anything before the cards came out?

smak @ Dec 19th 2008 1:16PM

Probably because it's free (download code included with new ps3). Just sayin...

j.howlett @ Dec 19th 2008 1:53PM

thats what i'm sayin

MAtt @ Dec 19th 2008 1:16PM

C'mon, of course WipeoutHD isn't on the list ... it just came out, the other games have a full year to run. Probably the same with Eden.

And PixelJunk Monsters deserves to be there, best PSN game by a mile. I'm still self-ish in hoping that Dylan is lying and they are going to add a billion more levels.

Tez @ Dec 19th 2008 1:32PM

Exactly. Most of these games on the list have had the entire year to rack up sales/downloads. Wipeout, not so much. I'm certain if we compared from the release of Wipeout to present, it'd be in the top 10.

Glad to see Super Stardust still rocking it. What an awesome game.

mindshed @ Dec 19th 2008 1:22PM

Now we know why the most fun game in Home is bowling.

fiziks @ Dec 19th 2008 4:14PM

um.. what?

mindshed @ Dec 19th 2008 4:56PM

... because sony said "Hey, bowling's pretty popular, lets put it in Home"

brampf @ Dec 19th 2008 1:24PM

Presumably this is only for the US region?
I would love to see a comparitive breakdown of downloads in the EU. I think it would be quite interesting.

Get on it PS3 Fanboy ;). While you are at it can you find out where the Eden patch that was meant to be live today is, the one that the official Eden website says is live but actually doesn't appear to be.

Jerses @ Dec 19th 2008 1:48PM

i bought aquatopia because i thought it was an interactive aquarium... but its not. You just waive youre hands like retard and fish follow them.... the preview video lied. And yes... i downloaded it for my ps3eye that i hardly use in lbp.

PhyerFly @ Dec 19th 2008 1:34PM

I think those results are skewed because all of the 80gb MGS4 came with a free PSN download code for PAIN. I personally enjoy the game and the subsequent updates they've made for it - but I don't think it's the best game on PSN by any means.

Liquidxtension @ Dec 19th 2008 1:43PM

i think the reason being is the fact that PAIN usually comes as a free voucher with most PS3 Bundles. Remember, it is just counting the total number of downloads not the number of sales that there have been.

Carney @ Dec 19th 2008 1:52PM

Exactly right. I mean I think it's fun to a point, and a way to get Wii style friends who don't care about eye poppingly realistic shooters to sit down and play and have fun, but a bundled game like that is at an advantage.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Dec 19th 2008 1:53PM

Buy more Pixeljunk Monsters, dammit.

Sorry to see Q4B at #10, but honestly, it sure didn't feel like a good deal for the money. They should have put in some unlocks or something. Right now it has zero replay at all, and given it's very short to start with, that's an issue.

Walter @ Dec 19th 2008 1:55PM

I only got PAIN because it was free with the MGS4 bundle...
maybe that explains it

nil @ Dec 19th 2008 1:59PM

No Street Fighter HD Remix? Considering how many copies it sold overall, I'd expect it to be on this list.

Ghaleon @ Dec 19th 2008 2:03PM

After reading elsewhere that SF:HD is selling pretty briskly, I think they spoke too soon.

stimp @ Dec 19th 2008 2:08PM

Super Stardust is by far the best game of the bunch. Bought it day one and still can't get enough!

DeathroW @ Dec 19th 2008 2:14PM

WipEout HD has not been out for long, its not really a surprise. But i agree, it is an incredible game - its my 3rd best game this year :D

Daviesifier @ Dec 19th 2008 2:25PM

Please add me on PSN
ID: Daviesifier

and try out my levels on LBP, I need those trophies so be generous with your hearts! :)

Organic_Shadow @ Dec 19th 2008 2:50PM

sharing tracks does not = remake. tons of games reuse classic tracks and maps. wipeoutHD for what it is, is more of a new iteration in the series than a remake or port.

mind bloan by people that find it fun to watch ragdolls.

