The PlayStation 2 is, without a doubt, one of the best selling consoles of all time. It is also the home to some of the best and most unique games ever developed in modern history. Several HD remasters from the PS2 generation have been made available for the current generation systems like Shadow of the Colossus, God of War 3, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, and more.
In addition to all of the remastered titles, several PS2 classics have found their way on the PlayStation 4 Store for purchase too. These ports also include trophy support and HD upscaling making them a great way for younger gamers to experience some of the best games of a generation. Unfortunately, the PlayStation 3 still has the biggest library of PlayStation classics with the majority of them absent on the PS4. We take a look at some PS2 games that should get released on the Ps4 store.
8 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey Of The Cursed King
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is arguably the most popular entry in the series on western shores. So it would make sense that Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King the title that laid the groundwork for all the modern entries since should be playable on the PlayStation 4.
Dragon Quest VIII’s cell-shaded visuals have a cartoonish and colorful art style that has aged better than most games on the PS2 and still looks good by today’s standards. In addition, Dragon Quest VIII’s world is less linear and more explorable than Dragon Quest XI.
7 Transformers (2004)
Released in 2004 on the PlayStation 2 Transformers was developed by the now-defunct Krome Studios Melbourne and published by Atari. The game was based on the Transformers: Armada story arc and remains one of the best video game representations of the franchise.
Despite being on the PlayStation 2 the visuals have aged surprisingly well and stylistically the game plays like a third-person Halo. Transformers also featured some of the most memorable boss battles of the generation with the visually stunning and massive Decepticon Tidal Wave being a particular standout.
6 Persona 3 and Persona 4
Now that the series has found a larger audience after the release of Persona 5 fans should absolutely take it upon themselves to play the PlayStation 2 entries too. Visually, the games don’t quite have the graphical flair that Persona 5 has but the anime cutscenes, music, and most importantly the stories are every bit as good.
Persona 3 Fes was the enhanced version of the game with extra scenes and a new optional protagonist. Similarly, there was an enhanced port with Persona 4: The Golden which was released on the PlayStation Vita with trophy support, additional story elements, and a new protagonist.
5 Silent Hill 2
Released in 2012 Silent Hill 2 on the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox it is still considered one of the greatest and scariest horror games of all time. Unlike most games that rely on jump scares, Silent Hill 2 relied on psychological scares using atmosphere, sound design, and story as its driving force.
Unfortunately, the series has been on hiatus since its last two releases in 2012 Silent Hill: Downpour and Silent Hill: Book of Memories. However, Konami has been re-releasing a lot of its older titles in collections and since there is already a Silent Hill HD Collection it wouldn’t be too difficult for them port the series on to the PS4 to gain some renewed interest in the series.
4 The Simpsons Hit & Run
There aren’t many good licensed games based on films or TV shows. There are quite a lot of terrible ones based on The Simpsons TV show with The Simpsons Wrestling game being one of the worst and most recent offenders.
However, The Simpsons: Hit & Run didn’t just make a great game that appealed to fans of the show but an award-winning game that appealed to everyone. In addition, Hit & Run was a Grand Theft Auto clone that was suitable for a younger gaming audience and had a great script and gameplay mechanics.
3 The Xenosaga Trilogy
The Xenosaga trilogy was developed by Monolith Soft the same team that made the classic Xenogears on the original PlayStation and the Xenoblade series released exclusively on the Nintendo Wii and the Switch.
It was and still is one of the few great space opera RPGs and has as much lore and depth as Battlestar Galactica. Just like Battlestar, the games heavily incorporate religious mythologies into its themes and stories. Additionally, the philosophies of Carl Jung and Nietzche were a direct influence on the trilogy’s stories.
2 Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003 and is still hailed as one of the scariest video games ever made. The game is available on the PlayStation 3 Store but not on the PlayStation 4.
Just like Silent Hill the game’s protagonists Mio and Mayu are vulnerable but are only armed with a supernatural camera called Camera Obscura which allowed players to see and ward off ghosts through its viewfinder. It was a clever mechanic that only added to the tension and foreboding atmosphere.
1 The Suikoden Series
Despite its last entry being in 2009 the Suikoden is still one of the most beloved JRPG series ever developed. With the exception of Suikoden V the entire series has been made available for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Store and with its fan base still growing it makes very little sense not to make at least the PS2 classics available for the PS4.
Fans are still petitioning for Konami to both continue the series and make the series available digitally. This would not only give the series a second chance but show Konami that there’s still a market for one of the best RPG series available. The PS2 saw the release of Suikoden 3, Suikoden 4, and Suikoden Tactics.