Sony Does It Even Better…20 Years Of The Sony PlayStation 2

The year 2000 seems so long ago, doesn’t it?

The year Shaq and Kobe (RIP) led the Lakers to their first World Championship since 1988, the year when Sisqo released “Thong Song,” OutKast released “B.O.B.” and “Ms. Jackson” on “Stankonia” and the New York Yankees won their third straight World Series.

But, on Thursday, October 26, 2000…Sony’s second follow-up would be released to stores in the United States – The PlayStation 2. It featured with the MSRP for $299 with 29 launch-titles – Armored Core 2, Dead or Alive 2 – Hardcore, Dynasty Warriors 2, ESPN International Track and Field, ESPN X-Games Snowboarding, Eternal Ring, Evergrace, FantaVision, GunGriffon Blaze, Kessen, Madden NFL 2001, Midnight Club, Moto GP, NHL 2001, Orphen – Scion of Misery, Q-Ball – Billiards Master, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing – Round 2, Ridge Racer V (5), Silent Scope, Smuggler’s Run, SSX, Street Fighter EX3, Summoner, Swing Away, Tekken Tag Tournament, TimeSplitters, Unreal Tournament, Wild Wild Racing, and X-Squad.

Sony’s second console was highly anticipated, because it could play DVD’s and was backward-compatible with many PS1 games. Plus, it was an affordable DVD player at the time. However, it fell behind the production schedule, where there were only 500,000 were offered by Sony, where many of them were pre-ordered. It fell short of the 1 million planned to ship for the launch, where some people paid over $1,000 on eBay just to obtain one.

While there wasn’t really a standout title, but in my opinion, the highlight was an arcade snowboarding game called SSX by EA Sports, using their “EA Sports BIG” label, which would later be used for the NBA, NFL, and FIFA Street series. In SSX, you choose several snowboarders with their own statistics and boarding style, where a player performs tricks on hills, slopes, rails, and jumps. The eight playable characters in SSX were Mac Fraser, Moby Jones, Elise Riggs, Kaori Nishidake, Jurgen Angermann, JP Arsenault, Zoe Payne, and Hiro Karamatsu. As Mat, Moby, Elise, and Kaori are available at default, you have to earn gold medals unlocking the other four characters.

SSX was critically acclaimed, winning “Console Sports Game of the Year” and “Racing Game of the Year” by The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Boardercross founder Steve Rechtschaffner was the executive producer and creator of this game. SSX would spawn a series of four different sequels – SSX Tricky, SSX 3, SSX on Tour, and SSX Blur.

Another successful title on PS2’s launch was Namco’s Tekken Tag Tournament. While the engine was a minor upgrade from Tekken 3, but it didn’t stop it from being a successful fighting game – maybe the best on the PS2 at that point. Even Frank O’Connor of Next Generation Magazine stated, “The lack of innovation prevents it from obtaining a perfect score…It is basically a prettier Tekken 3.” Tekken Tag sold 1.4 million copies and amassed over $48. It was one of the first titles released under Sony’s “Greatest Hits” banner of PS2 during March 2002.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Madden+NFL+2001+ps2

Madden NFL 2001 was also an outstanding title. It sparked the “peak” of the Madden franchise while competing directly with Sega’s outstanding NFL 2K series on the Dreamcast. It sparked fresh visuals, outstanding commentary by the late Pat Summerall and John Madden, and Madden Cards – Challenges to earn rewards to unlock special attributes, ratings for players, legendary players, secret teams, stadiums, and characters. Rob Smolka of Next Generation Magazine, insisted, “If you were looking for a reason to buy a PlayStation 2, this is it – superb gameplay, even better graphics, and enough substance to make you forget about all those other, weak launch titles.”

Electronic Arts’ NHL 2001 was another great launch title. While it lacked franchise play and an expansion draft (this was when the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild were expansion teams) featured in the PC version, it received favorable reviews. As Emmett Schkloven of X-Play (the old-school G4TV show) stated, “EA has spent a lot of effort making NHL 2001 accessible to newcomers and non-hockey fanatics. Easier controls, clean gameplay, and a fast, slick interface all contribute to the company’s success in this endeavor. Fortunately, the depth and realism that make hockey lovers like myself such fans of the franchise have not been sacrificed. The game is not as flawless as it could be, but it is damn close. And it’s still only the launch year.” Terry Chung of All Game was more critical, rating it 3 out of 5 stars, calling it “a worthy attempt to the 128-bit system, but there are a few minor problems that need to be worked out and it needs to be sent to the minors before being sent back up.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fArtJ9aPV4 – NBA Street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9F1jv1qJNQ – Twisted Metal Black
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7293pPYUtWA – Ace Combat 4 – Shattered Skies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asyuYgGIT9o – NCAA Football 2002
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_hC764SVWw – Gran Turismo 3 – A-Spec

