Emulating PS2 for my Steam Deck, would love any recommendations!
from PerfectDark@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world on 26 Feb 22:40
https://lemmy.world/post/26096061
from PerfectDark@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world on 26 Feb 22:40
https://lemmy.world/post/26096061
I’ve been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles.
So…this is what I have so far! Most have either HD texture packs (Rule of Rose for example, and also Silent Hill 2 has a incredibly big 29GB of HD textures, I added after taking this screenshot), or mods applied (Gran Turismo is Spec II)
I haven’t got MGS3 there, as I’m waiting for the remake to arrive, but…
Can anyone suggest any titles which are ‘must adds’ for me? I’d appreciate it!
threaded - newest
Gotta play the Time Splitters games. (3 of em).
Whatever Gauntlet games they ported from Arcade.
Thank you, Timesplitters looks lovely! The art-design of it looks just perfect!
Katamari Damacy
Mercenaries
DOA 2
Mercenaries GOAT
love seeing it mentioned
Katamari.
Do your best.
Road Trip Adventure
ICO.
It’s Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time It’s Tricky…it’s Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky)
SSX. All of them.
…from what I’ve read and seen in the past, that game can be rather risky on one’s thumbsticks due to all the efforts in making yourself look as amazing as possible.
(sounds worth it, tbh, thanks!)
Luckily since you have a Deck, you can realistically change your thumbsticks should they get damaged.
Fuck I miss SSX. I need to make sure I have a good one in my rom folder.
It’s crazy to me that we don’t get games like SSX anymore. Games can’t just be a goofy fun time now, for the most part. Even indies don’t tend to do things like that.
That may because they actually don’t sell, but I doubt it. It’s just going to not make as much money, and most studios only make games with too much budget now instead of allowing smaller games to be made with less risk.
-Dark Cloud (1 and 2)
-Time Splitters 2
-Red Faction
-Grandia 2
-ICO and Shadow of the Colossus
-Shinobi
-Twisted Metal Black
-Ape Escape (2 and 3)
-Armored Core 2
-Dead or Alive 2
-Gran Turismo 3
-Final Fantasy X
-Grand Theft Auto III / Vice City / San Andreas
-Midnight Club Street Racing
-Soul Calibur 2
The PS2 version of Grandia 2 is the worst one, if I remeber correctly. Better emulate Dreamcast for that one.
What’s wrong with it? I enjoyed playing it on PS2.
I only read it somewhere since I only played the game on PC way back.
Supposedly, the PS2 version suffers from slowdown/FPS dips.
Ah ok. I didn’t notice if there was an issue when I was a kid playing it - too busy being enamoured with the battle system!
You beat me to Red Faction, that was some of the most fun I had in middle/high school.
Fuck yeah, making rocket tunnels connect from across the map.
Listen to this person and also play Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
You and I would have been friends in 2001. We’d have smoked some weed, and played that stoner game where hou create a story one word at a time…and somehow, that one word always ends up being “penis”.
I see Rule of Rose, I upvote.
And I’m a total wuss, too. But after becoming so enamored with the REmakes, I went searching for games to scare me!
Shining Force NEO and Shining Force EXA are both great underrated action RPGs.
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. If the first three Fast and Furious movies tickle your fancy, it’s the go to game
You know I was never a car girl…for the most part. But the last 12 months or so I have become obsessed with rally racing: the games, and the history (Group B!). From there I ended up watching general car movies, like Le Mans (or is the title The 24 Hours of Le Mans? I never remember), and finally…yes, just finished watching the original two Fast and Furious movies just last week! I think I like the second one most, it is cringe, but in a fun nice way!
Thank you, this looks perfect!
Midnight club 3 dub edition was THE game my brother and I played to the point the disk stopped reading eventually. That was a sad day.
If you’re getting into motorsports in general and you liked rally I might recommend checking out the isle of Mann tt. It’s the single most deadly motorsports event held each year. It averages more than two and a half deaths every year. Last year was super rare in that nobody died. Last time that happened was like 2012 I think. The most insane race car drivers in the world will tell you that nobody is more batshit crazy that the Isle of man riders. Even rally drivers look at them and think they are nuts.
youtu.be/ciPgQ1096Tw?si=TRgkGBSKBlkSIrAU
That is insane!
