Before pulling the plug on its manufacture, Sony managed to shove over 150 million PS2 consoles into the wild making it the single best-selling (non-handheld) console in history. You don't convince that many millions of people to open their wallets without some killer software backing up that hardware, and the PS2 boasts a stunning array of must-have blockbusters from franchises everyone knows: Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Tekken, Gran Turismo, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, God of War, Twisted Metal, you get the picture.
Those would all make great topics for posts themselves, but today I'm more interested in talking about some lesser-known but still phenomenal PS2 games that, at present, can still be found without taking out a second mortgage. No Kuon or Rule of Rose in here, just low-cost, high-fun goodies worth a second glance. Starting with...
Hunter: the Reckoning - Wayward
I've never understood the logic behind the video game incarnation of the Hunter: the Reckoning franchise. There are three separate, yet connected, titles licensed from White Wolf's pen-and-paper RPG of the same name, and but if you want to play all of them, you need, at minimum, two separate consoles from two competing hardware manufacturers. The first game in the series, called simply Hunter the Reckoning, was released for both the Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft Xbox. The second, Hunter: the Reckoning - Wayward, was a direct sequel to the first game, but was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The third and final game in the trilogy, Hunter: the Reckoning - Redeemer, is a direct sequel to Wayward, taking place a decade later, and came out solely on the Xbox. I'm not sure who came up with that smart-as-a-zombie idea, but it's probably what contributed to there never being a fourth game in the franchise, which has lain dormant since 2003 with no HD Remasters available, and only the Xbox version of the first game accessible on Microsoft's storefront as a digital download for the Xbox One and Series X.
That's a shame, because these games are a couch co-op gamer's wet dream. While Wayward was limited to 2-player simultaneous action, the Gamecube and Xbox versions allowed four people to pick up the controller and lay waste to hordes of werewolves, ghosts, vampires, zombies, ghouls, skeletons, gargoyles, and other nightmares, with a whole host of unlockable bonus weapons, power-ups, and even playable characters to earn as you progressed. Two years after saving the town of Ashcroft from the hellish nightmares unleashed after the execution of serial killer Nathanial Arkady, as chronicled in the first game, Wayward's story pulls the original four Hunters back to Ashcroft to put down another evil uprising and locate two other Hunters who have gone missing. What follows is an orgy of blazing guns, slashing blades, and paranormal powers as you and a friend -- assuming you have any, you degenerate -- tear through hordes of supernatural cannon fodder in search of the reason the darkness in Ashcroft refuses to stay purged. Who doesn't love a great action RPG set in the modern era that doesn't carry a wallet-wrecking price tag?
Despite only allowing two players at once, Wayward gets my vote for best game in the series. There's plenty to see, do, and kill in Ashcroft, and you're unlikely to get bored with it until you start grinding for some of the game's trophies which require you to perform exceptional feats of skill to accomplish (things like ridding one specific level of its entire enemy population using nothing but your default melee weapon, or rescuing 100% of the survivors in one area before they're picked off by the homicidal maniac hunting them) or re-visiting stages to find the bonus unlockables which can't be obtained your first trip through. Wayward is a hack-and-slash dream come true, and you won't need to spend more than $10 - $12 for a copy. Sharpen those axes, tighten those crossbow strings, and oil up your guns -- it's time to turn the tables and for the hunted to become the Hunters.
Gladius
"What would happen if you took the grid-based combat of Final Fantasy Tactics and chucked it into a blender with the Ridley Scott film Gladiator?" asked LucasArts, who proceeded to answer their own question with this game for the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube in 2003. Utilizing a dual-protagonist story system, where you choose to play as either the barbarian Ursula or imperial legionnaire Valens, Gladius involves battles to the death within the confines of various arenas, where you'll need to utilize the terrain, your skills, and your allies to the fullest extent to progress the story. The stories of the two main characters intersect from time to time, but you'll need to complete two separate playthroughs in order to see everything it has to offer.
That's a tall order, because while Gladius starts off relatively simple, it won't hesitate to grind your face into the blood-soaked sand until you master all the various aspects to its combat system. It uses a rock-paper-scissors style of combat, where Heavy classes easily beat down Medium classes, Medium classes wreck Light classes, and Light classes dance circles around Heavy ones, but that's just the beginning. Terrain features, character position on the battlefield, the stance and direction of the attacker and defender, ranged support, and the ability to recruit some fallen enemy types into your own stable all combine to make this game a tactical war-maker's dream. The LucasArts production values are top-notch as always, with great graphics, cut scenes, music, and voices.
If this sounds interesting to you, I'd jump on it sooner rather than later. Expect to pay around $15 at this point, but only a few years ago you could find it for under $10. People have started catching on to this one, and the price is going up. It isn't available on any digital storefronts either, so for right now, physical seems to be the only way to go.
