By the time 2005 had rolled around, it looked like the beginning of the end for PS2. Critics started to refer to its once-impressive hardware as “aging,” and the Xbox 360 was gearing up to snatch away its crown and claim dominance over the next console generation. And because previous hardware cycles had lasted about five years, most assumed that the PS2’s days were numbered, and that the machine would be largely discarded once the PS3 finally hit.
Only now do we realize just how wrong we were to count the PS2 out so early. 10 years after its North American launch, it’s still getting games and moving units, if not exactly going strong. With the anniversary of that launch just around the corner, let’s take a look at the best of what we thought, at the time, would be the PS2’s final great year.
10. Devil May Cry 3
Roaring back from the disappointing sequel that was Devil May Cry 2, DMC3 gave fans a prequel starring a younger, wilder, more shirtless version of Dante who could use multiple fighting styles and clobber enemies with a deadly guitar. In addition to being a much better, more over-the-top game than DMC2 was, it also explored the relationship between half-demon Dante and his less good-natured (but better-dressed) brother, Vergil, as they battled over the fate of the monstrous Temen-ni-gru tower.
It was also balls-hard, to the point that its uncompromising difficulty – actually ratcheted up for the US version – was one of the primary criticisms leveled against it. It was a testament to just how amazing the game was, then, that so many stuck with it in spite of the punishment it put them through.
9. Gran Turismo 4
You may be asking why Gran Turismo 4 is on the list at all; wasn't one boring driving sim (GT3) enough? Well, here are five undeniable reasons GT4 was one of 2004’s best: Van Halen's Panama, more cars, even better graphics, driving missions, and this video:
8. Tekken 5
While a lot of people consider Tekken Tag Tournament to be the pinnacle of the series on PS2, Tekken 5 really deserves that accolade. A return to form for the series, Tekken 5 revised the unpopular changes that Tekken 4 had implemented, putting the focus back on juggle-heavy combos and removing the uneven levels of Tekken 4. This wasn’t a crazy departure so much as a refinement of the core elements that had made the franchise popular to begin with.
Tekken 5 wasn’t without its innovations, though; the game elaborated on the old Tekken Force sub-game with The Devil Within, a single player minigame that fleshed out Jin’s backstory. Tekken 5 was also the first game in which players could customize their characters with unlocked items, a feature that’s been taken to extremes in Tekken 6. Tekken 5’s fluid animation and detailed character models made a huge impact at the time, squeezing the PS2 hardware for all it was worth. Even by today’s harsh standards, Tekken 5’s graphics and, more importantly, gameplay hold up – and that’s the true sign of a classic.
Source: http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/news
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