Games You May Have Missed: PlayStation Underground Jampack
What happens when a magazine starts producing demo discs? You get PlayStation Underground Jampack!
Welcome to Games You Might Have Missed. A look at games that didn’t necessarily sell a lot of copies but may be worth a few bucks and a few hours. In this edition, we switch gears and look at the PlayStation Underground Jampack demo discs.
Long before digital marketplaces took over the video game retail space, it was tough to tell if a game was going to be worth sinking time and money into before purchasing. There were no YouTube reviews or Let’s Play videos for gamers to get a sneak peak of the gameplay from. The options were much simpler. Either rent the game from Blockbuster or Hollywood Video after it was released, or find a demo disk to get a preview of the game. That’s where Jampack came in for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Let’s dive into what these disks did for gamers in the late 90s and early 2000s.
PlayStation Underground Jampack
What Was PlayStation Underground?
Starting in 1997 gamers were able to experience the digital magazine PlayStation Underground. Hearing the word digital magazine in 2025 may make one think of an electronic magazine that can be read on a phone, tablet, or e-reader. Back in 1997 however, the digital magazine format was made discs that were inserted into the PlayStation and later PlayStation 2 console to be viewed.
The PlayStation Underground discs included trailers, demos and more. The first issue was released in March of 1997 and the final issue was released in 2001. Following the Q3 2021 issue, the magazine was merged with the traditional print U.S PlayStation Magazine. Although the magazine was relatively short lived, it had a unique tie-in with Jampack, which would run well past the final PlayStation Underground issue. The framework for what the Jampack demo disks was laid out by the PlayStation Underground magazine. The PlayStation Underground name stayed attached to the Jampack discs even after the digital magazine was discontinued. The final issue of Jampack released in October of 2006.
These discs gave gamers the ability to demo games and other content long before the information was widely available on digital marketplaces such as the PlayStation or Microsoft Store. This was also before the rise of YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and other streaming platforms we now use to access gaming trailers and playthrough content. It was also an opportunity for developers and publishers to build hype for a game in a way that felt authentic and that gamers did not feel the marketing was forced upon them. The PlayStation Underground brand had a unique and edgy aesthetic to it that felt distinct and different from other magazines and marketing tools.
Enter Jampack
The first PlayStation Jampack released in June of 1998 and included seven playable demos. The demo lineup included PlayStation classics Tekken 3, Hot Shots Golf, and Gran Turismo. Other demos included Blasto, Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, Jersey Devil, Test Drive 5, and Tomba! From there the Jampack discs began to act as a preview for the PlayStation Underground digital magazine.
As the PlayStation lifecycle came to a close and the focus or Sony shifted to the PlayStation 2, so did that of the Jampack series. The final PlayStation issue released in Fall of 2001 with the first PlayStation 2 edition releasing just before that in Summer of 2001. The first PlayStation 2 edition featured demos from ATV Offroad Fury, Cool Boarders 2001, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Ico, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, MX 2002 featuring Ricky Carmichael, Red Faction, Star Wars: Starfighter, Zone of the Enders.
With the second release of Jampack for the PlayStation 2 in Winter of 2001 some new features were added to the disc as well that had previously been seen in the PlayStation Underground digital magazine.
Content Expansion and Adjustments
Starting with the Winter 2001 release of Jampack, PlayStation Underground began to included content beyond just game demos in the PlayStation 2 Jampack disks. Trailers for upcoming releases, behind the scenes of game development, game tips, developer interviews, and more were included in the discs. This was modeled after the format laid out by the PlayStation Underground magazine which included features such as “Code Book” which had tips and cheat codes, “Debriefing” which consisted of interviews with PlayStation console designers, “Behind the Scenes” which showed footage from developers as they worked on games and more.
Starting with the Winter 2002 edition, PlayStation Underground also started to release alternative versions of Jampack that removed the mature content. Gamers were able to choose if they wanted content that was rated up to “T for Teen” or “M for Mature” with each release of Jampack. This would swap demos such as Primal (a “M” rated action game) for Stuntman (a “T” rated adventure racing game) in the respective versions.
Notable Content Throughout the Years
The PlayStation 2 has the largest gaming catalog of any gaming console ever released. Some notable demos that came through the Jampack discs included ATV Offroad Fury, Final Fantasy X, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, SOCOM U.S Navy Seals, Tom Clancy Splinter Cell, Syphon Filter: Omega Strain, and many more.
Gamers also had sneak peak trailers and other content to notable games such as Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, Jak II, NBA Street Volume II, Kingdom Hearts and more.
Should You Play a Jampack?
Obviously they are are just demos and not full editions of games. However, if you are feeling nostalgic for a pre-digital marketplace way to test games, or want to learn more about games such as Extermination were designed with the early PlayStation 2 technology, than these are for you.
Even just scrolling through the different menus will send you through a time warp back to the early 2000s aesthetic and styles of gaming. It is also entertaining to hear developers talk about classics such as Jak and Daxter before the games were released to the PlayStation 2 console.
Did you subscribe to PlayStation Underground or play the Jampack discs? Sound off in the comments below.
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