The PS2 Games of Winter 2005

The PS2 Games of Winter 2005

By Le Chupacabra

The following are, what I believe, the ten most essential PS2 titles you should be spending your money on. Happy holidays!

DragonBall Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (Atari)

DBZ: BT is the new way of playing Budokai. That’s right, no more classic side-view fighting… this time your avatars battle it out across large interactive terrain where total freedom is the key to combat. Fly anywhere you like, bash your opponent into mountains, hide underwater, perform sneak attacks – the essence of DBZ has been captured rather excellently. Visually resplendent blast attacks, ridiculous name-yelling and copious amounts of wacky hairstyles are still the order of the day! The story mode is now spliced with some great CGI-cutscenes and there are innumerable extras to discover!

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Square-Enix)

DQVIII has an undeniably simplistic and palatable storyline with little in the way of Byzantine twists or unfathomable depth as expected of the modern RPG. It offers a lavishly detailed world that’s a joy to explore for hours upon hours. Conflicts are refreshingly challenging affairs where you really must plan ahead or suffer the consequences; even if it is the most classic of turn-based formulae, battles manage to be tense and engaging. Rounding off this ‘old-school’ style are some immensely charming protagonists and some of the most personable animation and character quirks this side of Nintendo. The artwork by mangaka Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Chrono Trigger) is worth the price of admission itself!

Fahrenheit (Atari)

Fahrenheit deftly combines context-sensitive problem solving in ways never seen before with an absolutely gripping murder mystery that’s easily on par with the likes of Holmes or Poirot… except with a twist. Playing as Lucas Kane, you are besieged by visions of gruesome pagan rituals and before you know it, you’ve killed an innocent man whilst in a trance. Played from the perspective of both hunter (two detectives) and hunted (Kane), you’ll be racing against the clock to unravel the mystery before it’s too late. The avant-garde gameplay is absolutely addictive and completely unique; in a world where every choice you make has a consequence this leads to one of the most refreshing, cerebral experiences of the year!

Peter Jackson’s King Kong (UbiSoft)

There are few games that capture such conflicting emotions on such an epic scale, but King Kong is one of them! You’ll play some parts as the mega-ape King Kong whose feral brutality truly gives a satisfying feeling of raw power. Conversely you’ll also play as human protagonist Jake Driscoll: these scenarios truly instil a sense of fear and terror since you’re always on the verge of becoming the food for the prehistoric creatures inhabiting Skull Island. Only with sheer wits and quick thinking will you survive. There’s no HUD as well, so the level of immersion is unmatched! Lush, organic visuals are combined with some mind-blowing action gameplay where almost everything is possible.

Prince of Persia: Two Thrones (UbiSoft)

After the enigmatic Sands of Time and the rather charisma-less Warrior Within, comes the Two Thrones. Incorporating the engrossing puzzles and Middle-Eastern charm of the first title with the robust combat system of the sequel, TT caters to fans of both camps! The Prince is now able to sneak off rooftops onto the unwary enemy’s back, offing him in the process. You can quickly combine the Prince’s speedy acrobatics for stringing up a number of these ‘stealth’ kills for some spectacular, over-the-top ninja action. New here is the Dark Prince: a sort of anti-Prince born of the Sands of Time. Unlike the Prince this guy plays nasty and uses a suitably sadistic chain-sword for more brutal, yet gratifying slaughter. There’s also a pretty awesome diversion from the main gameplay in the form of thrilling chariot races!

Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (Konami)

I don’t how they do it… is it magic? Voodoo? Witchcraft? Or sheer dumb luck? Whatever it is, when it comes to football, Pro Evo is unsurpassed and this, the latest version, is too awesome to be real. Whether it’s the divinely realistic animation that lets you recognise players without a second glance at their names, or the way you’ll never score the same goal twice: Pro Evo is simply brilliant. The gameplay has undergone huge tweaks and the experience is just so much more satisfying due to its newly reached heights of flexibility and intuitiveness. Graphics are simply dead-on: you don’t have to guess the pseudo-face anymore; you can see who it is! The rosters are extremely up-to-date and while there are some licensing discrepancies, the supreme majority of the players are absolutely accurate. Pro Evo 5 is as near as you can get to the beautiful game without actually going outside for a kick around!

Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

The best game on GameCube finally returns to its home console! Eschewing the slow, grating zombie action of the past, Resi 4 places you in the shoes of Agent Leon S. Kennedy (of Resi 2 fame) and charges you with rescuing the President’s kidnapped daughter. This time you’re up against scarily intelligent (and seemingly possessed) villagers who really know how to make you wet your pants in fear! The stunning graphics, mercurial set-pieces, mind-blowing cutscenes and tense action scenarios culminate to make this the #1 action game of 2005. Added are PS2-only extras including an intriguing side-story that explores the apparent demise of the once-ubiquitous Umbrella Corp.!

Shadow of the Colossus (SCEJ)

In order to save your deceased love, you must summon and slay the ancient Colossi and only then will you receive the power to achieve the impossible. With miles of lush scenery to explore on your horse Agro, you must take on sixteen Colossi who truly give new meaning to the word ‘colossal’. You first have to figure out how to traverse across these bloody massive beasts before you can find their weak spots; this is an absolutely innovative and fresh way of combining the incredibly organic puzzle-solving of predecessor Ico with tense, gripping combat. Evocative visuals that verge on art form are juxtaposed with a haunting, soul-stirring soundtrack to make this yet another unforgettable experience from the makers of Ico.

Star Wars Battlefront II (LucasArts)

Set against the epic, galactic backdrop of the Star Wars universe, this is an action title where the thrills are born from immense variety. Being able to use Jedi, Sith, Wookies, Ewoks and all manner of indigenous Star Wars life-forms is its greatest addition, but that’s not all! You can take part in high-speed spaceship battles this time around as well. Missions aren’t just about shooting everything in sight; the multitude of diverse objectives makes sure that you never get bored! The musical score and sound effects are vintage stuff and the graphics are pretty impressive this time.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Buena Vista Games)

Another licensed game that rocks! Gasp! At any rate this is a much better and varied gaming experience than this year’s interactive Potter offering. All four playable characters possess unique skills and the game is built around that concept offering some diverse challenges that keep things fresh and involving. Co-op mode is a welcome feature; players can join in and leave anytime they want to. Graphics are top-notch and presentation is brilliant recalling the amount of work EA put into its LOTR game franchise. This game also features a similarly streamlined upgrade system and of course, DVD-style unlockable content.