[img width=640 height=400]https://cdn.retrorgb.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PlayStation2Page.jpg[/img]
Up until October of 2000, video game consoles were just that, systems used almost exclusively for playing video games. However, that month Sony released a system that would change consoles from video game players to home entertainment systems, as well as progressing the world of online console gaming, the Playstation 2. Those features, in addition to backwards compatibility with its predecessor, helped make the PS2, as it is commonly referred, the highest selling video game console ever in terms of units sold worldwide.
With that success came a plethora of games, with nearly all genres represented. NA markets saw the release of more than 1300 games, and there are estimates of more than 3800 games released worldwide.
So that left the participants for the most recent Top 20 list with a daunting task of parring it down to the best games made for the system. With that many to choose from, there wasn't a lot of crossover, with exactly 100 different games receiving a vote between 7 participants.
Participants for the list-
EZ Racer
Crabmaster2000
shaggy
SpriteCell
Disposed Hero
MetalFro
Mr_Stubbes
Of those 100 games, a whopping 78 received only a single vote. Most of those single vote getters can be found here, so if you think a game has been overlooked, be sure to check out the submissions page-
http://www.rfgeneration.c...topic=19510.msg278253#newHowever, as has happened on many previous lists, there was a definite #1, with that game making the top 20 of six of the seven participants. Only two other games even reached 4 lists.
A few agendas to take care of before diving into the list. First, with so many games getting a single vote, I used the honorable mentions section to highlight three games that one of our voters considered the absolute best the system has to offer. Also, you'll find that #7 on the final list consists of two games, one being an expanded release of the original. With so little crossover, it seemed appropriate in this case to combine the two.
Hope that you'll be a part of next month's list when we get a little more personal with games that have "fooled" us into buying the hype only to be a disappointment.
http://www.rfgeneration.c...m/index.php?topic=19536.0As with every month, big shout out to Wempster and Disposed Hero for their companion video-
And now for those Honorable Mentions...each of which received a single 1st place vote:
Beyond Good and Evil
Resident Evil 4"It took one of my favorite series into a bold new direction, for better or worse. Say what you will about its sequels, but this is an amazing game, and revolutionary in its own right."Mercenaries"I felt like any one of my top 6 could've been #1, but considering I don't usually gravitate towards war style games, the fact that this game is so engrossing, so fun, and has so many options for completing missions makes this the cream of the crop."-----And now for your Top 20-----20. Metal Gear Solid 3 (41 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/92450-metal-gear-solid-3-snake-eater-playstation-2-screenshot-main.jpg[/img]
Released- 2004
Genre- Action Adventure
2 lists- #13, #9
19. Dragon Quest VIII (42 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/141161-dragon-quest-viii-journey-of-the-cursed-king-playstation-2.jpg[/img]
Released- 2005
Genre- RPG
2 lists- #12, #9
18. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (45 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/284125-tony-hawk-s-pro-skater-3-playstation-2-screenshot-main-menu.png[/img]
Released- 2001
Genre- Sports, Sandbox
2 lists- #17, #5
17. Guitar Hero: Rock the 80's (47 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/434543-guitar-hero-encore-rocks-the-80s-playstation-2-screenshot.jpg[/img]
Released- 2007
Genre- Rhythm
2 lists- #15, #5
16. Final Fantasy XII (48 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/236838-final-fantasy-xii-playstation-2-screenshot-title-screen-is.jpg[/img]
Released- 2006
Genre- RPG
2 lists- #11, #7
15. Bully (50 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/688101-bully-playstation-2-screenshot-title-screen.png[/img]
Released- 2006
Genre- Action Adventure
2 lists- #18, #2
14. Mega Man Anniversary Collection (50 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/175028-mega-man-anniversary-collection-playstation-2-screenshot-title.jpg[/img]
Released- 2004
Genre- Action
2 lists- #11, #6
"8 Mega Man games in 1 place, with cool extra features, and solid conversions of them is a no-brainer."13. Katamari Damacy (56 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/94751-katamari-damacy-playstation-2-screenshot-title-screen.jpg[/img]
Released- 2004
Genre- Puzzle
2 lists- #14,
#1"I have a deep love for the Katamari series. The bright colors and soft music just set the tone for a light hearted and delightfully absurd experience as you (the prince and your cousins) attempt to restore the stars and planets in the sky by rolling up things from everyday items to entire continents. When making this list I had trouble filling most spots, except for this one."12. Final Fantasy X-2 (60 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/85028-final-fantasy-x-2-playstation-2-screenshot-main-menu.jpg[/img]
Released- 2003
Genre- RPG
3 lists- #18, #14, #5
