The PlayStation 2 was a juggernaut and still to this day is the best selling video game console of all time! It has a truly epic library and like I did with my top 5 PlayStation 1 games, I am sharing with you what are my top 5 PlayStation 2 games. This is my list and these are the games that connected with me and what I think of when the PlayStation 2 comes to mind.
I would love to know what games are your favourites on the PlayStation 2 so be sure to put your own top 5 in the comments section.
Number 5
The Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie’s Revenge
I bet this is not a game that many of you expected to see on here. I love The Nightmare Before Christmas and this game pretty much serves as an official sequel. This was made by Capcom so it has a high level of polish. They managed to get many of the voice actors back from the movie, most notably Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie so the game looks, feels, and sounds very authentic. It is an action game and a bit of a beat-em-up. You can change between different versions of Jack to utilize different attacks. I will admit the camera is a bit annoying and finding the bats drove me insane, but man do I love this game. This is a game that is just crying out for an HD remaster!
Number 4
WWE Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth
Having already talked about my top 5 8-bit WWF games as well as WWE 2K24, you may have realized that I am a huge wrestling fan! The prior year we got WWF Smackdown Just Bring It which was ok, but this was the first true next generation WWE game for me! It has a stacked roster where the wrestlers look more real than ever before. Tons of moves, full entrances, and commentary and they just captured the look and feel of the WWE at this time perfectly. I also loved the season mode here where you could explore in the first person. While some may prefer Here Comes the Pain, I have always slightly preferred the simplicity of this game more.
Number 3
Kingdom Hearts II
I enjoyed the first Kingdom Hearts and I still do, but the leap from Kingdom Hearts I to II felt massive. We play as Roxas as well as Sora in this one and while the story may be crazy and for some hard to follow, I enjoyed this a ton! I felt that this was way more cinematic this time around and it has some of the best levels of any Kingdom Hearts game, to this day the Nightmare Before Christmas level is my favorite! The combat is challenging but fair and it is just a thrilling ending to be on from start to end. Everything felt bigger this time around and as a result, it is one of the best adventures you take part in, on the PlayStation 2. By the way, check out my top 5 Disney games if you want more Disney action!
Number 2
Final Fantasy X
For Christmas 2002, I got Final Fantasy X and The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers and I was set for that Christmas break. Final Fantasy X to this day is my favorite Final Fantasy game. The story of Tidus and his quest to save the land of Spira from a mysterious creature called Sin had me hooked right from the start. It may be a tad dated in the game design and those “dungeons” can go straight to hell. However, the story and the characters could not have gotten me any more invested in this! This is a game that I would love to see Square-Enix give the remake treatment like they did Final Fantasy VII.
Number 1
God of War II
God of War II was a late release in the life of the PlayStation 2, coming out when the PlayStation 3 was already released, but boy was this epic! The first game was great, but this kicked things up several notches. The story about Kratos making his way from the Underworld to find The Sisters of Fate was like being in a movie. This game still holds up to this day as far as its visuals go, with great voice acting and a rocking and fitting soundtrack. The hack and slash gameplay is just perfect here. When I made this list, I knew right away that God of War II was going to be my number one game.
So there you have it my top 5 PlayStation 2 games! With the library of games being so diverse on this system, I bet no two people’s lists would be exactly the same. That is why I would love to know what your top 5 PlayStation 2 games are in the comments section down below.