No what’s insane is these riders will fly past spectators mere inches from a wall at speeds upwards of 200mph.
The highest recorded speed of the riders on one of the straights is 206mph I believe. The record for highest average speed of a lap (which is nearly 38 miles long) was 136mph in a little over 16 minutes.
Insane doesn’t even begin to describe these riders and that race.
youtu.be/N0cE3gIdO9w?si=JiHEa74XrSWu8ElI
Oh I watched the video. That’s what prompted me to comment.
As soon as he opens it up it’s like wrap speed. Just doing that in a video game would feel crazy.
I can’t imagine maintaining fine control with how much vertical motion you must get over even smooth crests and dips. Those suspensions must be great.
Top of the line suspension. There are actually multiple spots on the track where they will briefly be entirely airborne. It’s where a lot of rider crash actually. If you don’t land perfectly you can very easily lose the bike. There are lots of slow motion shots of two sliders flying over a crest side by side and both going airborne next to each other. Absolute insanity.
Fucking teeth gritted the entire time. I thought I was living on the edge.
When you race Roy, tell him fuck you from me
Also, if you ever end up playing Forza Horizon 5 to scratch your rally itch please add me because none of my friends like rally and I’m getting tired of looking at pavement.
This invitation is open to anyone, my Steam and Xbox profiles are both “tekeous”. Add me and let me know you came from Lemmy
It’s my wife’s favorite game. She has a small shrine to it in her library!
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d2b902db-607a-48cc-ae7a-0964a8ac63b7.jpeg">
HEY THAT’S AMAZING!!!
Must be sad to be so in love with a game which seems to be mostly forgotten, but I love her shrine :)
Well, if nothing else, it’s on my Steam Deck too, and the decks seem to make the game more accessible to people who don’t have an eight-hundred dollar bill lying around.
Damn, there’s like $900 worth of PS2 games in this image
Def Jam 2: Fight for NY. It’s basically like some of the older WWF wresling games where there can be 4 fighters at a time, but you can only be targetting one at a time. But all the fighters are rappers. The finishing moves are awesome!
Ace Combat Zero! Or 4, 5, and Zero (in that order) if you want a lot of it.
My personal favorites on PS2, as someone who did not own a PS2 while it was still being manufactured and sold as new. This does not include remakes/remasters or games that have better ports on other platforms (for example, Soul Calibur 2 on GameCube, Dead or Alive 2 on Xbox, Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 Another Cases on PSP, or Need for Speed Underground 2 on PC).
Nooo, wait who actually plays Drakengard? I love that game to bits, but I would never tell someone to play it. Was I just bad? That game is truly awful, haha.
Its one of the games I like. I would never have followed the story if I didn’t play the game. OP doesn’t have to follow my list.
You know, maybe one day I’ll do it again. The only people I would have play Drakengard are those with extreme patience, and unfortunately, I’m one of those people.
It does have a really good story.
It’s worth it for the giant babies falling* from the sky alone
Monster Rancher 3. The monster rancher games were favourites of mine as a kid.
Klonoa 2
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
Beatmania IIDX (if you don’t mind connecting a keyboard to play)
Need for speed underground 2, this is my favourite racing game of all time. I sunk so much time into it.
Not exactly a suggestion, but why emulate Okami instead of just running the PC version?
Edit: If you get the PC version, you should be able to use the touch screen to draw the brush techniques directly thanks to mouse support rather than having to fuck with the sticks. You also don’t get the input lag from emulation.
Same question for XIII. Why emulate it?
For the plethora of HD textures I’ve found. I know it seems ironic, because of native PC resolutions, but fans have taken texture replacements to a whole other level with these. I just tend to try them out and compare them to the PC version. This was one of the few I found made a significant difference, at least in my eyes.
