Top 10 PS2 Games

Gaming's most influential system.

 Sony's PlayStation 2 console was a smashing success throughout its life ever since it released in 2000. Featuring a sleek, cool look and housing many classic games, it ended up being the best-selling console of all-time at 155 million units sold (now confirmed by Sony to be 160 million!), which is a huge achievement! Naturally, the PS2 had a slew of prominent and impactful games released during its generation, probably too much to fit in a Top 10. Still, it's neat challenge going over the years and picking the best games (in my opinion) the system had to offer.

10

Tekken 5 (2005)

 Namco's Tekken series knocked it of the park during the PS2 era as we got the likes of Tag Tournament, Tekken 4, and Tekken 5, all of which were a blast to play. While the eventual PSP release dubbed "Dark Resurrection" expanded over the base game by adding three new characters: Lilli, Dragunov, and Armor King, Tekken 5 was still a blast to play. The story's as wacky as ever with Jin now unleashing his devil powers. The gameplay improves upon Tekken 4 as you're dishing-out fast combos with a wider selection of diverse characters. I've always been a fan of Tekken so I can't have Top 10 without adding one!

9

God of War (2005)

 While many would argue that the sequels improved upon God of War in nearly every way, I chose the first game due to the awesome amounts of level variety and badass (and punishing) final boss against the god of war himself, Ares. Kratos' journey was a perilous one filled with over-the-top action and crazy mythical monsters to kill. It's easily one of the best action games to grace the system with its brutal and violent combat.

8

Final Fantasy X (2001)

 The first game in the Final Fantasy franchise to grace the system marked the end of traditional FF games, as many original development staff like creator Hironobou Sakaguchi would later split from Square. It followed young Tidus, who's transported into Spira, a world he's never seen before and must find a way back home. FFX is among the PS2's most memorable RPGs with its captivating story and characters as well as solid turn-based system. For an early PS2 game, it was a graphical showcase as it featured highly detailed character models and jaw-dropping FMV cut-scenes. 

7

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (2004)

 Ratchet and Clank's third outing on PS2 has to be my favorite of the original trilogy since it brought a super memorable villain with Dr. Nefarious, more over-the-top guns, and the series' wildly suggestive humor. Interestingly, it was one of the many games on PS2 to support online multiplayer before it took off the following generation. Up Your Arsenal featured lots of cool planets to explore as well as great cast of characters with the Q-Force.

6

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (2005)

 Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is my favorite of the trilogy since it had sneaky thief Sly Cooper facing his greatest enemy yet and he'll need to assemble a new team to take back his family's vault. Sly 3 built upon Sly 2: Band of Thieves by adding more characters to play as, bigger levels to explore, and slew of neat mini-games to play. I had fond memories playing the co-op mode with my brother and remember it being was a lot of fun.

5

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (2005)

 Devil May Cry 3 was a much-needed return to form after the disappointing Devil May Cry 2. Serving as an origin story for our demon hunting hero Dante, it's more fun, chaotic, and just plain better over anything DMC2 had to offer. The new style system added a lot of variety to the gameplay and the challenging bosses were among the game's strong suits. All that and it's no surprise that DMC3 is regarded as one of the best action games of its generation. 

4

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (2003)

 What happens when you take a decent mech hack-and-slash game and decide to develop it further by adding more action, a longer runtime, and up the presentation a bit? You get Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, a sequel so good it obliterates its predecessor in every way. Jehuty is back with a new pilot named Dingo and he must face-off Bahram's forces and its leader, who wields Jehuty's equal, Anubis. ZOE2 packs lots of mech action and cool stages to blast through, which as a fan of mechs, was a lot of fun. While I still have a soft-spot for the original, ZOE2 is just a much better game overall

3

Silent Hill 2 (2001)

 One of the most eerie games I've played, Silent Hill 2 sees James Sunderland venturing into the titular town in search of his dead wife, Mary. It's an eerie adventure where you're just a normal guy navigating a monster-infested ghost town and the few humans you meet happen to be low-key insane. James isn't as strong as a Resident Evil protag, which adds to the survival-horror feel of the game, especially when you're up against the iconic Pyramid Head. In short, it's a fantastic game that genre fans must play. 

2

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

 The game that saved its franchise from fatigue and redefined the action-shooter genre doesn't needs much introduction. Resident Evil 4 saw the return of Leon S. Kennedy where he must rescue the president's daughter from a sinister cult. The game revamped the RE formula by introducing a new third-person shooter system where Leon can accurately shoot the hordes of enemies coming at him. Couple that with some cheesy moments, loads of weapon variety, and memorable characters, it's no surprise that Resident Evil 4 is regarded as a classic many years later.

1

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

 Metal Gear Solid 2 is not only my favorite MGS game, but hands-down one of the best on PS2. Released pretty early into the console's life, Solid Snake is back and he's joined by newcomer Raiden (who stirred a lot of controversy back in the day) as they must infiltrate an offshore tanker, which houses a terrorist group. It expands upon the stealth foundations of MGS1 while adding a bunch of new mechanics. The presentation was a step-up as well and holds up amazingly well. I've talked a lot about MGS2 in the past and every time I think of the best PS2 games, it instantly comes to mind.