10 Great Hidden Gem Playstation 2 Games

The PlayStation 2 is arguably the most successful home console ever made, having sold over 155 million units, according to Den of Geek. During its 13-year lifespan, this Sony console has produced gems from series such as Need for Speed, Kingdom Hearts, and Grand Theft Auto, among others.

Along with being a best-selling console, the PS2 boasts a massive collection of 3,800-plus titles. Yet in this big collection of games, there are several great titles that go overlooked to some.

Lifeline

Lifeline is one of the more innovative games on this list, being a “Voice Action Adventure” as described on the game’s cover. The player has to speak commands to the main character Rio through a microphone, just to save them and others from deadly monsters residing in a hotel.

As such, Lifeline is powered entirely by voice communication, and Rio can understand up to a whopping 500 voice commands. The voice input is imperfect at best and has caused Lifeline to have mixed reviews, but that hasn’t stopped it from garnering a cult following.

Monster Hunter

These days, Monster Hunter is often recognized as one of Capcom’s more popular franchises. It’s worth noting, however, that this RPG series used to be overlooked in the gaming community. The original Monster Hunter, when it first came out in 2004, didn’t exactly garner much attention upon release.

This game, quite frankly, is difficult just like any other Monster Hunter game. But what makes it so special is the gathering and crafting system that players can utilize to synthesize items and weapons from the materials of defeated monsters. There are also many side quests that one can go on to find rare materials.

Killer7

Before No More Heroes ever came around, Suda51 made a bit of a name for himself with Killer7. Killer7 revolves around a group of seven assassins, all of whom are alter egos of Harman Smith, and each assassin plays differently from the other. It’s not quite a horror game, but it’s pretty close to it.

The plot is a little on the complicated side and has a bit of a noir theme to it, while also having some political undertones. But story aside, Killer7 features cel-shaded graphics and a lively color scheme that enhances the game’s art style. Killer7, to this day, remains a cult classic, even though most gaming fans (and critics) may have mixed opinions on it.

Odin Sphere

There’s nothing better than a good story in a video game, and Atlus would come through on that front with Odin Sphere. Serving as a spiritual successor to the 1997 game Princess Crown, Odin Sphere contains stories of five different characters, and these stories intersect with one another within a book.

The gameplay is quite magnificent, being a 2D sidescrolling beat-em-up. With a bunch of RPG elements included, players can use a plethora of weapons and wield magic to defeat enemies left and right. New items can be made through crafting, and there’s even a cooking system to boot.

Persona 3

While Persona 5 may be all the rage, many of the common tropes found in the Persona series can be traced to Persona 3. Released in 2006, Persona 3 introduces the concept of Social Links to the series, putting a higher emphasis on social interaction compared to the previous two entries.

Persona 3 also comes with an FES expansion, which has a new chapter along with a new playable main character. This expansion is strictly focused on the dungeon crawling aspect of the game, which is also known as the Dark Hour.

Ico

Ico revolves around the titular hero – a cursed boy who has a chance encounter with a princess named Yorda and must escort her out of a castle. Along the way, the Ico and Yorda have to endure many puzzles and enemies to make it out alive.

The dialogue in Ico may be minimal at best, but that is compensated by the game’s aesthetic and art style. While a criminally underrated game, Ico still won multiple awards for its level and art design alone – and it even served as an inspiration for later video game titles down the road.

Okami

Taking huge inspiration from The Legend of Zelda series, Okami plays almost like a Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker clone with its puzzles, dungeons, boss fights, and cel-shaded graphics. In this game, players control Amaterasu, a goddess in wolf form that uses a Celestial Brush to draw out moves, create objects, and use special abilities.

Okami takes place in feudal Japan, with the cel-shaded graphics reflecting the ink and paper art style prominent during that time period. There’s a huge focus on exploration, with the game including extras, mini-games, and sidequests.

Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

You can never have too many Final Fantasy VII spin-offs, and Dirge of Cerberus is one of them. Vincent Valentine is the protagonist in this one, as he resists the Deepground and their diabolical plan to unleash the all-powerful Omega.

Dirge of Cerberus forfeits Final Fantasy‘s turn-based RPG for third-person shooting (which kind of makes sense given Vincent’s fondness for firearms), although some RPG elements were mixed in. While most Final Fantasy fans may not think too kindly of Dirge of Cerberus‘s gameplay, the game’s story at least makes up for it.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

Persona has grown to be quite popular over time, although Atlus’s other franchise, Shin Megami Tensei, is nowhere near as popular in the West as compared to in Japan. The third game in the Shin Megami Tensei series, Nocturne, is an RPG classic that deserves a bit more praise.

Aside from its presentation, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is unique for having a negotiation system. In this system, players can persuade demons to fight for them, recruiting them so they can fight at their side. Fusing demons together to create new, powerful ones is also a thing one can do. And speaking of demons, Dante of the Devil May Cry series almost makes a cameo appearance as a recruitable demon.

Beyond Good And Evil

It would be nearly impossible to have a discussion about underrated PS2 games without mentioning Beyond Good and Evil. This action-adventure masterpiece takes place in the future, in the year 2435, and follows the exploits of Jade – a photojournalist who uncovers a conspiracy involving aliens.

Beyond Good and Evil seemingly has it all: great presentation, memorable characters, awesome visuals, and an engaging story. The gameplay is very smooth, intertwining melee combat with stealth elements within an open-world game setting full of secrets and sidequests. A game with hardly any flaws, Beyond Good and Evil is a must-have for any gamer.