I don’t know how “must add” they are, but the Shadow Hearts series was fun for me. I really liked that it was a turn based RPG where skill mattered a little more than others. It had a wheel that spun, and depending on the move, items, etc, your attack would be stronger or weaker depending on where in that wheel you stopped the pointer.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is great classic fun
I fucking love Gauntlet Dark Legacy, though if the Steam Deck is capable of Xbox emulation that’s my preferred version since you can save powerups for when you need them.
Honestly any version but the GameCube one lol
Some racing recommendations:
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition
Enthusia
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 (the PS2 version is the best one)
Burnout 3 Takedown AND Revenge, both are stellar
Tokyo Extreme Racer 3 and Drift 2
This person knows what they are talking about.
I love Midnight Club 3 so much. That and Black just seemed (to me) to just push the envelope of what the PS2 could do. They’re gorgeous. Black can output 480p, and even with all the crazy physics and detailed textures, it never seems to experience slowdown.
I’m with the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus stans, but I’d be curious how your emulation handles the light effects. PCSX2 struggles in my experience.
summoner
Colosseum: Road to Freedom
Dark Cloud 2
Dark Cloud 1 definitely earns its spot on the list, too!
The Soul Reaver / Blood Omen games have not been recommended yet. Though, as a warning, last time I tried to do the Soul Reaver 2, there was a strange bug with the sound that made it so that you couldn’t pass a certain puzzle.
Crazy Taxi, GTA Vice City, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, Gran Turismo 4, ICO, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Midnight Club, Midnight Club II, Odin Sphere, Shadow of the Colossus, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, Shinobi, SSX, Star Wars Bounty Hunter, Time Splitters 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
That’s my PS2 collection sitting on my shelf. Some of these have been remade into arguably better versions on later consoles, but the originals are still good.
Thank you!!!
I’d be pretty tempted by Tony Hawk’s, but the recent news that 3+4 will finally be getting remade makes me hesitate to play. Since the experience will probably be better there!
Crazy taxi got quite a bit of attention, and it deserved far more. Great gameplay loop
My local arcade has a pair of Crazy Taxi machines and that’s always where I put my quarters
For anyone who wants to play Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, don’t forget about Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, which was a PS2 port of the GBA game. It’s integral to the very wild and wacky story of the KH franchise, you’ll be (even more) lost if you skip it and go straight to KH II
But the HD remakes of the game are so much better. They’re the English releases of the final mix versions, which adds a lot of new abilities and extra content.
I was about to say “but you can’t emulate the HD remakes with a PS2 emulator, those only released for the PS4”, but then I remembered they were all released for PC lol. So yeah good shout, if you wanna play the Kingdom Hearts games on the deck, just buy the HD remakes on Steam
If you’re a fan of the anime, the .Hack// games hold up pretty well. There’s a little OVA that is included with each game to give more story.
I was coming here to say this. For being a ‘game within a game’ and on the PS2, they made such compelling gameplay to go with the story.
I’m not particularly into sports games but the NBA Street and NFL Street games were SUPER fun. Everything else I loved has already been mentioned in this thread though.
Primal.
Soul reaver
Grand teresmo
Rayman 2
Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc is where it’s at. I consider that peak Rayman. Would love another game with that vibe.
Me too. Such a great series.
Soul Reaver did NOT age well, but fuck was that a good series for its time.
I herd they are remastering it. Hope so.
The remaster is already done, it includes both Soul Reaver 1 and 2.
Frequency & Amplitude:
The originators of the modern “rhythm game” genre.
No one mentioned the Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank games. Those were my childhood growing up and in my opinion hold up gameplay-wise to this day.
Plus the Jak series have a native launcher called OpenGOAL.
While I never played them myself, I have heard good things about the Sly Cooper series.
I have enjoyed the several Ratchet & Clank games that I have played. I had tried the first two Jak games using OpenGOAL, and they just didn’t grab me like every Ratchet & Clank did.
I know that this thread is about PS2 emulation, but do you know if the HD collection for PS3 is a better way to emulate the original Ratchet & Clank titles nowadays?
