The fondly remembered Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as part of the newly revamped PlayStation Plus. Sony announced its plans to compete with Xbox Game Pass by adding a new tier system to its existing PS Plus subscription service - with the Premium tier granting access to older PlayStation titles. These include iconic games like Tekken 2 and the PS3 version of Demon's Souls, and the most recent PlayStation Plus leak suggests that Dino Crisis will be playable as well.
One classic game from the original PlayStation era many gamers wouldn’t expect to make this list right off the bat is Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, a licensed platformer by THQ and longtime LEGO Star Wars developer Travelers Tales. Released alongside the Toy Story 2 animated film in the fall of 1999, Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue put players in the role of the titular action figure as he and the rest of Andy’s toys set out to rescue Woody by journeying across 15 different 3D levels. Along the way, Buzz can complete tasks for various NPCs in exchange for Pizza Planet tokens that unlock the next level, battle bosses like Evil Emperor Zurg and The Prospector, and utilize space-themed power-ups like an energy shield or rocket boots. Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue would go on to be considered one of the best Toy Story games ever made.
Now PS4 and PS5 owners will get the chance to experience Toy Story2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue all over again, as Reddit user NonGetGudPlayer recently discovered that the game is included with the list of classic PlayStation games that will be added to the new PlayStation Plus when it goes live in June. In their post to the PlayStation subreddit, they recalled memories of playing Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. NonGetGudPlayer also requested that the equally classic game Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time be added to PlayStation Plus next. Other Reddit users have made similar requests for family-friendly platformers like 1996’s Mickey's Wild Adventure and 2001’s Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider and shared a few of their own memories of playing through Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue.
After the release of Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, Buzz would make several more video game appearances as playable characters in Disney-themed titles like Disney Infinity and Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure, as well adaptations of the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command spin-off cartoon and Toy Story 3. The space ranger’s most recent triple-A gaming role came in 2019’s Kingdom Hearts 3, where Buzz and the rest of Andy’s toys helped Sora fend off the Heartless in the Toy Box World.
With Buzz Lightyear set to return to the big screen later this year in Lightyear (where Captain America star Chris Evans will voice the “real” hero who inspired Andy’s toy), some Toy Story fans are likely feeling nostalgic for some of the great hero’s classic gaming adventures, including the PS1’s Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. They will soon be able to play through this fondly remembered platformer on the PS4 and PS5 by subscribing to the new PlayStation Plus service when it launches next month.
Source: NonGetGudPlayer/Reddit