I've been planning on doing this list for about a month now, but I wanted to make sure that I had the time to do it right before beginning. This seemed like the right week to do this.
Now, I will admit that this will not be a definitive list by any stretch of the imagination, despite my best efforts because frankly, the Playstation 2 library is so massive that there are still a lot of quality games that I have yet to play. It is also a very personal list, and as such, it may not reflect everyone's taste, and I am ok with that.
Most lists of this type are put together by more than one person for magazines and larger websites, so there is generally a better sense of balance and agreement, since there are more opinions available and again, with more people involved, it means that a wider breadth of games can be brought into the fold. I privately asked a few of my fellow bloggers for their opinions to help me in ranking (I didn't tell them what games would appear on this list, so that they would give me their honest opinions, unfettered from my own prejudices and such, and it was interesting to note that while they did not get me to put a particular title on this list, they did indeed have an influence on some of the rankings, for better or worse). But even though I have my limitations, in looking the list I ultimately arrived at, it does feel pretty balanced given my experiences.
I did adhere to two solid rules though. Even though I really enjoy sports games, I thought it better to avoid including them on this list give the fact that generally, these franchises are incremental, and thus, any title I'd list would have many very similar cousins. I made an exception for motor sports however, because there is a lot of breadth in that area so it is in many ways fundamentally different from football, baseball and basketball.
And I thought it was only fair to choose one game per franchise, because I didn't want one or two powerhouse series to dominate the list. And this way, I can discuss a wider variety of games than I might otherwise have been able to.
With that being said, I think you will enjoy my selections, though there are ones which will naturally seem odd choices, and other games which you may feel I omitted, and I may address those concerns in a supplemental post after this list is completed.
25. Star Wars: Battlefront II: I am not a huge fan of
Star Wars. I mean, I like it, but I am not a rabid fan, but despite that, I really got into this game, and even without that license, it would still be a great game. The game is based on two distinct play styles, both of which are fun, but one simply dominates the other. The first part which makes up the majority of the game is fast paced 3rd person shooting action with multiple class types, which is simply a blast (no pun intended) in both the campaign and instant action modes and largely follows deathmatch rules (you can die multiple times and you just respawn). As you can tell, these maps were my favorite part of the game. The second type of lever are decent-sized space battles, which aren't as fast paced, but they do have their interesting moments, especially since even on these maps, you can land on the enemy's main battleship and sabotage it in that 3rd person shooter style that I was so fond of. But aside from the sweet action, the storyline of the main campaign is also quite interesting, as it tells a story that spans both the prequels and the original trilogy, and the side you are fighting for ends up being the Empire (something which would have been clear to
Star Wars fans from the first mission). It is an interesting choice, but one which is consistent with the way they do things at Lucasarts. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that there are features that seemed designed specifically for certain kinds of
Star Wars fans, like the option of hunting certain hated species of the Galaxy... like the Gungans and the Ewoks. I will admit that I have battled the Gungans more than a few times in my life in this game. Add in the fact that you can play as the characters from the movies when the right conditions are met on a map, and there is a lot for
Star Wars fans and even non-fans to like about this game. All in all a solid effort, but I have read grumbling from others that it wasn't as good as the first installment, but I will take that with a grain of salt because it is the internet after all.
24. Def Jam: Fight for New York: I wrote
an earlier post in which I admitted that I had lost my love for fighting games. This game is the exception. Featuring a cast of real life characters, most of whom are based on recording artists on the Def Jam label, this game is just insane enough to keep my interest. Some have claimed that it isn't a fighting game in the traditional sense, instead sharing more than a passing resemblance to wrestling games of that same generation than the classical 2D fighters like
Street Fighter, and I can see that, as there is indeed a much stronger reliance on grappling in this game than one would expect. The game tells the tale of a battle between two factions over control of New York (as the title suggests), and the way to win those streets is through a series of brutal, underground fights in bars, clubs, on rooftops and in various other locales around the New York area. You design your character from the ground up, and dress him according to your own fashion sense (though the more expensive your clothes and bling are, the faster you accumulate momentum in a fight). You also get to blend a few styles from a list of
5 disciplines to make your brawler unique, and as your progress through the game, you can improve various aspects of your characters abilities (much like a role playing game). Even if you aren't a huge fan of hip hop music, there are still a lot of recognizable names in this title, from the prolific Danny Trejo, Omar Epps and Carmen Electra to crossover celebrities like Henry Rollins, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and Ice T. This game also came out before Flavor Flav became the raging manwhore VH1 viewers watched in reality show after reality show, so fighting him feels a little more respectable. The character models are excellent for their time too, so when you are fighting someone, it really looks like them, and since the action can get pretty brutal (like people getting their face smashed into walls, thrown into cars or in front of subways or stomped on), this sense of realism is a plus. It was a pleasure kicking so much star-powered ass in this game.
