The PS2 is considered by many to be one of the greatest video game consoles, with a diverse and robust library of games. It's the console I grew up with, as my dad bought the console before I could remember to play Tom Clancy and NASCAR games. I have a lot of good memories with the console, although the library my parents had for me at a young age consisted entirely of LEGO Star Wars and shovelware. I also played quite a bit of Ratchet and Clank 1 & 3, before I saved up enough money to buy my own PS3 and truly got into video games in the new generation.
Recently, however, I've felt a strong desire to return to the system of my youth, and to start collecting older games. Lo and behold, this weekend my family finally found it for the first time since moving cross-country.
Ol' Reliable in all its glory
The PS2 still works like a charm, and it even has a wireless Predator controller that I did not remember we owned. Would have been nice back in the day... but regardless, now is as good a time as any to start a proper collection!
Now, my first priority is to assemble all of the Ratchet and Clank titles for the system. I had all three of the originals at one point, but they were unfortunately they all seem to have been lost in the move. I swear, as soon as I buy new copies I'll find my old ones, but hey, at least then I'd have them. I'd also like to have a copy of Deadlocked on the PS2. I never played this version, but I did get the PS3 port for free because of the delay for Full Frontal Assault on Vita. The game was fun, but boy was the port a free gift for people who bought a $40 Ratchet and Clank spin-off in 2012.
I've never played Size Matters, so that would be fun to have too.
I've played a ton of Ratchet and Clank, but I never really found interest in Jak and Daxter or Sly Cooper back in the day. We actually did own The Precursor Legacy when I was a kid, but my preference for science fiction lead me to skip it. I didn't even know about Sly until I got a demo of Thieves Among Time, and from what I hear it's not the best the series has to offer.
However, I started on The Precursor Legacy yesterday, and it's been a lot of fun! I've also watched B-Mask's retrospective series on the Sly Cooper trilogy, which is excellent and made me interested in that series as well.
So, I'd like to get both trilogies on the PS2 and finally give the rivals of my childhood platformer a chance.
The final franchise I'm going after to start is Shin Megami Tensei. I played Persona 5, and am playing through Royal now. I've loved my time with the games, and of course it's sparked my interest in playing other games in the series. Since Atlus refuses to do ports for some reason, many of these older titles are locked to the PS2 and handhelds. While the handheld versions of Persona 3 and Persona 4 are considered to be the definitive versions, they are also crazy expensive and hard to find now, and I don't have the hardware for them. So, I'm aiming for Persona 3 FES and Persona 4, as well as Nocturne and the Digital Devil Saga games. Rest in peace to the first three Persona games... let's hope Atlus lightens up on their port policy, or I can get a good emulator somewhere.
This is a bit of a weird note to end on, but I'd also like to get Battle for Bikini Bottom on the PS2 sometime! Growing up I adored Cars on the PS2, and trying it out again, the game is still very impressive for what should have been a pretty standard shovelware adaptation. Driving around the fully-rendered Radiator Springs is still really fun. And so, I'd like to try the other piece of shovelware that everyone agrees is way better than it has any right to be.
By a collector's standard it's pretty small, but I think it will be a great starting point to get the hang of collecting and get some games I've wanted to play for ages. If you have any games you think I should keep my eye on, though, I'd love to hear about them!
Sly cooper is one of the best memories of my childhood
Sly Cooper seems fantastic from what I've seen of it! I adore the unique art style and characters. I'm excited to take it for a spin!
I know this post is about a PS2, but looking at that old, enduring console of yours made me miss my PS1.
Anyway, some of my personal preferences you might like are...
GTA: San Andreas is a must. Add Bully if you like the trait of that game. Shadow of the Colossus and ICO for something 'deep'. I heard the former has a terrible remake on the PS4, so enjoying the PS2 version is better. And also Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, but only if you're into rhythm game. 👍
The PS1 is the only PlayStation I've never owned! If I really get into game collecting I may try to go after a PS1 and some games for it too, I'd love to try some old classics :D
I do really like rhythm games! Admittedly I'm not good at them, but I still have fun with some Guitar Hero. I also got the SoTC/Ico bundle on PS3 but I would love to play those games on the original platform. Is the PS4 remake really that bad though? I've heard nothing but positive things about it 🤔
Last time I watched its gameplay video on YouTube the only thing that is improved in SotC is the graphic. HD graphic, but clunky old PS2 control, making it more like an HD remaster rather than an actual "remake" like, say FF7: Remake. .-.
That makes sense! When I played SotC I definitely had some control issues, but it's also the controls many are used to... it would have been nice to have updated controls and then be able to switch to the classic ones. The game is still a classic, however, and still a lot of fun!
PS2 by far one of the best consoles, My personal favourite games are Amplitude, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance among others.
I've heard very good things about the Baldur's Gate series, but I've never played any of the games myself. They seem really interesting though, so I might try and check them out! I had never heard of Amplitude, but a rhythm game where you pilot a spaceship definitely sounds like a lot of fun! :D
I love PS2! While I never owned it, I played the one owned by my cousins in their house many times, I have fond memories of it. Though we haven't played all the major releases (we played RE4 though so I don't mind.)
I still have hope that we will see some of these games on Switch. Oh, and by the way, Pesona 4 and P3Fes are also on Playstation 3 (as PS2 classics.)
I had no idea! Thank you for letting me know, I can definitely look into that 👀
I really do hope the games come to the Switch though, the convenience cannot be overstated and for games that are stuck on older hardware like the original Personas, it'd be awesome to be able to experience them in a way that the devs intended
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