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The PlayStation 2 games we need on PS4 right now
Sony’s quietly brought PS2 backwards compatibility to its latest console: here’s our retro wishlist.
The PS2 games we want on PS4
© Sony/Evan-Amos/Red Bull
It’s been an exciting week for retro game fans. After Microsoft released the first batch of backwards compatible Xbox 360 games on Xbox One, yesterday Sony effectively revealed the existence of a PlayStation 2 emulator for PS4 with no fanfare whatsoever.
Gamers quickly spotted that the Star Wars bundle of PS2 classic games released this week for PS4 to tie in with the launch of the new Battlefront had not been remastered in any way, right down to the PS2 memory cards it uses for game saves. That could only mean one thing: Sony has figured out how to run PS2 games on PS4 hardware with no porting required, and is allowing some publishers to make use of the tech.
Sony eventually confirmed that it is indeed “working on utilising PS2 emulation technology to bring PS2 games forward to the current generation" but wouldn’t reveal any further plans just yet. Naturally, this got us wondering which PS2 classics could be released next, and benefit most from the emulator’s ability to display 3D graphics at a higher resolution.
Of course, many PS2 hits are already available to play on PS4 by other means – some as PlayStation Network downloads, others as PS3 remasters you can stream via PlayStation Now – but as of now these utterly essential games below are lost to technological advancement. Until Sony turns on the backwards compatibility tap as Microsoft has done, anyway. Make it happen, folks.
Final Fantasy XII
Since Final Fantasy XV doesn’t seem likely to appear this side of the fall of civilisation, Square Enix have been slowly working their way through their back catalogue and re-releasing most of the previous games in their mega franchise, meaning there’s a good chance work on a Final Fantasy XII HD re-release on PS4 is underway right now. But in the meantime, we’ll take any opportunity to dust down our PS2 copy of this classic RPG and replay it. The game arrived in 2006 at the end of the console’s lifecycle so many overlooked it, but its beautiful score and graphics have hardly aged at all, and the vast open world and intelligent Gambit battle system are a world away from the “just press X in a really long corridor” gameplay of PS3 sequel Final Fantasy XIII.
Max Payne
Max Payne
© Remedy
Rockstar picked up development duties for Max Payne 3 but couldn’t quite recapture the magic of the noir original, with its comic-strip cut scenes and revolutionary slow-mo bullet time mode. With Remedy Entertainment now hard at work on Xbox One-exclusive Quantum Break, a remake seems unlikely, so we’d gladly play the original through on a PS2 emulator all over again. Not on New York Minute mode though. That would be madness.
Psychonauts
Tim Schafer’s Double Fine studio may have finally found its niche with a series of charming Kickstarter adventure games, but the studio’s first game remains its biggest critical success. Schafer was best known for the point and click games he scripted as LucasArts, like Day Of The Tentacle and Grim Fandango, so Psychonauts came as a complete surprise to many: it’s a psychedelic platform adventure instead of a 2D puzzler, though every bit as funny. After a protracted development, the game did not sell as well as hoped, so if you missed it the first time round, be sure to get a bid in on eBay.
Red Dead Revolver
Red Dead Revolver
© Rockstar
While a Red Dead game on PS4 and Xbox One seems almost inevitable, Rockstar could help desperate fans ride out the wait with a re-release of the original PS2 Red Dead Revolver. While nowhere near as technically impressive as Redemption, Revolver tells a fantastic story – arguably the weakest element of every Rockstar game up to that point – in a genre long ignored by the medium. Plus, multiplayer showdown duels.
SSX 3
In reality, SSX has always stood for Silly Snowboarding In The Extreme, and SSX 3 took the nonsense to giddy new heights. But it was also a fantastic example of the power of the PlayStation 2: instead of single-course races, there was an entire mountain to explore from top to bottom, making it the first (but not the last) open world snowsports game. SSX 3 was also one of the few games to ever be released on the failed Gizmondo, but since absolutely nobody bought one, we’ll have to make do with a chance to play through the PS2 version again on PS4.
TimeSplitters 2
TimeSplitters 2 was the Goldeneye of its generation, a glorious, riotous free-for-all shooter that countless gamers poured dozens of hours into. That it should turn out to be a spiritual successor was hardly surprising of course – several Rare developers who worked on Goldeneye left to create their own studio, Free Radical, soon afterwards and TimeSplitters was its first hit. Lacking the 007 licence, the team cranked up the insanity levels instead, with hilarious splitscreen deathmatches frequently seeing mutton-chop sporting Victorian gentlemen duelling to the death with monkeys. Free Radical, alas, is no more, so we’re unlikely to see an official re-release of this utter gem of a game, but the ability to emulate on PS4 would do nicely indeed, if Sony can figure out multiplayer gamepad support too.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 was not the return to form fans were hoping for: the countless bugs made clear that it was rushed out of the oven. We’d much prefer to remember the series at its apex: Pro Skater 3 was an instant PS2 classic when it dropped in 2001, not to mention the first game on the console to support online play. It’s looking long in the tooth now, but the gameplay remains as fun as ever, and let’s be honest, Pro Skater 5 is no looker either. Give us the chance to play this one all over again please Sony.
