Introducing... PlayStation 2's Greatest Hits Special @ Gaming Target

Written by Adam Woolcott on March 14, 2002

Special: Hopefully now without the lame green stripe.

Even though Nintendo was first to offer top selling titles under a discount price, Sony and the PlayStation were responsible for making the whole idea of a budget-priced line of their biggest hits something to be emulated by other hardware manufacturers. Offering past hits for a low price not only was a way to re-release classic titles that were well out of print (Final Fantasy Tactics comes to mind), but also a way to give gamers who can't afford a $50 dollar game all the time a nice selection of games that suits their price needs. Needless to say, the program was and still is a major success, with many of the Greatest Hits titles re-entering sales charts once the game earned the title and the reduced price that comes with it.

It was only a matter of time before Sony returned the Greatest Hits label to the PlayStation 2, considering the vast amount of great games the console possesses. And later this spring SCEA will offer 4 of its best games for a new $25 dollar price point, most assuredly bringing these past hits up the charts again. 3rd parties are soon to follow (THQ has announced Red Faction will be part of the Greatest Hits line), but for now let's take a peek at the 4 SCEA-published hits that will be the flagship titles in the reborn Greatest Hits category.

ATV Offroad Fury
Developed by now THQ owned Rainbow Studios, ATV Offroad Fury was SCEA's first published title (ignoring 989 Sports, since we know their track record isn't hot these days) that was more of a game and less than a tech demo, like their launch title Fantavision was. ATV's are of course a popular form of entertainment in the real world, so it was smart to re-create this particular racing genre for a game console.

And for a good while it was one of Sony's best selling games, dominating charts through the admittedly dry period of the first 6 months of the PS2's existence. However the game continued to sell even past the days of dryness, and earned its place amongst the Greatest Hits.

Sporting a more arcade-like gameplay with great visuals for the time and loose physics, ATV really doesn't take itself too seriously, like another game in this line of hits. There are a handful of tricks to perform, but the game emphasizes on racing and keeping ahead of the competition.

ATV Offroad Fury can be looked at as a taste of what came and what's to come still from the PS2, and rightly deserves its slot as one of the original Greatest Hits.

Dark Cloud
When you don't have a highly praised title like The Legend of Zelda on your console, you make something up and even better than it, or at least try to. This is what Sony has done when they molded together the story about a young boy named Toan, who has been chosen by a Fairy King to save his world from an evil genie that seeks to destroy the land.

Dark Cloud features a unique gameplay system that has you adventure into vast and varied areas, such as a gloomy cavern, a ghostly sunken ship, and even a futuristic outer space realm. Through each of the select areas of exploration, Toan has to battle all different types of monsters and collect scattered pieces of 6 separate game worlds and use the pieces to restore the land all in a real time setting. With the game's descriptive weapon system, you have to manage your weaponry, and make sure you give both your characters health, just as well as the weaponry that also weakens in battle.

The graphics of the game are truly imaginative, and are some of the best to be seen throughout the entire PlayStation 2 collection. Even with Dark Cloud's cartoon look, such implementations from the game like how when you look at a distant object, and finally run up close enough to it, it begins to get bigger and better looking. Most of all, though, the sound is simply amazing. In any of the game's levels, the music fits perfectly with its environment, adding to the game's overall addictive nature -- which there's a lot of.

Overall, Dark Cloud is a game that no PlayStation 2 owner should be without, especially at the new $25 dollar price point. If you've never been a fan of the Zelda series, then dark Cloud will interest you in the genre, except in a different way. With its original system of gameplay elements borrowed from games like Actraiser and Vagrant Story, Dark Cloud is surely one of the best looking, playing, and sounding Adventure games in existence.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
The Gran Turismo series has always been a major hit, but GT3 was the first true vision of Polyphony Digital. While the first 2 were held back by the outdated graphics engine of the PSOne, GT3 took advantage of the PS2's power to craft one of the best looking games ever made, even today. This is yet another no-brainer Greatest Hit Ц Sony wouldn't dare do this without including the finest racing simulator ever made.

While GT3 isn't much more than a prettier GT2, the purpose was met. Instead of a mindless racer that only tested your reflexes and not your mind, GT3 forces you to learn the tracks and exploit them to your advantage, as well as test your reflexes. It also emphasizes upgrading and tweaking your cars to maximum potential, something that takes a lot of time and a lot of thought to work properly. And when you're on the track, being smart instead of crazy is the most successful way of beating the tough AI and advancing deeper into the game.

Besides that, GT3 offers a ton of hours for the price. There's tons of different races, from regular street races to rally racing, to very fun endurance races that can go well over 2 hours. Along with a bunch of different licenses to earn and over 150 cars to tinker with, you'll be playing GT3 for months if you let it hook you in. Millions have already played GT3, but there's many who haven't yet. Why I don't know, but if you like racing games that make you think as well as challenge your reflexes occasionally, make sure to pick this game up, especially at a measly $24.95.

Twisted Metal: Black
Before TMB came along, the Twisted Metal series was headed for a path of complete death and overkill. Once Singletrac, the original developers, left the scene, internal teams at 989 went on to destroy the series like Sweet Tooth might destroy an entire shopping mall of people. However Incog, Inc, comprised of former Singletrac team members are back on the scene, and Twisted Metal: Black has returned with a vengeance never seen before. TMB isn't really a sequel Ц look at the game as an alternate reality within the Twisted Metal Universe.

What makes this game different is the dark, brooding, and uncomfortable atmosphere. All the characters seem to beЕummЕoff kilter slightly, and are entering this tournament so Calypso can free their minds of whatever is bugging them, like Sweet Tooth's head always being on fire and all. This atmosphere makes TMB less cartoony than its predecessors, and even more violent and disturbing than you could imagine.

The only thing keeping TMB from being a major hit, besides the violence thing, is the insane difficulty. Fact is Ц this game is hard. Not hard to where you learn patterns, hard as in getting your ass kicked in 5 seconds if you play rush and attack with the other cars involved. Instead you pick your spots and attack when you've got someone down. Sure it's a cheesy tactic, but this is Twisted Metal, and all the participants are goofier than a pet coon, as Jim Ross might say on WWF television. No idea he means, but it doesn't sound nice.

Despite that, TMB is a renewal of the tired series, leaving room for another sequel in the TM universe. Thanks to Incog Inc, PlayStation fans can be pleased with the return to form for one of PSOne's earliest megahit series. And as a Greatest Hit charter member, the game will appropriately get decent shelf space to win over those who missed the unholy reincarnation of a once dead series.

Final Thought
This is just the first wave of Greatest Hits for the PS2 Ц by this fall we'll most likely see 1st party games like ICO and Jak & Daxter get their just desserts, along with 3rd party games like Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 almost assuredly getting the Greatest Hit treatment. Mixed with a likely price drop into the $200 range, PS2 once again is cycling its ways to not only be a machine for some of the latest and greatest games, but also a system for the budget-minded in need of a next-generation fix. And for those who perhaps missed old hits, this is the way to keep up on what you've been missing. This all goes into effect later this spring, so keep your eye open for the new Greatest Hits, and hope there is no ugly green stripe this time.