Despite recent reveals regarding the new pricing and tier systems, much has remained mysterious regarding Sony's incoming rework of its PlayStation Plus subscription service. Sony recently revealed that its gaming subscription services, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now, would be merging this June to become three distinct tiers of a newly formed PlayStation Plus service: PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium.
The most eye catching of the three tiers is PlayStation Plus Premium, which is claimed to feature a catalog of classic titles from the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 3 (through cloud streaming.) There has been much discussion surrounding what titles could be coming to the service at launch, and now, Sony has revealed which PS1 and PSP games will be introduced at launch.
Ape Escape (PS1)
The game that introduced the world to the DualShock, Ape Escape will be one of the first titles to join Sony's PlayStation Plus Premium service when it launches on June 13. This 3D platformer follows a young boy named Spike, as he travels to various worlds to capture monkeys who have been possessed by an evil ape attempting to rewrite time. While it received a remake on the PSP in 2005, Sony has made it clear that the 1999 original PS1 version will be the title that subscribers of PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers will have access to on day 1. The game's 2002 PlayStation 2 sequel will also be included as part of the PS2 Classics lineup.
Hot Shots Golf (PS1)
Hot Shots Golf, known as Everybody's Golf outside of North America, is another iconic game in PlayStation's first-party lineup. The game was developed by Camelot Software Planning, the studio that would later go on to develop the Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and Golden Sun franchises. Hot Shots Golf released in Japan in 1997, with the North American and European releases coming in 1998. This series has gone on to have an iconic legacy among PlayStation franchises, mainly for introducing the likes of God of War's Kratos as guest characters in later games. A PlayStation 4 entry was released in 2017.
I.Q. Intelligence Qube (PS1)
I.Q. Intelligence Qube is one of the most bizarre inclusions among the first-party picks, and a reminder of the breadth of strange games that Sony published during its first console's lifecycle. I.Q. is a puzzle game in the same vein of games like Tetris, where players must set traps to clear rows of cubes in order to progress to the end of a level. At a glance, Intelligence Qube's gameplay can be difficult to grasp, but players can quickly fall into a trance-like state with this addictive puzzle game that will make an interesting addition to the PlayStation Plus Premium library.
Jumping Flash! (PS1)
One of the original PlayStation's most iconic launch titles, Jumping Flash is one of the earliest attempts at a 3D platformer, releasing well over a year before Super Mario 64 in April 1995. Jumping Flash is a first-person 3D platformer co-developed by Exact and Ultra, two now-defunct studios, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment itself.
The game follows a robot rabbit named Robbit as he jumps around various different worlds collecting scattered jet pods. The game is unique for being a 3D platformer packaged in a first-person perspective, which makes the game so polarizing to play nowadays. Regardless, it is a very important part of PlayStation's history as one of the very first video games ever released by Sony, making it a compelling pick for the PlayStation Plus Premium lineup.
Mr. Driller (PS1)
The first of the third-party picks to appear on this list, Mr. Driller is a puzzle series from Pac-Man developer Namco and one of the biggest puzzle games to be released for the PS1. While the game went on to inspire a series and has received ports to many consoles, this original PS1 release is arguably the most popular release and even made its way to the PlayStation Classic in 2018.
Syphon Filter (PS1)
One of the most beloved dormant PlayStation franchises, Bend Studio's Syphon Filter will be making its PS4 and PS5 debut through the PS Plus Premium port of the PS1 original. Inspired by games like GoldenEye 007 and Metal Gear Solid, Syphon Filter follows special agents Gabe Logan and Lian Xiao as they are tasked with apprehending a German terrorist, as part of a mission for the United States government.
To this day, the Syphon Filter series receives an outpour of support from PlayStation fans around the world. It's hard to understate the impact this PS1 original made on the future of PlayStation upon its release, blending cinematic storytelling with high quality third-person action gameplay.
Super Stardust Portable (PSP)
The only PSP game to feature in the launch lineup, Super Stardust Portable comes from Sony's Housemarque; the studio behind PS5's outstanding blockbuster action game Returnal, and PS4 launch title Resogun. Super Stardust Portable is exactly what fans have come to expect from Housemarque; addictive action arcade gameplay. Super Stardust Portable is the PSP port of Super Stardust HD, a shoot 'em up game that has received a native PS4 port in the form of Super Stardust Ultra. This inclusion on the PS Plus Premium launch lineup is somewhat confusing, however, this version will be available for fans nonetheless.
Tekken 2 (PS1)
Another third-party game from Bandai Namco, Tekken 2 is the second entry in the now-iconic fighting game series released for the PS1 in 1995. While Tekken 3 is arguably the more beloved entry that introduced the characters and storyline fans have come to love, Tekken 2 is still a formative fighting game that is worth experiencing. The second entry still remains an important part of PlayStation history.
Worms Armageddon and Worms World Party (PS1)
Worms Armageddon and Worms World Party make up the last of the titles to join Sony's PlayStation Plus Premium service at launch. Coming from British studio Team17, these turn-based strategy games are the third and fourth respective entries in the long-running Worms series. While Worms World Party is its sequel, Worms Armageddon is the more beloved of the two titles.
Worms Armageddon is often considered to be the best game in the series, as many attribute it with perfecting the turn-based strategy gameplay of the series, and featured a great single-player campaign. Newcomers of the series are in for the best of both worlds as both titles will be available on the PS Plus Premium classic games library at launch in June.
PlayStation Plus Premium will launch on June 13, 2022, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in North America.