Released in 2000 and discontinued in 2013, the PlayStation 2 had a pretty long run. Even when the PlayStation 3 was released, the PlayStation 2 remained popular for a while. With the many amazing games it had during its lifespan, it is no wonder that people held onto their PS2s for a while- if not still to this day.
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PostsMany of the popular games for the PS2 got remastered and remade for future consoles like Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, and Kingdom Hearts. However, there are plenty of games still locked to the original PS2 that are worth looking at. Here's just a handful of them.
Updated 31st October, 2024 by Hilton Webster: aIn the years since we last touched this article, plenty of older PS2 titles have once again seen the light of day, though these entries are lost to time. We've replaced some older entries to highlight some of the other major titles that have yet to see a modern release.
10 Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
The Fatal Frame series has held up well as a Japanese horror series with its first three games starting on the PlayStation 2. The first and second games were released on other consoles but the third is still only found on the PS2.
If you like horror, the series is definitely worth checking out. The third game is unique in that you are not always in an old haunted area. You go to those areas in your dreams and wake up in the safety of your house. However, the house slowly gets to be the scariest part of the game!
The series is also known as Project Zero in Europe, and just Zero in Japan.
9 Xenosaga Episode 3
To follow the legacy of the Xeno series of games is a fun one. What is now the Xenoblade series started from Xenogears on the PS1, and later became Xenosaga under MonolithSoft. This resulted in a trilogy of games, though Xenosaga Episode 3 remains the only game that has never had a release on any other platform.
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Posts 5Pulling heavily from the philosophies of Nietzsche, Xenosaga Episode 3 had to wrap up a story that was initially planned to be a six-parter, while MonolithSoft also on both remakes of the first two games, and the brand-new Baten Kaitos.
8 Eternal Ring
No, that is not a mistake in typing Elden Ring, though it is very much the same developer. Before the fame of Dark Souls, FromSoftware made copious games, from the renowned Armored Core series to more obscure entries like Ninja Blade. And in the middle of all that, there was Eternal Ring.
Eternal Ring was actually a launch title for the PS2 back in 2000. While it was nothing stellar, nor does it have any elements pertaining to the much later Elden Ring, it is a funny name in hindsight, and a glimpse at some of FromSoftware's earlier titles.
7 The Shadow Hearts Series
Shadow Hearts, a series of role-playing games, lived and died with the PlayStation 2, and many fans are sad about it getting no remakes to this day. The story explored a dark alternate history and the game had the elements of a survival horror game.
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PostsThe characters were loved for their rich personalities and the story was a little confusing but ultimately interesting. The music also received wide praise. It is definitely a must-see for JRPG fans.
Shadow Hearts is, however, getting a spiritual successor in the form of Penny Blood from many of the original creators.
6 Haunting Ground
Haunting Ground is one of the plentiful horror games that released on the PS2, and as such fell into obscurity without any later releases to let it really shine behind a deluge of other titles. And that's sad, because Haunting Ground plays around with the perspective of player control in a way many games fail to even consider.
In Haunting Ground, you play as Fiona Belli as she is chased through a castle. Except it's never quite clear why you are being chased, though you can intuit very keenly. There is an underlying sexual theme to the game, with Fiona's chasers putting such a fear in her that at time you, the player, can no longer control her actions. It's a shame so few can experience it.
5 Mister Mosquito
This PlayStation 2 game has garnered a reputation as one of the weirdest games of all time. You play as a mosquito in a family home and your goal is to stock up on blood to survive the winter. However you need to be sneaky, or else the humans will attack you.
Honestly, the premise is a good one and it is a little surprising that another game has not tried something similar.
4 Champions of Norrath
Set in the EverQuest universe, this action role-playing game came out in 2004, receiving a sequel just a year later. Both games are relatively well-recieved and have a devoted fanbase, yet that is clearly not enough to warrant a release of the game on modern consoles.
It is a game where you can create your own character and you could choose from barbarian warriors, wood elf rangers, high elf clerics, erudite wizards, and dark elf shadow knights.
3 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
This game was the first (and to date, only) third-person shooter in the Final Fantasy series. While reviews from critics were not spectacular, the game has a large fan following. After all, it is hard to find a Final Fantasy game without dedicated fans. Besides other Final Fantasy games, many have compared it to the Devil May Cry series.
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PostsHaving branched off from Final Fantasy 7, the game does play a part in one of the most notable Japanese RPGs of all time. While a new release of the game is off the cards at the moment, maybe the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy will give us a new vision of Vincent Valentine gameplay.
Dirge of Cerberus, despite being a spin-off itself, also got an additional game in Lost Episode for mobile phones.
2 Dog's Life
This game is just cute and different. Its story and characters feel like they are straight out of a Pixar or Disney film. You play as a dog who seeks to rescue his crush from dog catchers. Due to the rather innocent storyline, a lot of critics found it to be a game more targeted towards children rather than teenagers.
The game is mostly unimpressive beyond its base oddities, though it does hold a particular record - The most video game voice-overs by one person. Yes, Kerry Shale voiced 32 characters in this game. Surely that's enough to warrant a re-release.
1 Drakan: The Ancients' Gates
In this game, you got to play a warrior woman and her loyal dragon companion. It is an action-adventure where you play both on the ground and flying in the air. It was a sequel to a PC game, Drakan: Order of the Flame. A lot of fans enjoyed the spell casting mechanics, as you actually had to draw the spell patterns in order to cast it.
Unfortunately, the company that made this game no longer exists, so that may be a big reason that it is still stuck on the PS2 console.
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