Joe's Monologues 1/6/2025

Happy 2025, everyone, and welcome to the very first Joe's Monologues of 2025. This one will be special because I will be talking about what things are coming this year I am quite excited for and the one event I have done, so without further ado, let's jump right in.

Revival of PlayStation's Nostalgic IPs:

As we know, Herman Hulst has confirmed that Sony is looking set to revive their back catalog of classic IPs. Not new news, but I just want to mention this again because I am so excited for the nostalgic IPs to make a comeback. It's all because of Astro Bot's wild and wacky performance over its VIP Bots that dress up as PlayStation characters. We are gonna see classic IPs, like Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, the Legend of Dragoon and tons more make a nostalgic comeback with remasters. Crash and Spyro made a comeback with their remastered trilogies, so other nostalgic IPs can follow up. The PlayStation we know and love is coming back for an ultimate experience.

The news from Hulst is indeed hopeful that classic IPs are making a comeback, but the rest of the games of the franchises must be released on PlayStation Plus Premium's back catalog to put them together. January's lineup of classic games is a mystery, so we can be in the know on what this month's lineup of classics soon. We have been begging them to bring the franchises back, but it's finally happening. The Sly Cooper franchise came together, thanks to PS Plus Premium and so will other classic IPs like Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter (not counting the PS Now versions of them in the franchise), Twisted Metal, Wild Arms (the third iteration is the PS Now version) and a lot more.

While this is exciting news, Sucker Punch confirmed that they have no plans to develop a new Sly Cooper since they are working on Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. But the thieving raccoon's comeback is inevitable. It's just that it won't be under the Sucker Punch umbrella. Not only that because they were supposed to make a fifth Sly Cooper game to resolve the cliffhanger left off in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, but it was scrapped because Sanzaru has released a statement saying that they are not developing a future title. Fortunately, since Hulst confirmed that PlayStation is reviving their back catalog of IPs after being driven by Astro Bot's wild performance to receive GOTY, it can change everything.

I have loved the series since 2002 when Thievius Raccoonus came out. The games in the original PS2 trilogy are available on the back catalog. Why I'm telling you this is because I beaten Sly 2. I'm glad that I got to revisit this game and its wild moments. I have Sly 3 in my library and I am going to revisit it and its crazy adventures. But some areas are in 3D mode and I gotta get some 3D glasses for them before I get started.

2XKO:

Now let's move on to the next thing I am excited for. 2XKO's first Alpha Lab has ended a while ago and the next one is coming in March with the seventh character, Jinx, also known as Powder in Arcane's case, of course. Jinx's forte is all about the bang bang and the explosion her arsenal is known for. She is making her debut to honor Arcane Season 2. The show was godlike as heck that there were a ton of action. The team is returning to work to develop the game and they are giving us an update on February. I hope that update also involved announcing the eighth character because I want the next Alpha Lab to have an even roster of characters.

I am excited for this and now that I have a gaming laptop, I can be able to join the next Alpha Lab on both PC and console. We know that 2XKO is coming out in 2025, which is now this year. But once launched, we don't know if the roster is gonna continue to grow or not. Let's not forget that there will be differences in the official launch and you will be expecting jankiness. That's why they need to polish everything for launch. If they plan to announce the eighth character for the next Alpha Lab, we don't know who will it be. But we do know that I want a SEGA vs. Capcom: The Next Level-esque Cross Fever game mode to be implemented in a future playtest.

Additional VO Content:

What is an additional VO content, you asked? The additional VO content I am referring to are Annie's alternative voice pack, the Japanese combat VO for the Season Pass characters' and the English (and hopefully Japanese) Story Mode VO for the Season Pass characters for Skullgirls 2nd Encore.

The devs had originally planned to include them in the Season 1 Pass, but as it turns out, the logistics of them have been a bit more involved than they have originally anticipated. That's why they could not release it in 2024. But they still plan to release it in 2025, and now that 2025 is here, this is the point of time when we can expect news about it. I hope it's soon because I am eager to hear and find out what will Annie's alternative voice pack and what will the Season Pass characters' Japanese VO during combat sound like. It might be early 2025 because the next characters in the Season 1 Pass came out in early stages of previous years.

