T5W#223-Top 5 Favorite Playstation 2 (PS2) Games

Previously on Top 5 Wednesday:

With the release of the Sega Genesis Mini joining the ranks of the NES and SNES Mini and PS1 Classic consoles, we’re seeing a surprise resurgence in classic gaming from way before the 2000s.  These were the systems we grew up with and got us plenty prepared for the awesome era of gaming we live in today.  So for the month of November, I’m going back through the systems I used to play when I was growing up and even a couple of not so old systems too.  It’s going to be tough choosing 5 games from the decent sized libraries I had, but it’s doable.  Welcome to Top 5 Wednesday Retro Video Game Month.  Side note: for games to qualify, I have to have played them myself at one point or another…so some games many consider the greatest ever made (like every Zelda game and the occasional Mario game) wont be included unless I’ve played them.

Today we move away from the old school and move into the psudeo old school.  The Playstation 2 was (and still is) one of the most popular gaming consoles of all time and had a pretty healthy lifespan and amazing library of games from action adventure fests like God of War to game changing RPGs like Final Fantasy X.  I was lucky to have one and play the hell out of it from the comfort of my own home, logging in God knows how many hours battling bosses, waves of NPCs and solving hundreds of puzzles.  I’m reminiscing about those good times today in our continued Top 5 Wednesday Event series; these are my Top 5 Favorite Playstation 2 (PS2) Games.

#5-The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Video Game adaptations of popular movies nowadays tend to be more miss than hit.  At the very least, theyre a far cry from the fun fares of the SNES and Genesis days like Aladdin and The Lion King.  It’s also possible that these two Lord of the Rings tie in games set the bar so damn high…cause they did.  The Two Towers was intense and made you feel like part of the action like few movie tie in games before ever had, staying faithful to the scenes they replicated while giving you the freedom to do things your way.  The Return of the King added multiplayer and made things bigger and more epic (it is the trilogy ender after all) with more characters, more techniques and way more enemies to slaughter.  From Helms Deep to Minas Tirith to The Black Gate, the battlefields of Middle Earth were yours for the taking.

#4-Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

The first Devil May Cry was tough but fun.  Devil May Cry 2…ill be honest I got bored with pretty quickly and have never beaten.  Devil May Cry 3 was a revelation of a title.  Focusing on a younger Dante, DMC3 went big in every way and includes some of the most cinematic cutscenes until Devil May Cry V arrived.  There’s also some challenging and fun bosses (like Beowulf); the best weapons ever (Agni and Rudra) and the ability to play as Virgil and let slip Yamato when you beat the main campaign.  In short, Devil May Cry 3 was the epitome of cool for the Devil May Cry series when it was on the PS2.  And I haven’t even mentioned it introduced us to the sexy demon slaying schoolgirl that is Lady, what a first impression she made.

#3-Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3

The Playstation 2 was the console where we finally got to play good Dragon Ball Z fighting games and the original Budokai series was the flagship of this dream come true.  The end of the first era, Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3, is still imho the highpoint of Dragon Ball gaming PERIOD.  You have the largest selection of characters, abilities, techniques and power ups from OG Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball GT (including the fusions) and the chance to play through the story or your own personal journey of leveling up to be the galaxies biggest bad ass.  Oh and you can pit CPU against CPU…which meant my sister and I had a amazingly fun time making up our own tournaments and pitting Goku against his father or Teen Gohan against Omega Shenron.  God this game was perfect for me, the ultimate dream come true for any Dragon Ball Z fan.

#2-Star Wars Battlefront II (THE GOOD ONE!!!)

EA Games…HOW COULD YOU F*** THIS UP SO BADLY ON PS4!!!!????  Ahem, ok that’s out of my system.  The sequel to the original Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefront II took everything that made the first game work and made it bigger, better and close to perfect.  The game benefits from added modes including space combat, capture the flag and even Hunts on Endor (the nightmares…those Ewoks are terrifying man…terrifying…).  There’s even an Assault mode where you can play as every hero available in the game from Episodes 1-6.  The campaign is a surprisingly deep look at the life a clone whose lived through the Clone Wars all the way through the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.  Star Wars Battlefront 2 is overstuffed with things to do and never left me bored.  To this day, I’m still willing to power it up with my sis and run through a Galactic Conquest with her, taking back the galaxy from the Empire or the Trade Federation.  The Force is indeed strong with this one. 

#1-Resident Evil 4

One of the scariest games ive ever played is also one game ive played across the most systems (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox 360 and Xbox One).  I may have never gotten to check out the original games but Resident Evil 4 is still a high mark for the franchise and for good reason.  Sure there’s a lot more action but the enemies you face are the stuff of nightmares (especially those Regenerators).  Leon makes rescuing the Presidents Daughter from next gen Zombies look effortless and cool and Ada Wong…well she redefines the sexy femme fatale who can mow down the undead without breaking a sweat.  Resident Evil 4 is a cinematic event that deserves to be played a few times in a row, especially if you get the infinite ammo tommy gun and rocket launcher…then its speed run heaven.  No wonder I continue to come back to it almost ten years after I first played it.