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Pros: Great games, great controller, HUGE game library. Cons: Cannot cook pizza with it. Seriously it’s one of the greatest consoles ever. 35. Reply. 06MERC. • 3 yr. ago. Pros everything. Cons nothing. 18. Reply. SadBoy2016. • 3 yr. ago. Best game to start with is Jak and Daxter, an all time classic 3D platformer! You won't be dissapointed! 12.
- Overview
- Cultural changer
- Grand Theft Auto 3
- Gran Turismo 3: A-spec
- Metal Gear Solid 2
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By Patrick Goss
last updated 11 November 2021
Sony's PS2 fundamentally shifted attitudes to gaming
(Image credit: Sony)
Consoles are still in their infancy, and yet in hundreds of years’ time people will look back and pick out the PlayStation 2 as a console that changed the very face of gaming; at the heart of dragging an industry out of the basement and into the mainstream.
But, in truth, the PlayStation 2’s biggest impact was cultural. A generation of gamers were not prepared to hang up their joypads as they got a little older, and the PS2 gave them permission to keep on gaming.
This was a console for kids and adults alike; reflected in a an broad mix of games many of which were (at least ostensibly) not meant for children.
Incredibly, the PS2 was still being produced up until 2013 – not bad for a console that first arrived in March of the new millennium. And few could make a case that it has ever been surpassed in terms of its impact.
Many consoles had waned after the initial burst of launch publicity, but the PS2 was blessed with a second lease of life.
GTA 3 was an open-world third-person/driving game that cast the gamer as a criminal making his way in a larger-than life world of American stereotypes and gun culture.
Sony presciently secured this most iconic of games as an exclusive for a couple of years on console (and it was years before it made its bow on Windows).
Although San Andreas was the better game, it was GTA 3 that transformed the gaming landscape, introducing the world to the ‘sandbox’.
GTA created a game universe that was jam packed with often puerile but just tongue-in-cheek enough humour that even the adverse headlines only served to make it more attractive to its fans.
The Gran Turismo series was already hugely popular, but the third incarnation served as the perfect showcase for the generation’s graphical capabilities.
Perfectly modelled cars and brilliant game (ahem) mechanics came together to create an immersive, beautiful driving experience that showed that gaming was now way beyond the era of sprites.
Looking back, it’s hard to imagine that MGS2 was anything other than lauded - but this was a game that truly divided its audience by demanding a bit more thought and attention to detail.
Hideo Kojima’s greatest game was anything but mindless - exploring themes beyond how much gore could be created when you shot someone in the head.
This was a game that was a microcosm of the gaming world and the PS2, thrusting itself out of the ‘gaming is for kids’ narrative.
Metal Gear Solid 2 was actually the fourth MGS, but established itself as a true classic for the PS2, with an exclusivity deal again allowing it to become an established party of the console’s success.
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- Patrick Goss
May 5, 2024 · It makes sense - platform holders like Sony have a history of releasing souped-up revisions of their flagship consoles to provide new visual and quality-of-life improvements in the middle of...
- Sarah Thwaites
Bibliography. PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 ( PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 30 November 2000.
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- Editor, Help & How To
- Bully. In 2006, Rockstar Games released Bully on PlayStation 2 to both controversy and acclaim. You play juvenile delinquent Jimmy Hopkins after he's enrolled into Bullworth Academy, where you must fit in among the different social cliques, attend class, complete side missions, and put a stop to bullying at the school.
- Final Fantasy X. 4.5. Editors' Choice. Square took a huge step forward in the Final Fantasy series when it released Final Fantasy X in 2001. This was the first game in the series to use voice acting, mocap, and fully three-dimensional environments, embracing what was possible on the PS2.
- God of War. 4.0. Editors' Choice. Gaming took a major step forward in 2005 when Sony released God of War as a PlayStation exclusive. The game combined high-octane action with a compelling story about loss and revenge.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. After Grand Theft Auto III established the playing field, Vice City had some fun with an '80s aesthetic. However, it was 2004's San Andreas that built on the success of the previous two titles to create something truly special.
Feb 24, 2023 · TechRadar Verdict. Five after its launch, the PS4 Pro is still an easy buy for newcomers to the world of PlayStation and 4K HDR TV owners but it's increasingly hard to find. For most, the new...
Nov 20, 2001 · With a year's head start on Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube, the PS2 platform has one big advantage over the competition: a greater selection of quality games, though the gap is quickly...
