But we don't want to put up with it any longer. As your faithful PS2 crew, we stand united to bring you the Top 12 Hidden Gems for the PlayStation 2. But this isn't your typical list of the sort either; as great hardly-bought games like Rez, Aggressive Inline, Gitaroo-Man, and Metal Arms just barely missed our list. Shocking still is that classic underdogs like ICO and The Mark of Kri didn't make it as our selections either -- as they simply sold too many copies to qualify.
So what does it take to be eligible to become a "Hidden Gem?" We're glad you asked. The answer lies in our paragraphs below:
Judgment Criteria:
- Sales Numbers: The PlayStation 2 has a North American installed base of nearly 27 million. Therefore, we've defined a "hidden gem" as a game that has sold less than half of one percent of that installed base in terms of copies (135,000 units or less up from October 2000 to April 2004).
- Fun: This is the bottom line. We don't care if a game simply looks great; it has to play great too. At the end of the day, fun is all that matters and it's the number one priority when choosing which ten games take the honors.
Yep that's it. Pretty simple rules eh? Anyhow, onward with our choices for the Top 12 Hidden Gems for the PlayStation 2!
| 12) Ape Escape 2 | ||
| Pub: Ubisoft | Dev: SCE | Release: July, 2003 Just like the PSone original, Ape Escape 2 provided plenty of goofy fun as gamers chased down 300 monkeys. The are tons of gadgets to use for all of the puzzle solving and monkey collecting and once again the game made extraordinary use of both analog sticks. These aren't your ordinary monkeys, however, and they have some wildly different personalities which determines the tactics for nabbing them with a net on a stick. It's manic puzzle-solving fun inside of a colorful platformer and for no reason whatsoever, everyone just slept on this game. Maybe it looked too "kiddy" for the mature types, but that's no excuse to continue to pass on by this gem. Don't worry about the goofy looks because there's some seriously addictive content inside. | ||
| 11) Crimson Sea 2 | ||
| Pub: Koei | Dev: Koei | Release: March, 2004 If ever there was an example of how to improve upon the first game of a franchise, Crimson Sea 2 is it. As not only does KOEI's sci-fi action epic provide a faster pace, better controls, and a more intuitive upgrade system than what we had before, it manages to do so without sacrificing the things that made it strong in the first place -- interesting characters, an above average storyline, terrific graphics, and a thumping storyline. But even if it didn't have all that, the game's addictive mix of shooting and slashing alien enemies is literally the Lays Potato Chips of Videogames: Bet you can't kill just one. Best of all, there's a wide variety of missions and a huge game world to explore too. Gotta shoot 'em all! | ||
| 10) Sky Odyssey | ||
| Pub: Activision | Dev: Cross | Release: November, 2000 No shooting and no killing... Clearly this game sucks. Unfortunately for Sky Odyssey, that's probably what went through most gamers' heads when they held the title in their grubby hands. Violence, you see, is not a prerequisite of quality. Too bad no one told 60 million PS2 owners this. If word of Sky Odyssey's quality had spread beyond the confines of our own glowing review perhaps we'd be treated with a sequel. Instead, we have to look back on a four-year-old flight adventure so deep, so easy to control, so pretty, and so addictive it actually causes physical pain in our stomachs. Even if you're into destruction and not into simply exploring and completing challenges in a variety of aircraft, you should still give Sky Odyssey a look, if only to be able to count yourself as one of the handful who have. | ||
| 9) Guilty Gear X2 | ||
