PlayStation 2: It Came, It Saw, It Kicked Ass Ц Part 2

Written by Adam Woolcott  on October 26, 2005

Specials: Of Yunies and Snake Eaters and Katamari's, oh my!

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On Monday, we looked at the first 3 years of the PlayStation 2 as it developed into such a special console. Today, on the PS2's official 5th birthday, we'll look at the latter years of the console, and quickly peek into the future of the console, as it begins its trek to retirement and steps aside for the younger, more powerful, and more boomerangy PlayStation 3.

2003 Ц No GTA? No Problem

After a year full of quality games that lacked much name value, 2003 looked to be a good year, especially since there would be no new Grand Theft Auto game. In the earliest part of the year, a handful of games that were delayed to avoid GTA hit shelves. The Getaway, Sony's mature-themed project developed by Team SoHo, finally shipped in January after frequent delays Ц especially after GTA3 shipped and one-upped The Getaway's most important aspect Ц a massive, living city; London, to be exact. The game was a success, but never could live up to the hype, and though the game was really impressive technically, it failed in the gameplay side of things. Also, Capcom released the sequel to their 2001 hit, Devil May Cry 2. DMC2 was a true disappointment, however, as the game was severly dumbed down, and Dante's charisma was wholly nullified. After the amazing original, this was a serious step backwards, one that almost killed the series before it really got started. Perhaps the biggest news of the season, however, was the massive merger between Sony supporters Squaresoft and Enix Ц the newly christened Square Enix now held the two most popular RPG franchises in the world, in Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

One of the most hyped role-playing games on PS2 finally shipped in early 2003 Ц the quasi-prequel to Xenogears, Xenosaga. After translation troubles and various other setbacks, the game came out over a year after the original Japanese release. It didn't really matter though, as Xenosaga proved its worth as a stellar, epic RPG that was heavy on cutscenes, but also full of challenging and strategic combat & memorable characters, setting the table for the (hopefully) six-part series. The concept of episodic content made its first appearance on PS2 around the same time, with Bandai's .Hack franchise. Spread out over 4 installments (all of which have been released), .Hack was designed like an MMORPG, just with NPC's instead of other people around to party and bond with. Though it really never took off despite its anime influence, its concept was innovative and could set the precedent (along with Xenosaga, though XS is far more spread out)for more episodic games such as this, especially as we get more and more capable technology. Also in this period of time, Konami released a sequel to its infamous launch-era title, Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner. With nary a MGS demo in sight, the title bombed horribly despite the consensus that the game was superior to its predecessor, going to show that being a launch title has its advantages during droughts, and of course, the power of a demo of the most anticipated game in years. The PS2 also saw a competent port of the biggest Xbox game of 2002, in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, during the month of March.

Sony didn't use this E3 for many major revelations on the PS2 front Ц the biggest news was Sony announcing their decision to go into portable gaming with the PSP. There was a price drop, cutting the cost $20 to $179, and also announced an online pack that included the Network Adaptor and ATV Offroad Fury 2, for a $200 clip. Sony also revealed a new model PS2, the 50000 series, which wasn't a vast change, but did make minor changes, such as a quieter fan, the removal of the unused iLink port, and the addition of a built-in IR port for a new model DVD remote that allowed you to boot the system from the remote as well as open the disc tray. Finally, Sony finally finalized plans for the HDD; with an agreement with Square Enix, Final Fantasy XI, a game that required the device, would be packed in with the drive and retail for $100, completing Sony's original plans for the PS2. E3 2003 was also memorable for the botched Enter the Matrix Ц because E3 fell on the same day as the newest Matrix movie as well as EtM, the game managed to release without reviews from major publications, and managed millions of copies sold despite mediocre reviews once the press returned from the show. Later that summer, there was a brief renaissance of the fighting game on PS2, with the releases of Soul Calibur II and Viruta Fighter 4: Evolution. The VF4 expansion was sold right away as the Greatest Hits version of VF4, while Soul Cali II was a gorgeous, graceful weapons-based fighter that matched the quality of the Dreamcast classic. Konami's Silent Hill franchise made its return with the 3rd installment, which took a more direct approach to both story and gameplay compared to its mysterious predecessors.