I haven’t tried the R&C collection on RPCS3 yet even though I have a copy. The compatibility list has it under In Game with some graphical bugs and glitches, but it was last updated nearly 5 years ago, so things may have improved.
Second the ratchet and clank suggestion. Such a great series overall! I’m not at all ashamed to admit that I own or owned every single game in the series at some point (with the exception of the app which I didn’t find out about until far too late)
Going Mobile from 2005? That was surprisingly fun. Apparently you can still find it as a JAR file and play it using a Java emulator.
<img alt="" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2VkZmY1YWMtNTE5NC00MDQwLWIwNDgtMjBlY2Q3MWIyY2NmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEwOTMwMjk0._V1_.jpg">
…fandom.com/…/Ratchet_%26_Clank:_Going_Mobile
EDIT: Anyone know what the best way to play a JAR on Steam Deck would be? I tried using J2ME Loader on my phone, and while it runs fine, the touchscreen controls are just not great.
I am not ashamed to admit it either. I even made the effort to get the PS2 ports of the two games that released on PSP, however I still need to play those.
It is a goal of mine to have every single R&C game playable on my PC. The only one I’m still waiting on is the PS4 version, and it’s only a matter of time with ShadPS4.
Crash Nitro Kart and some of the PS2 Crash platformers are pretty good. The Kart one has a boosting system that I like better than mario kart (and better items and vibes tbh)
<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/da31da7a-6af8-437f-8385-49523cbd495e.jpeg">
YOU FOUND IT!
It was never lost!
Chrono trigger and cross are both good on the SD.
Most of the good stuff’s been mentioned, so some B-Sides:
If you like JRPGs, the Xenosaga series
NBA Street 2
Don’t think I saw Jak and Daxter mentioned, they’re great
Freedom Fighters is flawed but so fun
Edit: forgot Zone of the Enders
Loved the Xenosaga series, shame they never actually got to make the 6 games they wanted.
Jak and Dexter games absolutely, but I actually prefer the later ones that aren’t just platforming like the first.
Yeah, such a bummer they got shut down, especially since the gameplay was just finally getting really tight by episode 3.
Same page on Jak and Daxter, first is definitely my least favorite, the evolution of the gunplay, exploration and vehicles was awesome.
Not yet mentioned:
Prince of Persia Trilogy (Sands of Time, Warrior Within, Two Thrones)
God of War 1&2
Devil May Cry 1-3
Bully (Canis Canem Edit in PAL)
Killer7
Under the Skin
Viewtiful Joe 1&2
Definitely the DMC games.
The Simpsons Hit and Run is a solid GTA style game and is considered to be one of the best Simpsons games ever. The Simpsons Road Rage is a rip-off of Crazy Taxi but is still a solid game. The Simpsons Game is also a good game that kinda does it’s own thing. Don’t bother with the Simpsons Skateboarding, that one sucks.
I absolutely loved KH1/2 FM
Shadow of the Collossus
How is XIII via emulation? Would love to try that on my Steam Deck.
That’s what this image is from! PCSX2 via the configurator. I use RetroDECK on my Steam Deck.
It runs perfectly! Absolutely perfect. I also use some HD texture packs, replacing the vanilla textures to make it look extra fancy :)
Star Wars: Racer Revenge is probably the best racing game I’ve played to-date. It’s very similar to, and often confused with, the N64 podracing game, but it’s way more polished, and the driving physics are chef’s-kiss perfect. Like, the N64 game, the pod and two engines all move together as one unit; basically a car racing game with a pod racer skin. The PS2’s Racer Revenge actually feels like you’re in a pod that’s being pulled by two distinct engines.
Try playing in 1st-person view and set the controls (if you have a PS2 controller) so the left joystick controls the left pod and right joystick controls the right pod - so to turn left for example, you’d pull back on the left stick to brake the left pod, and push forward on the right to accelerate the right pod; since they’re tethered together, the right one arches around the left a bit, and it pulls the pod to the left. It’s harder to play that way vs the usual ‘press X to accelerate’ mechanic, but after the first couple laps you’ll have the hang of it, and it feels so satisfying.