Kya: Dark Lineage
Kya: Dark Lineage is a 3D Metroidvania-style action/adventure title from Eden Studios who, up until that point, had focused solely on developing driving games for the Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and PlayStation. Suddenly in 2003, they got bit by the urge to make something that didn't involve four wheels, and the result was this better-than-it-had-any-right-to-be PS2 exclusive. A European technicolor nightmare brought to life, Kya's world is both beautiful and off-putting, with our purple-haired heroine wielding a wicked boomerang in her quest to rescue her brother Frank from the forces of the Wolfen, a race of bipedal dogs who have subjugated the peaceful Nativ tribe, kidnapping and carting them off for brutal experimentation.
Kya revolves around a couple of fun gaming mechanics that are uncommon at best in similar titles. Much of the travel between areas in the game is accomplished by using the local air currents: the world the game takes place in is high above terra firma, so the Nativs use the ebb and flow of the wind itself to get from one airborne island to another. They also utilize travel by cannon, which sounds terrifyingly unsafe, but doesn't hurt in the slightest. Kya can also use her prodigious athletic talent to sort of surf/snowboard her way down slides, allowing her to access other zones. Beyond that, areas can also be locked until she acquires an item which lets her bypass those restrictions, like gloves which allow her to climb certain walls.
This type of game was done better by other companies (see: Beyond Good and Evil), but considering the developer's pedigree, it's an astonishingly fun and well-put-together adventure -- though the voice acting leaves something to be desired. Largely ignored on its release, and sadly ending on a cliffhanger which teases more to come instead of a conclusive ending, Kya: Dark Lineage is a game both overlooked and outshined by other examples of the genre, but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable in its own right, and still fairly cheap in the $10 - $15 range for a physical copy. And until/unless this winds up on the PlayStation Store, that's the only way you'll get to play it.
Rumble Racing
In 2000, Electronic Arts released NASCAR Rumble on the PlayStation, an arcade-style racing game that was basically Super Mario Kart meets NASCAR Racing. The tracks involved death-defying jumps, hairpin turns, tight cityscapes, and powerups that let you unleash full-fledged, track-clearing tornadoes on your opponents. NASCAR purists didn't care for the less-than-serious gameplay style, and gamers looking for arcade-style racing experiences chose to steer clear of something bearing the NASCAR logo, so the game was only a mild success. EA, thinking they should take another shot at this style of game using the power of the PS2 hardware, decided to forego any licensing deals and instead just build a new game which would be a spiritual successor to NASCAR Rumble. One year later, they released Rumble Racing, and there you have it.
It is insane how stupidly fun and entertaining this game is, not to mention how smoothly it runs on the PlayStation 2 hardware: Despite all the physics calculations going on in the background, the detailed textures, and the insane amount of particle effects generated by smoke, flames, and clouds of dust, the game roars around at 60 FPS like it's no big deal. Everything in Rumble Racing is cranked up to eleven, with tracks you would have designed when you were eight years old playing with your Hot Wheels cars complete with all kinds of obstacles, shortcuts, and big-air jumps which are perfect for showing off the game's Stunt mechanic. Offensive power-ups are back, with things like Freeze Bombs that stop the other drivers in their tracks, Oil Slicks to turn already difficult turns into treacherous deathtraps, and Grenades that blow the doors off an opponent. Oh, and that pack-clearing Tornado makes its return in all its sky-darkening glory.
As if that wasn't enough, there are a ridiculous number of cars both to pick from at the start and unlock over the course of the game. All of them have different ratings in different areas, and some of the highest-powered ones come with ridiculous features like only having 3 wheels, or being equipped with just a gigantic rocket engine as an accelerator, which completely alter the way they handle and interact with various track elements. Basically, there's something for everyone in here, so if you're fine with your racing game not looking like Gran Turismo, you owe it to yourself to seek out the insanity and hilarity that is Rumble Racing for yourself. The price on this one has been going up lately as well, but you should still be able to find a copy for under $15.
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
SNK Playmore ported a ton of Neo Geo software to the PS2 towards the end of the system's life, including some wonderful package deals like Art of Fighting Anthology, Metal Slug Anthology, and SNK Arcade Classics, Vol. 1, but for my money, the crown jewel in SNK's PlayStation 2 library is NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, a home console release of the arcade game of the same name which redefined the genre and took its rightful place in fighting game history nobody cared about because it didn't have "Mortal Kombat", "Street Fighter", or "Marvel vs. Capcom" in its title. This, despite all of SNK Playmore's PS2 releases retailing for $20 brand new, is a disgusting shame. Simply put, if you love the 2D sprite-based fighting genre, then you need this in your collection, like, yesterday.
