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sony's playstation 2 is by far my favoritegame console. there's just such a huge library of greatgames, it had some really cool features for the time, it was a pretty awesome dvd player,but it didn't have so great video output. if i could make my ideal gaming console, itwould probably be the ps2 but saved natively, you know, your memory card, instead of usingmemory cards, it would save natively to the hard drive - and would just have cleaner videoout. even if it stayed 480p, as long as it stayed480p or 240p, and could then be cleanly upscaled, it would be good to go. it's one of my favorite consoles of all time.

and there is a huge library of awesome gamesfor it. so in this video, here are 5 playstation 2games that you should play. not all of these will be purely ps2-exclusive,but all that matters is that you try playing them at all - because some of these gamesare really freaking fun. let’s start out with champions of norrath. this is a top-down action rpg set in the everquestuniverse. it uses an upgraded version of the same gameengine as the baldurs gate dark alliance games and man, it looks good. you want an example of games with amazinggraphics on the ps2, champions of norrath

is the one to go with. water flows with you as you move through it,fire looks realistic and simulates ambient light away from it. there are little rats and spiders that movearound the maps, corpses stay persistent through the whole game. wow. the game also manipulates the camera to makeearly attempts at fully voice-acted cutscenes. it’s not perfect, but adds to the game moresothan just clicking through text boxes. mechanically, it’s very much a hack-n-slashgame.

you can choose from a number of classes suchas a barbarian warrior, wood elf ranger, high elf cleric, a wizard, or a dark elf shadowknight. you can level up different skill trees toenhance certain abilities or skills, find newer and better gear as you fight the legions of orcs and goblins, and explore a pretty interesting world. i, personally, have zero experience with theeverquest universe and that has not detracted from my experience. i imagine it would add a fair amount if youare familiar with the lore, however. one of the really cool features of the gameat the time was that it not only had 4-player

split screen, but it had online play, too! you could import your characters to play onlinewith friends, voice chat using a usb headset, and have fun. it seems like it would have been a blast,however the online play was shut down in april of 2013, so i will not get to experience it. lastly, the game has a freaking beautifulsoundtrack. i’ve been trying to hunt down a decent-qualitycopy, but it’s not easy to find. the only physical copy i can find is a couplecd listings in the uk and they want 40 bucks plus shipping for it, which is a bit much.

overall, if you like diablo, baldurs gate,gauntlet-y games, champions of norrath is a must-play. it has some decent replayability with thevarious classes and split screen, and if you find yourself wanting more - there’s a sequel! champions return to arms is also availableon the ps2! next up, we have hideo kojima at his best,with metal gear solid 3. i… have always had a huge fascination andadmiration for the metal gear franchise, but have never actually played through it myself. i’m just horrible at it.

i’m currently working my way through mgs3,but it’s… not going well. but i have learned from hours of watchinganalysis videos and having watched my irl buddy play through them when we were kids,that mgs3 is a good middle ground between kojima’s weird meta-dive into making gamesabout gamers w/ mgs2 and before all the crazy nanomachine madness took over in mgs4. so here’s my buddy bbkdragoon, who has quitea history with the franchise, to give you a better description. metal gear solid 3 represents not only a superbtechnical mastery over developing for the playstation 2 but also one of the best gamesthe platform has to offer.

kojima’s launch title of metal gear solid2 was at the forefront of the playstation 2’s initial marketing efforts as it trulyshowcased what the hardware was capable of. kojima pushed the tech within the ps2 to itslimits from the get go, with gameplay that still holds up strongly to this day. mgs3 released in 2004, this was 4 years afterthe playstation 2’s launch giving kojima and his team time to learn and improve uponthe tech they pioneered within mgs2. metal gear solid 3 is the perfect startingpoint for a player new to the metal gear universe. what is essentially a prequel to the mgs series,3 requires no previous knowledge of characters, plot points, or the grand narrative of themgs series.

long time fans of the mgs series will of courseget to see the origins of some of the franchise’s most important and foundational characters,with plenty of stylistic nods and themes that ooze of kojima. make sure to pick up the subsistence versionof the game which released in 2006 if you are buying a playstation 2 copy. mgs3 subsistence featured a new 3rd personcamera angle that completely revolutionized the game. the top down static camera viewpoints of previousmgs games worked better in the urban environments in tandem with a more accessible soliton radar.

the jungles of metal gear solid 3 become farmore engaging and easier to navigate strategically with this 3rd person camera angle which wouldultimately become the primary camera system of the series moving forward. subsistence also features some bonus camos,better in game demo theater mode with some hilarious parody cutscenes. it should be noted that “metal gear solidhd collection” represents an exceptional hd re-release of metal gear solid 2, metalgear solid 3, and metal gear solid: peace walker, available on ps3, 360 and the psvita. the hd collection was put together with alot of care for the original source material

and represents a phenomenal way to play thesegames. however it’s hard to beat playing on originalps2 hardware. the gameplay of mgs3 holds up strongly tothis day and will take the player on a wild 10-15 hour adventure. it’s impossible to think about the playstation2’s best titles without listing mgs2 and mgs3. mgs2 remains an excellent game worth playing,but requires a bit more knowledge of the franchise’s story, common tropes, and thematics. mgs3 would still be received well if it releasedtoday.

