God of War Classics Set for Revival on PS Plus Premium with Native Emulation
Sony may bring classic God of War titles back to PlayStation via native emulation on PS Plus Premium, celebrating the franchise's 20th anniversary.
Sony is reportedly preparing some of the classic titles from the franchise in its PlayStation Plus Premium services as a significant celebration of the 20th anniversary of God of War. Some key art from the older God of War titles was discovered within the PS2 Classics list in the PS Plus Premium. It led to speculation that native emulation for older titles within the God of War franchise is on its way.
Classic Games Could Be Making a Return
Iconic God of War, first on the PS2 in 2005, and God of War II in 2007. While that series was a clear success on both critical and commercial fronts, much of the older titles, including the PSP smashers Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, can now only be accessed today through cloud streaming on PS Plus Premium. However, rumours abound that Sony could be paving the way to natively include these classics by emulation, as it came out recently that key art covering Kratos from the Greek-era games had been found.
This would be a game-changer for the long haul, with the only means to play such old titles being cloud streaming, which many people find inconvenient due to lag issues and requirements for connections. The shift to native emulation could enable smoother and even more immersive experiences on PS4 and PS5 consoles.
PS2 and PSP Titles Likely, PS3 Titles Remain Cloud-Based
Fans are holding out hope that the native editions of the PS2 and PSP God of War titles may return, but it seems to be that the PS3 instalment,God of War Ascension,would be treated as a PS3 title, and will come to the PS5 natively. As of now, the PS5 does not natively support emulating the PS3, and there is no indication Sony is changing its approach with that.
However, this would be in the nature of paying respects to God of War being one of Sony's favourite franchises in its catalogue. While rumours did start surfacing about a remaster, it really seems more plausible that the next batch of launches would be more under the emulation category for PS Plus Premium.
Community Feedback: Nostalgia Meets Excitement
Fans in the God of War community across the board are hyped about potential chances to play the games without cloud streaming. One fan said: "If Sony pulls this off, that's a dream come true. Playing the Greek saga in its original form on modern hardware? Sign me up." Others are being optimistic, hoping that Ascension would not take too much of a backseat after too long.
The God of War franchise is nearly at its 20th anniversary, and signs are pointing to it being a major revival of some of its classic titles on PlayStation Plus Premium. If this rumor materializes, it would be a huge milestone for both fans and Sony as it would usher in new gamers experiencing Kratos' earliest adventures through stunning emulations.