| Pub: Sammy | Dev: Arc System | Release: Feb, 2003 While industry vets like Capcom and SNK still pump out low-res 2D fighting experiences years after they've been put to pasture, the crew at Arc System Works knows exactly what it takes to evolve a genre. Just look at the team's Guilty Gear X2 for proof. As it seriously rocks some major sprite-based ass. In fact, in many ways Guilty Gear X2 is one of the prettiest games on the PS2. Not necessarily because of its technology or its art style (don't get us wrong, 640x480 and 60fps is great), but because of how well all of its visual elements come together. What truly makes it fantastic, though, is its fast and furious fighting engine and strong opportunity for strategy. In short, it's everything a 2D fighter should be. | ||
| 8) Fatal Frame 2 | ||
| Pub: Tecmo | Dev: Tecmo | Release: December, 2003 Successfully making a videogame scary is incredibly hard work; just ask the endless list of developers out there who strive to make a good survival horror title. But in the case of Tecmo's always-eerie Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, scary isn't a problem. In fact, for all intents and purposes, it's probably the scariest piece of software we've ever played. With games like The Suffering and Silent Hill already out there, our statement above is pretty bold; but when one considers just how on the target Fatal Frame is with its direction, pacing, and restraint, that stance is hard to argue. Sure it may not have the smoothest control scheme out there, but when you're hands are shaking in fear the whole time you play it, it's a little difficult to tell. | ||
| 7) Klonoa 2 | ||
| Pub: Namco | Dev: Namco | Release: July, 2001 Is a little animal on a ridiculously magical quest still amazing in just 2.5 dimensions? Yes! Thanks to Namco, several dozen PlayStation 2 gamers also realized how lovely things like color, control, style, and balancing are when implemented in a well-done title. Because of its simplicity, responsiveness and visual acuteness, Klonoa 2 still remains one of the best PS2 platformers around. But if that's true, why the heck hasn't anyone purchased it? The simple answer is, despite being good, Klonoa is a game of the past. It's linear (move forward and only forward), plays across a whole of two dimensions, and features maneuvers little more complicated than jumping and inflating enemies so that they turn into balloons and boulders. Don't worry, Klonoa is so polished you'll forget about that whole moving in the Z thing. Buy it. | ||
Here it comes, the six moments you've all been waiting for. The previous page detailed our picks, rated 12 through seven, but what of the top six? What are the top six PlayStation 2 hits that didn't sell well, but deserve, above most others, an immediate purchase? These are the games we've unanimously decided were the best hidden gems around (unanimously being synonymous with Jeremy beat us until we conceded).
It was a tough call, especially considering the pedigree of the titles presented on our previous page, but the following ten games should be bought and enjoyed. They are the ones that, despite their high qualities across the board, sold fewer than 135,000 copies each leading up to April of 2004. They are the ones we think about at night when we wonder how the mediocre 5.0 titles and below slip into the retail shopping bags of witless wonders the world over. If you do not appreciate these games, then we've truly failed and evil has truly won.
Like the list on the previous page, you may agree or disagree with our picks. Before you revolt, please remember that whatever game you thought was overlooked may have in fact sold more than 135,000 copies, thus disqualifying itself from this particular list. With that in mind, please send your ICO flavored hate mail directly to the Xbox mailbag. Doug Perry personally purchased 100,000 copies of ICO, making it mildly successful and hidden gem ineligible, so blame him.
Now, without further delay, here are the top five unappreciated PlayStation 2 games of all time. Buy them, buy them, buy them.