23. ToCA Race Driver 3: I said in an earlier post that while the
Gran Turismo games seem to be for people who want to do hypothetical racing (like can a supercharged Mini Cooper beat the cream of Japanese motorsports), and the
ToCA series seemed more geared to people who just wanted to race in a more realistic way. What I meant by that is this game seems to replicate a lot of different styles of racing, from such varying fields as open wheel, rally, stock car, monster truck, offroad and even go karts (I know it is a serious sport, and I am not mocking it) along with so many other disciplines, and do them all justice. And that's the impressive part... they don't feel like small variations, but rather like they would each be able to form the basis of their own separate game, that's how good the development cycle was for this title. And the attention to detail is also evident with the wide variety of real world tracks that accompany those same disciplines (along with a healthy number of cars which at times can mean there is a field of 20 other racers on the track with you). The damage modeling also means that you can't for the most part smash your way to victory, especially in open wheel cars, because you can quickly see your day of racing end with a catastrophic failure. While the
Gran Turismo series is very centered on the Japanese sphere of motorsports,
ToCA, having been developed in Great Britain, reflects a more European sensibility, and features more events from both Europe and Australia than anywhere else, so from a North American racing enthusiast, this provides a great primer for other racing styles outside of this continent. And unlike the competition, it doesn't require you to be a mechanic to figure out how to get the best out of your car, nor does it really allow you to just simply overpower the competition with a car that really outperforms the rest of the field, so when you succeed, you know it is because you drove a better race, which is very satisfying. The game also features a loose narrative in the career mode, which is made up of first person interludes of your driver being yakked at by your mentor
Rick. I love that Scottish bastard. And it doesn't feel like they just threw in extra championships to pad the game out... every kind of racing feels like a well-thought out addition. So what came out the door was a well-designed, attractive and fulfilling motorsport experience that blew the doors off my conception of realistic console racing.
22. Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction: Lucasarts put out a fun sandbox type experience with this game. Taking place in North Korea in the near future, you play the part of one of three mercenaries, each who has a different personality and linguistic background (which allows each character to further understand the machinations of one of the 4 factions you take missions from, as you get subtitles when they are speaking to other people with the expectation that you can't follow what they are saying). It is also clearly a post Iraq War game, as there is a
most wanted playing card system which helps you identify high profile (and thus profitable) combatants who can be killed or captured for reward. The game also lives up to its subtitle, as if you really wanted to and you had the money, you can literally call down surgical strikes on any building to destroy it, and there is no limit to the number of places you can devastate that way, so technically, you could destroy the North Korean capital if you so desired. And by the same token, if you ever need something, well, you can always order it to be airlifted into your area, so getting stuck in no mans land without transportation doesn't happen too often. And because it is a sandbox-type game, there is a lot of freedom to just play around with the environment and the factions, so you can have a lot of fun even if you aren't playing the narrative. Featuring a voice cast that includes Peter Stormare, James Hong and Carl Weathers, it is certainly no slouch in that department either, and the opening theme is memorable as well. It is just unfortunate that the legacy of this title was tainted by the awful EA produced sequel.
21.