Unfortunately, the last time I tried to run a rom of this game, it did NOT emulate well, to the point of being unplayable. That was probably at least 10 years ago though, so hopefully advancements since then mean it won’t be an issue for you; but heads up.
Any of the Suikoden games really. Legend of legaia 2
Ephemeral Fantasia for an extremely underrated gem.
I believe a Suikoden 1 & 2 remaster is coming out soon.
…so grain of salt, cuz the name of this one doesn’t sound right, but the screenshots look correct: Gradius V?
Side scroller arcade-y jet fighter - I remember it being good.
I just don’t remember it being called Gradius >_<
One of the weirdest games I’ve ever played: Okage: Shadow King.
Think Final Fantasy gameplay + Zelda: Majora’s Mask level of being genuinely bizarre as all hell.
Fair warning, the music will be stuck in your head for the rest of your life.
Try Steambot Chronicles! It’s my favorite game of all time by a wide margin, but it’s been forgotten by time. It’s a really cool adventure game with a ton of different things to do, from piloting a giant robot to playing different musical instruments in a band, to decorating your own little apartment, and a bunch of other stuff! There’s a lot of dialogue choices to make too that can affect how people treat you, and lead to a few different endings, including being a hero vs a villain. The graphics and soundtrack are great, too! I can’t recommend it enough!
Oh my god. I have forgotten about this game for a while. I need to redownload it and get it on my steam deck! It’s such a fun game! I played this for a while. I can still hear the first song you play on the harmonica when the girl sings. I gotta get my wife to play this game and see what she thinks. Thanks for the reminder!!
It really sucks that there won’t be a sequel to this game…
Glad I could jog your memory! Yeah, I even went so far as to email the current owner of the rights to it about a sequel a few years ago, and basically got the generic “Maybe one day” response.
Downhill Domination is… honestly stupid as all hell, but by design: it’s a lot of fun :P
It’s a downhill mountain bike racing game with a combat system, and it’s ridiculous. You start being able to punch the bicyclists next to you; once you knock enough of them off their bikes you upgrade to being able to kick; then iirc you eventually get a stick or something lol. Otherwise, it’s just another get-from-point-A-to-B-as-fast-as-possible game that doesn’t require a lot of thought.
Try out Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2. It’s one of those JRPG games with a lot of mysteries and loose threads and every single one of them end up solved by the end.
Beyond Good & Evil. Legendary, Ubisoft firing on all cylinders. Weird and French and beautiful. HD remaster is also a fine option but I like it on PS2.
Ace Combat 4, 5, and Zero are great. The music in zero is legendary.
SSX tricky
Timesplitters
Final Fantasy X unless you want to do the HD remaster, which is a great way to play tbh.
Devil May Cry holds up incredibly well and IMO is a must-play.
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
LOTR games are good fun.
Armored Core 3 is pretty great if you’re into the series as a whole.
GTA Vice City/San Andreas. 3 is fine but VC is better.
Shadow of the Colossus obviously
Yeah, I’d argue that the HD PC port is actually the definitive way to play the game. They fucked up Tidus’ face, but virtually everything else about the game is better. And you can just install a mod to change his face back to the way it used to be.
Another one for Jak & Daxter. I’ve got OpenGOAL and PCSX2, and between them both I have the full Jak series. I was playing Jak 3 when I had a crash, but then I had been playing it like all day.
I’ve also been making my way through the first three Sly Cooper games (loved the series as a kid, but only ever got to play the third one for myself) and they’ve been running flawlessly.
My plan is to play through the Ratchet & Clank PS2 games as I never really got a chance to play them when they were fresh or otherwise. I’m excited for those.
Then I might go and play through the Spyro PS2 era games, minus the original trilogy as I have Reignited already.
Aside from those I have a bunch of other classics I’ve played and loved/wanted to play like the Tak games, Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, Batman: Vengeance, and others.
I would also be open to suggestions. I’m very into 3D platformers and action RPGs.
If you’ve tried the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane trilogy, there are a few sequels of differing quality on PS2. I don’t think any of them are particularly bad, but none are as good as the original PS1 trilogy (or the N-Sane remakes).
