PS2 classics, including Dark Cloud 2, rated for upcoming PlayStation 4 release

By Danny Cowan September 14, 2015

ps2 classics rated for ps4 darkcloud2 header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The PlayStation 4 may soon host a slate of classic PlayStation 2 games, recent submissions to European ratings counsel PEGI indicate.

Ape Escape 2, Dark Chronicle (known as Dark Cloud 2 in the west), and Twisted Metal Black will be among the first PlayStation 2 games to see a release for Sony’s newest console, Gematsu reports.

Twisted Metal Black previously premiered as an emulated PlayStation 2 Classic release on the PlayStation 3, and is available digitally via the PlayStation Network. Ape Escape 2 and Dark Cloud 2 were never re-released for the PlayStation 3.

Originally released in 2003, Ape Escape 2 is a 3D platformer in which players pursue an army of escaped monkeys and attempt to capture them using a wide variety of unconventional gadgets. The game follows up on the original Ape Escape, which was designed as an innovative showpiece for the original PlayStation’s Dual Shock controller.

Dark Cloud 2, a 2003 sequel to developer Level 5’s debut effort Dark Cloud, is an RPG with unique town-building mechanics. Level 5 later went on to create games like Dragon Quest VIII and the Professor Layton series for the Nintendo DS.

The PlayStation 3 initially launched with full backward compatibility for legacy PlayStation and PS2 games, but later console revisions stripped out internal hardware necessary for PlayStation 2 emulation. Sony previously hinted that original PlayStation and PS2 games will eventually hit its on-demand PlayStation Now service, but no such games have been released to date.

Last month, Electronic Arts announced that upcoming Star Wars Battlefront-themed PlayStation 4 hardware bundles will include digital copies of four classic Star Wars games, including the PS2 titles Star Wars: Racer Revenge, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. The publisher has not announced whether these games will be emulated PS2 Classics or reworked ports.

Sony has issued no word regarding when it plans to launch its first batch of PS2 games for the PlayStation 4.

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