It is a rightful and wise decision to recalibrate their efforts a bit, by releasing the additional VO content in 2025 first before diving right into a Season 2 Pass in a way to ensure that everything is done to the quality level we expect. Which means future characters' Story Mode will be launched with VO and they will launch with Japanese voices in combat. That's why 2nd Encore is going on a brief hiatus and we had to get Guest Stars news on Mobile. If this content drops, maybe we can hear some intro dialogues. Maybe we can hear some new voice lines. And maybe we can see alternative voice packs for characters that haven't got one yet.

That said, I will take it online on both console and PC either after additional VO content come out or after my new laptop stand comes. We'll see.

Speaking of Guest Stars, Minette and Brain Drain are now available in Mobile. They are only equipped with a Gold or a Diamond fighter. But they are not done with the Guest Stars department yet because they have one more to work on, and that's Roxie. The development of her shouldn't take that long now that Minette and Brain Drain are out.

Nintendo Switch 2:

So, rumors and leaks continue as we hear more about Nintendo's upcoming new system, the Switch 2. I am very excited to get news about the Switch 2. Nintendo has confirmed that they will deliver the info about it by the end of March and that it will be backwards compatible to every Switch game. There has been some speculation about stronger 3rd party support and its integration with Nvidia to handle running big 3rd party games well and in 4K resolution. It is unclear if the Switch 2 is the official name, but they will reveal it by the end of March.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3:

I have went to my local movie theater to see Sonic Movie 3 and I gotta say that it's freaking dope and full of action. Keanu Reaves did a great job voicing Shadow the Hedgehog. Simply shocking. What is really interesting is that Jim Carey is back to have a role of two Robotniks. That is history there. Usually, Carrey plays the villain, but that has things that never experienced in the games. While watching the movie, I felt some Sly Cooper vibes that Tails is the brains like Bentley while Knuckles is the brawn like Murray. The part involved sabotaging the evil plans. I have loved every second of it.

The post credits scene showed a lingering shadow when Sonic was lost in the forest while in the middle of the race and it's none other than Metal Sonic. More Metal Sonics come to corner Sonic, until an object taken them all down, spins and turns pink. It is none other than the one and only baby girl finally making her debut. And that's Amy Rose.

Now, Amy Rose is the character that I wanted since Sonic Movie 2. She looks so freaking dope and her hammer looks so lit, beating Thor's Mjolnir. After seeing Amy on the post credits scene, I wildly reacted to it at the same level of hype Mightykeef has on his reaction to Sora's debut to Smash Ultimate. It's because she is the character I wanted to make her debut since Sonic Movie 2. The golden age is coming as our one and only baby girl is making her debut, along with Metal Sonic, thus setting the stage for Sonic Movie 4, which is greenlit and in production.

The best thing about the Sonic Movie franchise is a padding that we have with them. They like to feature new characters in each sequel to create a Sonic Cinematic Universe, Sonic Movie 2 featured Tails and Knuckles. Sonic Movie 3 featured Shadow, Gerald Robotnik and Maria Robotnik. And Sonic Movie 4 will feature Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. To my knowledge, each sequel featured several new characters.

I can't wait to see Sonic Movie 4. They have confirmed that it is in production and I am already excited for that. We don't know how Sonic Movie 4 would unfold, but we know one thing's for sure that the new characters are going to be featured are Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. But it is coming out in 2027. But no complaining about that, though because there are several video game movies coming out this year. And they are the sequel to the R-rated 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot and the Minecraft Movie.

Also, I heard Jim Carrey is returning as Robotnik for Sonic Movie 4 and beyond to be faithful to his resillence in the games after his power rest. But can Keanu Reeves return as Shadow too? I hope so because in case Sonic Movie 4 is gonna introduce Rouge also, he needs to return.

You would know that video game movies are usually low in quality because of the poor character design, abysmal dialog and terrible plots. That's why they flopped. But one quality video game movie has broken the curse to pave the way for more quality video game movies, and it's Sonic the Hedgehog. Then the Super Mario Bros. Movie came along to change everything in the video game movie department and become the next quality video game movie.

