Unforgettable Games of Legendary PlayStation 2

For the ones who grew up in the 2000s, the rugged, all weather PS2 was a part of life.

No other gaming console had such a transitional effect on digital gaming platforms.

This is my list of the 10 distinguished and unforgettable games of PS2.

10. Silent Hill

Silent hill was quite strange and creepy, in a good way.

All Silent Hill games had very deep storylines and an atmosphere that always kept you on the edge.

The series deserves praise for its innovative horror survival theme.

9. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

Shaolin monks was the installment that truly brought the 2D MK series into 3D TPP combat. And what a splendid job it did!

MKSM was a mix of hardcore kombat, gruesome 'fatalities', annoying puzzles, secret areas.

It was amongst the first MK games to offer free roam.

The main villains were, not surprisingly, Shang Tsung and Shao Khan.

8.5 Shadow of Colossus

Cited as an influential title in the video game industry and one of the greatest video games of all time, Shadow of the Colossus is often regarded as an important example of video game as art due to its minimalist landscape designs, immersive gameplay and emotional journey.

Pretty much anything I tell you about the story will be a spoiler.

8. Persona 4

PS-2 didn't have many RPG games in the market. Persona capitalised on the opportunity with its installment.

In Japan, the game sold 193,000 copies within a week of its release. It was the highest selling game in NA for two consecutive weeks.

Gameplay is divided between the real world of Inaba, where the protagonist carries out his daily life, and the mysterious "TV World", where various dungeons filled with monsters known as Shadows await. With the exception of scripted events, such as plot progression or special events, players can choose to spend their day how they like, be it participating in various real world activities, such as joining school clubs, taking part-time jobs, or reading books, or exploring the TV World's dungeons to gain experience and items.

Persona-4 was widely acclaimed by everyone.

7. 007 Everything or Nothing

Everything or Nothing was one of the games that showcased the real potential of the 007 genere.

Stealth feature was much improved.

One mistake, and you could fail the mission. The gameplay was much more alive, compared to Nightfire and QoS. To cherry things up, there were bonuses and rewards for doing things 'the bond way.

It eventually got the Platinum rank in overall sales.

6. Devil May Cry 3

The Japanese know how to redefine mythology into a damn good game with a strange name.

The combat is crazy stylish and emphasises on forming a series of attacks while avoiding damage.

The overall gameplay is a mix of combat, puzzles, flashbacks and annoying characters.

I'd rather not give a spoiler here, but I'll tell you that there are a lot of guns, swords and demons involved.

5.5 Burnout 3: Takedown

Burnout 3 blew minds with its hardcore driving, vicious takedowns and total chaos.

The player can unlock and use a wide variety of vehicles to suit the need, be it sleek and fast racer, or a heavy brawler truck.

They gameplay had superb physics and effects.

4. Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil4 (or Biohazard 4) has earned its rightful place in the Horror Hall of Fame.

RE-4 was a huge improvement in the franchise. It offered limited free world, some customisation and variety of ways to kill stuff.

There are plenty of blood-thirsty enemies, tough bosses, deadly traps and puzzles, loot to be found and stuff to be bought and sold.

Its gameplay has been praised by both gamers and critics.

4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

MGS-3 is renowned as one of the best games of all time

It adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting, with focus on stealth and infiltration with some action.

Its gameplay and physics were so heavy that the PS-2 couldn't even manage 25-30 FPS. This resulted in significant trimming of the original design.

Despite all the rollbacks and trims, it was still very heavy for the PS-2.

The story centers on the Naked Snake and his attempts to rescue a Russian rocket scientist, sabotage an experimental superweapon, and assassinate his defected former boss.

The story is deeply psychological and is told through numerous cutscenes.

3.5 Bully

Leave it to Rockstar for making kickass open-world games.

Bully had amazing gameplay and content that won the applause of every gamer.

With its multitudes of interactive options, from hiding in lockers to shoving some poor sod in a dumpster, form french kissing chicks to high school to flipping their skirts, Bully was worth every coin spent on it.

3. DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3

The Best Fighting game of the console, ever! I still occasionally play this game.

BT-3 was a big upgrade to its previous installment, BT-2. It allowed the players to use hundreds of moves, skills, powers and combos to win battles however they liked.

There is a large amount overall content and a decent story mode.

The best thing however, are the 'extra' features.

2.5 Godof War 2

The sequel to the epic God of War , GoW 2 is about the feud between Kratos and Olympus, or more precisely, Zeus.

It's gameplay and story was incredible. GoW2 added some next level savagery to its prequel.

Looking at the graphics, you might wonder how the humble PS-2 could manage such a game. The answer being that the game was tailor made for the PS-2.

With 8GB (quite high for that time) of size and hardcore programming, Sony made sure that it's next gen console would sell like bananas.

2. God of War 1

God of War was a blockbuster in every way. Never before had any console had seen a game of such epic adventure and savagery. GoW is deemed to be more challenging than its sequel.

The story is about a warrior called Kratos, who gives his soul to the Ares, the God of War, in exchange for saving his life. From that point, things go downhill for Kratos as he serves Ares and ends up committing horrible crimes.

He ends up serving the Gods of Olympus, as repentance for his crimes, but his life would become hades anyway.

1. GTA San Andreas

Behold!

The benchmark for free world games and birthplace of thug life memes!

San Andreas earned its place in the hall of fame by its massive map, hundreds of missions, places, interactive features and random bullshittery.

You have total control over the protagonist. It's up to you to make CJ a decent guy to cares for his homies, or make him into a total dick who would KO a random civilian for some Dollars.

San Andreas was very harsh on the humble PS-2. It's map was massive enough to push the console to its absolute limits. As a result, SA had to be 'optimised' for the console.

It's story is one of the best among all games ever made.