PS2 Games On PS4: Prepare Yourselves, The First Batch Of Titles Is Coming


The first wave of PS2 games on PS4 is on its way. Expected to hit the console on December 6, eight titles have been announced, and they’re games which have proven themselves.

It seems that PS4 backwards compatibility was only half true, as previously reported by the Inquisitr. Sony is re-releasing titles from two generations ago and continuing to rely on PlayStation Now to let PlayStation 4 owners stream last generation’s hits such as Batman: Arkham City and BioShock: Infinite.

The bad side to this is that those dusty PlayStation 2 discs you had lying around are still going to require you to break out the console which played them. However, for up to $15 you can download graphically updated versions of older favorites to your hard drive.

These are much like the games you probably bought at a discount around 2013 for Xbox 360 and PS3, except they will be upscaled to 1080p, and not ported with slightly extra detail like some games re-released this year. The porting of PS2 games on PS4 definitely looks like Sony isn’t planning to take those popular PlayStation 3 titles and remaster them any more.

We probably won’t be seeing HD remasters of Batman: Arkham City or the BioShock series, so again you’ll have to take out the older PlayStation or Xbox 360 to play them. This also means you won’t need to delete older games to make room for those titles.

It is still recommended that you upgrade your PS4 to a 2 TB HDD though, and it’s an easy swap. All you need is a small-head Philips screwdriver, a USB stick with any number of gigabytes free, and a few hours to download updates and digital games when you’re done. The Samsung Spinpoint 2TB M9T Mobile SATA Drive has been proven to work like you never swapped anything, and it’ll give you plenty of space to put the upcoming PS2 games on your PS4.

Soon Grand Theft Auto V won’t be the only one in the series sitting on your PS4 hard drive. GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas are all coming back at $15 each. This is a tad more expensive than simply grabbing a five dollar disc from a game store’s bargain bin, but if the visuals are upgraded enough, the price will be worth it. You’ll even be able to stream them and earn trophies, according to Kotaku. It’s unknown how much better they’ll look, but the chance to own three of the hottest sandbox titles of yesteryear might put that skepticism to rest as $45 gets you another round of these old-school PS2 games on PS4.

Another fan favorite being re-released is Twisted Metal Black, the last vehicular combat title Sony ever published. It brought back the fun of taking out other vehicles with military ordnance, and gave it a distinct feel like the movie Se7en alongside the most disturbing use of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” to date. Much like the GTA series, this is probably not a game you want to play with the kids.

The other PS2 games on PS4 include Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy, The Mark of Kri, and War of the Monsters. Spanning from role-playing to straight action, this is only the first wave of titles being upscaled and brought back as digital downloads.

Fans are hopeful the next round of PS2 games on PS4 will include Silent Hill 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, and the Final Fantasy series. All will be confirmed when Sony announces them.

For now, gamers have to lay those PS4 backwards compatibility hopes to rest and simply drop up to $15 on games enjoyed over a decade ago.

Which PlayStation 2 games are you most looking forward to seeing on Sony’s current-gen console?

[Image via Sony]

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