PS2- My Top 5

Time to blow some cobwebs off the old thinking box and bring up my top 5 PS2 games of all times. The games listed below are just personal opinion. These are games I played, owned and completed and gave me the most joy from my Playstation 2. They are also in no particular order. So here goes:

ICO

A very simple platformer/puzzle game with very stylish graphics for it’s time. The eerie fog (probably used to hide draw distance) works in the games favor and adds mystery to the beautiful landscapes you explore. This is a visual masterpiece for it’s time. Simple stylish art direction with no onscreen clutter and minimal storytelling. You progress through the story protecting a girl you found. As the story progresses your bond becomes stronger and the story will tug at the heart strings of even the most hardcore of gamers. A truly memorable story that will linger with you long after you’ve completed it.

GTA- Vice City

This is where my PS2 love affair started. I purchased the console just to have this game. An open sandbox game with over the top action, crazy storylines and a ridiculous amount of fun to be had. Guns, fast cars, crazy characters & a boat load of content. Add to that the eighties look & feel along with one of the greatest soundtracks in any game and you’re in for a treat. Tommy Vercetti is still a beloved character and a staple in the main GTA franchise. The feeling of limitless possibilities put this head and shoulders ahead of any other game at the time. Put simply, Rockstar set the benchmark and continue to do the same to this day with each GTA release.

Spiderman 2

One of the first movie tie-ins that impressed me. The swinging mechanics in this game gave you that sense of speed and height and you could really feel that you’re flinging yourself through the air. To be honest, even more recent spiderman games haven’t acheived what this game did all those years ago. The plot linked to the movie but it also had side plots with lots of kooky comic book villians. Some of the missions felt very repetitive but at the time all was forgiven as this was the first game where you really felt you were spiderman. And who wouldn’t like to be your friendly neighborhood superhero?

Beyond Good & Evil

A glorious game that was woefully overlooked by most players at the time. It was an action adventure set in a rich world. It had lots of interesting concepts like alien invasion, mind control & political corruption all tied neatly into an action platformer puzzler. Sounds very ambitious but it manages to pull it off. The art direction was superb and there was depth to the characters. I really enjoyed working my way through the story and it never felt dull. Whether you’re taking snaps or rare creatures, bashing goons with your staff or hurtling along in your hovercraft with a farting pig as a sidekick, you’ll rarely get bored.

Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones

The final installment in a tale spanning three games, this brought everything together. The parkour mechanics were fine-tuned and felt really satisfying as too did the combat. These were the games that lead to the birth of Assassin’s Creed and the talent behind these is obvious. Crafting an interesting narrative with fantastic platforming and challenging combat makes this a masterpiece of it’s time. The tale of good v evil reaches a satisfying conclusion and at the time, it sported some of the best graphics seen on any console of it’s time

That’s my lot folks. Please feel free to add your own favorites in the comments below. Let’s open up a discussion, do you agree with any on my list or can you think of better?

Coming soon : My top 5 PS3, My top 5 PS4 & My top 5 PSVR Games