PS5 is doing great and Switch 2 is off to a great start. It's a good console generation to get excited about gaming, but with all the advancements of the modern era, there are still those who miss the heyday of the PS2. From platformers to shooters to RPGs, there was something for everyone.
Most of the bigger titles still stick to the original hardware and with remasters they look and play even better. For some franchises, the PS2 is where they reached their peak. While these games may have had sequels last generation, they didn't hit as hard. Some games aren't even considered the best of all time, but they generally have good ideas that no one can deny are genius.
Def Jam: Fight for NY
Hip hop match
Def Jam: Fight for NY is the second game in the series and improves on everything that made the original great. The idea was new at the beginning of the 21st century: pitting rap stars against each other in a wrestling ring to the beat of hip hop. This sequel featured more fighters, better mechanics, and best of all, more music. There was another sequel that didn't quite do well, and now all the fans want is a decent port of this classic or another company to try to reboot their hip-hop wrestling.
Shadow Of The Colossus
A difficult game to describe
Shadow Of The Colossus is a work of art through and through as a standalone game. It's been remastered and remade, and each time it does, a new generation gets a chance to explore why it remains an unspoiled classic.
The plot is mysterious with little story, and all the players know is that they need to explore a huge world, find giants and kill them in the hope of reviving their loved one in the process. It's beautiful, it's creepy, and it's a bit sloppy on the PS2, but it's still one of the most unique boss-focused experiences out there and no one has been able to replicate it yet.
Max Payne
A gritty crime thriller
There are tons of noir police thrillers on TV and in movies, but Max Payne stands out in the gaming world. The title character narrates the entire game as he navigates his way through gangsters and corrupt cops who helped orchestrate his family's murder. Full of bullets and pills, Max is on a path of self-destruction.
He's not a hero, he's just a father trying to get one last revenge in stylish bullet-time action before the angels take him to heaven. The two sequels are good, although it didn't hit as hard as the original, but maybe the upcoming remake can revive it Max Payne franchise.
Dark Cloud 2
Level 5 at their best
Dark Cloud 2 is Level-5 at their creative peak, which is wild because it was early in their career. It is the second and final game in the series that upgraded so many mechanics to make it more impressive as an indirect sequel. It can be boiled down to an action RPG with two switchable protagonists, but it's so much more. There are randomized dungeons, city building mechanics, time travel, finding inventions, monster transformations, weapon development and much more. Anyone interested can enjoy the cleaned version on PS4 and PS5.
X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse
Mutant Academy
X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse is the second game in the series that follows the story of the original. Players can form teams of four when they go into dungeons, and the dungeons replicate Diablo– like an action fight. Classic villains and heroes alike team up to stop Apocalypse, and it's one of the best X-Men stories told in a game to date.
There were three spiritual continuations through Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games that are also fun action RPGs. But you two X-Men Legends games, especially X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypsethey are better balanced between gameplay and story.
James Bond: All or Nothing
An original Bond story that struck a chord
Golden eye 007 is widely regarded as one of the best Bond games at all, but it was based on a movie. There aren't many original games, so James Bond: All or Nothing it had a bit of an edge and EA went out of their way to make it a blockbuster, just like the movies.
It starred Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe and others. It even had the theme song “Everything or Nothing” by Mya also featured in the game. Maybe 2026 007 First Light can finally overcome James Bond: All or Nothingbut Bond fans are still waiting for the remaster.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Pictures of you
Resident Evil 4 is probably the best horror game on the PS2 and the game played by the most fans. However, true horror fans know this Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly is superior in several ways, one of which is the major horror factor.
It's a disturbing Japanese story about young teenagers who get lost among ancient haunted houses. To fight them, players can use the camera to trap ghost souls. Sequels have simply never been as terrifying as this second game. There was a quick Wii remake in 2012, but fans are more excited about the big upcoming remake in 2026.
.hack//Infection
Four games in a year is impressive
.hack//Infection is part of one of the most ambitious projects on PS2 and beyond. It's the first game in a quadrology about players exploring the fake MMO they're playing. Through the action game, players will search for clues as to why the game is causing some players to fall into comas in the real world.
Between 2003 and 2004, all four games were released in North America, linked via saves. It was accompanied by an anime and novels that tied things together as one big media blitz. Fans who were part of this movement know exactly how special this era was in gaming and how it helped CyberConnect2 gain notoriety.
