PlayStation 2 Games That Will Always Be Enjoyable - Retro Bird 

My mom is 81 years old and she still play sly cooper. I bought her all three.its kinda funny because when I was a teen in the 80’s and playing the Commodore 64. I could not get my mom or dad to play games with me. It wasn’t till she hit her late 60’s that she started playing games. She started playing them on the Ps1.

My favorite console of all time. With its wildly diverse library I can't think of any console I would want to be stuck on a desert island with.

PS2 is such a nostalgic console for me. Lots of memories playing with my family. Crash Team Racing Nitro Kart, Guitar Hero, and Shrek 2 were our most played games. Wasn't until more recently that I dug it back out and started getting into more single player games like Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, etc. Such a phenomenal console with banger after banger.

Hey buddy I left you comment about a month or so ago about getting evicted from my apartment because of my dog supposedly crapping In front yard and it wasnt her. I got great news about the situation. We found a new place for rent its a whole house slightly cheaper than the apartment we had before got to keep all three of our dogs it's in a much better neighborhood and the best part is we are literally next door to my older brothers house. But thank you for making videos that really helped with the uncertainty we went through before living here. Thank you

I’ll never forget all the nights me and my brother spent playing co-op Timesplitters 3! The ps2 was/is still the best.

I remember renting maximo when that was still a thing. Immediately decided i wanted to buy a copy for myself when my 3 days were up. Id really like to get that game again.

I still love Gradius III and IV, Gradius V, Contra: Shattered Soldier, Neo-Contra, Extermination, Silpheed: The Lost Planet and R-Type Final. :)

I love your vids. You are hilarious! Thanks for these awesome videos.

The original Sly Cooper is in my top 10 favorite games of all time. I just adore the very Nintendo-esque level design and the super quick paced gameplay. The one-hit gimmick for both the player and the enemies is genius. The sequels never clicked with me the same way, but I replay Sly 1 every year and I have since I got the game (which was ironically near the tail end of the PS2 era, despite being my kindergarten console I didn't get Sly until I was nearly in middle school).

I still remember how amazed I was at Final Fantasy X when I first saw it. But I must admit one of the biggest reasons I bought a PS2 way back when was for Castlevania Lament of Innocence. Also Jak 2 looked cool as hell to me and was a big reason. Also Ratchet and Clank games were some of the first I played as well... The PS2 just has so many... crazy how far PlayStation has fallen.

Zone of the Enders was always a treasure. Remember struggling with it but when it came to Xbox 360 it didn’t feel as difficult.

Banana Man at 6:08 will live in my nightmares forever... the Jak and Daxter games got a lot of love, but not enough.

This video is perfect for me. I've had a PS2 for years now but had a bad start with it and games like Kingdom Hearts didn't click for me, but videos like yours talking about it's diverse library I just knew millions of people couldn't be wrong about a console. Then a few weeks ago I found a copy of Sly Cooper for cheap, really enjoyed it and now I want to collect more for the system.

It's too bad we'll never get a Beyond Good and Evil sequel. It's definitely one of my favorites on the system.

I absolutely adore the Sly Cooper games! Along with the Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter games, I’ve enjoyed the series ever since I was a kid. Also really enjoy the Gran Turismo games, Need for Speed Underground 2 and Most Wanted, the Star Wars Battlefront and Lego Star Wars games, GTA III, and tons more. Definitely my most favorite console of all time!

I hope you get a lot more subscribers. I recognize the effort you put into all your videos. Entertaining stuff to be sure. Cheers.

Red faction multi-player. Was one of the first games I remember that you and you friends could set up bots to fight, or not.

Your videos are really enjoyable man! Thanks for making these. And I can see you're very passionate as well.

Your videos really make my day, they are so fun, entertaining and also informative, keep up the good work :)

Great console. I loved Capcom vs. SNK 2, the Timesplitters series, and so many others.

Agreed. I’d probably go sly, ratchet, and jak in that order. Just beat sly3 this year with my 3D glasses and crt it was awesome couldn’t recommend it more

Peek-a-Boo Crisis. 🤣

"The most intense game of peek-a-boo you've ever played" is by far the most epic review of time crisis there has ever been. 😂

Gotta mention Contra: Shattered Soldier - very tough game for newcomers but well worth the replayability. Gradius V is another great recommendation - fantastic space shooter and you can't go wrong with Treasure!

