Sony recently revealed its upcoming batch of PS Plus Extra and Premium games, featuring 13 total in all. Each stands out for different reasons, appealing to a variety of gaming fans to boot. However, one of these PS Plus Premium titles is of particular note, just because it brings one entire classic franchise closer to being playable on modern hardware.
PS Plus Extra subscribers have an extensive list of games to claim come March 19, while those subscribed to PS Plus Premium can claim those in addition to six more games: Cool Boarders, Gods Eater Burst, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, JoJos Bizarre Adventure AllStar Battle R, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Each game is an interesting addition in its own right, but Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier brings the franchise full circle with the PS2 and sets the stage for the entire Jak and Daxter franchise being playable on the same hardware for the first time ever.
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The Jak and Daxter Games on PS2
It's no secret that the Jak and Daxter franchise has received little-to-no traction in recent years. There are rumors of a Jak and Daxter movie being in the works, but it always feels like there are rumors about a beloved game IP receiving a movie adaptation. They don't always manifest, even if legit. The result is that the last "release" was the 2017 bundle which featured ports of the first four games in the franchise (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor, Jak 2, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing). Before that was a 2012 remaster of the original trilogy for PS4, and before that was the last brand new release in the franchise: 2009's Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier on PS2 and PSP. It's been 18 years since a new game then, and while the franchise is not likely to see another, it does seem to be finding new life on modern hardware.
Every Jak and Daxter Game in the Franchise (Platforms, Release Year)
- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2, 2001)
- Jak 2 (PS2, 2003)
- Jak 3 (PS2, 2004)
- Jak X: Combat Racing (PS2, 2005)
- Daxter (PSP, 2006)
- Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS2/PSP, 2009)
Thanks to the bundle, playing the first four games on PS4 (and by extension PS5) has been possible for the past seven years. However, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier has not been playable on modern hardware before, likely due to the fact it's less popular than other games in the franchise. In other words, a PS2 in 2009 could play more of the Jak and Daxter franchise than someone on PS4/PS5 could have before the newest batch of PS Plus Premium games. Now, thanks to PS Plus Premium, 5 out of 6 games are playable on modern hardware - something that the franchise hasn't done since the PS2 era.
All Jak and Daxter Games on PS4/PS5 May Not Be a Pipe Dream
However, it may not end there. Many fans have been calling for PS Plus Premium to add Daxter for some time now, just because it was one of the best PSP games of the time alongside part of this beloved IP. PS Plus Premium periodically adds PSP games, and while they are perhaps the black sheep on the service, it's likely to happen eventually. Thanks to PS Plus Premium's addition of Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, Daxter's addition seems even likelier - and if it did happen, it would be the first time someone could play the entire franchise on the same hardware ever before. It wasn't possible during the PS2 era, understandably, and Daxter was a PSP game.
It could be this year, it could be next year, or it could be several years, but it feels like it's legitimately going to happen. PS Plus Premium's addition of Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier sets the stage for the franchise's memory to be honored, even if it doesn't seemingly have much of a future.
Jak and Daxter
The Jak and Daxter series was created by Naughty Dog and began in December 2001. The first game had a '90s mascot platformer style, while the second and third games employed a darker tone and ventured into the action-adventure genre.
The series also has a vehicular combat game, a spin-off Daxter game, and another platform game from the studio High Impact Games.
