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:

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    16 minutes ago

    Smugglers Run 2

    Castlevania Symphony of the Night

    Gladius

    Burnout Revenge

    Gran Turismo 3&4

    Final Fantasy X/ X-II

    Just Cause 2

    Drakkengarde

    I’m sure I’m forgetting some really good ones.

  • Ken Oh@feddit.onlineEnglish
    1·
    31 minutes ago

    I had a ton of fun with Unreal Tournament. I got into the zone while playing Instagib CTF.

  • Rekorse@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    7·
    2 hours ago

    Final fantasy isn’t a continuation from game to game, they are new stories each time. Final fantasy is more like a feeling than a specific place or group of people.

    All that said I really think you should consider trying Final Fantasy 10, it has fantastic cinematics and is a very emotional game.

    • Capt. Wolf@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      I think of it as an RPG ruleset, like DnD. Most of FF games follow similar mechanics, class systems, sometimes there’s the same monsters, and sometimes there’s crystals that do stuff.

      I agree though, FFX is really good.

  • Katana314@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 hour ago

    The original Fatal Frame trilogy are some of the best horror games I’ve played. Not only are they genuinely scary without using a lot of blood, but they have difficulty that connects well with the scariness.

    It occasionally feels “unfair” and makes you feel vulnerable, but is still relatively doable so that you don’t get overwhelmed. At times you’ll be retreading old ground just trying to solve a puzzle when another ghost will come at you out of nowhere.

  • SinkingLotus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 hour ago

    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)

    • Forbidden Siren

    • Forbidden 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:

    • Metal Gear
    • Metal Gear 2

    Being the most recommended versions of those games. (Not including Nintendo’s recent ports)

  • Saerana@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    2·
    2 hours ago

    I just finished up a playthrough of SSX3 about a month ago, and I used PCSX2 for the playthrough. With the resolution unlocked and better texture filitering, the game’s graphics hold up nicely. Locked 60fps (except for one level), and just a really stylized grahpical presentation that still feels modern.

    In terms of gameplay, the controls definitely have a learning curve with having to preload jumps and sheer amount of button combinations the game expects you to use and remember, but boiled down you are usually just holding dpad for a spin and then your modifier button + a trigger. The game isn’t particurally hard unless you are going for Platinum medals, and I found the soundtrack pleasant enough to listen to as it ebbs and flows with how well you are doing on the course.

    I definitely spent way more time with SSX Tricky as a kid, but after playing through SSX3 as an adult, I would definitely say 3 is a much more polished and approachable game than Tricky.

  • Zortrox@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    1·
    2 hours ago

    Not sure how well it holds up since nobody mentions it, but Tiny Tank was fun when I was a kid!

    You’re a sarcastic tank and fight other huge robots after they took over the world basically. You have 4 spots on your tank to put a lot of different weapons and could upgrade them during the level with positronic brains from enemies to make them more advanced (e.g. homing missiles, faster firing, etc.)

  • rozodru@piefed.socialEnglish
    4·
    4 hours ago

    Zone of the Enders 1 and 2
    Shadowhearts
    SSX Tricky
    Burnout
    Katamari Damacey
    Ribbit King
    Roommania #201
    SkyGunner
    Oni
    Dead or Alive 2
    Silent Hill 2 and 3
    Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front
    Mobile Suit Gundam: The Lost War Chronicles
    Xenosaga
    .dot Hack
    Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain
    Def Jam Vendetta
    GunGrave
    Capcom vs SNK
    Marvel vs Capcom 2

  • CodenameDarlen@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    4 hours ago

    God Hand is a hidden gem, the game is hard tho.
    Crash of the Titans
    Crash Twinsanity
    Black
    Midnight Club 3
    NFS Underground 2
    Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks
    Gun
    Burnout
    Darkwatch (hidden gem too)

    There are more but these worth mentioning because they can’t be played without emulation on PC, so it fits well to play on PCSX2.

  • yermaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    If you can get a webcam working for Eyetoy games, we played a fuckton of the window cleaning game. Even though its objectively shit.