News got out that the Playstation 2 has officially died because the servers of Final Fantasy XI has shut down recently according to a post from Releases.com by Daniel Dunlap. Square Enix announced last March 19, 2015 that the online support would end on March 31, 2016 for both Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 systems. And this marked as the final end of the Playstation 2 era.
The 13 years life-span of the all-time best selling console ended with the last game released in Europe, EA FIFA 14 (NA version was cancelled).
This article features 5 games that I considered to be my all-time favorite on the Playstation 2 system. To just give you a little story of my experience, I got the Playstation 2 console as a gift from my grandfather last 2004 – who actually wanted me to hit better grades in school before he buys me one, luckily I was able to so. I was 11 years old back then, and my first 2 games were: Star Wars Battlefront and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain. My happiness was something I couldn’t explain. The emotion was shown on my expression and eyes without giving any words to it. A kid’s dream to get his dream console is something that I want to see on my 2 year-old son’s reaction really soon when he grows up. It’s a feeling where it is considered to be your “core memory” as to what it was described in Disney’s Inside Out movie.
The Playstation 2 system is still considered to be the number 1 best-selling console in the market with 155 million units sold, beating the Nintendo DS to second place with only 154.01 million units sold. With Sony’s legacy console topping the charts, new comers in the gaming community will never overlook what Playstation 2 is and its success.
Now, we go through my list of my personal Top 5 PS2 Games of All-Time, we start off at:
#5: Guitar Hero II
Harmonix went to path where it changed how music/rhythm-simulation games should be played at home. The game actually resembles a lot with the arcade game, GuitarMania/GuitarFreaks, but with GH2’s awesome song list, the light of heavy metal and rock opened in my heart. Playing the game using a controller without the guitar was fun, and it totally changed when I bought my first Guitar Hero controller – the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Kramer Guitar controller.
#4: Need for Speed – Most Wanted
The most gorgeous looking racing game in 2006. NFS:MW was one of the game I got hooked up with and my love of racing games flourished because of Most Wanted. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS and Ford’s Mustang were great. Customizing those body chasis, spoilers, wheels, and beating every Most Wanted racers were surely satisfying. Controls were smooth as butter and the soundtrack was just memorable: Hand of Blood by BFMV, Stricken by Disturbed, Blinded in Chains by Avenged Sevenfold.
#3: Shadow of the Colossus
Yes. 16 colossi that I have to climb and take down. This is one beautiful yet lonely game. You get to be with your horse companion throughout the whole game. The map is quite big for its game; and it was, for me, the first game that actually featured huge enemies. The struggle of fighting the colossi and the delightful feeling of just roaming around the forbidden land, discovering old temples, and areas.
#2: KILLZONE
I know. This is not really a top 2 game but the whole point is that I had fun with KILLZONE. That intro where Visari gave his speech to the Helghan army really gave me goosebumps. It was a game that made me settle for the Playstation 2 without getting pulled by the Halo franchise to get an Xbox 360. It amazed me back then that mantling a wall or box in KILLZONE was that realistic, especially adding that “blur” effect. The online multiplayer made me stay put for a little longer in the game. All in all, it was fun.
#1: Metal Gear Solid 3 – Snake Eater
Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece, the Metal Gear Solid franchise. When my uncle bought me the game, I just really thought the gameplay was weird. You can’t crouch, when you aim you can’t move in first-person view or you just move around while aiming with the camera view on top of Naked Snake. Back then, I was a kid and didn’t fully understand how the gameplay worked. But when I got old enough to play the game around 2009, I realized that the game was something I was really missing out on the Playstation 2. The story and plot twist was spectacular, the humor was great, and the gameplay was outstanding. It’s a game that definitely made my Playstation 2 experience wonderful.
So, what are your Top 5 PS2 Games that made your experience with the Playstation 2 system great? Post in the comments below!
This article is a personal opinion of the author and does not promote these games in any way.