Sonic got his live action film adaptation. But what would be spectacular is if one of the child friendly video game franchises also gets a live action film adaptation. And it's for Spyro. I made a post about how would a live action Spyro unfold, so here's the link.

https://rpggameroom.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-live-action-spyro-dragon-movie-works.html

Conclusion:

And boy, this first Joe's Monologues of 2025 could be enough to ruffle people's feathers. We rang in the New Year and it's gonna be set to be another greatest year. Here's to a wonderful 2025.

How a Live Action Spyro the Dragon Movie Works

Spyro the Dragon is a franchise that definetely needs to have a film adaptation, but has to be live action, so I have been dreaming of it since Sonic Movie 1. I am going to talk about wanting a live action film adaptation for Spyro the Dragon. Let's jump right in.

I am here with a post that is gonna ruffle people's feathers. Now, I have dreamed of a live action film adaptation for Spyro the Dragon. I have talked about this in private and at the cinema many times, so it's finally high time that I tell you all about how I feel about wanting a live action Spyro the Dragon movie and how would it unfold, so read up as I monologue on what would I want for Spyro's live action movie in this post.

It is easy to make any video gane movie. The first thing you have to do when making a movie, is to find the producers. I belive that Universal is gonna be the perfect producer for the live action film adaptation for Spyro.

Now, the first part of the movie would entail a baby Spyro flying around Artisans World until trouble is spotted that one of the elder dragons call Spyro to come and sends him to Earth in light of the situation happening at his world through a super portal. What's really cool is like when Sonic caused a power surge across the entire Pacific Northwest, a part would entail causing a forest fire across the entire Atlantic Southeast.

At the Pentagon, observers would witness that a forest fire has occured across the entire Atlantic Southeast 20 minutes ago. They witnessed a strange creature being behind the incident, so they would send someone to hunt Spyro down, which is someone living in a rickety house until a distress call has answered. Driving in their car coming to the area is none other than Ripto, who would be the main antagonist of the movie and he is not a midget like in the games since this is a live action film adaptation. I think what's really interesting is like when Dr. Eggman tries to conquer Earth, Ripto would use Spyro's powers for world domination after picking up a purple dragon scale.

World domination would be all part of the plan, which Ripto would devise and he would wear his warlock garment and be armed with his crystal rod to cast spells against Spyro. Spell after spell, he would be knocked unconscious that someone can take Spyro to their house for a shock therapy.

Things would be a part of the situation that Ripto would create by finishing Spyro off, until a phrase wakes him up to gain a temporary buff on his fire breath that would be enough to send Ripto to the Magic Crafters World where he would cut all of his hair and wear a spike on his head. It would be an exciting conclusion to the movie.

Now for the final thing I want for a live action Spyro; introduction to new characters on each movie's post credits scene. What's really cool is that like in every Sonic Movie introducing new characters that in the post credits scene that Sonic Movie 1 introduced Tails, Sonic Movie 2 introduced Shadow and Sonic Movie 3 introduced Metal Sonic and Amy Rose, the post credits scenes in each Spyro Movie would introduce new characters.

So Spyro Movie 1's post credits scene would entail Spyro being saved from being surrounded by the Rhynocs by Elora. Spyro Movie 2's post credits scene would introduce Ember, another dragon. And Spyro Movie 3's post credits scene would entail Spyro and Elora going out in the forest to come across four individuals, Sheila, Sgt. Byrd, Bentley and Agent 9 from Spyro 3 trapped in their cages, then getting surrounded by Rhynocs until Hunter and Bianca come in to save them.

Now let's talk about the snag to this idea of a live action Spyro, which is somebody that can befriend Spyro that would either be two blonde-haired children that completely resemble Handel and Greta spending their summer break at their grandparents' house in a fictional town of Artisan Falls, FL or a black man and a white woman, which would be me and the one I saw working at Carlson's Drive In in a fictional city of Artisan Hills, IN.

