What are your Top Five PlayStation 2 games?

The PS2 had an insane amount of slappers, even a top 20 would leave out personal must play titles. ❤️

Front Mission 5
Rogue Galaxy
Burnout 3
SMT 3
Ring of Red
 
SomeNorseGuy said:
Front Mission 5
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I I😘ve this mention right here. FM5 is supposed to be the best in the series, from what I understand.

Unfortunately, I haven't played this one due to it not being officially released outside of Japan. 😢

Maybe one day ..
 
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The Lunch Legend said:
I I😘ve this mention right here. FM5 is supposed to be the best in the series, from what I understand.

Unfortunately, I haven't played it due to it not being officially released outside of Japan. 😢
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FM3 and FM5 are the best in the series. Didn't get to enjoy 5 until it got fan translated. But definitely worth the hassle. 🤖
 
In terms of impact they had on me when I played them, and not necessarily if they hold up today:

Resident Evil 4
Grand Theft Auto 3
Metal Gear Solid 2
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Shadow of the Colossus
 
I play a lot of PS2 era games in other formats (and I am holding out for some rumored remakes/remasters) so here are Top 5 PS2 games I still turn on the system for:

#5 Dragon Quest V (English Translation) - Remake of the epic tragedy about the son of a traveling warrior becoming a king and prevailing against the forces of darkness.


#4 Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban - The magical trio spend a formative year at the wizarding school filled with high adventure and malicious forces around every corner.


#3 True Crime: New York City - After the murder of a friend a kingpin's son investigates the city's criminal underworld while cleaning up the streets as a detective.


#2 Soul Calibur III (Arcade Edition mod) - The biggest chapter in the tale of souls and swords pushing the system to the limit.


#1 ObsCure - After a student goes missing a group of friends stays afterschool to search for him but are attacked by creatures of the dark.
 
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I missed quite a bit back then, but for what I did manage to play, my top 5 were incredible experiences. In no particular order:

Half-Life PS2 - I didn't need a PC to know that I was playing one of the best first person shooter campaigns of all time, and after playing the PC version, this PS2 version felt more like the definitive edition. Not only that, but Half-Life PS2 came out at the exact same time as Halo 1 and managed to figure out first person shooter controls on console at the exact same time, which not many people bother to bring up historically.

Plus it led to a fun interaction with a friend:

Me: "Man, Half-Life was unforgettable. It had great theme music too."
Friend: "Half-Life had theme music?"
Me: "It always did. Listen to this."



Final Fantasy X - There is no other JRPG with such a setting as Spira. An oceanic world based on water/spirits, water gods, underwater sports, etc. It felt thematically consistent throughout to the point where it felt like an actual world I could go to compared to most other games. It was unique at the time and still remains unique to this day.

Lastly it just looked gorgeous on the PS2 and has a soundtrack that I would consider to be equivalent to a Skyrim of it's generation:



Grand Theft Auto 3 - I know that people hold Vice City and San Andreas in higher regard, but for me this game managed to stand out above both. Unlike the sequels, it kept things simplistic since you were mainly a Mr. fix-it/hitman-esque character the entire game. You're given an objective or target, you are told to take care of said target by any means 99% of the time, and you get paid upon completion.

The map itself wasn't too large or bloated and every other system in the game felt like a bonus rather than a requirement or secret requirement. Something was lost when rockstar kept making their sequels and the games became more, and more, and more constricted over time. Another game with a great theme song:



Godhand - This would be the equivalent of that random Steam game you'd find today that looked a bit janky but fun from footage, and you end up having a blast the entire time. A 3rd person shooter-cam zany japanese beat em up that still doesn't quite have it's own 1:1 successor in what it manages to accomplish. I consider it PS2 generation's Metal Gear Revengeance.

god-hand-skill-issue.gif


SSX 3 - My own personal pinnacle of sports games representing EA at their peak in performance. Even playing it recently on Xbox Series X Backwards Compat, it still controlled beautifully and was a blast to play. It also introduced me to a ton of great bands, as EA has been well known for doing. It's worth checking out to this very day.

The only game on my list that has aged poorly in terms of controls is GTA 3. The rest, I'd easily recommend at any time.
 
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Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3
Shadow of Memories
Final Fantasy X
SSX

One of them was a launch game, and two came out during the first year. 2001 was so good, and only bested by 1999.
 
Disgaea
Phantom Brave
La Pucelle Tactics
Makai Kingdom
Suikoden Tactics

For more social games I'd have tried to squeeze Gregory Horror Show and Eye Toy Play in there somewhere/somehow.
 
MGS3
Winning Eleven 7

These are only 2 games that I truly loved. Of course, there are many many others that I enjoyed, and was supposed to enjoy like Shadow of Colossus and Ico, etc - but not to the point of above 2.

