Near-Perfect PS2 Games You Forgot Exist

With each passing year, the PlayStation 2 further cements its status as a retro console. Yes, I also feel old.

More importantly, with each passing year, a few fantastic but overlooked PS2 games become slightly more forgotten, sliding down a slope that ends with complete obscurity. Not everything can have the reach of God of War or San Andreas, but that doesn’t mean these games don’t deserve to be immortalized, cherished, and rediscovered.

The PS2-era has aged relatively well, all things considered, but very few games can really be described as “near-perfect” in this day and age. I love Summoner 2, Shadow of Rome, Bujingai, and Shinobi, but replaying them requires a willingness to ignore fairly notable flaws. These upcoming PS2 games don’t, at least not to the same extent.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant Is One Of The Best PS2 RPGs

A Rare Blend Of JRPGs, Horror, and History

• Masterful turn-based combat with a few twists
• Impeccable horror atmosphere
• Ambitious story that mostly nails

All the Shadow Hearts games qualify for this discussion, and they combine to create one of the best PS2 trilogies. Unfortunately, this series has remained exclusive to Sony’s console, not even receiving digital ports for the PS4 or PS5. Maybe that changes one day, but the IP appears to be stuck in licensing hell, so I wouldn’t bet on a revival anytime soon.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is the strongest entry in the series, along with being comfortably among the greatest JRPGs from the 2000s. A genuine complete package, Nautilus put together a game that nails its story, combat system, and characters, all the while building an atmosphere that sets it apart from its contemporaries. The setting alone stands out, with the story taking place during World War I and visiting countries across Europe. Also, Covenant leans into horror territory and is an example of that genre’s RPG potential.

Brilliant writing doesn’t mean much if it’s held down by mediocre gameplay, a fate Shadow Hearts: Covenant avoids through the Judgment Ring system. While the combat is turn-based, players must also complete a mini-game to determine a move’s outcome, with different types of actions being linked to different colors. The battle system has plenty of other great ideas, like chain attacks and Sanity Points, but the Judgment Ring is its defining feature.

God Hand Should Be Known By Everyone

Everyone!

• Incredibly deep combat
• Over-the-top story that is stupidly fun
• Super Sentai

In 2006, Clover Studio released its final two games: Okami and God Hand. The former earned rave reviews, multiple newer versions, a spiritual successor on the DS, an upcoming sequel, and is considered among the greatest games ever. God Hand got OK reviews and a PS3 port. There are days when I think God Hand is Clover Studio’s best game.

OK, I know God Hand is the definition of a cult classic that is revered as one of the character-action genre’s holy grails. Anybody who loves these types of projects knows about God Hand, and anyone who plays up to the Super Sentai fight will never forget the game. However, we are talking about a niche PS2 beat ’em up that came out a month before the PS3 and, consequently, flopped harder than a fish. There’s a reason Capcom has yet to release a remaster: Most people don’t know about God Hand.

Even more so than Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, God Hand has the most mechanically brilliant combat system of its era (if not all time), one that lets you customize combos by mapping more than a hundred distinct moves. Even without getting into the special roulette moves that are like battle shonen attacks on steroids, God Hand delivers entirely skill-based action that is also absurdly stylish and satisfying.

The story is dumb as hell, in the funniest possible way. Besides the 5-on-1 Super Sentai boss fight, you also get to fight Elvis, a gorilla wrestler, and the Three Stooges.

Downhill Domination Perfects Absurd Mountain Biking (With Combat!)

A Special PS2 Game Released During The Peak Of The Extreme Sports Genre

• You can punch other racers (and they can punch you)
• Arcade mayhem with realistic physics

A mountain biking game might seem like an odd pull, but Downhill Domination qualifies on both fronts. It’s part of a genre that has lost relevancy over the years, and it was overshadowed by other extreme sports games like SSX 3, which launched around the same time. As it uses real-world licenses, Downhill Domination is guaranteed to remain exclusive to PS2 discs, making it pretty darn difficult to play the game nowadays (legally).

Gameplay-wise, we have a winner here, at least by the standards of the genre. Downhill Domination transforms mountain biking into a dangerously fast and hyper-violent affair, where racers can actively kick the competition into the next zip code. In some ways, this is a vehicle combat game rather than a traditional racer, and it’s all the better for it.

The most impressive thing about Downhill Domination is the way it balances arcade silliness with realistic physics, all with an accessible but still steep learning curve. I’m not the biggest extreme sports fan ever, but Downhill Domination refuses to leave my mind.

Steambot Chronicles Is A Charming PS2 Gem

The Power Of Vibes

• Sandbox freedom
• A relaxing industrial revolution

Who doesn’t love mechs? Steambot Chronicles takes a slightly different approach than the likes of Gundam, presenting its mechs as an everyday tool that can also be used for combat. The protagonist wakes up on a beach with amnesia and a Trotmobile, starting them on a journey that can go in quite a few directions.

Although a main story involving faction warfare exists, the game doesn’t force you to engage too much with it, instead acting as a sandbox for you to create your own adventures. Steambot Chronicles is just a vibe, and a cozy one at that. Players can take an almost slice-of-life approach to the gameplay loop, eating, managing their Trotmobile, changing clothes, playing a rhythm mini-game, and interacting with NPCs.

The Warriors Is Rockstar’s Forgotten PS2 Masterpiece

Almost As Good As The Movie (And That’s Saying A Lot)

Anything published by Rockstar is guaranteed to be inescapable nowadays, but the publisher dropped way more games during the PS2 era. While a few of them are starting to fade from memory, The Warriors is probably Rockstar’s most forgotten title from this era, even if it is still more well-known than something like Downhill Domination or Steambot Chronicles.

Based on the 1979 movie, which is already pretty weird, The Warriors is essentially a beat ’em up (albeit with a lot of action-adventure elements), a type of game that is not remotely associated with Rockstar. The developer created a combat system designed around grapples, wall slams, environmental attacks, and team combos, the latter reflecting its co-op implementation. Even if it isn’t God Hand-level deep, The Warriors has Rockstar’s best combat, except for maybe Max Payne 3.

If you are a fan of the movie, you really need to play the game, as Rockstar did an admirable job of expanding the world and characters.