Happy Birthday, PlayStation 2! We’ve shared hundreds of hours together and I’m proud to call you my friend. You were more to me than just a console, you were also my very first DVD player. So in celebration of your birthday here is my personal list of PlayStation 2 games that I feel made the console worth owning.
5. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Let me just get this out of the way that I love the Legacy of Kain series and I am very sad that we haven’t seen a game from the core series for a very long time. When I first saw screenshots of Soul Reaver 2 in PlayStation Magazine I couldn’t believe how fascinating it looked. This was such a well made action-adventure game that added puzzle elements. The voice acting was brilliant and the lore that was created by the story make it such a gem to experience.
4. Zone of the Enders
I first played this game on a PlayStation 2 demo disk and being a fan of the Gundom and Armored Core series made my jaw completely drop at what this game had to offer. Before I say anything main story of the game, I’d just like to add that the two player mode in the game is amazing. Two friends in mechs going head to head with swords clashing and bullets flying everywhere was the coolest thing ever. The game itself does not fall short of anything less than great. You dash from area to area destroying enemy mechs in an awesome display of colorful bullets and mayhem.
3. Shadow of the Colossus
I don’t think I need to explain why this game is on this list because everyone should know by now that it is one of the most beautiful entries in video game history let alone the PlayStation 2 library. The thrill of viewing these enormous creatures and bringing them down with the only motivation being to save this mysterious girl. Whether this makes the protagonist a good or bad person it generally effects the individual playing it.
2: Kingdom Hearts
Remember the trailer for Kingdom Hearts with that song “Simply and Clean” playing and watching Final Fantasy and Disney characters flood for your television? Honestly, all I can say is that I didn’t think it would be good at all. I couldn’t of been more wrong. This game is like a dream, playing with familiar characters in familiar settings in a story following a boy granted a huge responsibility, but puts that second to finding his lost friends made it such a beautiful premise that I’ve revisited time and time again through out my life.
1: Final Fantasy X
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Was this a surprise number one choice? this game means the world to me and I’m so happy it exists. The leveling up system was new and I’ve learned to appreciate it as one of the best leveling system in the core Final Fantasy series. The voice acting was very corny and sometimes terrible, but it didn’t stop me from falling in love with Yuna and Tidus. This game might not be as high on everyone’s list, but it means a lot to me and I feel deserves this spot.
Thank you for reading my Top 5 PlayStation 2 list. Happy Birthday again PlayStation 2!
Let me know in the comments how you feel about this list or maybe your favorite games! Thanks for reading.
Want to check out what other contributors think? Click here for the rest of the lists.