Brothers in Arms: The Road to Hill 30: One of those rare instances in gaming where a game used the narrative trick of starting near the end of the story it was going to recount, and then going back to the beginning to fill you in on how things got to that point. In this case, it is a story based on true events on D-Day and the week that followed. I respect some of the design choices, as this is not a run and gun first-person shooter, but rather one which requires you to think about each situation you are in and use the manpower you have at your disposal to get through the mission, and this more realistic approach is refreshing. The necessity of using cover and suppressive fire to survive makes this game a breath of fresh air in a world of first person shooters which claim that is a requirement, when it is a rarely used tactic. At times, there is a lot of tension, because you are facing a situation that requires precise movement and planning to ensure that you and the men who are following you survive the skirmish. And the tale that is told is poignant and educational, as supplemental information on each mission is made available, often coming from the real after action reports from the operations you just played through. There are moments in this game that have stayed with me since I first played it because there was something so real about it... like the sequence which ultimately leads to your character's jump over France on the night before D-Day comes to mind immediately, and some of the missions which at times feel claustrophobic and/or overwhelming. While not the best console first person shooter I've played, it hits enough of the right notes with its design and presentation to make this list with room to spare.
Tune in tomorrow for
the next installment of this list (20-16).
The Top 25 PS2 games I've Ever Played Number 25-21 Number 20-16 Number 15-11 Number 10-6 The Top 5 Tags:
brothers in arms, road to hill 30, toca race driver 3, mercenaries, playground of destruction, star wars, battlefront, def jam, fight for new york, gran turismo, playstation 2, top 25, sandbox, pandemic, lucasarts, d-day, first person shooter, motorsports, ewoks, empire, suppressive fire, cover, peter stormare, james hong, carl weathers, ice t, flavor flav, street fighter, carmen electra, henry rollins, omar epps, danny trejo 
20. Secret Weapons over Normandy: Another Lucasarts entry, one which follows in the footsteps of their masterful World War II air combat games from the late 1980's and early 1990's, a series which culminated in a game called Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe. The premise of this game is that an American pilot named James Chase volunteered to fly for the RAF before the United States entered the war and because of his skill, he became part of a secret squadron called the Battlehawks which engaged in dangerous missions against the Axis, no matter the theatre. This means that there are missions not only in Western Europe (which the title indicates), but also over the skies of North Africa, the Russian Front and even in the Pacific. Of course, the title also mentions secret weapons, and as the game progresses, you end up facing German prototypical weapons and flying Allied planes of the same caliber, some of which seem like they might have just been on the drawing board, which makes some of the dogfights unreal, but very cool. In terms of physics, this is a game designed for a more casual fan base, one which appreciates fun more than accuracy, which fits me to a tee. Over the course of 15 campaign missions and around 20 optional ones (which have benefits of their own), a neat little tale of Allied derring-do is constructed, with a lot of variety of objectives to pursue. I still remember the apprehension I felt during the first mission Me 262s entered the fray, and upon seeing some of the even more advanced models that didn't reach production. I will admit that it isn't a perfect game, but it is enjoyable for what it is, and I respect the effort. And I should mention this because it came up in the comments from the first entry in this list... Michael Giacchino did the soundtrack for this game as well, so you know that part is excellent. I would even be willing to say that this game was the underlying influence for another series for the next gen systems called Blazing Angels, but I can't prove that. 
19. Sly Cooper 3: Honor Amongst Thieves: The best way I can describe this game is if you imagine someone took the spirit of Ocean's Eleven, and then wrapped it up in cel-shaded graphics. Oh, and made every character an animal. I think that just about covers it. A great 3D platformer with a light sense of humor, Sly Cooper 3 showed remarkable polish and had great style... but I shouldn't have been surprised, as it is what I would expect from a game about a gentleman thief. It is a game that stands on its own, as any relevant information from previous installments is revealed to a new player when needed, so you are never left wondering why something is happening or what the relevance of a reference is. The simple synopsis is that Sly Cooper must infiltrate an island which contains his family's vault (which the video link at the beginning of the entry already explained). But it is on an island which is controlled by a mortal enemy, so he must enlist the aid of thieves and masters of various disciplines from around the world to help him succeed, some of whom he has had run-ins with in the past. And because these characters are being recruited for their various skills, they each have their own missions within the various stages of the game, so there is a lot of variety in terms of gameplay. As someone who is drawn to literary and cinematic con men and thieves, I also enjoy watching the schemes fall into place. And like #21 on this list, Brothers in Arms: The Road to Hill 30, this game also starts the action near the end and then gets you up to speed on how events unfolded to get to that point, and upon playing it a second time, the whole sequence makes a lot more sense. Some people may not like cel shaded games or might think because all the main characters are animals that it might be for children, but there is a little bit of an edge to the story, so it is more than appropriate for adults.
