GameSpy: Top 25 PS2 Games (original) (raw)

Released on October 26, 2000, the PlayStation 2 is the 800-pound gorilla of the console world. And as it enters the winter of its lifetime, we felt that it was time to look back and determine the 25 most essential games on the PS2. Some of them are predictable. Some of them are unexpected. But all of them, we've agreed (sometimes reluctantly) are among the best that Sony's black box has to offer. Think we missed something? Hit the forums or drop us an email!

Final Fantasy X

After three mega-selling iterations on PSOne -- not to mention a few collections and FF Tactics -- the Final Fantasy series had hit its stride like no other RPG franchise in history and had a complete and total lock on the genre. However, when the PlayStation 2 was launched, there was no Final Fantasy goodness to be seen. It wasn't until extremely late into 2001 that Square's meal ticket reared its head with Final Fantasy X. Was it worth the wait? Come on, does a Chocobo crap in the woods?

FF X had unparalleled production values that still reign supreme today. Character models were near-CG quality and featured elaborate costumes and expressive faces. Gamers showed some expressions, too, as we grimaced at the antics of main character Tidus, laughed at the good-humored nature of Wakka, and drooled at the hotness of Lulu. The story also did a wonderful job of drawing you into the game's world.

A benchmark was set in terms of audio, too, as every bit of dialogue featured accompanying voiceovers -- something few games have even attempted. Let's not forget gameplay, though. The world was lush and immersive, and your characters could be subbed out during battles, which gave you a vast array of strategic choices when it came time to combat massive monsters. Final Fantasy X owns the crowded RPG library on PS2, hands down.

Justin Leeper (Associate Editor): Everything about Final Fantasy X blew me away. I was expecting a killer plot, but a game this engaging and deep shouldn't look this good or sound this amazing. Never before had I seen so much emphasis put on bringing secondary characters to life, both with detailed models and voice acting. Of course, the main characters weren't bad either, and it was hard not to like them and their tenuous pasts. Of course, Tidus was a little punk sometimes, but what can you dor

You got all the staples of the Final Fantasy series here: Chocobos, summoned creatures, turn-based battles… Square obviously put a lot of effort into the Blitzball mini-game, too, but damned if it wasn't too hard for its own good. (It's no Triple Triad, that's for sure.) And holy crap were the boss battles intense! I remember brawling with the ginormous Sin for what seemed like hours -- all while accompanied by some shredding heavy metal licks. Final Fantasy X was a more mature, refined role-playing game from Square, and it's also one of the best.

Ben: Talk about late to the party -- I didn't give Final Fantasy X a fair shake until this year. Back in 2001, my first foray was thwarted by my revulsion at its copious and excessively boring cinematic scenes, but I was told that these tapered off as the game went on. What's more, word was that the characters actually became likeable. "Preposterous!" I said. "FFX is everything I hate in today's RPGs!" And for the first ten or so game hours, I was not wrong.

But I picked it up again just recently and spent numerous hours playing through it. It was not only pretty fun, I actually started to enjoy the characters and story. FFX took its sweet old time hitting its stride, but once it did, it proved to be a surprisingly enjoyable adventure. The sphere grid was an excellent alternative to more standard leveling systems, and the battles were speedy enough to keep the pace up. Some of the side quests were beyond annoying (dodging lightning 200 times?), but hey, I was just glad I was having fun. It was a good RPG, and easily one of the best on PS2.

By the way, Final Fantasy X International is the version to play. It's only available in Japan and Asia, but it has full English language support to complement its various new features and upgrades. If you can find it, go for it.