The PS2 has one of the greatest and most extensive libraries of all time. From platformers to RPGs to shooters, fans of every genre were covered, which is presumably why it sold so well. As is the case with many consoles with big libraries, some games will certainly get lost in the shuffle.
PS2 Games That Deserve The God Of War Reboot Treatment
These characters from PlayStation 2 games could lead to new reboots in their franchises, like Kratos did.
Even if they don’t get played on the original hardware, the hope is to return with a remaster or port to other consoles someday, like Final Fantasy 10, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 4, and so many other great PS2 games did. These other PS2 games weren’t all so lucky, and they deserve an extra spotlight.
Champions Of Norrath: Realms Of EverQuest
The PS2’s Diablo
Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest was quite obviously a spinoff from the EverQuest MMO, instead being a top-down action RPG akin to Diablo. Players could choose one of five preset classes, like a Warrior or Ranger, and go through a more linear set of quests, usually amounting to killing monsters of some sort.
It didn’t challenge the brain intellectually, but it was a great action game with friends. Like Diablo, the real fun was going through it on repeat to get better loot at higher levels and higher challenge ratings. It, along with its sequel Champions: Return to Arms, has never left the PS2.
Maximo: Ghosts To Glory
Ghosts ’N Goblins Reborn
Ghosts ’N Goblins gave NES players nightmares growing up, along with the SNES sequel, because it was one of the hardest games on the system. Years later, Capcom approved of this reboot called Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, which also got a sequel called Maximo vs. Army of Zin.
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory was still challenging, but not in any unfair levels. It was a more balanced action platformer akin to some other PS2 platformers at the time, like Ratchet & Clank. The titular Maximo had a sword and shield at his disposal, and players could pick up upgrades along the adventure to beef up his arsenal. Both games got ported digitally to the PS3, but that’s about it.
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Prototype’s Prototype
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was not a typical licensed superhero game on the PS2 because the developer, Radical Entertainment, actually cared about the project. It is still the best game starring The Hulk to this day, as players were free to run around a big city and just do what The Hulk did best: smash. From his normal fists to his reinforced gloves using car parts, players had a wealth of destructive options.
PS2 Games That Are Still Hard To Live Up To
The greatest console of all time naturally has some all-time classics.
Radical Entertainment also made the Prototype games, and there’s a clear positive line between those games and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. It’s a shame they never got a second attempt at making a game based on The Hulk, or that this game is lost to time because of licensing.
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Supernatural Spies
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a spy thriller that just so happens to star an agent who can use supernatural powers using his brain. The third-person shooting mechanics were okay, but it was the aforementioned powers that helped this game stick out. Players could levitate objects and hurl them at enemies, or take enemies and use them as weapons by throwing them too.
Other powers, including the ability to light things on fire, mind control, out-of-body research, and more. Despite the game coming to PC later, it is not on any PC gaming sites to buy or backward compatible on PS2 or Xbox systems.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil
A Silly Platformer
Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil was a 2.5D platformer with some levels being 2D and others having a more 3D effect. It was a big game from Namco, but it never reached the heights of other mascot-driven games like the Jak and Daxter or Sly Cooper games. The whimsical nature of the world, bright colors, and chipper music all made Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil a blast to play, even though it wasn’t too challenging.
Like the original game, the titular Klonoa had a magic ring to grab enemies with to then toss them back at others or use them as a stepping stone to get an extra jump boost. This is one of the rare exceptions of a PS2 game that has been preserved via Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, which also included the original game.
Ratchet And Clank
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
- Released
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November 19, 2003
The PS1 era of platformers was all about getting franchises into 3D, while the PS2 era was all about arming heroes with weapons. Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is one of the more unsung weapon-based platformers from this generation, featuring a robot hero who goes from a broken-down piece of scrap to an action star.
8 Late PS2 RPGs No One Remembers
Even after the next generation of consoles started, several RPGs were released on the PS2 and were completely forgotten soon after.
The shooting mechanics are just as responsive as something like Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando or Jak 2, and watching robots burst into scrap never got old. Plus, the inclusion of some vehicles, from buggies to hovering turrets, really helped diversify the level design.
The Mark Of Kri
Dodge And Counter
- Developer: San Diego Studio
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
- Platforms: PS2, PS4
- Released: July 30, 2002 (NA, PS2 Version)
The Mark of Kri had the minimalist storytelling of Samurai Jack, but the deep lore building of Avatar: The Last Airbender, two cartoons that were popular in the 2000s. This action-adventure game featured a combat system unlike anything else on the PS2, except for its sequel, Rise of the Kasai.
Players could rotate the analog stick, assign a button to an enemy, and as they all swarmed, they could counter that specific enemy with that button, such as Square. Both The Mark of Kri and its sequel, to note, did come to the PS4 as quick emulated ports, so they are there for anyone who wants to challenge themselves, as they are both rather hard.
Gitaroo Man
Fight Aliens With Rock
- Developer: iNiS
- Publisher: Koei
- Platforms: PS2, PSP
- Released: February 18, 2002 (NA, PS2 Version)
Gitaroo Man sits right up there with Katamari Damacy in terms of weird PS2 games that everyone should play. A young boy, U-1, is kind of a pathetic loser around town, but when the devil comes knocking, he suddenly awakens a superpowered form that transforms him into a rock god.
Think of his powers like how Yugi Mutou transforms into the Pharaoh in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, but switch out card games for sweet guitar licks in a rhythm game unlike any other on the PS2. This game did have a second chance on the PSP, but now both versions lie dormant, gathering dust.
10 Most Perfect PlayStation Games Of All Time
There’s a PlayStation kid inside all of us with these absolutely flawless titles. Let’s take a walk down the PS Hall of Fame.