18. ATV Offroad Fury 4: I picked this game up on a whim one night at a local video store, and I was instantly hooked. I didn't think I would love offroad racing, but somehow, this really won me over in the best possible way. This was a game that also made me reconsider an element in motorsports games that I didn't even know was missing until this point -- narrative. It wasn't an epic story line mind you, but like The Dude's Rug and its effect on his apartment, it really tied the whole thing together, so there was a reason beyond just the sheer pleasure of racing. And the racing was indeed divine... slightly arcadish with physics that were a little loose without feeling too flighty or unresponsive, allowing you to make decisions on the fly without messing up (and fly is the right word for it because there are some spectacular areas in this game where the terrain really gives you some hang time). My favorite type of racing was Point to Point, which I think would have been the ideal basis for a game on its own with its myriad paths and utter insanity with all kinds of different vehicles competing on the same course at the same time (and with all the places where paths crossover, there is a lot of potential for collisions and close scrapes). I appreciated the variety of events, because even though dirt and mud are the general motif, most of the tracks have their own character and charms (as well as at least one point that will frustrate you if you are on a vehicle that allows for dramatic, rider-launching crashes). And while I am generally not a fan of stunts and such, this game also has those as a prominent feature, which includes events specifically designed for such escapades. Another subjective thing I should mention is in terms of length, it felt just right as well... the career mode didn't feel too short nor too long, so I wasn't left with the feeling that I was gypped or had to grind through the last few stages to reach the ending. A solid experience despite my mild reservations. 
17. Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal I knew that a Ratchet and Clank title would be on this list... I just wasn't sure which one it would be, and ultimately, it was one of the final decisions I made in devising this list. Going Commando was the first game from the series that I had played, so it is definitely a sentimental favorite, but in the end, its bigger, more over the top sequel won me over. And from the name alone, I am sure many of you can tell this is a game with a wicked sense of humor, though the game itself isn't dirty. This was the title in the series that started the move from being a 3D platformer towards a more action-oriented experience (though there is still plenty of platforming to be sure). But there was always action in this series, because the thing you play a Ratchet and Clank game for is the ridiculously oversized and occasionally comical weapons. I mean, nearly every commercial for the first 3 games in the series featured young men trying out those very weapons with humorous consequences. From a gun that turns enemies into ducks to one that fires black holes, and a whole lot of weird variations in between (like a gun that sucks up small enemies to fire out as projectiles, or a gun that fires out a stream of lava, and there was a gun that fired big globs of toxins which made your enemies go crazy and try to kill each other). As a flagship franchise for the Playstation 2 and Sony, naturally, a lot of work was done to ensure that this was a very polished product. As a player, I also liked the fact that on occasion, characters would break the fourth wall, which is always a plus when you are playing a game. A very enjoyable experience all around. 
16. Red Dead Revolver: A tale of revenge, told Spaghetti Western style, with a soundtrack to match. Breaking from the sandbox motif of other Rockstar Games productions (perhaps in part because the project was first developed by Capcom), the plot of Red Dead Revolver is unwrapped through a more linear series of missions, and in the end, I think the whole game is better for it. As I said, it is a story of retribution, mainly told through the travels of Red, a bounty hunter whose father was murdered by a gang when he was a child. As a character, he has a lot of the mannerisms and fashion sense of a particularly famous Sergio Leone character. But the tale has additional protagonists, who also have chapters devoted to them, including a British quick shot artist named Jack Swift, Red's Native American half-brother, a Buffalo Soldier and a widowed rancher named Annie Stoakes, who is an ace with a rifle. Some critics didn't like the fact that the story was told through multiple points of view, but I think it works well. Adding to the atmosphere created by the characters and soundtrack is the fact that the cutscenes have processing on them that makes the look like they were being shown in a grindhouse theatre, and being a Rockstar production, there is a lot of blood, so it is very appropriate for the story. There was also another innovative play dynamic in the game. Against certain opponents, you ended up in a duel situation, which required you to draw your pistol and shoot them before they could shoot you in slow motion. There is a section of the game which is heavily influenced by Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead which is just duels of this sort. In fact, as a fan of the Spaghetti Western, there are allusions to particular movies throughout (for instance, one particular mission is very reminiscent of the bridge battle in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, and as I mentioned earlier, many of the musical cues are taken from Italian Westerns of the 1960's and early 1970's. It is an underrated title that will soon have a next gen sequel. There are people who have stated that they wish Capcom would have held onto the project, but their vision for the game was more in keeping with the traditions of the American made Westerns of the 1950's and early 60's, and I don't think that would have worked as well. 
