I got through phases of games, and right now I’m in the one I like to think of everything-modern-is-making-me-angry-so-I’ll-turn-back-to-vintage-games - and that’s in the form of PCSX2 on my Steam Deck.

Playing the PS2 generation on the Steam Deck is kinda the ‘perfect’ generation: I can upscale the resolution without a performance hit, I can apply HD texture packs, Retro Achievements and I can drop the TDP to extend the battery life.

Anyway, I never had a PS2 (it was just a touch before my time), so there’s so many games I’m yet to discover there. I’d love to hear any suggestions you might have for what I can play on there:

Just a couple notes:

  • No GTA games because they’re better with the PC versions. While I’ve bought the games, the account that Rockstar demands people have to play their games makes me angry on principle (a single-player game forcing an online check each week to be able to play it? No thanks), so I’ve got cracked versions to play.

  • No Final Fantasy because I’m not even sure where to start!

So if anyone was around back in the PS2 era, and has some recommendations for games they’ve loved, I’m all ears. I’ve been having such a fun time playing these.

Some big thanks to my friends who made and run RetroDECK (my choice for emulating on the Steam Deck), and to the PCSX2 team (who I’m chatting to right now actually, so keep an eye out and in a week or so I’ll share that chat with them all about creating and maintaining the PS2 emulator!)

Also, if you do have a Steam Deck, and want to play with the HD texture packs I do, then it’s really simple. Just download the pack, and name then according to their game’s I.D. code - SLUS-20743 for example, then place it in the texture_packs folder:

From there, go into PCSX2, then right-click the game, select properties, graphics, texture replacement and tick the two boxes I have:

Then you’ve got the games looking the best they can be!

Here’s a link to a stack of pre-done HD textures for a lot of PS2 games, to help you on your way!

  • stellkilo@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    4·
    7 days ago

    Ratchet and Clank is a great series, and so are the Jak and Daxter series; both are excellent platformers for different reasons. Although, it might be easier to play Jak 1 and 2 through OpelGOAL, which will run the games natively on the Deck instead of emulation and isn’t too hard to set up.

    It’s a bit of a black sheep, but Spyro A Heroes Tale is a guilty pleasure of mine. It isn’t as great as the original Spyro trilogy on PS1, but it’s entertaining in its own right. I’m currently playing through it and enjoying it.

  • thewitchslayer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    3·
    7 days ago

    As others have said, Ratchet and Clank series is fantastic

    One I did not see in the comments is Test Drive: Eve of Destruction.

  • sunbunman@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    4·
    7 days ago

    I’m running off of pure nostalgia here:

    Armoured Core 3

    Any of the Ratchet and Clank games

    Spyhunter 2 - great local coop

  • Strider@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    7 days ago

    I came here to make sure outrun 2006 is mentioned. Try it!

    (Also SC2, Burnout and Gradius V but I saw those mentioned)

  • Roelland@feddit.nlEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    Highly recommend playing ‘Forbidden Siren’, but WITH A WALKTHROUGH. Amazing and scary story, but for a slow gamer.

  • NelDel@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    18·
    8 days ago

    I love the ps2 era of games! Here are some suggestions:

    • ICO: Minimalist game about a cursed boy & a girl with mysterious powers trying to escape a castle together. An absolute classic.
    • Shadow of the Colossus: Another Team ICO game, this one you’ve probably heard of. You play as a young man who sets out for the Forbidden Lands, finding and slaying 16 colossi to resurrect his deceased love.
    • Silent Hill 2: One of the greatest survival horror games ever made. Introspective, tackles mature themes, and deeply chilling. A game I truly feel is haunted.
    • Persona 4: High schoolers solving a murder mystery in a rural Japanese town. I prefer the vanilla ps2 version to the revised Golden edition, it graphically preserves the fog & spookier ambience - with better pacing from less bloat.

