PS2 Games That Took Big Risks To Create No Big Studio Can Shine Brightly Today

Back in the early 2000s, it was the best thing happening in the gaming world. 3D was just beginning, and the ideas were new and exciting. While certainly not all of them were hits, the art has moved on, and it has this creative energy that we just don’t see these days.

Regardless of genre, studio size, or budget, games had truly wild ideas that today’s gaming environment won’t allow. It was a great time to be a gamer, and saw crazy ideas slip into the palms of our hands.

We’re going to take a look at some PS2 games that were only available on the PS2 because of crazy, old crashes.

8

Katamari Damacy

roll up

One of the strangest games in the world Katamari Damacy. It is a game that the modern world cannot understand, let alone the ancient religion that it has become. The game is incredibly weird, as you go through various levels trying to roll over everything and become the biggest trash ball you can be. Sounds exciting, right? Well, it was, and it’s a Hail Mary masterpiece that Bandai Namco felt comfortable going with in an era where every series was firing on all cylinders.

It’s a game that doesn’t even have a genre. There is no comparison. How many games today can you say have no genre at all? None that I can think of, and especially none from an established company like Bandai Namco. It’s a creative masterclass, showing how important video games are as an art form, because this will never be a book, never a movie, and never a TV show. It can only exist as a video game, and we’re glad it does, as it’s one of the most unique games ever made.

7

Mr. Mosquito

Insect Health

Mister Mosquito is an example of wild ideas for the PS2 that may not have needed to be made, but the creative flexibility of the platform allowed them to exist. How would you describe this game though? You basically play as a mosquito, and your job is to annoy the hell out of the house and bite people, and be a traitor again.

Yes, that was a game back in the PS2 era. It was even published by Sony, which means they had some hope for this one. It’s great when you meet it at the level of comedy it’s on, and watching the family you terrorize slowly lose their minds and turn on each other as you keep biting them is enough to get you out of it. It’s a weird game in every way imaginable and could only exist on a platform like the PS2.

6

Shadow of the Colossus

The Empty World of Animals

Shadow of the Colossus an amazing game that defies all modern gaming styles. It’s an open world, sure, but inside it? There are no map markers, just a huge empty space that feels mysterious and scary at the same time. You are a foreigner in a foreign country, and the inhabitants of that country are giant reptiles called Colossi.

Your only job in this game is to kill them. Did they do something wrong? Not particularly, but you’re trying to save the life of someone you love, and it seems like the only way. It’s a boss game after another, with no other enemies in the game, no side quests, no other NPCs to talk to, just you and Kolose.

It’s a great title and one that lives so far outside the box that a modern studio can’t even think of trying something weird. The result was history for all time. But to see a game like this today? It throws badly. This was 2005, when the gaming industry was in full swing. It took a lot of determination to release this game, and thankfully, Team Ico did it, because it’s a one-of-a-kind game.

5

Resident Evil 4

A Chance to Fight

Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games in the franchise, but being the 4th game in the series, a change was needed in the changing gamescape. Enter Resident Evil 4, which took the franchise from slow-paced survival to a fast-paced, open-world third-person shooter. A revolutionary game as it introduces the world to a third-person camera view, shoulder, and unique aiming system.

Changing a genre in the middle of a thread is weird. Imagine if Dark Souls became a fast-paced, hacking game or if Nioh turned into a slow-paced, choice-filled RPG? It didn’t happen, and yet, Capcom, one of the biggest companies at the time, decided to change the script and change the series in a way that hasn’t looked back since. It was ambitious, and thankfully, it paid off very well.

4

Mine

Acid Trip Of The Wolves

Mine an amazing game with the most brilliant art design any game has ever seen. Now, it might look like some experimental indie game, but believe it or not, this was a Capcom game. Can you imagine Capcom releasing a game like this today? Anartsy-looking action game about a dog? Yes, you can, Okami 2 has just been announced. That’s why the crowd at the TGA’s got excited.

But back then, it was a really weird decision. It was a time when Capcom was easily the top 5 company in the gaming industry. Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Street Fighter were all releasing titles year after year, and that success allowed them to run wild with their ideas. Those ideas led to Okami, which today is considered one of the must-play games of all time, thanks to its amazing design, solid gameplay, and imaginative story.

The OG Gaming Controversy

If you weren’t there in the days of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertythen you wouldn’t understand. This was chaos. After one of the best demos in the game’s history, where you play as Solid Snake, the main release of the game saw the reins being switched to a new character after that demo ended. Enter Raiden, the snub-nosed, white-haired, handsome boy who stepped out of your favorite anime to destroy the classic franchise.

At least, that was the talk. The truth is that he was a good character who warmed up as the game went on, but in the beginning? Pure anger. People boycotted Konami, and if Reddit had been around back then, the platform would have. Taking a risk this big was unheard of back then, let alone today, and honestly, you couldn’t even keep a secret like that today if you tried. The only other game to do something remotely similar is The Last of Us 2, and we know how well that decision was received.

2

Final Fantasy X-2

One for the Girls

Final Fantasy X It’s one of Square’s best-selling games of all time, so the idea of ​​making the first direct sequel to the franchise felt like it wouldn’t be too ambitious, right? Well, if I could tell you that the sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, could it open with the main character doing a pop concert, essentially changing his entire character from the first game in the process, and have a battle system that revolves around wearing different clothes?

Yeah, that was a weird, kind of ambitious tone. The result was still a success, as the combat system was better than the first game and although the story failed miserably in the first wishes, the game served as a fun episode of the amazing story of Final Fantasy X. It was a strange moment in the game, because it was really the first time in a long time that the regular series of Square Enix was not a great success in the megatant series. The game was good for sure, but it didn’t have that Final Fantasy magic, and it’s the kind of swing you don’t see these days when it comes to big franchises.

1

Kingdom Hearts

The Unknown Duo

Kingdom Hearts it’s one of the biggest gaming franchises we’ve ever seen, but its imagination at the time was nothing. Disney and Final Fantasy, together? Who asked for that? More importantly, who is this even? Obviously, the Final Fantasy fan base will not like that the content is suitable for children and the Disney crowd will be offended by how serious and complicated the story of the Final Fantasy game is.

So we didn’t have anyone’s game, did we? It’s wrong. Somehow, the Final Fantasy and Disney combo just worked. I remember playing, incredibly skeptical as an aggressive teenager, but I was addicted to it regardless. The combat was fantastic and the use of Disney properties was great, using villains and heroes alike to make for a truly wild story.

NEXT

10 PS2 Games Better Than Any Right To Be

Here are amazing games that, on paper, seem destined to fail.