The amount of options on offer here are staggering, with combatants drawn from fifteen years of SNK's history. Long-time SNK brawlers will find characters from Art of Fighting, World Heroes, King of Fighters, Athena, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug, Savage Reign, King of the Monsters, and The Last Blade. There's even a character from Aggressors of Dark Combat, whom you won't recognize because you never played Aggressors of Dark Combat and didn't even know a game called Aggressors of Dark Combat existed until now, but SNK included her anyway. There were also several new fighters designed just for this game, including two of the bosses, so if you think you've seen it all...
The time to jump on this one is now. SNK enthusiasts and collectors are starting to figure out both that this game exists and how awesome it is. Right now, you can still snag it for around $20, but expect that price to ramp up as more buyers scoop copies up and take them off the market. Same goes for all of SNK Playmore's PS2 releases, really, but this one is an especially important grab for the fighting game enthusiast who thought Capcom Fighting Evolution was disappointing and wants to see how it really should have been done.
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
I'll bring up Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction at the drop of a hat, because not only is it the best sandbox game of the sixth console generation, I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best sandbox games of all time. Pandemic Studios were a force to be reckoned with in the mid-2000s, and when paired with LucasArts they were virtually untouchable, as they were here. Playground of Destruction puts you in the boots of one of three different hired warriors, each with his or her own special skill or talent, who get dropped into North Korea. The target is General Song, who staged a military coup to become head of state and is now threatening the world with nuclear Armageddon if they don't back off. Obviously one merc working alone couldn't topple a heavily-militarized dictatorship alone. Fortunately, you can find assistance from the other factions operating the area, generally on a quid pro quo basis: doing a job for them unlocks the ability to ask them for help later on, and will earn you intel on valuable targets.
The first faction you'll run into is the Allied Nations -- a US-led coalition who have set up in North Korea as a peace-keeping and humanitarian aid taskforce. They aren't allowed to engage in direct action against Song or his men, but they've put a bounty on the capture or assassination of Song and fifty-one of his cohorts, which someone like you could take them up on. Alive being the preferred option since corpses can't be interrogated, you'll be paid only 50% of the bounty for a dead target, but sometimes taking these men and women alive in the middle of an all-out warzone is more trouble than it's worth so the choice is always yours. It's possible to complete the game while killing every high-value target you come across, so if you aren't in a charitable mood, or extraction seems like a dicey proposition, let the lead fly and snap a picture of the body afterwards.
Obviously with North Korea in chaos, the country most worried about stuff getting out of hand is South Korea. Their primary concern is keeping the conflict from spilling over the DMZ into their country. The US is supplying covert aid to the South Korean government via the CIA, but that aid is mainly limited to intelligence reports and cash, something the agent in charge of operations is more than willing to share with someone willing to help keep the NK forces contained.
China's also on the scene. As the single largest military power in Asia, China has a vested interest in keeping North Korea in check while also working against the AN and South Korean forces to ensure the West doesn't turn North Korea into another friendly territory like Japan. The People's Army is large, but it is also slow-moving and subject to the limitations of a supply line in its infancy. What it lacks in supplies is offset by its massive budget, something it's happy to throw at a money-hungry merc to ensure China's best interests are seen to.
Finally, with the sound of gunfire and supply chain disruptions comes the opportunity for profit, and a Russian criminal gang has infiltrated and taken over a small area of North Korea to use for their own gains. Being black market dealers in weapons, vehicles, and technology, the Russians have worked their tendrils into every aspect of quasi-legal trade imaginable. They run a chop shop, willing to pay cash for any vehicles brought their way, and their 'Merchant of Menace' online portal allows you to order up anything from medical supplies and ammo drops, to fresh civilian vehicles or military hardware, to full-on artillery bombardments, laser-guided rockets, and building-collapsing Bunker Busters. Doing jobs for all of the different factions opens up an ever-wider assortment of goods and services available from the Merchant of Menace, but Russian missions always have bonus parameters that reward you with an extra unlockable if you complete the secondary objective.
Mercenaries includes a building destruction feature, allowing you to level practically any structure in the game if you hit with enough artillery, and missions are, for the most part, open-ended so there's rarely only one way to attain your objective. Each of the playable characters has their own particular talent (Jennifer moves more quietly, Mattias runs the fastest, and Chris can absorb the most punishment), giving a variety of replay options. Each operative also knows a different language (Korean for Chris, Russian for Mattias, and Chinese for Jennifer), making it possible to eavesdrop on conversations and get an idea of how some NPCs really feel when they think you don't understand what they're saying.
There's really not enough praise I can heap on this game -- it just is that damn good, and you can still find copies of it for under $15. If there's any game on this list that is a must-buy for the budget-conscious gamer, it's definitely Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.