I've known about Maximo since it first came out but never tried it. After looking into it a little right now, I didn't know there was a sequel. I also heard that there was a remake/remaster coming but maybe that was just a former co-worker mentioning many times he wanted one. Either way, I think I'm finally going to give it a try.

I really hope we see a motion game & peripheral renaissance in the near future. The Wii was great, and I'm shocked that light gun and Guitar Hero-type games have been dormant for so long...they might not be the future of gaming the way some people thought years ago, but there's definitely still a place for them!

Omg, I literally just finished Okami 5 minutes before watching this video. It was way longer than I thought it would be. Great game, but took me 38 hours play time.

My stomach sank when I saw Maximo hahaha. I gave it an honest attempt in October. Beat the first area boss which was a lifetime PR. That game is BRUTAL the fixed camera makes you eat some unnecessary damage. Great game indeed. I'll be playing that game for a VERY LONG TIME.

I always enjoy the endless RPG games for PS2. My wife enjoys the nostalgia games like Surfs Up (Madagascar) and Bratz. The PS2 has so many nostalgic titles.

Cool thing about owning a PS2 is the mold of the console as it was ATARI that wanted to make a come back, but for whatever reason it backed down. The molds were all ready made in bulk & Sony bought the mold design. So the PS2 has the greatness of Sony with an outer shell of an ATARI design. Like a Wolf in Sheep Clothing. A must own console in my opinion for any Retro Fan! Did not know Maximo was a Ghost n Goblins Video Game! What? I will have to check that game out for sure! Underwear power before Captain Underpants!

Yay the PS2, the first console I ever owned along with the GBA. The one I use is the same one I had since I was a kid. Aside from Budokai 3, and Kingdom Hearts 2. I also loved the Jak and Daxter/Sly Cooper games and Persona 3 and 4.

Ape Escape on PS1 may be popular, but I never hear people mention Ape Escape 2 on PS2. I love that game.

Set up my old CRT with my ps2 , Guncons and Xbox, Xbox’s graphics are great , has a certain clarity that Ps2 doesn’t have but man that Ps2 Library is untouchable. So many games and types of games. Still May be the greatest console all time.

Here are some PS2 games that I think will always be good: 007 everything or nothing, Ape Escape 2, Burnout 3, ESPN NFL 2K5, Katamari Damacy, Midnight Club 3, Need for Speed Underground, Time Splitters 2, Tony Hawk 3, and Star Wars Battlefront.

I have Klonoa 2 and Sly Cooper in my backlog. Okami too 😂 Currently playing Spider-man 2018 for the first time.

WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain

Kya Dark Lineage, The Red Star, Ape Escape 2 &3 and Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks are some of my favorites

Sly cooper is peak retro games

We still have a PS 2 and the only games we have are Guitar Hero and Rock Band, all PS2 variations of them.

Great picks! I really need to try the Klonoa series and import some of those ps2 japan shmups. I have the original Time crisis but really need to try the PS2 ones. I’m big into Horror games and Rpgs. 5 I own that I enjoy playing are Wild Arms 5, Obscure, Haunting Ground, Rule of Rose, and Kuon. Not the most popular by any means but I enjoy them quite a bit.

I'm sure there's a whole sea of Japanese PS2 exclusives like Espgaluda out there for me to enjoy. I'd like to nominate The Red Star for obscure PS2 game recommendations, solid bombastic twin-stick shooter, utterly ruined by very shaky release circumstances. Acclaim went bankrupt before it was released, and the game sat in limbo until 2007.

The times they are a changin.... I now have a fold 5 and backbone setup with a full front-end with ps2, psx, ngc, sdc, 3ds, ds, gba, gbc, psp.... 200+ games at the touch of my fingers, and playable in a way that feels DANGEROUSLY close to a nostalgic Sega Game Gear session!! Just less time glued to a plug..

