PS2 Slim
I’ve often complained about Sony’s – and indeed the entire AAA industry’s – lack of risk and creativity of late, although to be perfectly fair, we ARE taking Astro Bot in September, so cheers to that particular platform renaissance.
There is also South of midnight hitting Xbox and PC in 2025, which similarly channel a time in gaming when weirder was often, well, better. Or at least, compelling enough to warrant a green light from significantly less shy publishers. I mean, in the 90s, Sony Computer Entertainment published Artdink’s The tail of the Sun on PS1 in the United States. Things have changed, for sure.
Speaking of weird PlayStation titles, it was announced today that the 2004 PS2 action/horror adventure Ghost hunter coming to PlayStation Plus on June 18. This weird definitely-not-Ghostbusters The game was developed in-house by SCE Studio Cambridge (Primal, MediEvil) and was released to fairly favorable reviews, even if the experience was perhaps derivative of Dan Aykroyd’s 1980s pop culture phenomenon.
The release was particularly odd for this: Electronic Arts in Japan (2004), Sony Computer Entertainment in Europe (2003) and of all game companies, Namco in North America (2004). What was going on there? Pretty wild.
Ghost hunter
Here’s what IGN had to say 20 (!) years ago (Result: 8.4):
Viable but straightforward action marred only by a few annoying puzzles isn’t a bad thing. When you take that, combine it with likable characters, an interesting and funny scene, and some of the best visuals, you get something that’s great.
It’s gorgeous and well produced. But for almost as much as it’s exciting and inspiring, Ghosthunter is also ordinary. This is an experience that shouldn’t be casually overlooked by PS2 gamers looking for something new, but it’s still far from perfect.
Buy Ghosthunter and you will be satisfied, just not for the reasons you thought you would be.”
So next Tuesday, if you’re a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber, you can download it Ghost hunter and take a look at a distant past, where an unusual game like this was not only flashed by Sony, but also developed by one of its first-party studios. I have an old physical copy floating around my collection somewhere and I remember having fun with it on my PS2 Slim back in the old days.
Daxter
What’s extra cool is that we’re getting another solid addition to the Classics Catalog together Ghost hunter on June 18, and this is the year 2006 Jak and Daxter spin-off, Daxter. This brings back a lot of fond, early PSP memories for me, and I hope it holds up well. And hey, maybe we can play it two analog sticks this time, instead of fighting that pesky little analog nub!
Check out IGN’s original verdict (Score: 9.0) :
“Daxter is simply an incredible PSP game that brings back the old school platform games that the industry has increasingly moved away from. Sure, her story is somewhat ridiculous and even a little boring, but the events that led to the story are fantastic. From the slick level design to the ultra-refined controls to the excellent production values, Daxter is a must-see game for every PSP gamer.”
Check out what I found inside the PS2 Slim: Flipnic!
Of course, with both of these revivals, you’ll get the usual Classic upgrades, like respawn abilities, respawning, and (maybe) trophy support. Chances are high on that last part because Daxter AND Ghost hunter are first party Sony software and those games tend to get modern trophies.
It’s great to see Sony showing some retro love for its founding consoles, such as the Sly Cooper’s last upload, and especially in terms of lesser known titles like Ghost hunter. It’s a tragedy that SCE Studio Cambridge closed its doors in 2017, but reproducing one of their hidden gems on PS4/PS5 feels like a fitting, if not woefully inadequate, posthumous tribute to all that good work .