"As in many Final Fantasy games to come I cared a lot more about the goofy side stuff than the main story."11. Onimusha: Warlords (60 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/798439-onimusha-warlords-playstation-2-screenshot-main-menu.jpg[/img]
Released- 2001
Genre- Action Adventure
2 lists- #7, #5
"This game oddly didn't click with me when playing it back in the day, but I absolutely fell in love with it when revisiting it more recently. Streamlines the classic Resident Evil formula a bit and adds in some pretty satisfying hack & slash action."10. Odin Sphere (64 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/228997-odin-sphere-playstation-2-screenshot-an-audience-with-odin.png[/img]
Released- 2007
Genre- Action RPG
2 lists- #8, #2
"Gorgeous pixel art and a compelling story if you can keep the chronology of the 5 narratives straight."9. God of War (65 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/344131-god-of-war-playstation-2-screenshot-steps-transcending-upward.png[/img]
Released- 2005
Genre- Action Adventure
3 lists- #15, #14, #4
"It's hard to put into words how impressive this game looked, when I first booted it up. It's almost as if it was too much to run on the PS2. Despite the skeezy bits, this is 3rd person hack & slash action done right."8. Silent Hill 3 (66 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/785033-silent-hill-3-playstation-2-screenshot-heather-s-father-harry.jpg[/img]
Released- 2003
Genre- Horror
2 lists- #6, #3
"One of the best survival-horror titles out there. Not quite as good as Silent Hill 2 in my opinion, but very nearly so."7. Persona 3/Persona 3 FES (Shin Megami Tensei) (72 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/278829-shin-megami-tensei-persona-3-playstation-2-screenshot-i-exploited.png[/img]
Released- 2006/2007
Genre- RPG
2 lists- #3, #3
"As my first SMT game, a very memorable experience with a mature story, and an addicting game play loop that has kept me coming back to the series."6. God of War II (77 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/689961-god-of-war-ii-playstation-2-screenshot-typical-bloody-visceral.png[/img]
Released- 2007
Genre- Action Adventure
3 lists- #19, #8,
#1"Takes everything that was good about God of War, and amps it up. Improvements in nearly every facet. Quite possibly the best hack & slash game of that decade."5. Persona 4 (Shin Megami Tensei) (78 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/351280-shin-megami-tensei-persona-4-playstation-2-screenshot-intruder.png[/img]
Released- 2008
Genre- RPG
2 lists- #2,
#1"More upbeat characters while still dealing with serious topics, and better dungeons make Persona 4 a bit more fun than 3."4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (83 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/35562-grand-theft-auto-vice-city-playstation-2-screenshot-ice-cream.jpg[/img]
Released- 2002
Genre- Action Adventure
3 lists- #15, #5, #3
"I was in my mid-teens when this game came out and was diving deep into 80s metal, so this really was a case of the right game at the right time for me. Driving through the 80s-era cityscape causing as much chaos as I could with classic thrash metal blaring on the radio was a sublime experience."3. Kingdom Hearts (112 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/794887-kingdom-hearts-playstation-2-screenshot-we-ve-become-small.png[/img]
Released- 2002
Genre- Action RPG
4 lists- #14, #7, #4, #4
"I initially hated this game, and it took many years and many attempts to finally get into it. When it finally clicked for me, I found it to be an engrossing experience."
"Great story development for what was originally conceived as an introductory RPG. Definitely some dark moments later on, and fans of either animated Disney or the Final Fantasy series will be pleased at the treatment of several beloved characters."2. Shadow of the Colossus (122 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/691672-shadow-of-the-colossus-playstation-2-screenshot-this-is-one.png[/img]
Released- 2005
Genre- Action Adventure
4 lists- #10, #6, #4, #3
"Doesn't quite hit as high a mark for me as it does for most people, but this is still a great game regardless. Very few things in gaming are as satisfying as taking down a colossus."1. Final Fantasy X (176 pts)
[img width=640 height=480]https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/493045-final-fantasy-x-playstation-2-screenshot-boss-fight.jpg[/img]
Released- 2001
Genre- RPG
6 lists- #20, #9, #8, #2, #2,
#1"I feel like this is probably the most divisive game in the series, but I am a big fan of this entry."
"I will always love the sphere grid and the customization it allows."
"A tremendous adventure from start to finish, and I loved how much lore there was to Spira. So much of it seemed fully fleshed out. It's been reported that Square put a huge budget into this game, and it shows as money well spent. Also, 'To Zanarkand' may be one of the best melancholy songs ever produced for a video game. Breathtaking..."Final ThoughtsSo there you have it, another system, another 20 games. Thanks again to everyone who participated, as this was a fun list to see all the differences in preferences. Moreso than just about any system, personal preference in game style played a key role in the selections, as every genre seems covered with a multitude of high quality titles. Once again, hope you'll join us next month!