Dear R. Bird, Your excellent video led me to obtain Maximo which was entirely new to me. That is, I'd heard of it back in the day but never tried it. I have been playing happily for some hours now and can't believe how well it has aged. I'd like to thank you, the internet, and, yes, even baby Jesus, for the good work you do

I had never heard of Espgaluda, I agree that slowdown mechanic is really clever! Love these little nuggets of great design you find in old games.

Great plug for Okami at the end! I LOOOOOOVE Klonoa 2! (Along with Door to Phantomile on PS1). I know that most love Shadow of the Colossus (and I do too), but I absolutely ADORE Ico! Other greats: War of the Monsters Zone of the Enders: Second Runner Fatal Frame 1-3 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 1 & 2 Champions of Norrath 1 & 2 Gungrave 1 & 2 Dark Cloud 2 Devil May Cry 1 & 3 Beyond Good and Evil LOTR: The Two Towers Psychonauts Area 51

Bloody roar 3, onimusha, gran turismo 3, Tokyo extreme racer zero, vice city, San Andreas, Dave mirra bmx, thps 3

These sorts of videos always make me stop and think about which games I actually go back to and play time and again, and it sadly shows that I'm not a big fan of the PS2 (or that generation, really). There are a handful that I do really enjoy going back and playing, but when I take compilations of old arcade games put of the equation, it shrinks down dramatically. I do love the shooters, and ESPGaluda there is aces. I liked Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou as well, and Homura, Ibara, and Gradius V all get a little bit of love. I had a lot of fun with Twinkle Star Sprites: The Petite Princess. The Sega Ages 2500 versions of Gain Ground and Alien Syndrome call me back once in awhile, and Quartet as well. I think that the domestic games I think of most fondly were The Red Star and Chulip. Chulip is just endearing, and The Red Star may be the best "hidden gem" type of game on the system. There are other games I like, but not that I go back to regularly enough to count them as all-time favorites. That generation just isn't my favorite all around (Dreamcast aside), probably because I'm just old. When I think of the PS2 overall, my fondest memories are of the arcade compilations and calling in sick at work in my early 20s to play the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo packed with Zone of the Enders. I had more fun playing that demo over and over than the final game itself.

Virtua Peek a boo was my favorite however they didn't perfect the peek a boo technology till later. Here you were always peek a booing. But honestly the peek a boo is the best part.

Very nice video Bird!! Thank you! We always appreciate anything that's got to do with PS2

I love the PS2. Why not post a few of my favourites Gradius V - The great swansong for Konami's beloved shooter series, it's a treat. I'm not a big shoot 'em up guy, but something about Gradius really clicks with me. The old weapon upgrade system remains, but the rewards for holding onto a life is possibly at its best here. Over the top presentation, and wild cavernous environments throughout. God Hand - A divisive one, but I've got so much respect for it. It disregards every trope of action game design that wasn't to Shinji Mikami's personal interest, and just makes something riotously dumb and thrilling. The game's difficulty adapts to how well you're playing, constantly keeping you on edge, while encouraging you through its most intense sequences. The ability to completely customise your moveset means you can develop a playstyle that's entirely unique to you. I've never played anything quite like it. Mashed - I haven't played this in a long time, so perhaps I ought to be more careful about recommending it, but I feel it's fairly unique and underrated. A Micro Machines-style top down racer, only with more intricate racetracks. Rocky cliffs and branching paths. Accessible and thrilling 4-player stuff. Taito Legends 2 - A bit of a cheat, but I think it's worth noting how good the PS2 is for retro compilations. This is my personal favourite, containing a few PS1-era arcade titles on top of a heap of eighties and early nineties stuff. Great variety, a bunch of fantastic games, and a lot of funny, weird ones. A great thing to dig around and have fun with. SSX Tricky - This takes a little practice to figure out the quirks of its controls, but when you get there, there's little that can compete with it. A brilliant risk/reward dynamic, as you try to pull off the biggest moves you can to build a bigger boost meter. Wild, ridiculous courses throughout. Gloriously loud and obnoxious, with its Mix Master Mike soundtrack and iconic Run DMC title track. I still come back to it every now and then, and happily lose entire evenings to it.

