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:
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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.
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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!
What are the minimum requirements for running the emulator? I guess it might be game based, but is there a general idea of which processor or graphics card might run some of the less heavier games? (I have an i5 10th gen, GeForce GTX 1060, 16GB RAM)
I enjoyed okami very much! Also need for speed most wanted
Starwars: Racer Revenge was by far my favorite racing game. Not to be confused with the much more popular N64 game “Episode 1 Racer” - the PS2 version was kind of an unofficial sequel that made a lot of improvements. Most notably the physics: the PS2 version actually feels like a pod being pulled by two separate engines, vs the N64 kinda felt like you were driving a car that just looked like a podracer. The physics especially shine if you play in 1st person and set the controls so the L joystick controls the left engine and R joystick controls the right - i.e. to turn left, you don’t just push the sticks to the left, you pull the left stick back and push the right stick forward so the right engine accelerates faster and the difference makes you turn. It’s super satisfying, if a bit more difficult.
Full disclosure: relying on my memory from shortly after its release in 2002, so I honestly have no idea if it’s actually as good as I remember, or if I’m just wearing the nostalgia goggles. Grain of salt.
Shadow of the colossus is a must
Jak & Daxter trilogy, must have
The games have been decompiled and made to run native via openGOAL, so they’re far better using that via Decky Loader than emulated!
I found Ratchet and Clank 3 in the thrift store today, they gave it to me free because I bought a large stack of large plant pots too
Black.
Mortal Kombat. The one that actually plays like a linear world story, not limited to arena.
Shaolin monks? Or maybe Deception?
Shaolin Monks is the one.
Easily the best mortal kombat game, assuming you aren’t a fighting game lover to begin with.
Exactly my sentiment. I still remember the experience glitch in one area where you have to break the stone guards shields before you can actually damage them. But while the shields are up, you can farm XP indefinitely.
Dark Cloud or Dark Chronicle, I can’t remember which is the PS1 and which is the PS2.
They’re both PS2. Dark Cloud released soon after the PS2, as it was originally intended to be a launch title, but got delayed. Dark Chronicle/Dark Cloud 2 came out a couple years later. Both are amazing games.
Some arcade-y faves of mine:
Gradius V: a classic horizontal scrolling shooter, it gets hard quickly! (This is the game series the Konami code originates from)
Neo Contra: a twin-stick shooter inspired by B-movies, also kinda hard, and incidentally also a series that made the Konami code famous.
The Red Star: a bit obscure I think. It’s a twin-stick with both shooting and melee. I like the girl’s fast melee moves a lot, you need to use combos to juggle your enemies. I think this one got a bad reception because it arrived quite late in the life of the PS2 and was a bit underwhelming graphically.
Just a side note on Final Fantasy games: you can literally start anywhere. They are all (except like X-2 which is explicitly a sequel to X, and the first time they did that) completely independent of one another.
And since you’re talking PS2, I think most people would tell you to start with FFX. It’s a fantastic game and a great representative of the PS2 era. The graphics hold up surprisingly well.
Dark Cloud
agreed!
beat Dark Cloud 1 a year or two ago, and now I am ready for Dark Cloud 2 soon!
I played Shadow of the Colosses on my Potato PC with PCSX2. Took a bit of fiddling with the settings but it ran great afterwards. It’s one of my all time favourites. It’s an open world boss battler where you defeat giant climbable monsters. They are only vulnerable in specific spots though so in order defeat them you need to figure out how to reach those. The atmosphere is incredible though and the best part of it. If you want try it I highly recommend being hesitant to look up hints for this one since figuring out bosses is the most fun part.
Thank you!
I have got it on my Steam Deck, but rather the PS3 version (using RPCS3/RetroDECK), and I’m wondering which one I should play when I do try it! Everyone speaks so highly of it, I’m looking forward to!
I’d just play the ps3 version then, it plays like how my nostalgia filter made me remember the original. do ico also if you haven’t.
Imho the remaster looks too ralistic. Haven’t played it tho
One of my favorite games of all time is Dark Cloud. It starts feeling completely alone, and you bring the world to life. The atmosphere and soundtrack are top tier.
Plus, Dungeon Golf!
Sweet jebus. You’re jumping into one of the biggest (if not the biggest) game console libraries ever. There’s a lot to pick from, and… there’s a lot of trash too.
It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I really enjoy the Burnout series. Each title brings something new to the table, and the music and energy just don’t let up. The only problem here is the brutal load times between every level, which on emulation, probably aren’t going to be an issue for you. The licensed soundtrack is also something of a time-capsule now, so it may be worthwhile on that point alone.
There are a few Castlevania titles for the PS2 as well. These are a fun departure from the side-scrolling formula, and seem to have learned a few tricks from Devil May Cry. They deliver on mood and challenge, but I wouldn’t rank them as high as the GBA or PS1 titles. Still, they’re fun to play.
If you wind up short on recommendations, I’ll add that PS1 titles should get an honorable mention here. The PS2 is fully backwards compatible with the PS1, so those cream-of-the-crop titles kinda/sorta count. For a lot of us, that was a big part of the experience of owning one of these machines as your library just kept growing into the new console gen. But you’ve probably already heard of Metal Gear Solid, Symphony of the Night, FFVII, WipeoutXL, Tony Hawk, and so on.
SSX Tricky!!! One of my all time favorite games, i still replay it about once a year.
