5 PS2 Games You Forgot Were Awesome

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When it comes to great games on PS2, the list includes both console exclusives and multiplatform releases that many of us experienced on the PS2. For the purposes of this list, I tried to stick with mostly console exclusives, with a few I just couldn’t help but include due to my own fond memories of playing them on PS2. So please join me on a nostalgic journey through 5 PS2 games you probably forgot were amazing.

5) Soul Calibur 3

Though prior Soul Calibur games were multiplatform, Soul Calibur 3 was a PS2 console exclusive. I’m certainly not arguing that Soul Calibur itself is a wholly forgotten series, but I do think it tends to get overshadowed by other arcade and fighting games like Tekken and Mortal Kombat. It’s also a bit of a dormant franchise, with the last new entry arriving back in 2018. But Soul Calibur 3 on PS2 was an absolutely great gameplay experience, hands down.

This game was not only a PS2 exclusive, but also the last game in the franchise to be released with an arcade edition. It has the largest playable character roster of all the Soul Calibur games, making it even more impressive that you can fight your way through full stories for each character. With a variety of gameplay modes and characters, you could get a lot of enjoyment out of uncovering everything in Soul Calibur 3. And as the game is coming to PS5 through PS+ very soon, you can actually re-experience this one on modern consoles.

4) Dance, Dance Revolution

These days, you’re more likely to encounter Dance, Dance Revolution in an arcade than your best friend’s basement. But during the PS2 era, you could play DDR with a dance mat and a console. Although the game was available on multiple consoles, it debuted first on the PS2, and many feel it worked best on Sony’s platform.

The loss of modern DDR on consoles is an absolute travesty. The tactile experience of slamming those buttons with a controller mat hooked into your PS2 just can’t be beat, and modern dance games like Just Dance aren’t the same. If there’s one PS2 era game I miss the most, it’s got to be the home versions of Dance, Dance Revolution. I dream of the day when these games come back to console, dance mat and all. But until then, I’ll be playing on my friend’s PS2 and every arcade I come across.

3) Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance was a formative part of my childhood and formed the foundation for my adult love of Dungeons & Dragons. This game was not a PS2 exclusive. It also released for the Xbox and was later ported to just about every console under the sun. But for many of us, the first Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance journey took place on a PS2 console.

Whenever I go on about this game, I inevitably run across someone who says they haven’t thought about it in years. This is usually followed by fond memories of playing couch co-op with friends or family. Though it clearly isn’t thought about much today, this absolute classic defined the PS2 era for me, and it deserves to be remembered more often than it is.

2) Champions of Norrath

Another game from Snowblind Studios, which would go on to become Monolith, is Champions of Norrath. And unlike Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, this one was indeed a PS2 console exclusive. It is set in the EverQuest universe and uses the same engine from Dark Alliance, but with some improvements. Naturally, that means this was also an absolute classic of the PS2 era.

In Champions of Norrath, you get to experience an RPG storyline set before the beginning of the online EverQuest games. It has hack-and-slash gameplay and light RPG class elements, Ability Tree included. It’s one of the best hack-and-slash action RPGs of its time, and it has surprisingly solid replayability for a game of its age. Unlike Dark Alliance, this game hasn’t seen any modern ports, so it tends to get forgotten. But it was just plain good old-school action RPG fun.

1) Sky Odyssey

Step aside, Flight Simulator. Back in the day, PS2 gamers had their own flight sim game called Sky Odyssey. This game combined the artifact-hunting vibes of Indiana Jones with good old flight simulation. Players would step into the role of piloting various aircraft on complicated missions to uncover hidden artifacts.

If you liked flight simulators, chances are you played Sky Odyssey in the PS2 era. But if you missed it, chances are you might not have even heard of this PS2 gem. It never got a sequel or a modern port, so it hasn’t really been front of mind in recent years. But it probably should be. Sky Odyssey is something of a unique entry in the genre, with challenging missions full of obstacles while also incorporating RPG elements.

Do you have fond memories of any PS2 games? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!