I probably would have enjoyed Dragon Quest VIII very much - which I'm planning to play in not too distant future.
 
The one I played the most on PS2, at least:

Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XII
We Love Katamari
Silent Hill 2
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater


I played the GTA games on PC.
 
The only one I'm completely sure of is Final Fantasy X. I'd go with series for the rest. Jak and Daxter, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Dark Cloud, Kingdom hearts, and I'm drawing a blank on other ps2 games. Oh Shin Megami series.
 
Thread made me realize just how many bangers the PS2 had, hard to just choose 5 but happy with my choices.

Devil May Cry 3
Silent Hill 2
GTA Vice City
MGS 3 Snake Eater
Kingdom Hearts 2
 
Shit, I have a hard time remembering the games I played on mine. I was a PC gamer back then and I did get OG Xbox as soon as it came out, but I did play a few games on Ps2. Guitar Hero was definitely one of them. Rayman 2: Revolution. Driver 3. Oh, yes, Ico. And one of the Tony Hawk games. Underground I think it was. Oh, and I enjoyed my time with one of the first Tomb Raider games. I was super not into Japanese games at the time so I don't really have an emotional attachment to it as most of you here.
 
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Gran Turismo 3
Battlefield 2 Modern Combat
Medal of Honor Vanguard
Peter Jackson's King Kong
Resident Evil 4
Metal Gear Solid 3

Don't judge me for exceeding the limit of 5 favourite titles, because i can't recall too many worthwhile ones aside from these 7.
 
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Trying to think of 5 for the PS2 hurts my head. Theres soo many games that were excellent and consumed my youth.

Rogue Trip: vacation 2012, is definitely on it though.
 
The Lunch Legend said:
There are a lot of PS2 games now on my shelf that I really hope to find time to play some day, to see if they're as good as everyone says. Of the games I actually have played, these are my top 5, in no particular order.
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I love this question! *rubs hands together*

1. Sly Cooper 2
This game is basically perfection when it comes to platform adventure games. The heist format was so exciting and an excellent way to frame the missions. When I finally unlocked the Pounce ability I had become Sly. I can't count how many times I replayed it.

2. SSX3
You could ride down the whole mountain and it offered an incredible variety and not to forget the perfect radio DJ who talked about events going around the mountain and playing some killer songs. It was the perfect mix between insane and arcadey ÜBER tricks and just basically excellent snowboarding mechanics.

3. Ape Escape 2
This was my first experience chasing monkeys and it was such a blast to swing the net with the right stick. It offered a great sense of control and whenever you finally managed to catch an especially challenging monkey it felt very rewarding. All the other gadgets like the RC car or radar were also excellently implemented.

4. Burnout 3
If there was one racing game that defined this gen for me then it was B3. It was almost therapeutic to play the Road Rage mode whilst listening to Franz Ferdinand. But the racing mode was also terrific and posed a real challenge, especially with some of the crazier later vehicles. I think it was the most gorgeous and visually spectacular game on my PS2 and I'm still surprised that it didn't start melting with all the particles flying on screen.

5. ESPN NHL 2K5
2K5 offered such a fluid and fast gameplay that it wasn't until much later that I felt EA caught up. You had to have momentum to get good hits and you couldn't just stand still and press the hit button to tackle someone. For its time it offered excellent gameplay with its tight controls. It was the gold standard of ice hockey games for me for quite a while.
 
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Naked Lunch said:
Ace Combat Zero -the series will never reach these heights again. One for the ages.
Final Fantasy XII -this seems to get more and more fans as the years go by but I was a believer from day one. Fine wine.
Hot Shots Golf Fore! -the best golf videogame ever made. Tons upon tons of content and courses. This game will never get old to me.
Metal Gear Solid 3 -Kojima at his best. The bosses alone in this put other entire games to shame.
Gradius V -horizontal shooter perfection. This game is crazy underrated and overlooked.

I will also mention God Hand - a truly unique and hilarious romp. Your boy Moike Kobe has been making God Hand youtube clips for decades at this point.

Top 5 really cant cut it - tons of cant miss Japanese imports too.
An incredible library.
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I totally forgot about Ace Combat. Ace Combat 5 would be so close to making my list.
 
1. Silent Hill 3
2. Final Fantasy X-2
3. Eyeshield 21: Amefuto no Yarouze Ya-Ha!!
4. Resident Evil Outbreak
5. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

I'd have to check my list again to be sure about Fatal Frame but I'm pretty sure that's my top 5.
 
1. Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sons of Liberty
2. GTA San Andreas
3. GTA Vice City
4. Shadow of the Colossus
5. Prince of Persia Sands of Time
 
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