    For some more obscure games:

    • The Adventures of Cookie & Cream: A brutal co-op/singleplayer puzzle game developed by Fromsoft. Has a fun art style & interesting levels.
    • Tak 3 - the Great Juju Challenge: Works best in co-op but still a blast in single-player. 3D platformer with varied levels & a fantastic voice cast (Patrick Warburton as Lok is the highlight).

    Btw if you’re playing mgs3 on the ps2 make sure it’s the Subsistence edition! It has a 3D camera that works way better than the top-down the og game shipped with.

    • thoro@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      Kinda surprised how long it took to scroll before seeing Ico and SOTC mentioned, tbh.

      Crown jewels of PS2, imo. Pushed the medium forward artistically.

      • NelDel@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        2·
        7 days ago

        Yes absolutely! Inspired Dark Souls, future zelda games, & basically every indie game to come out afterwards.

        I started The Last Guardian, still need to go back & finish it. I liked a lot of what it was bringing to the table, but the pacing dragged a bit in the middle imo.

    • bryndos@fedia.io
      4·
      8 days ago

      Every time I’m walking with someone and come across a sofa out on the street I force them to . . .

      spoiler

      sit down on it for a moment with me. Just in case they played ICO.

      Also F for agro

      spoiler

      probably the most tragic death scene i ever played

      • Wrufieotnak@feddit.orgEnglish
        4·
        8 days ago

        Regarding your second spoiler: that colossus kill definitely felt personal after that. I mean… It’s not even their fault, but I was determined afterwards.

        • NelDel@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          2·
          7 days ago

          That fight is so incredible, I could gush about it all day. The ambience, the visuals, the environmental storytelling, just amazing.

          Spoiler for 16th colossus

          The only colossus to feel so direct in its attacks towards you, you can feel its anger at watching its fellow colossi die. Especially since when you reach the top you realize the 16th faces out from the bottom of the map, so it saw every colossus be slain one after another.

          Also holy shit having to snipe its hands/shoulders then jump onto it was so exciting, even if it was a bit jank.

  • AstroLightz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    8 days ago

    Burnout 3 is one of the best arcade racing games for this generation.

    I see you have Kingdom Hearts II in there. There’s also the original Kingdom Hearts as well.

    The Simpsons: Hit & Run is like GTA but more “family-friendly”.

    There’s also other Ratchet & Clank games on the PS2, including the original, Going Commando, and Deadlocked.

    If you like racing games, Need for Speed: Underground 2 is one of the best games in the NFS series. IMO it’s better than Underground 1.

    Also, appreciate the guide for higher res textures.

    • PerfectDark@lemmy.worldOPMEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      Also, appreciate the guide for higher res textures.

      You’re so welcome! Let me know if you ever run into any troubles!

    • ipkpjersi@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      Every single one of those games is excellent, but tbh I’d recommend starting with Underground 1 and then going onto Underground 2, they’re both fantastic IMO.

  • thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    10·
    8 days ago

    Beyond Good & Evil

    Devil May Cry trilogy
    If you liked God of War (and its PS2 sequels), another franchise well worth checking out!

    Final Fantasy X. Hands down the best entry of the franchise (fight me), and one of the best introductions to the series.

    Ico + Shadow of the Colossus
    Literal works of art.

    Killer7

    Manhunt + Manhunt 2
    If you like Bully & PS2-era GTA entries, this series is well worth exploring. Very dark and gory.

    Need for Speed Underground + Underground 2
    Some of the best racing OSTs ever, and the offline PS2-editions don’t lose tracks when licenses expire.

    Prince of Persia - Sands of Time

    Silent Hill 2

    Viewtiful Joe + Viewtiful Joe 2
    An incredible 2d beat-em up with a great vibe.

    The Warriors
    Rockstar’s love letter to a cult classic 70s film.

    Zone of the Enders + Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner
    Hideo Kojima just doing more of his thing outside of the MGS franchise.

  • a_pithy_name@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    8 days ago

    I strongly recommend Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2. DC2, to my memory, could have aged well, but DC1 might be a rough play if you’re not in the headspace for a game of that era. I haven’t played them in an age, though.