If you like Jak, you’ll have a blast with Ratchet and Clank. Lots of good ol action platforming.
Klonoa 2 and Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom might also be worth looking into. I specifically remember finding tons of shortcuts in SBBB that were probably unintended, but that game also got a remaster in the last few years.
Some good ones that are not yet mentioned
The only issue with Stuntman on emulators is it’s one the last remaining games not playable on PCSX2. There’s been consistent issues with the AI pathing on one of the levels and they haven’t been able to patch it after all these years.
I’m not saying it won’t ever be, but it may continue to be unplayable on non-native hardware for a while longer.
Actually did not know this. Truly sad to hear it. Guess I can’t get rid of my dusty PS2 just yet
All the GTA games (GTA III, GTA VC, GTA SA, GTA LCS, GTA VCS). There are some good Need for Speed games too, and a bunch of great Tony Hawk games. TimeSplitters, SOCOM, and Red Faction are great too.
Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle in EU) and Legaia 2:Duel Saga are my go to ps2 games.
Future Tactics: The Uprising
its a turn based shooter.
How’s PCSX2 performance on the Deck? I somehow get much better performance on my Ryzen 5 4500U laptop than I do on my Ally and that makes absolutely no fucking sense.
It’s perfect!
Performance is tied to framerate, or at least was a loooong time ago. I notice a lot of users on EmuDeck write about this. Like…a lot! Not your issue, but I read a lot who think the game is playing in super slo-mo, but this is all tied to the framerate. Keep it at 60 Hz or above, and all is fine.
PCSX2 has a huge range of tweaks you can make, but there’s also HD texture ‘packs’ you can download and apply, which re-do all the textures (yeah, I know you guessed that). Some of these can be huge like Silent Hill 2’s coming in at 29GB, and some can be teeny-tiny like MGS2’s which only re-textures the HUD and menu (because PCSX2 can upscale the native game’s resolution well enough on its own!)
Long reply, for me to say it performs perfectly for me!
It’s not perfect. Most games emulate absolutely fine, with only minor slowdown. One game I can point to which absolutely does not work fast enough to play is The Getaway which gets about 6 fps.
Hmmm, maybe you should try your resolution and texture settings, I’ve had not one issue playing games, no slowdowns for me.
But, never say never!
I haven’t used PCSX in a while, but I remember those settings being obscure af if you’re not like an expert on VRAM and shit. I would just try everything until I found the best settings for the game lol. Thankfully you can save settings per-game I believe.
I don’t have a steam deck but I bet Ape Escape would be the perfect series to play on it!
Gitaroo Man
A unique rhythm game with a phenomenal soundtrack.
Hell yes, Gitaroo Man is fucking dope… Had a friend in high school who was like obsessed with that game, he got really good. I tried it again recently on an emulator and holy shit it gets hard after a few levels.
Totally worth it to just play on easy mode to vibe with the music.
“U-1!! Catch!!”
I have distinct memories of my buddy completely demolishing the level with the skeletons who play their own bones like xylophones, on the hardest difficulty.
Great music
Arc the lad 2 twilight of spirits is a cult classic
The first three Ratchet and Clank games (R&C, Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal) were phenomenal. The first feels dated by today’s standards, but 2 and 3 are peak. Deadlocked is a divisive entry; Some players loved it, others hated it. Try it first yourself and see. It’s definitely different than the first 3 games.
Final Fantasy X has already been mentioned in the thread, but I’d suggest trying the PC HD remaster instead. It adds a lot of quality of life improvements.
Final Fantasy XII wasn’t well received at launch, and I initially agreed. But that was largely because it didn’t fit into my idea of what a Final Fantasy game should be. I gave it another try a few years ago with a more open mind, and ended up loving it. The gambit system seems basic at first, but eventually opens up into a very versatile system once you start unlocking new gambit combos for it. The Zodiac version is the definitive version, (it enforces a rigid job system, where each character is locked into a specific ability tree) but the original is still alright too.