JBHuskers @ Dec 19th 2008 3:21PM

My favorite PSN games this year are:

1. High Velocity Bowling (thanks to online addition)
2. Super Street Fighter II HD Remix
3. Pixel Junk Eden
4. Echochrome
5. ____________

We'll leave that blank for hopefully getting Wheel of Fortune the last week of the year....and hopefully it doesn't repeat sh!t like Jeopardy did.

skoochy @ Dec 19th 2008 3:25PM

Wow... no Super Rub'a'dub ... what has the world come to.

HardBoiled2009 @ Dec 19th 2008 3:25PM

if you think about it really... PAIN should only be counted if payed for to download ... if any cases .. HVB might REALLY BE #1 then PAIN being #1 glad too see HVB get #2 tho .. i love that game it's quite fun ... and if your one of those who say the games with Motion Sensoring Sucks ... is dead wrong .. this is pretty good use of theat control .. just cause games like ... LAIR that ruined it for you all doesn't mean to knock on it for other games. I also gotta say Resistance FoM shaking the controller to get enemies off you was great cause it added panic to playing the game. and the controls in Uncharted i think were great .. it's just a shame most companies won't touch the Motion sensoring controls for the games

Ashitaka @ Dec 19th 2008 4:18PM

PJ Monsters only in 4th place? And PJ Eden doesn't even make it to the top10? Omg, I hope nobody gets annoyed by what I'll say next, but it seems that people don't know where the gems are and only buy crap games..

As for Ratchet&Clank, I'm not that surprised by its position in the top10. I, for example, bought it in BD, and other people must have too, so maybe that's why it only reached the 10th place.

Callum @ Dec 19th 2008 4:53PM

Get out, troll.

Notice how he made fun of the good games, and only said that the multiplatform games were worth owning?

M3NT4L_P4T13NT @ Dec 19th 2008 5:48PM

I'm suprised bc:rearmed isn't on the list.

kenny @ Dec 19th 2008 11:47PM

got pain for free from MGS4 bundle. that shouldn't count, game is not even cool.

Fane @ Dec 19th 2008 7:31PM

Here's hoping that there will be an Xmas sale with some of these games available for $5 (and not the same ones as at Thanksgiving). I'd like to see flOw and PixelJunk Monsters, with add-ons.

tdh004 @ Dec 20th 2008 2:38PM

I'm kind of surprised at PAIN at the top too. Now don't get me wrong, PAIN can be a lot of fun, but in comparison to games like PJM, PJE, SSHD, and The Last Guy it's just not there. I'm surprised to see Warhawk in there. $40 game took 6th spot on the list? That's impressive.

I was going to say WipEout HD didn't make it because of the price, but look at Warhawk sitting pretty. All the people I know on my PSN who bought it didn't spend much time with it. They all have the same 3 Trophies and nothing else. I've bought nearly 20 PSN games so far and the ones I'd suggest to EVERYBODY are PJM, PJE, The Last Guy, and SSHD.

diare33 @ Dec 20th 2008 2:38PM

bought pain right after i got ps3. long time since i had played video games, and when i saw a game i could download for much cheaper price than regular i thought this was very cool. it wasnt! it sucks. started playing again when it got trophies , but u can only get like 5-6 if u havnt bought dlc. and pain is the kind of game that needs trophies to b fun. hopefully the multiplayer feature will make it more interesting(coming next year)

i really want High velocity bowling, but now i hold off cos i bought so much crap on ps store that i wanna make sure its good.
games ive bought:

elfunk- was ok. dont rly play. has multiplayer but no one is ever online.

locorocco- tried demo on psp, thought it was cool. so i bought for ps3, but controlls are different and i didnt like it.

snakeball- was fun. but few people online. but snakeball is the only game i recomend.

feel ski- wtf!!! the dumbest game ive ever tried/bought. hate it.

wasted a lot of money on this shit. so im holding off until im sure High velocity bowling is worth the money.
PS: yea i know psn games are cheap and i cant expect much, but i expect a little...

Pat @ Dec 20th 2008 2:55PM

I'm glad to see HVB rank so high. It is a great game and one of the best on PSN. Now even more with the added trophies and online competition.

I agree with others that Echochrome and PJ:Eden should have been there, so I would like to see these numbers again in six months once they have reached the year. I'm sure they'll be there.

And Ratchet shows how popular the series is. That it made the top ten in just a few weeks out is impressive.