    Otherwise, I find that Kingdom Hearts (and KH2 in particular) aged very well. KH2 just feels really good to play.

    As for Final Fantasy, if you have a wild hair to play just one, you’ll get a dozen different opinions. However, since essentially every game plays with new universes and new gameplay mechanics, you really do get a fresh start with each one.

    • CodexArcanum@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      4·
      8 days ago

      DC2 is absolutely a must play. Its a ridiculously big game though, be warned. You’ll be deep into the latter chapters with the game still throwing new mechanics at you like “omg, I have to play golf in dungeons now too, and fishing, and base building, and photography, and and and and”

      I kind of do reccomend a guide for it as there’s some permanent misables.

    • Glide@lemmy.caEnglish
      4·
      8 days ago

      Seconded for Dark Cloud 2 specifically. Game is incredibly good.

  • SinkingLotus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    8 days ago

    Here’s a list from my collection

    • .hack://Infection

    • .hack://Mutation

    • .hack://Outbreak

    • .hack://Quarantine

    • .hack://G.U. Rebirth

    • .hack://G.U. Reminisce

    • .hack://G.U. Redemption

    • 007: Agent Under Fire

    • 007: Nightfire

    • 007: Everything or Nothing

    • 10,000 Bullets

    • Altered Beast (i.e., Project: Altered Beast)

    • Ape Escape 2

    • Ape Escape 3

    • Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia

    • Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica

    • Armored Core 2

    • Armored Core 2: Another Age

    • Armored Core 3

    • Armored Core: Last Raven

    • Armored Core: Nexus

    • Armored Core: Nine Breaker

    • Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana

    • Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny

    • Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm

    • Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance

    • Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II

    • Beyond Good & Evil

    • Blood Will Tell

    • BloodRayne

    • BloodRayne 2

    • Bloody Roar 3

    • Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

    • Bunjingai: The Forsaken City (i.e., Bunjingai: Swordmaster)

    • Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

    • Castlevania: Lament of Innocent

    • Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest

    • Chaos Wars

    • Chulip

    • Clock Tower 3

    • Cold Fear

    • Contra: Shattered Soldier

    • Crimson Tears

    • Dark Cloud

    • Dark Cloud 2 (i.e., Dark Chronicle)

    • Destroy All Humans!

    • Destroy All Humans! 2

    • Deus Ex (NB: Worse than PC version)

    • Devil May Cry

    • Devil May Cry 2 (NB: Only because I’m recommending the others)

    • Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening - Special Edition

    • Disaster Report (i.e., SOS: The Final Escape)

    • Disgaea 1: Hour of Darkness

    • Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories

    • Downhill Domination

    • Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

    • Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

    • Drakengard

    • Drakengard 2

    • Dynasty Warriors 5

    • Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends

    • Evergrace

    • Fatal Frame

    • Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

    • Fatal Frame III: The Tormented

    • Final Fantasy X (NB: See end)

    • Final Fantasy X-2 (NB: See end)

    • Final Fantasy XII (NB: See end)

    • Forbidden Siren

    • Forbidden Siren 2

    • Forever Kingdom (NB: Prequel to Evergrace)

    • Gitaroo Man

    • Gladius

    • God Hand

    • Grandia Xtreme

    • Grandia III

    • Gregory Horror Show

    • GunGrave

    • GunGrave: Overdose

    • Haunting Ground

    • Headhunter

    • Headhunter Redemption

    • Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

    • Hitman: Contracts

    • Hitman: Blood Money

    • Ico

    • Initial D Special Stage

    • Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

    • Jak II

    • Jak 3 (NB: Fuck the naming scheme)

    • Jak X: Combat Racing (NB: Get V2.00 specifically)

    • Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

    • Katamari Damacy

    • Kingdom Hearts - Final Mix

    • Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories

    • Kingdom Hearts II - Final Mix (NB: Translation somewhere online)