With no GTA set for a fall release aside from the Double Pack (which contained GTA 3 and VC for $40 on both PS2 and Xbox), the stage was set for more games to gain attention in the latter part of the year, in a combination of both original and franchise titles. There was really only one major franchise that saw a release Ц Square Enix released the first true sequel in the Final Fantasy franchise, in the controversial but critically acclaimed Final Fantasy X-2. Shunning the traditional conventions of the series, FFX-2 was more lighthearted than melodramatic, more gameplay than story, more open than linear, and more fan service than character development. And it worked, despite the game being based in the same world as Final Fantasy X, with numerous areas recycled and/or remixed from its predecessor, and despite all the controversy from a handful of gamers, FFX-2 was a huge seller and thus a huge money pit for SE. Sony's platformer friends returned as well, with a sequel to Ratchet & Clank, and the controversial Jak II. Taking a page from GTA, Jak II took place in the open-ended Haven City and took a more mission-based approach, along with making Jak a massive badass who actually spoke. It alienated many old-school platform fans, but it managed to sell very well, which was all Sony and Naughty Dog needed to hear. The biggest surprise was Need for Speed Underground. While NFS games were always successful, NFSU was a phenomenon, appealing to the tuner scene and racing fans in general. It was offset by the bizarre R: Racing Evolution, that took the Ridge Racer series in a direction it never went back to; simulation racing.

Thankfully 2003 also saw some original franchises, and the return of a a couple older ones. Without GTA, Rockstar released the controversial Manhunt, a stealth-based game that had brutal, uneasy-looking kills befitting the 'snuff film' direction the game took. It had an innovative use of the PS2 microphone, letting you scream out to get the attention of your enemies to distract or lead them into a trap, but otherwise was a by-the-books stealth game that was very challenging, but much more known for its unrelenting brutality. UbiSoft had a pair of quality titles that were an integral part of their rise to elite status, in Beyond Good & Evil and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. BG&E was critically acclaimed game, from the designer of the successful Rayman franchise, but bombed at retail Ц by the end of 2003 the game already was selling for $20 despite only being out a few months, and killed what was once the beginning chapter of a trilogy. Prince of Persia, on the other hand, was the return of an old PC favorite, for the next generation. Boasting impressive visuals and a gameplay style that reminded of ICO and influenced a few action/adventure games since it came out, POP was a bona fide GOTY candidate despite being a multiplatform title. Like BG&E, the game faltered at retail, but after Ubi went aggressive and gave away a free copy of Splinter Cell with a POP purchase, the game took off and did enough business to become a Greatest Hit and set up an eventual sequel. Castlevania, once a 2D powerhouse (and still is), made another attempt at 3D with Lament of Innocence Ц and though it was a good game befitting the Castlevania name, the repetitive room design and overall short length hurt it in the long run.

2004 Ц Wow, Just Wow.

Though 2003 was a great year for the PS2, 2004 was looking to be even better. On the hardware front, Sony released the doomed HDD expansion in March, bundled in with the popular (and high-quality) MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, and aside from the Sega Sports/2K Sports titles and Resident Evil Outbreak, was the only game that year which actually supported the device. It definitely had its uses, as you could back up PS1 and PS2 saves to the drive for safekeeping (making for a great $100 memory card compared to buying 4 8MB cards), but the 40GB drive became a paperweight to many and most stores didn't keep it in stock much or dropped the price quickly to get rid of it. In the summer though, someone did find a use for the HDD, in the also dead HD Loader.

HD Loader was a program that let you install games to the HDD (be it the official Sony drive or any unofficial HDD that could fit in the system's expansion slot) and play them from there, cutting down on load times. It really did what it said, as many games had their awful loads cut down to nothing (games like Stuntman and Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex saw 10 second loads at worst when installed to the HD Loader). However, it could also be used for the wrong things Ц since there was no authentication, you could rent a PS2 game, put it on the HDD, and return it Ц effectively theft. In conjunction with some other normally-shady tricks, you could even get the HD Loader to install imported games to a PS2 Ц one of the few redeeming uses, though it also could be done to promote piracy by installing burned games to the loader. Within just a couple months, the software was gone and that pretty much was the end, though pirated versions of it exist. The irony of pirating software that could be used for piracy.

The HDD's fate was sealed later in the year, with the release of the redesigned 'slim' PS2, which added a network port but eliminated the slot for attaching the drive. Some consider this move a tactic to stop HD Loader usage, but either way, it stunted the FFXI user base, unless new PS2 owners bought an older PS2 model, since Sony stopped production of the original design. Regardless though, the redesigned PS2 was met with a lot of praise, as the small footprint made the bulky PS2 look even more enormous, though the console has a tendency to get very loud and hot after playing for a while.