First off, two blonde-haired children from the big city spending their summer break at their grandparents' house in Artisan Falls. You know that in the live action adaptation of Dumbo, two children befriended Dumbo and in Barney's Great Adventure, the kids spend their summer break at their grandparents' house? Well, these are the movies that have that. If the live action Spyro gets into production to feature two children of the same age teaming up with our purple lad, that part would be similar to Dumbo and Barney's Great Adventure.

Now let's go on to another thing, which is me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro. What is really cool is that Sonic Movies have a white man and a black woman teaming up with Sonic. For the live action Spyro, it would have a black man that would be me and my white girlfriend that would be the one I saw working at Carlson's Drive In befriending Spyro. If it goes into production to have me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro to stop Ripto in a race against time, copyright issues might occur.

But what would be interesting is that if this movie entails me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro in Indiana's fictional city, it won't be just to stop Ripto, but to also have parts involving me and Spyro going out, me taking an unconscious Spyro to my place to gain his consciousness back after one of Ripto's spells knocked him unconsciously, but to find out that my girlfriend would be upset with me for leaving the house without telling her until I introduce her to Spyro and throwing a portal orb that leads to the Magic Crafters World for Spyro to send Ripto to. I believe that having me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro and setting up a family in Artisan Hills is a better option.

There are a lot of possibilities for this movie to have. If Spyro Movie 1 did well at the box office, Spyro Movie 2 would be greenlit and it would entail Spyro meeting Elora asking if she is some sort of goat, then she would say the iconic "I'm a faun, you dork!" phrase heard in Spyro 2 and my girlfriend and I would welcome her to the family.

Why I want this movie and its sequels to take place in Indiana and its fictional city is because it's the State I was from that I visited twice last year. Once for my big brother's wedding and once for my father's funeral. The one that works at the hot dog drive out there would be my movie girlfriend and it has the forests. Seeing them makes me think of Elora because you know, she is one with the forest. Leaf dress, goat legs with the same color as the tree bark, power of healing, you name it. But only during the Spring and Summer because during these times, trees have leaves to produce Mana. In fact, it is perfect for Spyro Movie 1's post credits scene where Spyro would meet Elora after being saved by the Rhynocs in the forest.

I am planning to visit my birthplace anytime now that I conquered my fear of flying in an airplane, but it's gonna be during the Spring and Summer times because those are the best times because of its warmth.

If I want a live action Spyro to be a reality, this above is how I want to be unfolded. I know that some wouldn't give a crap about me wanting it, but Spyro needs to have his film adaptation like others. In fact, he won't be the only one who needs one because Crash Bandicoot needs one too and it's gonna be produced by Universal as well, but CGI animated by Illumination since Crash Bandicoot has that wacky Looney Tunes nature, whether it's comedy nature, a play on words, gags and unhinged moments. They are essential for a CGI animated Crash Bandicoot.

I also meant to tell you that part one of my Crash Team Rumble livestream where I play as only as Spyro characters in their default skins ended unexpectedly because setting up my passkey has turned off my livestream. I'm going to start all over again and make sure I end the livestream safely.

Joe's Monologues - 12/30/2024

Alright, everyone. We are down to the penultimate day of 2024 before we head into 2025, so today's Joe's Monologues is the final one of the year. I have exciting topics to talk about, so let's jump right in.

PlayStation's Nostalgic Revival:

As we all know, PlayStation has become a beloved brand for 30 years since its establishment. To make it even more exciting, Herman Hulst has confirmed that PlayStation is finally reviving their back catalog of their classic IPs like Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, etc. What this means is that we are finally seeing them making a comeback for new games for the forgotten franchises. What has driven the brand to revive their back catalog of their classic IPs is Astro Bot's excellent performance. It sold a ton of copies, won Best PS5 Game of 2024 and won Game of the Year over its bots that dress up as PlayStation characters. This is great news that the dead franchises are finally getting some love they deserve, thanks to Astro Bot.