Do you feel lucky?
statistical relationship. There is a correlation with less snow during El Nino years in our mountains and in the lowlands. We will probably see less snow than last year (which ended up a surprise La Nina year). The Seattle Dept of Transportation will have an easier year, pretty much for sure.
25. Star Wars: Battlefront II: I am not a huge fan of Star Wars. I mean, I like it, but I am not a rabid fan, but despite that, I really got into this game, and even without that license, it would still be a great game. The game is based on two distinct play styles, both of which are fun, but one simply dominates the other. The first part which makes up the majority of the game is fast paced 3rd person shooting action with multiple class types, which is simply a blast (no pun intended) in both the campaign and instant action modes and largely follows deathmatch rules (you can die multiple times and you just respawn). As you can tell, these maps were my favorite part of the game. The second type of lever are decent-sized space battles, which aren't as fast paced, but they do have their interesting moments, especially since even on these maps, you can land on the enemy's main battleship and sabotage it in that 3rd person shooter style that I was so fond of. But aside from the sweet action, the storyline of the main campaign is also quite interesting, as it tells a story that spans both the prequels and the original trilogy, and the side you are fighting for ends up being the Empire (something which would have been clear to Star Wars fans from the first mission). It is an interesting choice, but one which is consistent with the way they do things at Lucasarts. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that there are features that seemed designed specifically for certain kinds of Star Wars fans, like the option of hunting certain hated species of the Galaxy... like the Gungans and the Ewoks. I will admit that I have battled the Gungans more than a few times in my life in this game. Add in the fact that you can play as the characters from the movies when the right conditions are met on a map, and there is a lot for Star Wars fans and even non-fans to like about this game. All in all a solid effort, but I have read grumbling from others that it wasn't as good as the first installment, but I will take that with a grain of salt because it is the internet after all.
24. Def Jam: Fight for New York: I wrote an earlier post in which I admitted that I had lost my love for fighting games. This game is the exception. Featuring a cast of real life characters, most of whom are based on recording artists on the Def Jam label, this game is just insane enough to keep my interest. Some have claimed that it isn't a fighting game in the traditional sense, instead sharing more than a passing resemblance to wrestling games of that same generation than the classical 2D fighters like Street Fighter, and I can see that, as there is indeed a much stronger reliance on grappling in this game than one would expect. The game tells the tale of a battle between two factions over control of New York (as the title suggests), and the way to win those streets is through a series of brutal, underground fights in bars, clubs, on rooftops and in various other locales around the New York area. You design your character from the ground up, and dress him according to your own fashion sense (though the more expensive your clothes and bling are, the faster you accumulate momentum in a fight). You also get to blend a few styles from a list of 5 disciplines to make your brawler unique, and as your progress through the game, you can improve various aspects of your characters abilities (much like a role playing game). Even if you aren't a huge fan of hip hop music, there are still a lot of recognizable names in this title, from the prolific Danny Trejo, Omar Epps and Carmen Electra to crossover celebrities like Henry Rollins, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and Ice T. This game also came out before Flavor Flav became the raging manwhore VH1 viewers watched in reality show after reality show, so fighting him feels a little more respectable. The character models are excellent for their time too, so when you are fighting someone, it really looks like them, and since the action can get pretty brutal (like people getting their face smashed into walls, thrown into cars or in front of subways or stomped on), this sense of realism is a plus. It was a pleasure kicking so much star-powered ass in this game.
