Top 20 PS2 games

[Mr_Stubbes]

I have a list made. Just having trouble arranging were I want everything. My exposure to the PS2 is very limited and there are a lot of games that I haven't played that I feel will be on a majority of lists.

[Crabmaster2000]

Last day. Get your lists in!

[Disposed Hero]

Decided to stop deliberating over it and just sent mine in. Looking forward to seeing the results!

[MetalFRO]

Got my list submitted yesterday. It's gonna be a weird one!

[Crabmaster2000]

My only prediction this time is that Shadow of the Colossus and Final Fantasy X both make the top 3

[EZ Racer]

So while this probably wasn't unexpected, out of 7 voters exactly 100 games got at least one vote. Of those 100 games, 78 were single vote getters!

I'll start posting them soon...

[MetalFRO]

That's not surprising, in a way. The PS2 library is huge, and there's enough diversity of tastes here that I can see that scenario pretty easily.

[Crabmaster2000]

Awesome. Let's uncover some hidden gems

[EZ Racer]

Time for some also-rans


One 20th place vote


Fatal Frame II

Namco Museum 50th Anniversary- "Namco's biggest early arcade hits in a huge collection? Yes please!"

Silent Hill 4: The Room- "A bit of a departure for the series that has both its good and bad points. I generally enjoyed it overall, but it's definitely a mixed bag."

Rock Band- "Yes, it was gimmicky. But it was also a lot of fun. For a few years, when my friends and I would have our annual Super Bowl party, we'd skip the real halftime show in favor of our own Rock Band version. Needless to say those years we rarely saw the beginning of the 3rd quarter."


One 19th place vote


Resident Evil Outbreak

Max Payne

Dead of Alive 2: Hardcore- "Some of the best fighting game action on the PS2, even if it falls ever so slightly short of the Xbox remake."

Madden 2002- "Yes, I realize that the only difference in most of the Madden franchise is the rosters, but Madden '02 was special because you could create your own team through an expansion draft, and build it from the ground up. We've seen the NHL games utilize this feature in recent years, but 2002 was the only time it appeared in a Madden."

Grand Theft Auto 3- "I remember having a lot of fun with this game back in the day. A little rough around the edges compared to its sequels, but nobody can deny the impact this game had."


One 18th place vote



King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga

Madden '07

Sly 2: Band of Thieves

LEGO Batman- "While it lacks the voice acting of its sequel, this game still oozes with charm, and is tons of fun."


One 17th place vote


Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast

Tony Hawk's Underground

The Simpsons: Road Rage

Buffy: Chaos Bleeds- "Some of my vote for this game is nostalgia, and some is because this is based on my favorite TV series ever. But for 3D action games, this is still a solid pick, and an improvement over its Xbox-exclusive predecessor."


One 16th place vote


Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Ico

Soul Calibur III

The Warriors- "A great game based on a great movie. I've played through this with a friend a couple of times and we've always had a blast with it."

Burnout 3: Takedown- "I'm no fan of racing games, but this is so much fun, with the crashing, and the different stunts you can do."


One 15th place vote


Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

SSX

Guilty Gear XX- "While a half-step down from the Xbox version, X2 Reload, this is still peak 2D fighting during this console generation."


Lots to sift through remain...

[EZ Racer]

More of the rundown-

One 14th place vote

Red Dead Revolver

Jak and Daxter: The Pre-Cursor Legacy


One 13th place vote

MVP Baseball 2005

Viewtiful Joe 2

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

Marvel vs Capcom 2

Time Crisis 2

R-Type Final- "For those who complain shooting games are too short, how about playing it with just over 100 different ships, some with vastly different weapon loadouts, and requiring different strategies for each level?"


One 12th place vote

Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex

Psychonauts

Tekken Tag

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas- "It's technically the best of the PS2 GTA games, but the setting didn't click with me nearly as much as Vice City."

Star Wars: Battlefront II- "A monster Star Wars action game that everyone who's a fan of the franchise should play."


One 11th place vote

Star Wars: Battlefront

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

Castlevania Lament of Innocence

Indigo Prophecy

Spy Hunter- "An interesting take on the idea of the original Spy Hunter arcade game, but with much more fleshed out ideas. It doesn't get everything right, but it gets enough right to be engaging."


One 10th place vote

Maximo: Ghost to Glory

The Suffering

Xenosaga II

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2- "In a game where you really need to make long term plans about who is going to learn which skills, it’s  frustrating how much your party members come and go, but otherwise a nice improvement from the previous game."