| 6) Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter | ||
| Pub: Capcom | Dev: Capcom | Release: February, 2003 For one of the most popular role-playing franchises in the entire 32-bit era, the lackluster performance of Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is nothing short of surprising. Even more shocking, however, is the fact that the game has continued to elude consumers despite its obvious excellence. And excellent it really is. Utilizing an innovative method of storytelling, Dragon Quarter encourages players to approach the game differently every time out. And while users may be put off by Breath of Fire's difficulty, its flexible hybrid battle engine should keep them coming back for more regardless; especially once the plotline and its characters really begin to take shape. The artistic presentation and an epic Mitsuda score are fantastic too, and they're just highlights to an already powerful experience. | ||
| 5) Amplitude | ||
| Pub: Sony | Dev: Harmonix | Release: March, 2003 Rhythm games don't always get shown a lot of love, but this is absolutely, positively, no-frickin'-doubt-about-it a title that deserves it. By combining some insane hand-eye coordination with music and some eye candy backdrops, Amplitude rocks the house with its complicated action. The songs build from some straightforward tunes with easy beats and build up to full-on button mashing freakouts. Getting everything just right is oh so satisfying and sounds great because it makes the entire song play through without a glitch. One thing that makes Amplitude stand out among other rhythm games is that it seriously tests one's skills in a similar way as the Dance Dance Revolution games. If you think you can handle it, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. | ||
| 4) Freedom Fighters | ||
| Pub: EA | Dev: Io Interactive | Release: October, 2003 Freedom Fighters is a mystery. Despite being one of the more solid third-person shooters of 2003 and featuring a unique, intuitive control scheme that afforded would-be soldiers the opportunity to command squadrons of men into battle easily and effectively, it still did poorly at retail. If you're looking to the game to find an explanation for its lacking sales, you're not going to be successful. Freedom Fighters had a good camera, an acceptable storyline, tight action, a slick graphics engine, ragdoll physics, and some exhilarating combat sequences. What it lacked in simple presentation, it made up for with big explosions. Trust us, this game is not overtly complex (regardless of the squad-based combat sell). It's simplistic, engaging, and fun. Try it out. | ||
| 3) Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner | ||
| Pub: Konami | Dev: Konami | Release: March, 2003 One of the best looking PlayStation 2 titles in all of existence, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner managed to do what few other sequels have -- it moved past mere technical brilliance and achieved what its predecessor never could. ZOE the original's biggest problem was a storyline so enraging and plagued by such a preposterously annoying protagonist, it was actually painful to progress through the game. Despite a hefty dose of originality and a bit of style all its own this horrid plot delivery melded with some rather unintuitive controls and camerawork to create one decidedly average, brief experience. 2nd Runner fixed the story in a big, big way, but the camera and complex control scheme still proved too daunting for some gamers to come to grips with. | ||
| 2) Beyond Good & Evil | ||
| Pub: Ubisoft | Dev: Ubisoft | Release: November, 2003 Praised for its intuitive controls, lively universe, emotional characters, and intriguing, humorous storyline, Beyond Good & Evil became an instant hit...for a few thousand people. Why Ubisoft's flagship platformer never took off is still somewhat of a mystery. Some attribute lacking sales to Jade, the game's female protagonist who actually wasn't a sex object. It's also possible that gamers didn't like the idea of running around with a stick and a camera instead of some heavy artillery. Whatever the explanation, not buying BG&E is a shame. Simply put, few titles are more complete than Beyond Good & Evil. It smoothly incorporates platforming, combat, stealth, vehicular control, exploration, and real character development. Check it out, you will not be disappointed. | ||
| 1) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness | ||
| Pub: Atlus | Dev: Nippon Ichi | Release: August, 2003 Nippon Ichi's immaculate strategy/RPG is easily the most overlooked example of brilliance on the PlayStation 2. As despite its prominent position among hardcore role-playing nuts, nobody outside that group appears to have bought it -- despite our pleas to the contrary. We're not ones to lay down that easily, however, so we're here to make our case one last time... Simply put, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is one of the PS2's deepest and most rewarding experiences. And while its darkly absurd storyline never quite exceeds that of higher profile franchises, it's the gameplay that wins out in the end. Disgaea's combat and presentation is simple, sure, but its depth of strategy and incredible replay value (10,000 experience levels and endless battlegrounds) guarantees entertainment for months. You must own this. | ||
And so there you have it. The Top 12 Hidden Gems on the PlayStation 2... Our own Dirty Dozen. And whether you love it, hate it, or find yourself somewhere in-between, we'd love to hear what you think about it and to get your own top ten lists as well. Just click on our signature below and let us know what you think. We'll be back with an all-new Top 12 list sometime soon.