Then of course, there was the games. There were only a handful of major releases in the early part of the year Ц the Onimusha trilogy was completed, though sales paled even compared to the disappointing sequel's overall tally. Sony Online Entertainment and Snowblind brought online play to the hack & slash RPG genre, with the cult hit Champions of Norrath, a sequel to the successful Splinter Cell franchise, and for old school-fans, Capcom released the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, complete with all 8 Mega Man games and two never-before-seen unlockable games in the Mega Man universe. The sports gaming wars reached a climax during the summer, when Sega and Take Two reached an agreement which allowed the 2K sports line of games to release for the rock-bottom price of $19.99 Ц attacking the budget market in an attempt to steal sales from giant EA Sports, with one special bonus Ц the PS2 versions fully supported Sony's HDD Ц the only real support it got aside from FFXI (which also got an expansion pack during this pre-fall window). This reach did work, as EA dropped their own prices to keep pace and in the case of football, wound up outright buying the exclusive rights to the NFL and its players, causing hysteria amongst fans of the critically lauded ESPN NFL series. Finally, Midway released one of the most underappreciated games of the entire generation, the creative and enjoyable action game Psi-Ops. Even with a free copy of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the game failed to make a dent and probably dashed any hopes of a sequel.

September was when everything blew up, however. Starting with the release of Square-Enix's biggest title of the year, Star Ocean: 'Till the End of Time, it seemed like every week big titles were shipping. The Burnout series, once lost under the Acclaim name, exploded onto the scene, literally, thanks to EA with Burnout 3, and though it never sold as well as a game so acclaimed should, it still made an impact on an entire genre that likely will be felt years down the line. Konami shipped the most unique entry in its Silent Hill franchise, with Silent Hill 4: The Room, which though different, wasn't quite as entertaining as previous installments. Midway, who had a breakout year in 2004, released their 2nd RPG, in the sequel Shadow Hearts: Covenant, following up the RPG they released in 2001, just before Final Fantasy X hit the scene...which was given away free with pre-orders. Niche publisher Atlus, known for releasing Japanese games in small quantities in the west, released one of their own in-house projects in the throwback Mature RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. After years of keeping the series away from a more sensitive US market, Atlus thought it the right time to bring the series here on PS2, and it turned out to be a good decision because arguably Nocturne was the best role-playing game of 2004.

Speaking of niche, perhaps the biggest niche title of 2004 also shipped in this busy period Ц Katamari Damacy. Published by Namco at a budget price, KD was the ultimate in Japanese oddity, but at the same time complete with innovative gameplay which put ease of play over all. The concept was simple Ц using a giant sticky ball known as a Katamari, you wandered around Earth picking up stuff, starting small and eventually getting to a level where you could roll up Gods of Thunder and Godzilla too. Though a weird game that seemingly had little appeal to the western game market, it turned out to be a huge seller, thanks to the handy tool known as word of mouth and that $20 budget price. Who knew such a game would turn out to be one of the best-selling games of 2004? In a year where there were so many big-named titles, it was refreshing to see such a niche game sell very well. And unlike so many other niche titles, you can still actually find copies despite initial fears that it would be very difficult to find, Rez-style.

There were indeed many major releases this fall Ц a new Mortal Kombat, a sequel to 2003's Prince of Persia (cementing Ubisoft as the king of insta-sequels), and of course a new Tony Hawk game, which usually leads to much groaning across the board. Sony released all three of their action/platform games, with Sly 2, Jak 3, and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, which carried very fun online play and was arguably the best of the trio of mascot games. But none of these could match the true heavy hitters for PS2. With Halo 2 looming on Xbox, Sony had some tricks up their sleeves. One such trick was the release of Killzone, a game some overzealous folk called a Halo killer. It wasn't Ц and never was going to be, as the game turned out to be decent, but not the kind of game that took minds off the forthcoming Halo 2 juggernaut. In actuality, nothing was going to. All that could be done was release the two biggest games for PS2 within the same time frame and hope for the best.

The first was a whole new installment in the Grand Theft Auto world. Known as San Andreas, this GTA was bigger and badder than ever before, with three big cities and countryside, dozens of characters, hordes of missions, and a more RPG-style advancement system that let you make your Carl Johnson (the lead character) unique from others. Naturally San Andreas was a massive hit, selling millions of copies before the year was out. The other was the release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Though MGS2 was a success, the game soured many on the series, thanks to a surprise character switch and goofy storyline wrapped in confusion and oddity. Thus, MGS3 was far less anticipated than its prequel, and this seemed to work to its advantage, as the hype train had nowhere near as many passengers as MGS2 did. Thrown back into the 1960's, Snake Ц not Solid Snake, but Big Boss Ц is sent into Russia to rescue a nuclear scientist so he can defect to America instead of helping the Russians finish a primitive Metal Gear-like weapon known as Shagohod. Snake and his 'love interest' EVA turn out to be the heroes, but not without the usual Metal Gear shenanigans. MGS3 became one of the best-reviewed games of 2004, and a game of the year candidate across the board. It's a shame though, that MGS3 didn't quite sell as much as MGS2 Ц likely because of said mixed reaction for the PS2's one-time killer app.

2004 was a fantastic year, and will go down as one of the best in the history of PlayStation, if not gaming. 2005 however, was to become no slouch despite the turn towards the future.