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection- "It's pinball, need I say more? Okay, it's classic Williams pinball, with tables faithfully recreated in video game form. A must own for fans of pinball."

Mega Man X Collection- "The early X titles are high quality adventures, and you can't go wrong getting 6 for the price of 1, not to mention some interesting unlockable bonus games. One of the smartest purchases I feel I've ever made."


Still got more coming...

[MetalFRO]

Yep, as I suspected, lots of my choices already gone. Oh well, at least they're here, preserved for posterity

[EZ Racer]

Last of the also-rans

One 9th place vote

Xenosaga III

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X

Shinobi/Nightshade- "I'm cheating a bit here, but Shinobi & Nightshade are kind of 2 sides of the same coin. This reimagining of the classic Sega series might not have struck commercial gold the way the Ninja Gaiden reboot did on the Xbox, but they're fluid action and interesting mechanics are worth your time anyway, as long as you're up for a challenge."

Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelists of the Roses- "What an underrated game. It plays as a strategic video board game, with a surprising amount of thought put into it. I just wish it was easier to collect the cards in game."


One 8th place vote

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Xenosaga

Castle Shikigami 2- "Is this the best shmup on the PS2? Could be. But it's definitely the best Western-released shooter that most people have never played, and my personal favorite in the Shikigami trilogy."

Kingdom Hearts II- "A welcome revisit to Sora and friends, but unfortunately wrapped inside a much too complicated story"


One 7th place vote

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II

Capcom Classics Collection 1&2- "As if the Mega Man collection wasn't enough, we also got a pair of excellent Capcom arcade collections that were a good early example of quality emulation, before most of us knew about real commercial emulation."

Need for Speed Underground 2- "Probably my favorite Need for Speed game. I’ve probably logged over a hundred hours in this title alone as a kid just messing around and customizing cars."

Nascar Thunder 2004- "While it's easy to dismiss this as just another yearly produced sports title, it's so much more. Great physics, deep career mode, roaring soundtrack and all kinds of other nice details make it one of the best racing games ever made, and easily the best Nascar game ever made."


One 6th place vote

Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero

Taiko Drum Master

Devil May Cry

SSX Tricky


One 5th place vote

Silent Hill 2- "The pinnacle of the Silent Hill franchise introduced many new staples for the series. An excellent soundtrack and an unforgettable story elevate this game to the top of the survival-horror genre."

Lego Star Wars- "The Star Wars prequels were rife for parody, and this game does a great job of straddling the line between that, and loving send-up, while asserting the high quality the LEGO games became known for, after this point."


One 4th place vote

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Tales of the Abyss

Guitar Hero III- "I put a ton of time into GH3, and it's easy to see why, with the great song selection, fun mechanics, and awesome presentation."


One 3rd place vote

Medal of Honor: European Assault- "A bit of personal bias here, but as a non-FPS player, this game totally captivated me, and won me over with both the story tie-in, and the solid action."

Gran Turismo 4- "An absolutely incredible opening introduction that still gives me chills to this day. This racing simulator gives off an amazing sensation and feel of actually being in the car racing, in a way that no game before it had done and few consoles games have pulled off since. The music in the opening is so well done, I actually took my PS2 to a college music class I was taking at the time I first purchased the game, because I wanted to share the music with my class."


One 2nd place vote

Gradius V- "If anyone was skeptical about what shmups could be, and look like in a modern 3D graphics context, this game proved it could be spectacular. Also, it's a great game!"

Dog's Life- "This is a game that I'm sure no one else will put on there list or even have heard of but it's worth every penny.  This is one of my favorite games on the PS2.  You play as a dog and must rescue your girlfriend.  You do different quests for people, use your nose to sniff out things, have peeing questions, and several other things.  The camera can be a bit wonky but I recommend you try this out."


So if you're counting, you'll notice there should be three more single votes, and they're all #1's. I thought it might be better to include them as honorable mentions since they scored better than the few other games that received multiple low votes, as you can see in the following-

Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits (#20, #17)

"The only game in the series I've played, but it's a pretty good RPG. It can also still be had for dirt cheap, so pick it up if you see it."


Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (#14, #12)

"Keeps the core experience of the first Onimusha mostly intact, but adds in some unnecessary fluff such as a town with interactive NPCs that brings the experience down in my opinion."


Some major titles in this list, so I hope it creates a little discussion...

[MetalFRO]

Geez, I think my whole list might end up on the cutting room floor 

[Crabmaster2000]

Geez, I think my whole list might end up on the cutting room floor 

Lol, I'm right there with you

[shaggy]

Surprisingly, I think I only have 3 or 4 of the above games.