I’ve been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So…this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven’t got MGS3 there, as I’m waiting for the remake to arrive, but…
Can anyone suggest any titles which are ‘must adds’ for me? I’d appreciate it!
The first three Ratchet and Clank games (R&C, Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal) were phenomenal. The first feels dated by today’s standards, but 2 and 3 are peak. Deadlocked is a divisive entry; Some players loved it, others hated it. Try it first yourself and see. It’s definitely different than the first 3 games.
Final Fantasy X has already been mentioned in the thread, but I’d suggest trying the PC HD remaster instead. It adds a lot of quality of life improvements.
Final Fantasy XII wasn’t well received at launch, and I initially agreed. But that was largely because it didn’t fit into my idea of what a Final Fantasy game should be. I gave it another try a few years ago with a more open mind, and ended up loving it. The gambit system seems basic at first, but eventually opens up into a very versatile system once you start unlocking new gambit combos for it. The Zodiac version is the definitive version, (it enforces a rigid job system, where each character is locked into a specific ability tree) but the original is still alright too.
If you enjoy the Castlevania series, Curse of Darkness is an interesting entry. It features Hector, who has the ability to summon creatures to fight alongside him. They level up based on which weapons you use in combat, so it encourages you to diversify your play style to level up your creatures in specific ways. The gameplay can initially feel clunky by today’s standards, but that’s true of most 3D hack-n-slash games from that era.
Speaking of clunky hack-n-slash games, I see you already have Kingdom Hearts 2. Do yourself a favor, and play the other games (KH1, then KH Re:Chain of Memories) first. CoM has some radically different gameplay, which many players hated. It seems like one you can skip… You can’t. You will be horribly confused for the rest of the series without it. At the very least, go watch the cutscenes on YouTube. In terms of gameplay, KH1 feels janky by today’s standards. CoM is very different. KH2 is where the series really hit its peak.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. It’s a prequel, so you don’t need to play 1 or 2 first.
Metal Gear Solid. Play 3 (Snake Eater), 1, and 2 (Sons of Liberty) in that order. Snake Eater is an early prequel. Then 1 is on the PS1. Sons of Liberty is the direct sequel to 1.
GTA: San Andreas.
-Dark Cloud (1 and 2)
-Time Splitters 2
-Red Faction
-Grandia 2
-ICO and Shadow of the Colossus
-Shinobi
-Twisted Metal Black
-Ape Escape (2 and 3)
-Armored Core 2
-Dead or Alive 2
-Gran Turismo 3
-Final Fantasy X
-Grand Theft Auto III / Vice City / San Andreas
-Midnight Club Street Racing
-Soul Calibur 2
You and I would have been friends in 2001. We’d have smoked some weed, and played that stoner game where hou create a story one word at a time…and somehow, that one word always ends up being “penis”.
You beat me to Red Faction, that was some of the most fun I had in middle/high school.
Fuck yeah, making rocket tunnels connect from across the map.
The PS2 version of Grandia 2 is the worst one, if I remeber correctly. Better emulate Dreamcast for that one.
What’s wrong with it? I enjoyed playing it on PS2.
I only read it somewhere since I only played the game on PC way back.
Supposedly, the PS2 version suffers from slowdown/FPS dips.
Ah ok. I didn’t notice if there was an issue when I was a kid playing it - too busy being enamoured with the battle system!
Listen to this person and also play Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
Not exactly a suggestion, but why emulate Okami instead of just running the PC version?
Edit: If you get the PC version, you should be able to use the touch screen to draw the brush techniques directly thanks to mouse support rather than having to fuck with the sticks. You also don’t get the input lag from emulation.
Same question for XIII. Why emulate it?
The Soul Reaver / Blood Omen games have not been recommended yet. Though, as a warning, last time I tried to do the Soul Reaver 2, there was a strange bug with the sound that made it so that you couldn’t pass a certain puzzle.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is great classic fun
I fucking love Gauntlet Dark Legacy, though if the Steam Deck is capable of Xbox emulation that’s my preferred version since you can save powerups for when you need them.
