PS2 Classic Leaked for PS Plus Premium

According to new rumors, the classic PlayStation 2 fighting game War of the Monsters might see new life as an addition to the PS Plus Premium catalog. Originally released in 2003, War of the Monsters was developed by Incog Inc. and published by Sony.

In an industry that’s as fixated on the latest and most novel developments as the game industry, it can be hard to ensure that a company’s back catalog stays relevant. Many game publishers and platform holders like Sony have access to decades’ worth of high-quality games that are hard to make available because they were originally released on now-defunct platforms like the PlayStation 3 or PSP. Luckily for Sony, the debut of the PlayStation Plus Premium game catalog has added a way to entice subscribers to spring for the higher-tier service by placing classic PlayStation games up for grabs via game streaming and emulation.

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The latest potential addition could be an updated version of one of the best Kaiju games ever, if new game ratings from Taiwan are any indication. According to a post on Bluesky by Gematsu, Taiwan’s game ratings body has released new ratings for a PS4 and PS5 version of War of the Monsters.

Game Rating Leaks Suggest War of the Monsters Could Get PS Plus Premium Release Soon

The notable thing about the game rating leak is that it lists a PlayStation 5 edition of War of the Monsters. This is because War of the Monsters is already available on PS4, downloadable via the PS2 Classics catalog on that platform. A new listing for both the PS4 and PS5 suggests that War of the Monsters is getting an updated re-release. Though the rating doesn’t reveal any details, an updated re-release could see the game use the latest version of the PS2 emulation software used by the PS5 to play older games. Despite being one of the most popular game consoles in history, the PS2 was notorious for its use of relatively exotic hardware and software, like its Emotion Engine CPU, that make it a complex platform to emulate using contemporary hardware. Even today, PS2 emulation is imperfect, with some games surfacing glitches or not being compatible at all with the PS4 and PS5’s more PC-based architecture.

At the same time, Sony may be getting more serious about putting its back catalog in players’ hands. With interest growing in handhelds like the Switch 2 and Steam Deck, rival platforms are turning to subscriptions and their deep libraries of classics to keep players hooked on home-bound hardware. Recent leaks even put relatively obscure but beloved titles like WALL-E for PS2 on Sony’s PS Plus Premium slate. Such additions show that Sony is increasingly willing to dig into the archives for games that its oldest players might recall fondly. With luck, that strategy will pay off and keep PS Plus looking like a good service to hold onto at a time when many players are tightening their belts.

War of the Monsters

Systems

Released

January 14, 2003

ESRB

t

Publisher(s)

Sony Computer Entertainment

Engine

Kinetica

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

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