I got through phases of games, and right now I’m in the one I like to think of everything-modern-is-making-me-angry-so-I’ll-turn-back-to-vintage-games - and that’s in the form of PCSX2 on my Steam Deck.
Playing the PS2 generation on the Steam Deck is kinda the ‘perfect’ generation: I can upscale the resolution without a performance hit, I can apply HD texture packs, Retro Achievements and I can drop the TDP to extend the battery life.
Anyway, I never had a PS2 (it was just a touch before my time), so there’s so many games I’m yet to discover there. I’d love to hear any suggestions you might have for what I can play on there:
Just a couple notes:
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No GTA games because they’re better with the PC versions. While I’ve bought the games, the account that Rockstar demands people have to play their games makes me angry on principle (a single-player game forcing an online check each week to be able to play it? No thanks), so I’ve got cracked versions to play.
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No Final Fantasy because I’m not even sure where to start!
So if anyone was around back in the PS2 era, and has some recommendations for games they’ve loved, I’m all ears. I’ve been having such a fun time playing these.
Some big thanks to my friends who made and run RetroDECK (my choice for emulating on the Steam Deck), and to the PCSX2 team (who I’m chatting to right now actually, so keep an eye out and in a week or so I’ll share that chat with them all about creating and maintaining the PS2 emulator!)
Also, if you do have a Steam Deck, and want to play with the HD texture packs I do, then it’s really simple. Just download the pack, and name then according to their game’s I.D. code - SLUS-20743 for example, then place it in the texture_packs folder:
From there, go into PCSX2, then right-click the game, select properties, graphics, texture replacement and tick the two boxes I have:
Then you’ve got the games looking the best they can be!
Here’s a link to a stack of pre-done HD textures for a lot of PS2 games, to help you on your way!
If you like couch co-op dungeon crawlers, the Champions of Norrath is a lot of fun. Don’t forget gems like Dark Cloud 1 and 2, Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance,
I found Ratchet and Clank 3 in the thrift store today, they gave it to me free because I bought a large stack of large plant pots too
I played Shadow of the Colosses on my Potato PC with PCSX2. Took a bit of fiddling with the settings but it ran great afterwards. It’s one of my all time favourites. It’s an open world boss battler where you defeat giant climbable monsters. They are only vulnerable in specific spots though so in order defeat them you need to figure out how to reach those. The atmosphere is incredible though and the best part of it. If you want try it I highly recommend being hesitant to look up hints for this one since figuring out bosses is the most fun part.
Thank you!
I have got it on my Steam Deck, but rather the PS3 version (using RPCS3/RetroDECK), and I’m wondering which one I should play when I do try it! Everyone speaks so highly of it, I’m looking forward to!
I’d just play the ps3 version then, it plays like how my nostalgia filter made me remember the original. do ico also if you haven’t.
Imho the remaster looks too ralistic. Haven’t played it tho
Black.
Mortal Kombat. The one that actually plays like a linear world story, not limited to arena.
Shaolin monks? Or maybe Deception?
Shaolin Monks is the one.
Easily the best mortal kombat game, assuming you aren’t a fighting game lover to begin with.
Exactly my sentiment. I still remember the experience glitch in one area where you have to break the stone guards shields before you can actually damage them. But while the shields are up, you can farm XP indefinitely.
One of my favorite games of all time is Dark Cloud. It starts feeling completely alone, and you bring the world to life. The atmosphere and soundtrack are top tier.
Plus, Dungeon Golf!
@PerfectDark Oh man, I have so many… The PS2 was probably my favorite actual console before the Switch and even then I have so much nostalgia… I think I have a few recommends you may not hear as much elsewhere and a bunch you probably will. Should I dig out my HD and remind myself of things?
Here are what immediately come to mind:
Ar Tonelico 1 & 2 - beautiful RPGs, deep stories, music that blows the mind. Undub of course.
Persona 3 FES & Persona 4 (undubs preferable)
The Burnout games are good to work out some things, lol.
Katamari games of course.
Pop’n Music 11-14
Disgaea 1 & 2 (undubs)
Shin Megami Tensei III (Nocturne)
Melty Blood: Act Cadenza
Tenchu Fatal Shadows (best one in the series IMO)
Tales of the AbyssOh geez, I need to dig out the HD. I need to reinstall anyway
The .Hack series and SSX Tricky
Dark Cloud
agreed!
beat Dark Cloud 1 a year or two ago, and now I am ready for Dark Cloud 2 soon!
Just a side note on Final Fantasy games: you can literally start anywhere. They are all (except like X-2 which is explicitly a sequel to X, and the first time they did that) completely independent of one another.
And since you’re talking PS2, I think most people would tell you to start with FFX. It’s a fantastic game and a great representative of the PS2 era. The graphics hold up surprisingly well.
Some arcade-y faves of mine:
Gradius V: a classic horizontal scrolling shooter, it gets hard quickly! (This is the game series the Konami code originates from)
Neo Contra: a twin-stick shooter inspired by B-movies, also kinda hard, and incidentally also a series that made the Konami code famous.
The Red Star: a bit obscure I think. It’s a twin-stick with both shooting and melee. I like the girl’s fast melee moves a lot, you need to use combos to juggle your enemies. I think this one got a bad reception because it arrived quite late in the life of the PS2 and was a bit underwhelming graphically.
Jak & Daxter trilogy, must have
Gitaroo Man is a pretty deep cut thats hard to find, but I lost plenty of hours in that game. If you find a copy let me know…my disc is torn to shreds.
The holy trinity of PS2 platformers is, in my order of preference: Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet and Clank.
For Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper in the first game in the series is pretty different from the rest so if you bounce consider giving the sequel a go.
Ace Combat games are so much fun.
Sweet jebus. You’re jumping into one of the biggest (if not the biggest) game console libraries ever. There’s a lot to pick from, and… there’s a lot of trash too.
It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I really enjoy the Burnout series. Each title brings something new to the table, and the music and energy just don’t let up. The only problem here is the brutal load times between every level, which on emulation, probably aren’t going to be an issue for you. The licensed soundtrack is also something of a time-capsule now, so it may be worthwhile on that point alone.
There are a few Castlevania titles for the PS2 as well. These are a fun departure from the side-scrolling formula, and seem to have learned a few tricks from Devil May Cry. They deliver on mood and challenge, but I wouldn’t rank them as high as the GBA or PS1 titles. Still, they’re fun to play.
If you wind up short on recommendations, I’ll add that PS1 titles should get an honorable mention here. The PS2 is fully backwards compatible with the PS1, so those cream-of-the-crop titles kinda/sorta count. For a lot of us, that was a big part of the experience of owning one of these machines as your library just kept growing into the new console gen. But you’ve probably already heard of Metal Gear Solid, Symphony of the Night, FFVII, WipeoutXL, Tony Hawk, and so on.