as a kid, i stayed fairly limited when itcomes to trying different franchises of games. i stuck to ones i knew in many cases. in some ways, that’s a good thing as i’vehad a blast discovering gems that i never got to play before. but in the case of ratchet & clank, i’mactually kinda sad that i never even realized it existed until much later into my life,as i would have enjoyed the heck out of these games growing up. developed by the awesome insomniac games,there are many ratchet & clank games to choose from, but i started with “going commando.”

this is the second in the franchise and frequentlyregarded as one of the best ps2 games ever made, period, which is impressive. this is third-person action platforming atits best. you travel to planets in the bogon galaxyto find parts for your ship, search for the bad guy, rescue friends, and tackle some sidequests. you’ve got rocket launchers, gravity grenades,laser guns, and your trusty wrench at your disposal to take down enemies and break thingsto collect the currency of bolts to level up your weapons and buy more ammo. you fight in both the platforming levels andin spaceship fights, which can be a little

frustrating. the game plays out much like a movie - consistentwith how the current movie and ps4 reboot turned out - and is an enjoyable story tosit through. some of the humor isn’t for me these days,but it can still pull a chuckle out of me and keeps the game from feeling too serious. i haven’t finished it just yet, but i’vebeen thoroughly enjoying my time with it. if you haven’t heard of this next one, ishould warn you it’ll seem like such a strange recommendation. but surely… surely everyone has heard ofkatamari by now, right?

katamari damacy is… a puzzle game. a weird puzzle game. the king of all cosmos’ got drunk and wipedout the stars and celestial bodies from the sky, so it’s you - the 5cm tall prince - togo to earth with a magical ball called a “katamari” that sticks to things smaller than it andgrows as you pick things up. basically how you make a snowman, except insteadof snow, you roll up everything. it starts out with little things - paperclips,food bits, but then you pick up pets, chairs, people, entire buildings eventually - it getsmessy. and once the time is up, your creation isshot into the sky and turned into stars and

constellations. this requires the use of both analog sticksto maneuver your katamari around to avoid running into things you can’t pick up yetand build speed, and honestly gets quite addicting after a while. there are a couple different game modes, atwo-player mode, and a great, although quirky, soundtrack. katamari damacy was so unique and successfulthat they’ve made eight, yes, eight sequels across a variety of different platforms, includingsmartphones. some still regard damacy as the best katamarigame, but you have some options to choose

from. lastly, we have a game that’s very nearand dear to my heart: atv offroad fury. this is just like it sounds - an atv racinggame. you get to pick your character color and choosebetween a few different atv models - balancing between traction, top speed, acceleration,handling, and so on - and 20 different tracks to race on. game modes include offroad nationals, stadiumsupercross, a freestyle mode, cross-country endurance, and pro career, and is supports4-way multiplayer. the soundtrack was pretty rockin’ for thetime featuring only licensed music, so i can’t

really play it here. this was a game that i sunk so much time intowith my dad. on our giant dlp tv, it was a blast. we’d try to get high scores over each other,and i had a couple uncles and cousins that would join us, too sometimes. my family had a brief period where we wentto another family member’s share hotel..thing in daytona beach, florida, and we’d alwaystake the ps2 so my dad and i could put in some atv time in the hotel room. i’ve got some good memories with this game.

you have to really balance your speed andthe angle of your atv, as you can go flying off your ride and screw yourself over forpositioning in the race. gotta make sure you pull up on the hill theright way, make sure you land at the right angle, and so on. and if an opponent lands ontop of you or youhit a barrier on the side of the map, you will get thrown off your atv, too. so while i’m sure most modern racing gameshave stronger skill curves, but this game has always felt like a good balance betweenmechanics you have to think about and just good arcade racing feel.

and like i said, i’ll always have a softspot for this game just due to the time i put into it with my family. so that's it. that's 5 ps2 games that you should play, regardlessof what platform you actually play on. if you get the real copy - i prefer playingphysical copies on original hardware - you know, it's your prerogative. of course metal gear solid 3 has been portedover to the playstation 3, and they got the hd collection, they've got different versions. of course you want the subsistence version,not the snake eater version, but other than

that, just make sure you play the games.they'rea lot of fun. i recommend these. if you didn't see your favorite games, fearnot! comment with what you think everyone shouldplay from the ps2 library in the comment section down below. we'll probably circle back to this every couplemonths or so, i wanna keep this going. like i said, the ps2 is my favorite console,period. so i want to keep the conversation going aboutit here on the channel, and i'll have a lot more things to say and quite a few more gamesto recommend in future episodes.

if you liked this video, hit the like button,get subscribed for more awesome content, go check out bbkdragoon who talked about metalgearand has been helping in my live streams, linked in the video description. and i'm eposvox, i'll catch you in the nextone. this video is sponsored by viewers like you. our videos would not be possible without thegenerosity of those of you who contribute to one of our fan-funding options, be it donorbox,twitch subscriptions, direct contributions via paypal, or patreon. to join our inner-circle and get behind-the-sceneslooks at videos, go to eposvox.com/support

to learn more, and join us on discord at eposvox.com/discord. thanks!

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