To be fair, it's been 20 years. Any game that's stood the past of time up until now, will be fun forever

So, I just reached the end of the video and realized I didn't listen to a single word because I was lost in some stupid Twitter argument. I was mad. Then I rewound the video (can you rewind a digital video?), watched it while holding my cat, and laughed at the silly gags while nodding my head in agreement. Now I'm not mad. Lesson? Watch more positive RU-vidrs who want to encourage positive conversation, and spend less time arguing on social media after being baited by people who post things just to get paid off of your engagement. Have a lovely evening and weekend, Retro Bird.

For me the PS2 games which I still find enjoyable are Clock Tower III, Galarian's Ash, Sonic the Fighters and lastly FF7 Dirge of Cerberus (Japanese version - it's fun with KB&M.)

Cracks me up whenever you mention finishing Okami because I actually did stop playing just shortly before the end of it thinking “gosh this game is long”. Good game tho 👍

Shinobi and nightshade are some classic SEGA games on ps2 no one talks about. They are fantastic. Especially the 1st. In my top favorite games of all time.

That madcatz controller joke made me literally laugh out loud. My kids looked at me weird, then remembered who I am and continued playing their PC games..

God of Wars, Godzilla Save The Earth, The Worriors, Def Jam Games, War Of The Monsters, Capcom classics collection vol 1+2, GTA games, Manhunt 1+2, and the list just goes on, far to many legendary games came out for this legendary console 👌👌

Kill Switch was a good one that doesn't get talked about a lot. Not a ton of replay value but good for an afternoon or three.

Some great choices here to be sure. I love the Time Crisis and Sly Cooper games also. I wish I was a bit better at the bullet hell games so maybe that one you showed would be good for me. Also, so hilarious and true about making our friends play with the crappy MadCatz controllers lol 😂. So many fond memories of that. Thanks for the great video!

Road Trip Everywhere is one of picks for fun PS2 games that do not get mentioned these days. Great topic. Great video. Thanks Retro Bird.

The funny thing is I had a ton of mad cats stuff and never had a problem with them but I always had problems with official controllers.

A few of my favorite games for the PS2 are Drakan: The Ancients' Gates, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Soul Reaver 2, Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty, DBZ Budokai 3, The Mark of Kri, Sly Cooper, 24: The Game, and Medal of Honor Frontline. **edited for typos!

Mr Bird, I just started watching you this year, a few months ago. I want you to know that when you get big and revive that silver play button, you got DiddyKongVsLuigi in your corner. I’m sure you’re more or less aware of what’s going on with a certain beard man and I gotta say, it’s killing me see someone I have been entertained by for so long get burned to a crisp by the internet that once loved him. The same “fans,” that shook his hand and asked him to sign their merchandise are now saying mean things to him and… Well, that’s neither here nor there. In any case I wanted you to know that I will stick by you until you hang up your “Get on my lawn,” hat and eat your last banana. I am a fan, and a true fan never abandons his team. You stick with it even when things are at their worst, and if you have to go down with the ship, so be it. 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌❤ (Sorry for the sappy mushiness, I’m just in that loyal soldier mood cus it’s Christmas time and I’m having a great week, not counting the bearded elephant in the room. Lol.)

Time crisis being the most intense game of peekaboo ever is the most brilliant thing I've ever heard of in my life.

I love the way this video is made. It's feels so nostalgic watching something like it's made 10 yrs ago.

Some of these are on GameCube and PS2, so I’m kind of cheating. Enter the Matrix, Midnight Club, TimeSplitters 2, Pitfall- The Lost Expedition, The Matrix- Path of Neo, Jet Li-Rise to Honor, Gran Turismo 4, Prince of Persia-The Sands of Time, Need for Speed Underground, Tony Hawk’s Underground, NBA Street Vol. 1, Gradius 3 and 4, X-Men Legends 1 and 2, Spider-Man 1-3, and Pinball Hall of Fame The Gottlieb Collection, and DEFINITELY the Guitar Hero games,just to name a few. Can you tell I’ve played a lot of PS2 in my life? 😂😂😂

I watched a lot of your videos but I never commented on your videos. Now there has to be a comment to give you special props for including Espgaluda - this game is a masterpiece. I also highly recommand on the PS2 Ibara, Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou, Mushihime Sama, Gradius V and Homura.

DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3, KOF 98 UM, Teenage Mutante Ninja Turtles 1, 2, 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1,2 and Final Fight Streetwise. Ah, the Memories. PS2 is so great.

PS2 had best library! including all those collections like Capcom classics collections, etc!!

Sly Cooper 1 is my top “nostalgic favorite” that for some reason I don’t currently own. The PS2 library is just full of amazing games…

You need to start asking people to subscribe. You’re the one of the best gaming channels and should have a bunch more subs!

Man Klonoa 2 is amazing… wish I had a copy of Klonoa on ps1

My kids were laughing so hard at this video, especially the peek-a-boo part!

dude, I really enjoy your videos. I also love playing my old games on a crt tv, I have 5 of them! besaides that you´re absolutely hilarious, I laughed really hard with this one, keep up the good work and that unique sense of humor, today I subscribed to your channel.

Sly cooper is an underrated gem

The Red Star and Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast

Mean girls is the GOAT.

Nice video, I think Sly Cooper is a bit too well known if going for overlooked games though.

That's how I feel about Extreme G Racing 3 And Gauntlet Legacy 😊

Kinetica. The tunes and the tracks and the racers make it a top tier time killer.

Love the Sly Cooper game!

"Peekaboo" guy must be the younger cousin of "Toasty" man from Mortal Kombat or something... 😄

Picked up Klanoa 2 recently, loving it so far. Another game that I would mention would be Ghosthunter.

The Ratchet and Clank trilogy, with Deadlocked as well. 4 of my favorite games of all time.

PS2 backwards compatibility added to people wanting it over the other ones during that generation for sure. That used to be a pipe dream prior to. Game Boy Color could play Game Boy games. Anything else needed some kind of add on. PS-One had a huge library like Game Boy and when you have a console launch, you want something to play even if you can't afford all the latest new games. PS-One games were cheap too. New PS-One games at the time were around 20-30 bucks. Then you had used games that were even cheaper! The PS2 had so much value, it was unreal!

Ridge Racer V, NFL Street, SSX 3, NFS Underground 2, Tony Hawk Underground, WWE 2007. The list is endless! I still play all these games regularly :)

Finished Okami? I think I played a demo once, and that was as far as I ever got. But this looked to be a great list. I've never owned any PlayStations. So, I've barely played anything exclusive to them. The closest I could say is I'm currently playing Yakuza 0 on Steam. Which I'm really enjoying. It's a game that can take a whole night from me if I'm not careful.

For me the number 1 is Tekken Tag Tournament. It has everything T2 and T3 had and more! Also it looks stunning, upscaled through an emulator.

Retro Bird back again soaring high above the competition

9:42 made me laugh. For me on PS2, games that I never get bored of - The Warriors, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Shadow of Rome, True Crime Streets of LA

Hoping to see a Maximo game coming soon. Sequel or remaster, anything.

I love your humor! Very authentic :)

The PS2 has the greatest game library of any console! I can NEVER get tired of the PS2!

My kids love Klonoa. We first got them into platformers on the SNES with Super Mario World. Then I picked up Klonoa Door to Phantomile and they are hooked (been playing with PS2 backwards compatibility). I am extremely lucky though, I picked up a copy at a fraction of the cost most go for, but it doesn't look great, as it was a old blockbuster copy. Klonoa 2 was much cheaper to purchase still, as I paid $40 for it. Great games you can play with your kids and hook them on retro gaming.

Even if the ps2 is old now its still the most magical and most memorable console, im moving houses now and im planing to come back to my current house oftenly, i dont want to move my series x xbox there so i bought a ps2 again in a very great condition and i cant wait

Maximo is easily one of my favotite games .

Not only have I not finished Okami yet, I also stopped both of my Wii and PC playthroughs at the same spot - right before the final boss. Pretty sure I played those 10 and 15 years ago...

Second Sight! I just love that game!

9:42 - for that punchline you MUST have been going back and forth between "life" and "my wife" 😂

I love seeing coverage of games like Espgaluda from folks who one might otherwise think have no knowledge of it. I'll be playing a bunch of the sequel next year for my podcast, so I'll be familiarizing myself with the kakusei mechanic soon enough.