This could also mean that PS Plus Premium is getting the rest of the games of the classic franchises. The Sly Cooper franchise was already put together after the rest of the games got released on the back catalog, so it's likely that we're gonna see the PS Plus Premium versions of the sequels and the racing game of the Jak and Daxter franchise, Ape Escape 2, Ape Escape 3 and more. Finally, after years of begging, the classic franchises are making a comeback to have new games.

The golden age is coming that Herman Hulst and Hideaki Nishino are maintaining the brand for the greater good to help establish the ultimate PlayStation experience. If it wasn't for Astro Bot and as long as Jim Ryan led PlayStation in any way, shape or form, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Ape Escape, etc. were franchises that would never make a comeback. There are a lot of possibilities for them, meaning if and when the rest of the Jak and Daxter and Ape Escape franchises come to PS Plus Premium, they are literally reviving their classic IPs.

Producing Better Content:

Practically speaking, it takes a powerful computer and resources to make better content, and the with the computer I'm using being powerful enough to enhance multitasking with no slowdown and Bandicam being registered to break the 10 minute recording limit and remove the watermark, I can be able to produce better content on YouTube and looking to do reaction videos and dream logo combos.

Also, I was playing Skullgirls on my new computer and it ran smoothly. With my gaming laptop to run games smoothly, I can be able to take it online and participate in Beta branches on Steam if the Season 2 Pass is greenlit. But that won't be seeing the light of day until the VO content is released in 2025. Once that comes, we'll expect info about them. I'm gonna take action either after the additional VO content drop or after my new pair of Switch Joy Cons comes. I'm gonna start something small by opening up a two-player lobby for a few matches. After all, I do miss experiencing the Bella-Beo-Band team, the battle in the NMO Arena and the fact that we get to see charming gestures.

Goodbye, Wi-Fi, Hello, Ethernet:

That's right. I am using a wired Ethernet connection to establish a stable internet connection with no lag on both my new computer and on console. This means there will be zero lag, so no more Wi-Fi lag on gaming. I am looking forward to this. I will no longer experience all that lag when I'm using a wired Ethernet connection. Also, Remote Play is usually laggy when far away from the access point a bit, but now that I have a wired connection, I can be able to play PS5 games on my new computer.

Conclusion:

Tomorrow is the final day of 2024 as we approach 2025. Let's ring in the New Year strong.

Joe's Monologues - 12/8/24

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another Joe's Monologues that has an announcement that I am happy to share today. Before we get to the announcement, I have other topics to talk about first. Without further ado, let's dive right in.

PlayStation 30th Anniversary:

The celebration is in full swing so far. The PS5 got an update that given us an option to switch between themes of older PlayStation consoles. I liked the PS2 theme the best because of one thing besides the fact that it's the best selling Sony console. It's the charming environment platforming PS2 games have, like Jak and Daxter. We currently have them on the catalog. And we are gonna get more of them in December 10, which is when three more PS2 games get added as part of the milestone celebration.

During PlayStation's 30th year, PlayStation Plus Premium will get more classics monthly and that's something that will make the celebration even more exciting, so no more just sticking with playing our remasters bullcrap with the execption of one game that is faithful to the original's charming environment despite being remastered. That's Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, which I got to beat before playing the sequel.

What I like to see the most on the PS2 department are Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, the Budokai trilogy and the Simpsons: Hit & Run. These games are the ones I loved as a child and been holding them to my heart with the exception of the 3D-era Mortal Kombat games because I was too young to play them and Mortal Kombat is a franchise only suitable for mature audiences because there is extreme violence with gore and strong language on games on the NRS-era, which consisted of hearing the f word. Hopefully, I can be able to revisit them if Sony ever brings them to us.

Seasons of Mana:

Of course, I have did my pitch for the next Mana title. What makes it so special is that I have been coming up with avenues it can really take, like Unreal Engine 5, the party of six characters, etc. But I have one piece of information left over that I have not talked about in my Seasons of Mana pitch yet. Activating Elemental Lighthouses to gain access to the Sanctuary of Mana. Like how Mario & Luigi: Brothership involved relighting the four Great Lighthouses in a way to restore Concordia to its former glory and Tales of Symphonia involved activating all eight Elemental Temples, you would activate all eight Elemental Lighthouses, so Great Lighthouses + Elemental Temples = Elemental Lighthouses.

