Summary
- PS2 games have a variety for everyone, regardless of case quality.
- Ape Escape 2 offers inventive gameplay and is available on PS5.
- Cold Fear offers a unique survival horror experience on a boat.
It could be argued that the PS2 generation is the last best era for game collectors who like having tactile feedback from their games. The cases were thick, long, and had game manuals inside. Game cases after this era used a flimsier plastic and removed manuals.
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The point is, the PS2 library is one of the greatest of all time, regardless of the quality of the game cases. There was something there for everyone, from RPGs to shooters to racers. It may be too late now to promote these classic games that went nowhere, but they should all be played at least once to get a better glimpse of the PS2’s variety.
8 Ape Escape 2
Monkey Business
Ape Escape 2
- Released
- June 30, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper are the platformer franchises that most people know about and played on the PS2. Ape Escape 2, and its one direct sequel, was not as big, which is a shame.
It has some of the most inventive gameplay on the system for a platformer, and it’s a refined design from the PS1 title. Monkeys are hiding in levels, and players have to find and capture them with various tools. It’s silly, weird, and just a good time. Thankfully, this PS2 game can be played on PS5 via its PS4 port.
7 Auto Modellista
Cel-Shaded Bliss
- Developer: Capcom
- Publisher: Capcom
- Released: March 25, 2003 (NA Version)
- Platforms: GameCube, PS2, Xbox
Gran Turismo 4 was the PS2’s biggest racing game, and it is still a wonder decades later. Auto Modellista wasn’t a technical marvel, but Capcom was going for something more artistic with its cel-shaded designs.
This made racing around levels feel like something out of the Speed Racer anime, and because of this, it holds up better than most games on the PS2. Beyond just PS2 fans, racing fans need to check out Auto Modellista at least once to get that anime thrill.
6 Chaos Legion
Pikmin But More Action
Chaos Legion
- Released
- March 6, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 2
Capcom made a lot of great action games with a horror vibe on the PS2, including Devil May Cry and Onimusha. The one game that doesn’t get brought up much is Chaos Legion, which never received any sequels like a lot of games on the list.
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It’s a hack-and-slash game that gives characters the ability to summon demonic presences to fight alongside them. Players can upgrade their legions from sword fighters to bowmen. It doesn’t have the deepest characters or lore, but the gameplay was fun to invest in.
5 Cold Fear
I’m On A Boat
Cold Fear
- Released
- May 17, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Darkworks
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS2, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Third-Person Shooter
2005 was a very big year for horror as Resident Evil 4 launched on the GameCube in January. Months later, PS2 fans got Cold Fear, which got completely overshadowed despite some great technical work. It’s a survival horror game set on a boat with dynamic waves crashing as players explore.
Explore a boat filled with mutated men, shoot them, hunt for clues, and escape. It’s a simple gameplay loop, but for those curious, the game is available on Steam, which runs decently on a Steam Deck.
4 Mister Mosquito
Bug Of The Colossus
Mister Mosquito
- Released
- March 13, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- ZOOM Inc.
- Genre(s)
- Action, Simulation
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Mister Mosquito doesn’t quite fit neatly into one genre, as it’s just a weird game. Players are a mosquito that is hunting for blood in a Japanese home. In each level, players have to distract their human targets, drain them of blood, and then escape.
It’s sort of like a stealth version of Shadow of the Colossus with a bit of humor thrown in. Stranger still, this hidden gem can be checked out on PS5 thanks to proper console emulation.
3 Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Who Needs Jedi Powers?
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
- Released
- June 14, 2004
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Midway Games
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS2, Xbox (Original)
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a third-person shooter with a twist. The hero, Nick, is part of a generic program that grants him abilities like telekinesis to throw enemies and objects around. Pyrokinesis is later unlocked, and it is a real treat to start things on fire.
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Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is not the tightest third-person shooter on the console, but the powers turn it into a fun playground similar to other chaotic PS2 shooters, including Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and Just Cause.
2 Spy Fiction
Not Quite Metal Gear
Spy Fiction
- Released
- December 25, 2003
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2
The two Metal Gear games on the PS2 offer peak stealth espionage action along with Splinter Cell’s ports. Spy Fiction is an under-sung, odd little gem, and PS2 fans may have never heard about it. It was made by the same quirky director as Deadly Premonition, SWERY.
The plot and characters of Spy Fiction are not as over the top as Deadly Premonition, but there are plenty of strange “SWERY” things about the gameplay. Sneak around bases, attack from the shadows with gadgets, and save the day.
1 The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age
Middle-Earth 10
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
- Released
- November 2, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T // Blood, Mild Violence
- Developer(s)
- EA Redwood Shores
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PS2, Xbox (Original), Xbox 360
JRPGs and RPGs had an equal balance on the PS2, with a lot of good hits on each side. The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age was looked down on a bit when it was released for having a battle system too close to Final Fantasy 10 and creating alternate events in the timeline.
It may not have been what The Lord of the Rings fans wanted back then, but maybe modern fans would get a kick out of it. It does admittedly borrow a lot from Final Fantasy 10 in battle, but is that really a bad thing?
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