If you enjoy the Castlevania series, Curse of Darkness is an interesting entry. It features Hector, who has the ability to summon creatures to fight alongside him. They level up based on which weapons you use in combat, so it encourages you to diversify your play style to level up your creatures in specific ways. The gameplay can initially feel clunky by today’s standards, but that’s true of most 3D hack-n-slash games from that era.
Speaking of clunky hack-n-slash games, I see you already have Kingdom Hearts 2. Do yourself a favor, and play the other games (KH1, then KH Re:Chain of Memories) first. CoM has some radically different gameplay, which many players hated. It seems like one you can skip… You can’t. You will be horribly confused for the rest of the series without it. At the very least, go watch the cutscenes on YouTube. In terms of gameplay, KH1 feels janky by today’s standards. CoM is very different. KH2 is where the series really hit its peak.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. It’s a prequel, so you don’t need to play 1 or 2 first.
Metal Gear Solid. Play 3 (Snake Eater), 1, and 2 (Sons of Liberty) in that order. Snake Eater is an early prequel. Then 1 is on the PS1. Sons of Liberty is the direct sequel to 1.
GTA: San Andreas.
Jak 3
Silent Hill 2
Okami is native on PC, so I’m curious, why not run that? This is coming from someone who does a lot of emulation but I’ve never seen the need to emulate when a native port was the option. Even bad ports I find are often better because of community made mods that fix a lot of issues. Its possible I havent found the worst port though.
Ace combat 4, 5, and Zero
<<This twisted [emulator] needs to be reset>>
I’m just gonna say that KH2 on the PS2 isn’t even the best one. The HD remake was better bc it was the English release of the final mix. And you can play that natively through steam. Even with mods on the steam deck.
Play Need For Speed: Most Wanted for the PS2. It’s such a great cops vs racers game. It’s perfect for emulation bc shop should save state before selecting the winning card since there is one with a pink slip every time. Back in the day, we would just need to reset the whole system and make sure we saved before 3 full races, and just redo them. Emulation is the way to play this game! I’m surprised no one has recommended this since it’s the most popular need for speed game.
Manhunt 1 & 2, God of War
Manhunt is a cinematic experience.
Is MGS meets stylish kills.
The Simpsons: hit & run, Shinobido, GoW, Destroy all humans.
I spent a ton of time playing the two towers, bit I don’t know if it has aged well.
Also, war of the monsters was campy and fun.
GTA San Andreas (also GTA III, VC, VCS, LCS), God of War 1/2, Gran Turismo 4, Katamari Damacy, SSX Tricky, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Downhill Domination, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, Ace Combat 4/5, Resident Evil 4, Metal Slug Anthology, Metal Gear Solid 2/3
How could you forget the best AC? Ace Combat: Zero!
Dance Dance Revolution!
Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance 1 and 2, Champions of Norrath, Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2, Burnout 3, Jak and Daxter, Rachet and Clank, SSX3, Twisted Metal Black, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3. I am sure I forgetting some other amazing games.
Id look up the GT4 spec II mod. it adds a bunch of features to the game and even the Valencia track from Tourist Trophy
Ratchet and Clank games
Try Dynasty Warriors. It’s a genre I don’t see much anymore, but you take control of a general and blast through tons of minions in a big battlefield, aiming for enemy generals to turn the tide of battle (reflected in overall ‘morale’).
All the games tell the same story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Obviously just play the last one available, because it has all the quality of life improvements, but I’ll only play 3, because it’s the only one that has Gan Ning with his super-pimp sword resting on top of his super-pimped no shirt tats.
Def Jam: Fight for NY, dot hack series (originals and G.U.), King’s Field 4, Monster Rancher 4, Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition, and quite a few more. I can’t look at the games I have installed just yet, but I could always recommend more if anyone is interested. :)
There are two amazing super hero games that I would recommend: Spider-Man 2 and Hulk: Ultimate destruction.
Spider-Man 2 was easily one of my favorite games of all time. This game essentially set the bar for what a Spider-Man game should be.
Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was an open world game where you were the Hulk and did all the Hulk things. I can’t think of a recent game where you play as the green giant.
