The PS2 launched in 2000 and was a huge deal in the gaming space. The launch lineup wasn’t exactly stellar though, but as the years went on, more and more games came out. 2001 had incredible hits likeMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyandFinal Fantasy 10.
2002 was the debut of theKingdom HeartsandRatchet and Clankfranchises along with stellar sequels likeGrand Theft Auto: Vice City. 2003 had some cult classics in it likeXenosaga Episode 1andBeyond Good & Evil. Those are all great years filled with great games, but now let’s see what PS2 games are worth celebrating in 2024 from a wide array of genres.
Killzonewas being heraldedin the press to be Sony’s answer to Halo. It was a first-person shooter with a distinct art style that helped it stand out thanks to the glowing orange eyes of the enemy soldiers. While it may not have been as good as Halo, the first game was a solid shooter on PS2. There was some nice variety to everything as well since there were multiple protagonists. The series would go on to make three more console games along with a tactical spinoff on PSP which is a fairly decent legacy twenty years in the making.
Resident Evil Outbreakwas first released in 2003 in Japan but North America would soon get a taste in 2004. It’s one of the most experimental games in the series and it took place around the events ofResident Evil 2.
Raccoon City is overrun with zombies and players could inhabit a small roster of NPCs to survive with including a reporter and a waitress. It could be played alone, but it was easier if players had an online connection to play with others which wasn’t as easy for everyone in 2004. The games would get a direct sequel and a planned third entry, but it was eventually canceled.
Red Dead Revolveris much different than the two spiritual sequels that would come after. This was originally a more cheesy Western with short levels and more chaotic action. The game was almost in the same area of weirdness asDevil May Crysince this too was made by Capcom. It was an homage to spaghetti westerns with all of the zany characters and one-liners.Red Dead Revolvermay not be the best action game on PS2 but it can at least be thanked for creating two massive open-world sequels thanks to Rockstar Games.
One of the coolest things about this series was Konami’s willingness to experiment with tones, characters, and places.Silent Hill 4: The Roomsaw players return to Silent Hill but in a different form. A good majority of the game was spent in a room as well, with new unsettling elements added the further players progressed.Silent Hill 2deservingly gets a lot of love as it has been remastered and is getting a full-on remake. That’s great, but it would be nice to seeSilent Hill 4: The Roomget the remaster treatment too because it is stuck on old hardware.
2004 brought one of the bestStar Warsgames of all time,Star Wars: Battlefront. It’s the far superior game to the spiritual sequel that EA would go on to make years later which took out so many good modes. Besides the campaign which took players through iconic battles, there was a conquest mode that was fun alone or with friends. The multiplayer aspect past the co-op was fun too, even though the shooting wasn’t as tight asHaloon the original Xbox. This game would get a direct sequel, two portable games, and two reboots which EA handled as mentioned earlier.
Katamari Damacyisstill one of the wildest games to have come out on PS2 let alone all of video games. Who would have ever thought about making a game where basically god gets drunk, recks the universe, and then has his son roll up random garbage to become planets and stars?
Who would have also guessed that this would become a long-running franchise, hitting almost every console and portable after 2004?Katamari Damacyis one of those rare gifts that comes along every few generations. It’s silly and easy to pick up and play for any type of video game fan out there.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eaterpushed the console to the brink with everything it was trying to do. The camouflage system may have been a pain to set up in the menus, but a well-placed green pattern in grass or dark brown pattern mud really did help avoid detection. The outdoor setting was also a big change, giving more players flexibility in the field. Perhaps the greatest legacy of this game isthat Big Boss, instead of Solid Snake, would go on to star in three direct sequels. It’s sometimes easy to forget that he is a bad guy but this prequel quadrilogy helped fans understand where Big Boss was coming from.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreaswas the final main game in the series to hit PS2 and it blew everyone away. The LA equivalent cities and the wide countryside made this game one of the biggest open-world experiences on PS2. It had an engaging story with Hollywood talent including Samuel L. Jackson as the lead villain. Plus the RPG elements and territory wars helped add more variety to character growth. Strangely, the game never got a spinoff unlikeGrand Theft Auto 3andVice City, but the lack of a spinoff just makesSan Andreasmore special.
