It’s all about the next generation of gaming, but the PlayStation 2 console was quite innovative in its day in a number of areas, from the EyeToy to some wonderful displays of graphical potential. However, story-driven titles are perhaps the most overlooked.
Story is king in gaming these days, but looking back on the PS2, many of the games fondly remembered were platformers, racers, battle simulators, and first-person shooters. However, these story-driven games can definitely be revisited now and would still hold up from a narrative standpoint.
10 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (2004)
It seems unusual to suggest that Ratchet & Clank has been forgotten given the success of the recent Insomniac title. However, this early sequel certainly didn’t catch on in the minds of fans when they look back, even if it set the series up for even more sales.
Improve your arsenal from Sony and Insomniac was incredibly well received and even had a unique multiplayer mode. But the story that led to this action-adventure, featuring new antagonist Dr. Nerfarious and allies like Sasha introduced is exciting in its exploration of an intergalactic conflict that the titular duo find themselves at the center of. It’s worth returning to before playing the PS5 iteration.
9 Icon (2001)
As for the action-adventure genre, icon is another highlight of the PlayStation 2, although most fans won’t remember this beautiful display of stories. Japan Studio and Team Ico created a story that puts young Ico at the center of a mysterious journey.
While Ico may have noticed himself because of the horns that had grown on his head, he goes on a mission with some new friends after escaping the capture of a cult that wants to sacrifice him. Surprising twists and turns drive this magical affair, forcing the protagonist to make tough decisions in this bizarre castle.
8 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001)
Jak and Daxter overall feels like a forgotten franchise, despite PlayStation Productions working on some sort of big screen adaptation. While it might have a chance to breathe new life into the current-gen console, this PS2 release is definitely one of the best.
Crazy and visually inventive, the games are distinguished by high-quality platformers. But from a storyline perspective, Naughty Dog’s title shouldn’t be overlooked as it has been. It’s the first installment of the franchise that sets up this fictional fantasy world and its array of characters, giving them compelling backstories and leading to a blockbuster finale that launches into a massive cliffhanger.
7 Viewtiful Joe (2003)
As for the genre, Viewtiful Joe is actually a side-scroller and beat-em-up title, but that doesn’t mean it can’t boast a brilliant story. In fact, from the stories to the graphic design, this feels very much like a comic book brought to life in a video game format.
Made by Capcom, Viewtiful Joe may have been forgotten as it is quite unique in its approach to the genre. It divides its story into individual episodes as if it were a TV show, giving the audience snippets of the story which is the meta-background of what is set in Movieland, playing out the concepts around filmmaking. There is something so inventive about the story and the conflicts that Joe must overcome.
6 Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Another action adventure game, it’s unbelievable Shadow of the Colossus has gone unnoticed years later, considering how much it has contributed to the industry in terms of building mythology and ensuring it connects visually with the public.
The title may not be as mainstream as some may think. Re-created by Japan Studio and Team Ico, the premise of the title is the protagonist, Wander, who seeks to revive his friend Mono. The story here is everything, with each battle meaning something, as they are often the result of Wander’s own decisions and his quest through the well-developed Forbidden Lands, slowly corrupting him.
5 Bullying (2006)
Bully is a strange premise, but it really works. Some may fondly remember the title, but others may well have forgotten this unusual entry from Rockstar Games. It is not a traditional action-adventure, but is set within a school, where the culture is central.
A lone antihero sets his sights on trying to overthrow the culture in this environment and bring peace to the school, but of course the player’s choices seem to make a difference there. As the player navigates the various social circles, the narrative threads involved here are enough to inspire a potential big-screen feature.
4 Fahrenheit (2005)
Quantic Dreams is now so renowned for their storytelling skills and they teamed up with Atari to create Fahrenheit which has seemingly been lost in the archives of the studio’s more recent successes. From a graphical perspective, this was really a highlight of the PlayStation.
Narratively speaking, this presents the audience with a huge cobweb of interconnected stories and characters. With a killer, the detectives investigating him, and the killer’s brother all playable, this mystery is told from different perspectives and players get to essentially choose their ending.
3 God of War II (2007)
The first outing of god of war brought Greek mythology into the world of video games in an inventive way that had not been achieved before. The reboots on the latest PlayStation consoles have reinvented the series and have now propelled Kratos and his world to new heights.
But the sequel God of World War II, actually has one of the best stories of the saga. Santa Monica Studio gave Kratos a bigger threat to face as he battles the Olympians who look down on his murder of Ares. With Zeus emerging as a major antagonist, and the story of the Spartans, it’s an exciting exploration of ancient legends from an alternate point of view.
2 Rogue System (2007)
Level-5 created rogue galaxy, a science fiction-inspired action RPG that takes full advantage of the studio’s storytelling capabilities. It’s not a title that comes up in fan conversations, but the world-building alone is absolutely incredible and contains many small but intricate narrative details in the set-up.
Jaster Rogue, a farmer, is the protagonist of the play. He joins a group of pirates under a false identity and begins a quest alongside them, with the fate of the galaxy at stake and the prospect of universal peace in sight. While the stakes are huge, the story is ultimately about friendship and family, which is perhaps what makes it so appealing.
1 Okami (2006)
kami was developed by Clover Studio and Capcom and was released towards the end of the PlayStation 2. So, despite the simple but stunning visuals and brilliant storytelling, the game has been completely forgotten. Fans need to get back to this underrated classic.
The entire premise revolves around Japanese mythology and folklore, with players mastering the wolf form of the sun goddess. It’s quite a spiritual adventure in which the lands themselves are almost revived by removing a curse, and various gods vying for power. It’s a fascinating cultural display, with a story that takes advantage of an indie-style gameplay.
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