Honestly any version but the GameCube one lol
Need for speed underground 2, this is my favourite racing game of all time. I sunk so much time into it.
If you’re a fan of the anime, the .Hack// games hold up pretty well. There’s a little OVA that is included with each game to give more story.
I was coming here to say this. For being a ‘game within a game’ and on the PS2, they made such compelling gameplay to go with the story.
I see Rule of Rose, I upvote.
And I’m a total wuss, too. But after becoming so enamored with the REmakes, I went searching for games to scare me!
Def Jam 2: Fight for NY. It’s basically like some of the older WWF wresling games where there can be 4 fighters at a time, but you can only be targetting one at a time. But all the fighters are rappers. The finishing moves are awesome!
My personal favorites on PS2, as someone who did not own a PS2 while it was still being manufactured and sold as new. This does not include remakes/remasters or games that have better ports on other platforms (for example, Soul Calibur 2 on GameCube, Dead or Alive 2 on Xbox, Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 Another Cases on PSP, or Need for Speed Underground 2 on PC).
- Haunting Ground
- Kuon
- CyGirls (Both discs are fun but I prefer disc 1)
- Drakengard 1 & 2
- Ico
- Lifeline (requires microphone, very underrated)
Nooo, wait who actually plays Drakengard? I love that game to bits, but I would never tell someone to play it. Was I just bad? That game is truly awful, haha.
Its one of the games I like. I would mever haven followed the story if I didn’t play the game. OP doesn’t have to follow my list.
You know, maybe one day I’ll do it again. The only people I would have play Drakengard are those with extreme patience, and unfortunately, I’m one of those people.
It does have a really good story.
It’s worth it for the giant babies falling* from the sky alone
It’s my wife’s favorite game. She has a small shrine to it in her library!
Damn, there’s like $900 worth of PS2 games in this image
HEY THAT’S AMAZING!!!
Must be sad to be so in love with a game which seems to be mostly forgotten, but I love her shrine :)
Well, if nothing else, it’s on my Steam Deck too, and the decks seem to make the game more accessible to people who don’t have an eight-hundred dollar bill lying around.
Gotta play the Time Splitters games. (3 of em).
Whatever Gauntlet games they ported from Arcade.
Thank you, Timesplitters looks lovely! The art-design of it looks just perfect!
Crazy Taxi, GTA Vice City, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, Gran Turismo 4, ICO, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Midnight Club, Midnight Club II, Odin Sphere, Shadow of the Colossus, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, Shinobi, SSX, Star Wars Bounty Hunter, Time Splitters 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
That’s my PS2 collection sitting on my shelf. Some of these have been remade into arguably better versions on later consoles, but the originals are still good.
Thank you!!!
I’d be pretty tempted by Tony Hawk’s, but the recent news that 3+4 will finally be getting remade makes me hesitate to play. Since the experience will probably be better there!
For anyone who wants to play Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, don’t forget about Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, which was a PS2 port of the GBA game. It’s integral to the very wild and wacky story of the KH franchise, you’ll be (even more) lost if you skip it and go straight to KH II
But the HD remakes of the game are so much better. They’re the English releases of the final mix versions, which adds a lot of new abilities and extra content.
I was about to say “but you can’t emulate the HD remakes with a PS2 emulator, those only released for the PS4”, but then I remembered they were all released for PC lol. So yeah good shout, if you wanna play the Kingdom Hearts games on the deck, just buy the HD remakes on Steam
Crazy taxi got quite a bit of attention, and it deserved far more. Great gameplay loop
My local arcade has a pair of Crazy Taxi machines and that’s always where I put my quarters
ICO.
I’m with the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus stans, but I’d be curious how your emulation handles the light effects. PCSX2 struggles in my experience.