As Sega’s Dreamcast ceased production in early 2001, it took a while for the PlayStation 2 to gain momentum, despite strong titles such as Twisted Metal Black, NBA Street, Gran Turismo 3 – A-Spec, and NCAA Football 2002. However, on Monday, October 22, 2001, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto III – helped sales of the PlayStation 2. GTA III is an action-adventure game taking from a third-person perspective, where players complete missions of linear scenarios with set objectives to make a journey through the story. Players could also use the open world to roam around, while occasionally completing occasional side missions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZkiD18yjCw – Grand Theft Auto III

Grand Theft Auto III was a critical success as it helped the “peak” of the Grand Theft Auto series – as it would last until about 2008 when Grand Theft Auto IV was released on the XBOX 360 and the PlayStation 3. It sold over 15 million copies worldwide and was “The best-selling game in 2001,” causing the stock of Take-Two interactive to increase significantly shortly after release. It received numerous awards from gaming publications such as Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, GamePro, and Tips and Tricks. Many publications such as IGN, GameSpot, and GameSpy called it the “Best PlayStation 2 game.” However, it was not without controversy as Wal-Mart started checking ID’s for individuals under the age of 17 when purchasing “Mature” titles and David Walsh of the National Insititute of the Media and Family believed, “The game glamorizes antisocial and criminal activity and using the purpose of perpetuating crime in the game.”

The success of Grand Theft Auto III would land its spot on various greatest video games of all-time.

Another standout 2001 PlayStation 2 game was Capcom’s action-adventure game called “Devil May Cry.” It took place in the fictional Mallet Island, the demon hunter Dante gets revenge on the demons after he lost his mother and brother. The gameplay is surrounded by levels called “Missions,” where players fight enemies, solve puzzles, and perform platforming tasks to advance through the story. Using the “Devil Trigger” ability, the player can temporarily transform Dante into a more powerful creature. The player will be graded on each performance with the letter grades – “D,” “C,” “B” and “A,” with the occasional high grade of “S.” The player is graded on the time of completing the missions, the amount of “red orbs,” item usage and damage taken.

Devil May Cry was a rousing success for the PlayStation 2, as it sold over 1 million copies and amassed $38 million in revenue.

2001 would mark the six-year peak of the PlayStation 2. Even when the newly released Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube released in November of that year, the PlayStation 2 was still a force to be reckoned with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3cl67zWf8Y – Best PlayStation 2 games of 2002

2002 would be another successful year for the console. This was when Sony ended the year with 21.2 million consoles sold, thanks to hits such as Grand Theft Auto – Vice City, Ratchet and Clank, Stuntman, Kingdom Hearts, and Medal of Honor – Frontline. Of course, Sony showed no signs of slowing down, even when supporting their seven-year-old original PlayStation console alongside it!

Ratchet and Clank, released on Monday, November 4, 2002, was a 3D platformer, controlled by a first-person view, released by Sony Computer Entertainment and Insomniac Games. Ratchet and Clank allow you to control the anthropomorphic character Ratchet to meet the robot Clank on his home planet. The Blarg race chairman Drek is the villain who plans to make a new planet for his species. It offers a diverse range of weapons and gadgets for a player to use to defeat enemies and to solve puzzles on different planets.

Ratchet and Clank received rave reviews. GameSpot described it as, “having excellent graphics, varied gameplay, and tight controls,” after they played a demo of it. What made it different from other games was the wide range of weapons instead of simple melee attacks. GamePlanet described it as “the best platform for the PS2 and possibly the best for any format!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqT8yCC7HcQ – Grand Theft Auto – Vice City

Grand Theft Auto – Vice City was the outstanding follow-up to the previous year’s Grand Theft Auto III. Released on Tuesday, October 29, 2002, it became the year’s best-selling game. GTA – Vice City takes the place of when criminal Tommy Vercetti completes missions in Vice City, to progress through the story, setting in fictionalized 1986 Miami, Florida. It was inspired by the 80s hit sitcom – Miami Vice.

Grand Theft Auto – Vice City would go on to sell over 17 million copies and received critical acclaim. It was considered an improvement over the previous year’s Grand Theft Auto III, as it offered a better variety of vehicles and weapons. GTA Vice City included a 1980’s themed soundtrack, featuring “Rock Box” by Run-DMC (1984), “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock (1984), “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson (1983), and “Bark at the Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne (1983).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFaYB6oRWM – Sly Cooper and the Thevius Racconus

Another successful 2002 title was Sly Cooper and the Thevius Racoonus. Released on Monday, September 23, 2002, it was a third-person platformer that incorporates stealth elements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9d8lSu_KHk – Best PlayStation 2 games of 2003

2003 was expected to see a slip in sales. However, it wouldn’t come to be true as Jack and Daxter, Soul Calibur II, NBA Street Volume 2, Freedom Fighters, Prince of Persia – The Sands of Time, and Beyond Good & Evil were the high points of the PlayStation 2 that year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rzZjXVR2qk – Best PlayStation 2 games of 2004

2004 would be another outstanding year for the PlayStation 2, as Sony would release a “slimmer” version of the console in November of that year. A week later, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas was released for the console.