Ultimate Spider-Man scratched a very similar itch to Spider-Man 2 if you ever want more of that kind of gameplay.
Not a PS2 game, but the PS1 Spiderman games are not to be slept on either.
Just throwing out a fun game from my childhood, Lego Racers 2. I’ll have to read through later for ideas because I’m in a similar boat in having never really been in console circles and never owned a PS2
The Star Wars Battlefront games. With how horribly the liver service EA version that came out in 2015 was and how dead it apparently is, the PS2 games are the only ones I’ll ever acknowledge as existing.
Also, one of my personal favorites that I’d consider a must have is Dokopon Kingdom. Yes the remake/remaster exists, but I don’t normally go for remasters in most situations. Gameplay is just roll a spinner, move on board, and adventure around the world while trying to do quests if you are in the story mode.
Both games have a lot of content and replayability in my eyes, which makes a game more of a must have for me.
Edit:
Hot Wheels: Beat That! Looked it up because I couldn’t remember the name, but that’s a racing game with a good amount of replayability and isn’t as short as something like Cartoon Network Racing. Didn’t realize it came out on various other consoles and PC, but can definitely recommend on at least PS2 (how I ended up playing it).
My entire childhood was Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 on the PS2.
Ratchet and Clank 3 is missing.
Fatal Frame II
Mister Mosquito
Gitaroo Man
GOD HAND- the granddaddy of Platinum Games’s combo based “beat em ups”, made by Clover Studios before they went bankrupt and reopened as Platinum. So think Devil May Cry and Bayonetta but hand to hand 🎵"or fist to fist. Kick your nuts or twist your wrist. God power keeps my pimp hand strong so trust me or you won’t last very long."🎵 Yeah, it also has quite possibly the best theme song ever too.
Zone of the Enders the Second Runner drops you into the midpoint of a fairly generic mecha anime plot, but as overseen by Hideo Kojima. It has a lot of “Dynasty Warriors” style “tear through hundreds of fodder with ease” gameplay, but also a very fast paced “attack/dodge/parry” system for fights against beefier enemies that ends up as this fast paced sort of rock paper scissors as you have to adapt to use the right technique to counter the enemy. You fly and can manuever very fast, attacks can come from any angle, and it’s just flat out fun to control. There is a PC port/remaster of questionable quality (and no steam deck support), and a xbox 360 port of good quality, but it’s mostly just uprezzed graphics that you’ll get by emulation anyway.
It’s a little cringe in retrospect, but I really liked my time with Makai Kingdom. Avoid if anime stuff isn’t your bag.
Ico had some interesting ideas that are worth a look.
Rogue Galaxy was pretty okay.
Psychonauts deserves a mention, though it’s kind of obvious.
Red Faction had cool political leanings for a game of that era.
You’ve got heaps of great suggestions already so I’ll leave it at that.
Dark Cloud 2 (aka Dark Chronicle). That and MGS3 are basically the only PS2 games I actively think about still.
Dark Cloud 1 is also worth playing, but I’d play 2 first. It smoothes out a lot of issues with the first and adds so much more to it.
Armored Core: Nexus
Definitely play the AC games. Which series am I talking about? Both.
Armored Core and Ace Combat are really good games. For the PS2 continuity of Armored Core it is arguable that the PSP versions are better due to the extra content, but otherwise it’s not too big of a deal.
Ps2 Mortal Kombat games were the best, they have beem sliding ever since.
Deadly Alliance is a slog for story/Konquest but a fun game.
Deception is so so good, one of my favourite games ever. Doesnt really hold up as well as Id like but it has brilliant features that I miss in every modern iteration. Namely the best konquest implementation. Chess Kombat.
Shaolin Monks, another one on par with Deception. I have to replay this next.
Armageddon is carnage, just fun fun all the way through. Every character from the entire run of the franchise is playable, it is everythimg.
I haven’t seen anyone mention Dark Cloud. Love that game.
Not a game I’ve seen mentioned much, but I would recommend Whiplash if you like dark humor and 3D platformer action games.