23. ToCA Race Driver 3: I said in an earlier post that while the Gran Turismo games seem to be for people who want to do hypothetical racing (like can a supercharged Mini Cooper beat the cream of Japanese motorsports), and the ToCA series seemed more geared to people who just wanted to race in a more realistic way. What I meant by that is this game seems to replicate a lot of different styles of racing, from such varying fields as open wheel, rally, stock car, monster truck, offroad and even go karts (I know it is a serious sport, and I am not mocking it) along with so many other disciplines, and do them all justice. And that's the impressive part... they don't feel like small variations, but rather like they would each be able to form the basis of their own separate game, that's how good the development cycle was for this title. And the attention to detail is also evident with the wide variety of real world tracks that accompany those same disciplines (along with a healthy number of cars which at times can mean there is a field of 20 other racers on the track with you). The damage modeling also means that you can't for the most part smash your way to victory, especially in open wheel cars, because you can quickly see your day of racing end with a catastrophic failure. While the Gran Turismo series is very centered on the Japanese sphere of motorsports, ToCA, having been developed in Great Britain, reflects a more European sensibility, and features more events from both Europe and Australia than anywhere else, so from a North American racing enthusiast, this provides a great primer for other racing styles outside of this continent. And unlike the competition, it doesn't require you to be a mechanic to figure out how to get the best out of your car, nor does it really allow you to just simply overpower the competition with a car that really outperforms the rest of the field, so when you succeed, you know it is because you drove a better race, which is very satisfying. The game also features a loose narrative in the career mode, which is made up of first person interludes of your driver being yakked at by your mentor Rick. I love that Scottish bastard. And it doesn't feel like they just threw in extra championships to pad the game out... every kind of racing feels like a well-thought out addition. So what came out the door was a well-designed, attractive and fulfilling motorsport experience that blew the doors off my conception of realistic console racing. 
22. Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction: Lucasarts put out a fun sandbox type experience with this game. Taking place in North Korea in the near future, you play the part of one of three mercenaries, each who has a different personality and linguistic background (which allows each character to further understand the machinations of one of the 4 factions you take missions from, as you get subtitles when they are speaking to other people with the expectation that you can't follow what they are saying). It is also clearly a post Iraq War game, as there is a most wanted playing card system which helps you identify high profile (and thus profitable) combatants who can be killed or captured for reward. The game also lives up to its subtitle, as if you really wanted to and you had the money, you can literally call down surgical strikes on any building to destroy it, and there is no limit to the number of places you can devastate that way, so technically, you could destroy the North Korean capital if you so desired. And by the same token, if you ever need something, well, you can always order it to be airlifted into your area, so getting stuck in no mans land without transportation doesn't happen too often. And because it is a sandbox-type game, there is a lot of freedom to just play around with the environment and the factions, so you can have a lot of fun even if you aren't playing the narrative. Featuring a voice cast that includes Peter Stormare, James Hong and Carl Weathers, it is certainly no slouch in that department either, and the opening theme is memorable as well. It is just unfortunate that the legacy of this title was tainted by the awful EA produced sequel.
21. Brothers in Arms: The Road to Hill 30: One of those rare instances in gaming where a game used the narrative trick of starting near the end of the story it was going to recount, and then going back to the beginning to fill you in on how things got to that point. In this case, it is a story based on true events on D-Day and the week that followed. I respect some of the design choices, as this is not a run and gun first-person shooter, but rather one which requires you to think about each situation you are in and use the manpower you have at your disposal to get through the mission, and this more realistic approach is refreshing. The necessity of using cover and suppressive fire to survive makes this game a breath of fresh air in a world of first person shooters which claim that is a requirement, when it is a rarely used tactic. At times, there is a lot of tension, because you are facing a situation that requires precise movement and planning to ensure that you and the men who are following you survive the skirmish. And the tale that is told is poignant and educational, as supplemental information on each mission is made available, often coming from the real after action reports from the operations you just played through. There are moments in this game that have stayed with me since I first played it because there was something so real about it... like the sequence which ultimately leads to your character's jump over France on the night before D-Day comes to mind immediately, and some of the missions which at times feel claustrophobic and/or overwhelming. While not the best console first person shooter I've played, it hits enough of the right notes with its design and presentation to make this list with room to spare. 
6 PM visible satellite image
