ThePlayStation 2is one of the most successful gaming consoles ever. Whether it was JRPGs, platforming games, or sports titles, Sony’s second entry in the console market had something for everyone. It speaks volumes that several of the PS2’s greatest hits have been remastered for modern audiences and are still played on PS4 and PS5 machines.
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Unfortunately, despite finding success on the platform, manyPlayStation 2games never got the sequel or follow-up they deserved on HD consoles. Whether it was down to studios closing down or other unforeseen circumstances, many favorites from the PS2 ended one generation. This list outlines several of the best and sorely missed franchises that deserve a comeback on modern machines.
9Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Not to be confused with the mainlineBaldur’s GateCRPGs on the PC,Baldur’s Gate: Dark AllianceandBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2are hack-and-slash dungeon-crawling action RPGs. The games can be played in co-op or solo as players choose warriors to fight through evil hordes set inDungeon’s & Dragon’s Forgotten Realm’suniverse.
A third title in the series was planned, but the Black Isles Studio closed, and using Snowblind’s engine without their permission created legal problems, causing any planned sequel to get scrapped. There was aDungeons & Dragons:Dark Alliancegame launched in 2021. It was unrelated to the PS2 games aside from taking place in the same universe. TheBaldur’s Gate: Dark Allianceseries was remastered and is available now for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
8Jak & Daxter
Thanks to the remastered series appearing on the PS3 and PS4, it’s easy to forget that the developers moved on with theUnchartedandThe Last of Usseries, ensuring theJak & Daxterseries never received a sequel or follow-up outside of the PS2.
The action-adventure games combine platforming, combat, and exploration merging genres that hold up today. Each entry got progressively darker and more epic, and fans have loved the series ever since, and the remastered collection on the PS4 is the best way to play on modern machines.
7Champions - Everquest Spin-Offs
The Everquest spin-offsChampions of Norrath: Realms of EverquestandChampions Return to Armsare hack-and-slash action RPGs that allow solo and cooperative play. The games use the Snowblind engine fromBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.As a result, the two series share a lot in common.
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Despite being set in the same universe as the MMOEverquest, fans don’t need prior knowledge of the series to appreciate it. There is a vast world to explore and lore to uncover, enough to get players up to speed with the events and story. Unfortunately, theChampions of Norrathseries remained on the PS2 as Snowblind Studio moved on to other projects.
6Summoner
Developed by the studio that createdRed FactionandSaints Row, Summoneris a fantasy action RPG and a launch title for the PS2. A sequel,Summoner 2,launched in 2002, but there was never a third title, and the action RPG series ended despite critics and fans reacting positively to the story and combat.
The sequel also launched on the GameCube asSummoner 2: A Goddess Rebornimproving on its predecessor’s visuals and mechanics. It’s a series that the developers should revisit because the world, the music, and the combat were ahead of their time. THQ Nordic has a good track record for rebooting and remastering older and more obscure RPGs likeKingdoms of Amalaur.So there is hope that theSummonerseries will return one day.
5Digital Devil Saga
TheDigital Devil Sagalaunched as a two-part series that began and ended on the PlayStation 2. The games are a part of the largerShin MegamiTenseiuniverse, like thePersonaandDevil Summonerseries. However, unlikeDevil SummonerandPersona,the post-apocalyptic world ofDigital Devil Sagahasn’t been revisited.
The games stand out as some of the best JRPGs available for the PS2, a system considered one of the best formats for fans of the genre. The games are dark, even for theSMTseries, and the narrative stands the test of time, still feeling fresh, and a cell-shaded visual style that wouldn’t look out of place on modern systems with a remaster.
4Xenosaga
The epic science fiction RPG trilogy is a space opera from the developers ofXenogearson the PS1. It shares many themes with its predecessor and the studio’sXenoblade Chroniclesgames on the Nintendo systems. However, despite sharing some similarities, theXenosagatrilogy is a separate entity that began and ended on the PlayStation 2.
Fans of the series have called for a remaster, but their prayers have gone unanswered, and the only way to officially play the games is by dusting off an old PS2. TheXenosagatrilogy got the beginning, middle, and end it needed, but the universe andlore are vastenough to create more episodes and, at the very least, reboot for a modern audience.
3The Getaway
The Getawayseries is an open-world crime drama similar to theGrand Theft Autoseries. The games are set in London, UK, and take inspiration from more recent popular British crime dramas likeLost Stock and Two Smoking Barrelsand classics likeGet Carter.
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Despite a third game being plannedon more modern platforms, it never materialized, and SOHO Studio chose to work onGangs of Londonon the PSP andBlood & Truthfor the PSVR. The London setting was a refreshing change to American cities, and the gritty Gotham-like London made a perfect setting for a crime drama.
2Shadow Hearts
Chronologically, theShadow Heartsseries is related toKoudelkaon the PS1, but the popular JRPG series began and ended as a trilogy on the PS2. The first two entries in the series are fondly regarded as two of the best in the genre.Shadow HeartsandShadow Hearts: Covenantcentered on Yuri, an antihero that can transform into demon-like entities.
The third game,Shadow Hearts: From the New World,focused on a new lead protagonist but wasn’t as well-received by fans.Despite a planned fourth title, it never materialized, and the studio behind the series was absorbed by its parent company, Aruze Global. However, many of the original team that worked onShadow Heartshave announced aspiritual successorPenny Blood,after a successful Kickstarter and will retain the Gothic horror themes of the originals.
1Dark Cloud & Dark Chronicle
TheDark Cloudseries was released in two parts for the PlayStation 2 in 2001 and 2003, respectively. The JRPGs include elements of city-building where the characters have the power or the skill to rebuild villages and towns destroyed by the antagonistic forces in the games.
The sequelDark Cloud 2 - Dark Chronicle,worldwide - is regarded as the best of two games and visually holds up thanks to the quality of its cell-shaded visuals. The award-winning action RPG featured procedurally generated dungeons to explore, and the city-building mechanics are more in-depth than its predecessor and is still loved today. The game is available as an emulated PS4 game, and there are mentions of a third entry if fan demand is justified. Instead, the studio, Level-5, createdRogue Galaxy,a sci-fi JRPGspeculated to have been aDark Cloudsequel.
