Sony PlayStation celebrates its 30th anniversary today since its retro-themed launch on the PlayStation 5. At the same time last week, the PlayStation 2 has sold over 160 million units since its launch, making it the best-selling console in history. In light of these two historic milestones, we’ve come up with a list of the 10 best PlayStation 2 games that we feel are perhaps the most important consoles in the history of video games.
10. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
In every “best” list, the writer is allowed to include one personal favorite game that readers may not agree with. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is our personal pick for this list because it’s the best arcade plane game on the PS2. The PS2’s increased graphical power allowed the Project Aces team at Namco to put high-quality FMV, volumetric clouds, and higher polygons on every playable fighter model.
These solid graphics are matched by a compelling storyline set in the world of Strangereal. Starting as a cadet, the player slowly becomes a war hero with a plot that we are sure inspired Top Gun Maverick. Captain Bartlett, Kei Nagase, Chopper and The Demon of Razgriz to this day are among the most memorable characters for fans of the Ace Combat series.
9.Shadow of the Colossus
Can a storyline be done using a non-existent constructed language? Can polygons make you shed a manly tear. Our answer to this question is yes twice. SotC changed our perception of action games. It is not necessarily just a massacre of buttons. controls until they shatter.
There is a rhythm and the right time to press the buttons. Each Colossus that needs to be killed is a puzzle that needs to be climbed wisely. The power of the PS2 allows for realistic giant characters (by 2005 graphics standards) to be displayed on the screen. What disappoints us is that the director of this game, Fumito Ueda, has not released a new game in over eight years.
8.Guitar Hero II
Often games that require gimmicky controls are doomed to fail. Just look at Steel Battalion for Xbox, and Samba de Amigo and Seaman for Dreamcast. After one game, these controllers were no longer usable with other games. Guitar Hero II started the phenomenon that made buying a wireless plastic guitar a reasonable thing to do.
In 2006 while still in university we bought a GH II with two guitar controllers. It was the best investment because every weekend our fancy house was often the hangout of choice for friends who wanted to have fun without having to spend money. The controllers we bought are still usable today. Unfortunately the Guitar Hero series (and also Rock Band) have been discontinued. But if you want to fight, we are ready to fight you for a round two of the song Free Bird.
7. Gran Turismo 4
Grand Turismo 4 started the HD era of the PlayStation 2 as it was one of only four games that supported 1080i resolution. It was not 1080p yet but I still remember playing GT4 on an HD TV for the first time at home. The images looked sharper and the GT4's lighting system made every vehicle, especially the Ford GT40, look like the real thing. GT4 is a game created to showcase the PlayStation 2's graphics capabilities with demos constantly being shown off at video game stores. The graphics are solid and the action is realistic. That's why we've included GT4 on this list.
6.Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 is one of the scariest games ever made. What makes it scary isn't the strange characters like Pyramid Head and the creepy nun, but the atmosphere of the town of Silent Hill itself. The thick fog often surprises players with ghosts that suddenly appear. Then the disgusting graphics are used when Silent Hill transforms into a demonic space every time a siren sounds.
Silent Hill 2 has reached legendary status and is now available in a remastered version on PS5 and PS4. The antagonist of horror games is usually a ghost or an anchor object. But Silent Hill 2 shows that a town can be the scariest thing even without ghosts scattered everywhere like in Resident Evil or Dead Rising.
5. Resident Evil 4
Starting out as a Gamecube exclusive, Resident Evil 4 was released on PS2 in 2005 and it changed the Resident Evil gameplay. The tank control system with a static camera was changed to analog stick controls with the camera placed on the shoulder of the playable character. RE 4 was more of an action game than a “survival horror” and this opened the door for a wider range of players to enjoy it.
I spent dozens of hours just wanting to get the Chicago Typewriter and RPG. When RE 4 was re-released on modern consoles, I bought it again because nostalgia is the opium of old gamers. The nostalgia is strong enough that after playing Resident Evil 4 Remake earlier this year I still feel that the original version on PS2 is the more perfect and definitive version.
4.Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Two MGS games were released on PlayStation 2 but we feel that MGS3 Snake Eater is better than MGS2 Sons of Liberty. First of all, there is no cheating element because the main character Naked Snake is controlled by the player instead of Raiden. The storyline is also more solid with some legendary enemies like The End who are very difficult to kill but can be defeated by changing the PS2 clock. No other game allows us to dodge using this technique.
This is the reason why this first game was reworked by Konami and will be released in the near future as Metal Gear Solid Delta. If you missed playing MGS3 twenty years ago, you can play this Hideo Kojima game probably early next year,
3. God of War II
An action game full of Greek mythology and intense battles. We chose the second God of War game because the scale of the enemy characters we fight is very surprising. We praised Shadow of The Colossus before but in God of War II the scale is much larger.
From the beginning of the game Kratos has slaughtered the sky-high Colossus of Rhodes. This is then replaced by a scene of climbing the body of Atlas which is many times larger. GoW II broke the record for the size of a video game character that can be fought in a video game. Even though it is 17 years old, God of War II is still epic!
2. WWE Smackdown Here Comes The Pain
I have been a fan of the WWE Smackdown wrestling game since the PlayStation 1 era. This is because at the beginning of the millennium, wrestling was the most popular sports show on TV3 even though it was broadcast late at night. WWE Smackdown Here Comes The Pain is the pinnacle of wrestling on the PlayStation 2.
There's a combination of legendary athletes like The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker and Stone Cold. This is matched with new athletes rising in popularity like Brock Lesnar and John Cena. While waiting for Smackdown on TV, dozens of hours are spent in HCTP. A few years ago there were rumors that the game would be remade but with the license no longer held by the original developers Yuke's and THQ, the only way to enjoy HCTP is on the PS2 or using a emulator.
1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Rockstar Games' best-selling and most profitable Grand Theft Auto game is GTA V. But if you ask old gamers, they will say that GTA San Andreas is the best game not only during the PS2 era but even today. You can change the body of the character Carl "CJ" Johnson to be fat or thin. Increase stamina and lung capacity. Every ability can be improved as well as hairstyles. None of this can be done in the GTA games that came after San Andreas.
The map is also gigantic with the San Andreas, San Fiero and Las Venturas areas representing Los Angles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. GTA San Andreas is now playable on smartphones, tablets, PCs and even current generation consoles with improved graphics. It's still hard to believe that a game as big as San Andreas can now run on a mid-range smartphone. Time for "Oh shit, let's do it again!"