Sony's PlayStation 2 still stands tall as the best-selling video game console since the advent of gaming, with a record of 155 million units sold. The console was home to some of the best video games of all time, as well as at-the-time extremely popular AA games.
Many of these exclusives have been ported over to a newer system or received a remake or a remaster of some kind. However, some of these games are, to this day, only available on the PlayStation 2 or play the best on the original system, and thus, are trapped in the system in one way or the other.
PS2 Games That Never Received Ports
While many games such as God of War, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, and Metal Gear Solid have received ports to newer platforms in some way or other, many of the classics have just been left on the system, despite amassing a decent fanbase over the years.
The Onimusha games, particularly, Onimusha 2 and 3 are still available only on PS2, despite the first game getting a Nintendo Switch port sometime in 2019. These games are considered cult-classics by many and the existence of a remastered edition of the first game has left fans clamoring for more. Fumito Ueda's Ico has also never received any port for a newer system. Also a cult classic, the game would serve as a predecessor to the Shadow of the Colossus, which received special editions on both PS3 and PS4, and The Last Guardian.
Radical Design's Timesplitters also remains a notable exclusive trapped on the system. Often considered as an homage to games like GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, the game is loved by many fans who are still wanting the game to release on a newer platform.
Ridge Racer 5 and Gran Turismo 3 are some of the best racing games on the PS2 and to this day, still remained trapped on the system. Many more games such as FromSoftware's Tenchu sequels, and the first game to implement regenerating health, the cult-classic The Getaway, haven't received ports or remakes to this day.
Games That Play Best On PS2
Many PS2 games received underwhelming ports that, in some way or other, turned out to be an inferior version to the original. While this means they are not technically "trapped,", the PS2 is still the best place to play a handful of titles.
Clover Studios' Godhand is a brutal melee fighting game released for the PS2 in 2006. The game also received a port for the PS3, but many fans noticed a bunch of distracting bugs that weren't in the original release, making the PS2 version superior. The Time Crisis games were also exclusive to the console, notably Time Crisis 2 and Time Crisis 3, despite originally being arcade games. Both of them are some of the best arcade games that were also available for PS2, which is still is the most convenient option to play the game that, sadly enough, hasn't received any ports to this day.