    • Kinetica

    • Lumines: Puzzle Fusion

    • Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome

    • Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

    • Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy

    • Manhunt

    • Manhunt 2

    • Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

    • Maximo vs Army of Zin

    • Mega Man X7

    • Mega Man X8

    • Mercenaries - Playground of Destruction

    • Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

    • Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (NB: See end)

    • Michigan: Report from Hell

    • Mister Mosquito

    • Need for Speed: Underground

    • Need for Speed: Underground 2

    • Need for Speed: Most Wanted

    • Need for Speed: Carbon

    • Nightshade (NB: Sequel to Shinobi)

    • ObsCure

    • ObsCure II

    • Odin Sphere

    • Okage: Shadow King

    • Onimusha 1: Warlords (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)

    • Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)

    • Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)

    • Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

    • PaRappa The Rapper 2

    • Phantom Brave

    • Primal

    • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

    • Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

    • Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

    • Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

    • Psychonauts

    • Radiata Stories

    • Ratchet & Clank

    • Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (i.e., Locked and Loaded)

    • Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

    • Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked

    • Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters

    • Raw Danger! (NB: Sequel to Disaster Report)

    • Red Dead Revolver

    • Resident Evil Code: Veronica X

    • Resident Evil Outbreak

    • Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2

    • Resident Evil 4

    • Rogue Galaxy

    • Romancing SaGa

    • Rygar: The Legendary Adventure

    • Samurai Western

    • Second Sight

    • Shadow Hearts

    • Shadow Hearts: Covenant

    • Shadow Hearts: From the New World

    • Shadow of Destiny (i.e., Memories)

    • Shadow of Rome

    • Shadow of the Colossus

    • Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (i.e., Lucifer’s Call) (i.e., featuring Dante from DMC!)

    • Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

    • Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2

    • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army

    • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon

    • Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES

    • Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

    • Shining Force EXA

    • Shinobi

    • Shinobido: Way of the Ninja

    • Silent Hill 2 (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)

    • Silent Hill 3

    • Silent Hill 4: The Room (NB: Just because)

    • Silent Scope

    • Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette

    • Silent Scope 3

    • Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

    • Sly 2: Band of Thieves

    • Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

    • Soul Nomad & the World Eaters

    • Spider-Man 2

    • Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

    • Steambot Chronicles

    • Suikoden III

    • Suikoden IV

    • Suikoden V

    • Super Dragon Ball Z

    • Tales of Legendia

    • Tales of the Abyss

    • Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven

    • Tenchu: Fatal Shadows

    • The Bouncer

    • The Getaway

    • The Getaway: Black Monday

    • The Godfather

    • The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

    • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

    • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

    • The Simpsons: Hit & Run

    • The Sword of Etheria

    • The Thing

    • The Warriors

    • Tokyo Road Race

    • Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3

    • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3

    • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4

    • Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland

    • TY the Tasmanian Tiger

    • TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue

    • Way of the Samurai

    • Way of the Samurai 2

    • Wild Arms 3

    • Wild Arms 4

    • Wild Arms 5

    • Wild Arms: Alter Code, F

    • Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht

    • Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse

    • Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra

    • X-Men Legends

    • X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

    • Yakuza

    • Yakuza 2

    • Zone of the Enders

    • Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (NB: Get PAL special specifically)

    So Final Fantasy games are often unrelated to one another. Meaning you can just pick whichever to start. Although Final Fantasy X has a direct sequel, that being Final Fantasy X-2.

    Next is about Mega Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Even though you have it listed I still mention it because Subsistence includes:

    • Metal Gear
    • Metal Gear 2

    Being the most recommended versions of those games. (Not including Nintendo’s recent ports)

    • lohky@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      I knew I was going to see Steambot Chronicles on that list after seeing the .hack games hah.

  • Godort@lemmy.caEnglish
    8·
    8 days ago

    God Hand is probably the most underrated game on the platform. Dont let the visuals or the crass humor turn you off. It’s made by Clover (the same devs behind Okami and Viewtiful Joe) and is mechanically deep to an absurd degree. Easily the best beat-em-up on the console.