PlayStation 2 games come to PS4 today, starting with GTA trilogy and more
Eight games will be available to purchase digitally tonight
Just last month, we found out that the PlayStation 4 was capable of running classic PS2 games, as some re-released Star Wars games had been emulated rather than properly ported and remastered. Now Sony is opening the floodgates.
Floodgates? Sorry, we suppose it’s more like a slow trickle, but eight games isn’t a bad place to start. With the PlayStation Experience convention running this weekend, the publisher has announced that eight digital PlayStation 2 games will be available to purchase later today on PlayStation 4.
The iconic and hugely influential Grand Theft Auto trilogy that began with Grand Theft Auto III leads the list. It’s flanked by Vice City and San Andreas, of course, with each game sold separately. Also available today are Sony’s own Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy, The Mark of Kri, Twisted Metal: Black, and War of the Monsters.
Price could be a sticking point, however. Official UK pricing wasn’t mentioned, but in the States, everything but Twisted Metal: Black and War of the Monsters sells for US$15 (about £10) apiece; those other two are US$10 (about £6.50). You could probably find disc copies of the PS2 games for less, in some cases – but they won’t run on your PlayStation 4.
PlayStation fans seem less than enthused by both the pricing and lack of disc support, flooding the PlayStation.Blog announcement with angry comments. To some extent, that’s just what vocal gaming fans do. On the other hand, the Xbox One plays Xbox 360 discs – but that’s a single-gen difference, not two whole console generations. It’s unclear whether there are technical hurdles that prevent PS2 discs running in the PS4.
At least these games are lightly enhanced: they’re up-rezzed to 1080p and should look crisper, plus they have Trophies, Remote Play, Live Broadcast, and Share Play support. Does that warrant re-buying a game you already have on a disc somewhere? That’s your call to make.
Further announced games include Fantavision, PaRappa the Rapper 2, The King of Fighters 2000, and Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, so keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks/months.
[Source: PlayStation.Blog]
Read More › The PlayStation 4 supports PS2 games… sort of
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