So when you are at the point when you have all eight Alms, you would be tasked to activate all eight Elemental Lighthouses. Each lighthouse has a Benevodon you must fight. Activate all eight Elemental Lighthouses and the portal to the Sanctuary of Mana would open at the naval of the world located in the land of four seasons.

Again, we don't know if Seasons of Mana is potentially the next mainline Mana title. We will be in the know for the next one when 2026 comes.

Big Announcement:

Alright, folks, it's time for the big announcement. I have officially bought my new gaming laptop. The specs are good that it can not just play games smoothly, but also uses graphics cards to enhance multitasking with little to no slowdown. With it, I can be able to start my journey to also become a PC player, do video editing to create my own video game logo combos, speed up my Wrapper Offline career and send an invite to my online casual. I was playing MultiVersus on it as a test run and it turned out to be smooth. I am doing a PC streaming test on MultiVersus. Because this is a test stream, there will be commentary, I will be playing against bots throughout the test stream.

I plan to get games I have on console on PC, like MultiVersus and Marvel Rivals, which is a great hero shooter. I also plan to get games on both PC and console in a way to become an onmiplayer, a player who plays their games on both PC and console like others before me. I will be posting video game clips and VODs on my gaming channel on YouTube, so don't forget to subscribe there. Here's the link to my gaming channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@KnockDownJoeGaming

Also, if Seasons of Mana comes into fruition, I will get it on Steam first now that I got a gaming laptop.

Conclusion:

As we approach the end of 2024, this is potentially the final Joe's Monologues of this year before we head into 2025. I am excited to start this journey to also become a PC player. You have a wonderful day.

PlayStation 30th Anniversary is Here

Ladies and gentlemen of the gaming community, PlayStation has just turned 30 today. That's right. It has been 30 years since PlayStation was first established in 1994. It has been an insane road for the beloved brand. They have great games they have been made for 30 years from the polygon model to the realistic model by games played in 4K. 30 years in the making.

The PS5 got a free update that gives us the option to switch between the PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 themes under PlayStation 30th Anniversary in Settings and when you boot the PS5, you'll re experience the PS1 startup screen every time. It only lasts during the celebration. If I want to choose between the themes, it's gonna be the PS1 and PS2 themes.

All developers that worked with PlayStation are also a part of this, except one developer, Firewalk Studios. They were developers of the flopped short lived FPS game called Concord. They will not make it because the studio was shut down after the developers couldn't explore options to better reach more players. That means Concord will always be forgotten because of it. It went under that Firewalk is gonna miss the celebration because their game flopped by having its bland cast of characters and maps, the $40 pricing on a hero shooter game and slow-paced gameplay. However, it will remain on Secret Level despite that.

These first and third party games have become gems of PlayStation that they are cherishable. We love these games and been holding them to our hearts for so long. If you have been losing track, the first PlayStation has great games. Then the PS2 followed suit and it is backwards compatible to every PS1 game. When the PS3 came out, some models can play PS1 games while some others can play PS2 games. Its storefront has a lot of PS1 games, but has a small library of PS2 games.

The one thing on how the classic titles were fizzled out after the release of the PS4 is due to the shift to the modern era. That's why Sony came up with a service, PlayStation Now. That service was terrible because of its limited selection of PS2 games and the lack of PS1 games. It's worth noting that the PS3's architecture is hard to work on, which is why the PS4 lacked backwards compatibility while the PS5 is only backwards compatible to both current and future PS4 games.

That's how PlayStation's previous anniversaries in the 20s didn't turn out to be exciting, and playing remasters of games originally released on the classic trio of consoles is just bullcrap that it is not nearly enough to make the previous milestone celebrations even more exciting since they work on modern consoles. But Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is an exception because the game and its sequel are faithful to their charming environment despite them remastered. You have to understand that.

But PlayStation 30th Anniversary will be even more exciting because of one thing that revived retro gaming in 2022. That is PlayStation Plus Premium. Before I explain how, I like to tell you one thing.

