When it comes to stealth games on the PS2, two franchises probably come to mind. First, the Metal Gear series has been associated with PlayStation for most of its lifetime past the NES days. The second game was a huge hit in the early days of its lifecycle but Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is regarded as the best entry on the platform let alone in the entire series.
The other notable series is Splinter Cell, which started out as an Xbox exclusive series. Between these two franchises, PS2 fans had plenty of AAA stealth games to choose from. However, what about the lesser-known underrated stealth games out there?
8 24: The Game
24: The Game was better than it had any right to be. There were a ton of licensed-based games on the PS2 at this time from The Sopranos to Alias. Among the many, 24’s adaptation was one of the best.
It kept the dual-screen format from the show, which helped create tension in certain situations. It’s not going to win any awards for the best-hidden gem on the PS2, but it will make for a gun afternoon, especially for fans of the show who missed it the first time around.
7 James Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing is the best movie in this series starring Pierce Brosnan other than GoldenEye. That movie, and game, set a high mark for the series. Most games that came after it couldn’t hold a candle to the N64 classic.
Video games based on movies were typically rushed through development, making GoldenEye an outlier. That’s why Everything or Nothing was special as it was a new 007 adventure but without a movie to go along with it. This was a smart move on EA’s part but to this day, most still only remember GoldenEye.
6 Manhunt
Manhunt is one of Rockstar’s weirdest games. They had made a name for themselves with Grand Theft Auto 3 and continued to push their mature angles with their future games. Manhunt was perhaps a bridge too far as it was like a snuff film turned into a game.
It was hard to empathize with the main character or anyone else onscreen. It was murder for the sake of murder which may not have sat well with even the most diehard of Rockstar fans. Still, as chilling as it was, the stealth gameplay was admittedly solid.
5 Mister Mosquito
Mister Mosquito is more similar to a game like Shadow of the Colossus than Metal Gear Solid. It’s a rather weird game wherein one plays as a mosquito and is tasked with sucking blood from a Japanese family while staying stealthy.
If a family member is alerted then a small battle will ensue. It’s safe to say there is not a game as unique as this, even with the comparison to Shadow of the Colossus brought up. It’s not a traditional stealth game, but that’s also why it deserves a spot on the list. It’s a shame the sequel never left Japan as it was also on PS2.
4 Red Ninja: End Of Honor
Red Ninja: End of Honor is one of the worst reviewed PS2 games on Metacritic, slipping into the red zone. It’s easy to understand why it was disliked at the time. The camera is the worst thing about it, making it difficult to get around. The controls weren’t perfect either but they were serviceable given patience.
What stood out on the positive side was the art style and unique character design of the heroine, Kurenai, who was seeking vengeance for her father’s death. It is a clichéd setup and other ninja games did what Red Ninja: End of Honor was trying to do better, but it’s still worth a look, especially with a boost through emulation.
3 Spy Fiction
Spy Fiction is one of Swery’s earliest games. Fans may recognize that name as he was also the director for Deadly Premonition, one of the most polarizing video games of the past decade. Spy Fiction doesn’t have as quirky of a narrative as some of Swery’s other games, which may disappoint fans.
It plays similarly to Metal Gear Solid with traditional spy equipment from invisibility cloaks to silenced pistols. It too suffers from a poor camera and controls that could have been fine-tuned. Still, Swery fans may find something intriguing about a spy game like this.
2 Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow was originally a PSP game in 2007 before it got a PS2 port in 2010. To put that time period into perspective, that’s four years after the PS3 launched and games were still coming to the PS2. It’s one of the better swan songs on the console.
Syphon Filter was a great trilogy of games for the PS1 that couldn’t quite get its footing right on the new system. This is the last game in the series and it is not a bad one to go out on. It reviewed quite well but the problem was getting noticed as it was a case of too little too late for most PlayStation fans.
1 Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows is the second PS2 entry in the series after Wrath of Heaven. That game is considered to be a classic whereas Fatal Shadows was deemed too much of the same thing. This was the fourth main game in the series and not much had changed since the PS2 days.
The gameplay, story, visuals, and camera all felt like a step back for the series. It’s not an awful game by any means and reviews were perhaps too negative at the time. There are better entries to check out in the series before this, but Fatal Shadows is better than the initial impressions.