Summary
ThePlayStation 2remains one of the most famous gaming consoles of all time, having produced many of what are considered true classics in the world of video gaming today. While the nature of open-world games has turned them into a massive deal today, they were only just beginning to find their feet in the PlayStation 2 era.
But during the time of the PS2, there was generally also a lot moredifficulty attached to games, particularly platformers. Instead of focusing on accessibility, many developers were still focusing more on trying to add challenges wherever they could in their games, and this included some of the early open-world games released for the PS2.
Somewhat following the narrative of the film it adapted, but very much having a life and plot of its own as well,Spider-Man 2managed to gain a name for itself asone of the greatest superhero gamesof all time.Spider-Man 2received a lot of acclaim for revolutionizing the idea of an open-world game, but it was also difficult.
There were a lot of challenges intentionally added to various boss fights within this game, as characters like Shocker and Mysterio, along with the challenge of Doc Ock, gave Peter Parker a run for his money. Despite graphically being surpassed by more recentSpider-Mangames, many fans of the franchise still claim this entry to be the very best of the lot, and a surprisingly difficult game to revisit.
Recently finding fresh life in a remake,Destroy All Humans!was originally released for the PS2 as a parody of old American sci-fi movies from the 1950s and 60s. In it, players take control of an alien who is attempting to take over the world, starting in a small Mid-Western town and ending up in Washington DC.
While attacking humans and completing missions, players are also free to run around the different towns and cities they are in and return to previous ones whenever they like, mostly to keep leveling up their equipment by collecting DNA. A classic comedy game,Destroy All Humans!managed to make a slightly smaller-scale game open-world before it was as popular, but it was surprisingly difficult to get through, boasting solid challenges in many of the boss battles players faced, as well asletting players roam a completely ridiculous world.
Not one of the very hardest, and not even as difficult as some of the games that tried to clone the success it managed,Grand Theft Auto: San Andreaswas the highest-selling game on the PlayStation 2 by quite some distance. Additionally, it was a wonderfully fun game that helped the franchise reach a peak on the console. Rockstar had already had great success withGTA 3andGTA Vice City.
San Andreasis still considered one of the greatest video games of all time, but in replaying it, many players are shocked at how few checkpoints there are in many of the missions,as well as the challenge of the combat. This adds greatly to the difficulty, as does the massive map, which is quite hard to get around sometimes. A few infamously challenging missions, such as “Supply Lines,” may test the patience of even the most hardenedGTAveterans.
There was a time when a lot of other companies attempted to benefit from the huge growth in popularity experienced by theGrand Theft Autofranchise on the PlayStation 2. One of the attempts to make a licensed game that could be as beloved wasScarface: The World Is Yours.
Focusing on the story of Tony Montana but in an alternate reality where he survives the finale ofScarface, this game was very similar in style to theGTAentries of the time, includingVice CityandSan Andreas, and came with a fair amount of challenge as players attempted to regrow Montana’s criminal empire in Miami. More than a few devilishly difficult missions are present to give players pause, but nobody said Tony Montana’s life was easy!
It makes sense that one of the most difficult PS2 games ever to exist is one of the earliest incarnations of games that can be considered similar toDark Souls. In terms of challenge, the creation of boss fights against truly massive creatures, and open-world gameplay,Shadow of the Colossusremains a very important game,despite still being a standalone title.
The difficulty is easy to explain in such a game, as the goal is to roam across a vast and empty world, killing the Colossus creatures that reside there. The battles ended up being more like a platforming game as players attempted to climb their enemies, and there was a huge degree of challenge throughout this incredible title.
One of the games that suffered slightly on the PS2 from controls that didn’t work perfectly at times,The Getawayis considered by many to beanotherGrand Theft Autoclone, this one set in London and featuring a variety of criminal characters, most of the missions focusing on the driving aspects rather than other criminal activity.
The Getawayis remembered better now for spawning theGangs of Londonspin-off which has become a successful TV show, but the original was a lot of fun. It was also hugely difficult, between strange controls that required a lot of precision for driving, hard-to-learn shooting mechanics, and some missions, such as a sneaky police officer killing mission, which challenged and infuriated players to no end.