There was supposed to be a patch that brings the PS Now version of PS2 games the PS Plus Premium treatment to have emulation features, but apparently, the PS Now version of PS2 games are gonna remain available while the PS Plus Premium version of them are present. But it's fine. I am deleting the PS Now versions of them and replacing them with the PS Plus Premium version so that I can take advantage of the handy rewind feature to rewind back to the point where I made that mistake and watch logos over and over again and switch between the NTSC and PAL versions.

Let's not forget that the PS Plus Premium version of PS2 games are faithful to the PS Now version of PS2 games, but have emulation features. There is a tell that hovering over a PS2 game displays the PS4 logo to represent that it's the PS Now version while hovering over a PS2 game displays the PS5 and PS4 logo to represent that it's the PS Plus Premium version.

With that out of the way, let's explain how PS Plus Premium is gonna make the milestone celebration even more exciting. Besides a bigger selection of classic games and adding new classics monthly, there are three reasons.

First reason is straight up an early look at the lineup for this month's retro games coming later this month. It was revealed to be Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The lineup has sequels to Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus in the original Sly PS2 trilogy and the PS Plus Premium version of the next existing PS2 game. These are the games that I rented from Hollywood Video and they are on my wish list.

Second reason, a padding that we had this year with Sony is that they like to announce a lineup of new classics on each special event. This year's Days of Play announced Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Tomb Raider: Legends. The recent State of Play announced Dino Crisis and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. And PlayStation 30th Anniversary announced sequels in the original Sly trilogy and the PS Plus Premium release of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. To my knowledge, there haven't been a new PS2 game so long since the launch of the new PS Plus, so they had to release a lot more PS2 games, including the lineup of three PS2 games coming this month to make things up.

After all, the PS2 is my most favorite PlayStation console because of games that have their charming environment, like Jak and Daxter, which will be the next existing PS2 game to get the PS Plus Premium release to have emulation features and Crash and Spyro games, the characters' smooth and thinned out look, the Dolby and THX logos, Radical's two Simpsons games, video game companies that were established and got defunct during the 6th era and the way copyright screens and logos flow that I have been looking for the ones that have that while my PS Plus Premium subscription was active.

Also, the catalog of PS1, PS2 and PSP games is continuing to grow because of the special events, so they have divided it into three separate catalogs. One for PS1 games, one for PS2 games and one for PSP games in time for the brand's 30th year milestone. However, there are some flaws in them. They have remakes, remasters and PlayStation Plus Extra-eligible games on there and they are not reflecting the current library of classics. I feel like that they need to be updated to have latest classics and remove games that are part of PS Plus Extra, remakes and remasters for clarity because having them on the Classics Catalog makes it confusing and remakes and remasters work on powerful consoles.

Thirdly, playing PSP games on the big screen for the first time marked history, and it's largely applied to playing GB and GBA games on the big screen on with Nintendo Switch Online. Now, if I am correct, Sony is working a new PS5 portable console that is gonna compete with Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 and Valve's Steam Deck. This is the first time Sony is finally returning to the handheld market since the PSVita launched in Japan back in 2011 until it was discontinued back in early 2019 in Japan before the PS5 was released, but remains available in North America. This means the PSP games will be played on the new handheld.

Reasons above, PlayStation Plus Premium is how PlayStation 30th Anniversary is gonna be even more exciting. Just so you know, if PS Now still existed in any way, shape or form, the celebration of the brand's 30th year milestone would never be even more hype. But that will never be the case because since PS Plus Premium is in order, it will continue to receive more classic games, meaning if and when the brand's next Anniversaries come, we will see new classics get announced on them.

And I know you are asking what about the sequels in the Jak and Daxter trilogy and its racing game. Well, they exist, but they are the PS Now versions of them. Since the PS Plus Premium version of the first game is coming, the sequels and the racing game will follow up.

One last thing to point out. We fans of PlayStation have enjoyed the tradition we all adore. It has been a wonderful product for 30 years. What I'm trying to say is that PlayStation will change you. You could be a part of this massive community. Let's look at the brighter future and not let go of the past together as friends and family.