The PS2 was the first home console I ever owned, and as such, I have very fond memories of it, with so many classics, and many that you couldn't play on any other console, it's was defiantly a console that defined a generation, and here are 5 of my favourites, and while yes, most of them are odd choices, these are the games that I think of when I think of the PS2.
5. Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Jurassic Park has given both some great and grating games, but, one that was gold from the start was a SimCity-style game where you can build your own dinosaur live theme park. Something that we never got to see in the movies until Jurassic World.
While the graphics were quite lacking, and the 'survival' element that they build up in the advertisement was a bit misleading, the fun and creativity of building your own theme park full of man-eating monsters is just as fun as it sounds, and if you ever get bored, you can just take the fenses down and watch the carnage unfold.
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Most movie-based games are typically half-arsed quick cash grabs that don't care about either being faithful to the movie, or being a good game, and that was never more true than in the PS2 game library, however, one series that always tended to deliver some decent games was the Harry Potter games. While I still regard the GBA version of Prisoner of Azkaban to be the best Harry Potter game, the PS2 version of the Chamber of Secrets was very fun too.
The limited, but still very fun to explore open world of the Hogwarts castle, grounds and even the Dark Forrest was great to walk around in, the exploration was great, and searching for beans to buy things from Fred and George was a great system, and hunting for all the wizard cards was always really rewarding.
While sadly the spells were a bit rubbish most of the time, and the wizards duels were annoying and really tricky, playing a game of Quidditch was always worth popping this game in.
3. Taz: WANTED!
Games based off cartoons seem like matches made in heaven, but, only a handful both match the style of the shows their based off of, and are still fun, thankfully, Taz: WATNED is one of those games.
Putting you in the tornado-spinning shoes of Taz, this game keeps the goal both simple, and fitting for the character: DESTROY EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!
The cell-shaded graphics still look great, and the great use of sound effects, Looney Tunes characters and costumes always makes this game a blast.
2. Simpsons: Hit and Run
Speaking of cartoon games, it's sad that the amount the games based of the long-running show, The Simpsons, that are worth playing are capable of being counted on one hand
Fortunately, Simpsons Hit and Run is one of them. While granted it's a blatant rip-off of Grand Theft Auto, which is a far better game on the PS2, Simpsons Hit and Run just has more personality and creativity to it, plus, with the voice talent and writings skills from the show, you really can't go wrong with this one.
With being able to play as everyone of the Simpsons family besides Maggie and even Apu too, and even being able to talk and team-up with other regulars, you'll be crashing cars, grabbing coins and stealing trash all over Springfield for hours.
1.Ratchet and Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal
With this list being full of mostly low-archiving licence games which are personal guilty pleasures to me, it's good to have the number one spot be a genuinely great game.
The third in the series of the fantastic Ratchet and Clank franchise, you don the space suit and OTT weapons of our favourite Lomabx space commando and robot buddy once again, to take down alien mutants and robots all across the galaxy
With the classic sense of humour and action of the last games taken to the next and best level, this is the game that makes the console a must-buy, and gives you that 'I've got to play this again' feeling whenever you're not playing it
With this, and plenty of other great games on the console, I'm glad that this was the first console I ever own that wasn't a portable, and do miss the style of games on this console, because you don't really see them anymore
Hopefully we'll see some games like these again in the future.
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