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!
Here’s a list from my collection
.hack://Infection
.hack://Mutation
.hack://Outbreak
.hack://Quarantine
.hack://G.U. Rebirth
.hack://G.U. Reminisce
.hack://G.U. Redemption
007: Agent Under Fire
007: Nightfire
007: Everything or Nothing
10,000 Bullets
Altered Beast (i.e., Project: Altered Beast)
Ape Escape 2
Ape Escape 3
Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica
Armored Core 2
Armored Core 2: Another Age
Armored Core 3
Armored Core: Last Raven
Armored Core: Nexus
Armored Core: Nine Breaker
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II
Beyond Good & Evil
Blood Will Tell
BloodRayne
BloodRayne 2
Bloody Roar 3
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Bunjingai: The Forsaken City (i.e., Bunjingai: Swordmaster)
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Castlevania: Lament of Innocent
Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest
Chaos Wars
Chulip
Clock Tower 3
Cold Fear
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Crimson Tears
Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2 (i.e., Dark Chronicle)
Destroy All Humans!
Destroy All Humans! 2
Deus Ex (NB: Worse than PC version)
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 2 (NB: Only because I’m recommending the others)
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening - Special Edition
Disaster Report (i.e., SOS: The Final Escape)
Disgaea 1: Hour of Darkness
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
Downhill Domination
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Drakengard
Drakengard 2
Dynasty Warriors 5
Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends
Evergrace
Fatal Frame
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
Final Fantasy X (NB: See end)
Final Fantasy X-2 (NB: See end)
Final Fantasy XII (NB: See end)
ForbiddenSirenForbidden Siren 2
Forever Kingdom (NB: Prequel to Evergrace)
Gitaroo Man
Gladius
God Hand
Grandia Xtreme
Grandia III
Gregory Horror Show
GunGrave
GunGrave: Overdose
Haunting Ground
Headhunter
Headhunter Redemption
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Hitman: Contracts
Hitman: Blood Money
Ico
Initial D Special Stage
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak II
Jak 3 (NB: Fuck the naming scheme)
Jak X: Combat Racing (NB: Get V2.00 specifically)
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Katamari Damacy
Kingdom Hearts - Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts II - Final Mix (NB: Translation somewhere online)
Kinetica
Lumines: Puzzle Fusion
Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis
Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy
Manhunt
Manhunt 2
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Maximo vs Army of Zin
Mega Man X7
Mega Man X8
Mercenaries - Playground of Destruction
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (NB: See end)
Michigan: Report from Hell
Mister Mosquito
Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground 2
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Carbon
Nightshade (NB: Sequel to Shinobi)
ObsCure
ObsCure II
Odin Sphere
Okage: Shadow King
Onimusha 1: Warlords (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
PaRappa The Rapper 2
Phantom Brave
Primal
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Psychonauts
Radiata Stories
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (i.e., Locked and Loaded)
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Raw Danger! (NB: Sequel to Disaster Report)
Red Dead Revolver
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
Resident Evil Outbreak
Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2
Resident Evil 4
Rogue Galaxy
Romancing SaGa
Rygar: The Legendary Adventure
Samurai Western
Second Sight
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
Shadow of Destiny (i.e., Memories)
Shadow of Rome
Shadow of the Colossus
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (i.e., Lucifer’s Call) (i.e., featuring Dante from DMC!)
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
Shining Force EXA
Shinobi
Shinobido: Way of the Ninja
Silent Hill 2 (NB: Pressure-sensitive buttons)
Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 4: The Room (NB: Just because)
Silent Scope
Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette
Silent Scope 3
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Soul Nomad & the World Eaters
Spider-Man 2
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Steambot Chronicles
Suikoden III
Suikoden IV
Suikoden V
Super Dragon Ball Z
Tales of Legendia
Tales of the Abyss
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
The Bouncer
The Getaway
The Getaway: Black Monday
The Godfather
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Simpsons: Hit & Run
The Sword of Etheria
The Thing
The Warriors
Tokyo Road Race
Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
TY the Tasmanian Tiger
TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue
Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai 2
Wild Arms 3
Wild Arms 4
Wild Arms 5
Wild Arms: Alter Code, F
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Yakuza
Yakuza 2
Zone of the Enders
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (NB: Get PAL special specifically)
So Final Fantasy games are often unrelated to one another. Meaning you can just pick whichever to start. Although Final Fantasy X has a direct sequel, that being Final Fantasy X-2.
Next is about Mega Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Even though you have it listed I still mention it because Subsistence includes:
Being the most recommended versions of those games. (Not including Nintendo’s recent ports)
I knew I was going to see Steambot Chronicles on that list after seeing the .hack games hah.