It’s no secret that Sony’s recent efforts have left a lot to be desired for even their most loyal of fans, and that has only worsened over the last week or so. The news that Hideo Kojima and his studio had made their way over to Xbox was genuinely quite a seismic moment, and if you roll in the middling reviews for first party release Wolverine, and the weekend will likely have come as sweet relief.

That said, there are still millions of players for whom the PlayStation 5 is home (at least for the time being), and many of those are actively subscribed to PlayStation Plus to expand their options. Now, there are some new games being added to the service that you’ll want to be aware of, including an absolute classic from the PlayStation 2 era that holds up just as well today as it did back then.

Ratchet & Clank Return

Those of you who grew up playing games in the early 2000s will almost certainly have at least crossed paths with the original Ratchet & Clank. The action platformer was developed by aforementioned Wolverine developer Insomniac Games, and it immediately managed to secure its position as one of the most iconic original releases of that era.

Happily, Sony has just revealed that the game is about to join the ever-growing Classics Catalogue, though “later this year” was as far as they were willing to go in terms of giving us an actual date. Fans over on Reddit were predictably delighted with the news, and at the opportunity to return to a time when the world of gaming felt a lot simpler (and happier).

“I like JRPGs and there wasn’t much I cared about. I was more excited to see Ratchet. Sure I have my PS2 copy, my PS3 copy, my PS Vita copy, but I could always do with one more. I hope they bring a whole lot of Ratchet over to PS4/PS5. Maybe people will play them and demand Insomniac keeps a team focused on the Lombax. Can’t have them become a Marvel Studio entirely,” one comment read.

While another added, “Finally, there’s honestly zero excuse the entire original trilogy isn’t available for download. People have been waiting years for this since the last time you could get the original was through the PS3 port.”

“Finallyyyyyyy why did it take so long. I played the PS4 remake and it’s nowhere near as good as the OG. Excited to be able to play it again, hoping they don’t take too long to give us Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal,” a third said.

PlayStation Plus Premium Is A Requirement

The only real caveat for some will be that the game requires a Premium PS Plus subscription, meaning you will have to be signed up to Sony’s highest tier to get in on the fun. Still, if that version of the original Ratchet & Clank is anywhere near as good as I remember, it’s probably worth the extra in its own right, even if only for a month.

Released

November 6, 2002

ESRB

Teen // Mild Violence

Developer(s)

Insomniac Games

Publisher(s)

Sony Computer Entertainment

Engine

Kinetica

Franchise

Ratchet & Clank

Number of Players

1