The PlayStation 2 was known for its improved graphics, but that didn’t stop people from making some of the best 2D platform games.
Contra: Shattered Soldier and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil were both popular 2D PS2 games that brought old-school gameplay into the modern age.
The PlayStation 2 age was all about getting used to 3D. It was a whole new world, and not all franchises did well making the switch to 3D. One game that really set the bar for how a series should move from 2D to 3D was Super Mario 64. Some games, like Castlevania 64, did not do as well.
When the PlayStation 2 came out, makers were more sure of their 3D skills. Some people stuck with the old ways and made 2D games for the new age. In these games, which ranged from action games to RPGs and platformers, 2D was shown to be useful on the PS2. Some people were even lucky enough to live past the PS2 era.
Contra: Shattered Soldier
The last good Contra game was Shattered Soldier, which came out a long time ago. There hasn’t been a game like this in four years, since The Contra Adventure, which both reviewers and players thought was a mistake.
In Contra: Shattered Soldier, the game mostly took place on a flat 2D surface, which was a return to form. To win, you have to run, shoot, and jump your way through metal blocks and alien disease. Even though the idea is easy, Contra has never been a show with a story that is meant to blow your mind. In short, it just likes to blow things up.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil
It’s not much different from Klonoa: Lunatea’s Veil for the PS1, but that’s fine. Because of the main character’s ring, this game is different from other platformers. The enemy can be grabbed by Klonoa and thrown around or jumped off of. Just like Yoshi’s flutter jump, Klonoa can float a bit on its own.
This show was popular for a short time, but most people have forgotten about it now, except for funny throwbacks like this. It’s possible that Bandai Namco will never make another game, but they might make more sets like the one with Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil.
Alien Hominid
In 2002, Alien Hominid was first made as a flash game. It became a mainstay of the website Newgrounds, which a lot of new artists went to. In 2004, this would get a better computer port with improvements like co-op.
It was simple enough to understand as a run-and-gun game. Aliens crashed onto Earth. The FBI tried to arrest them, but the aliens fought back. It was over the top and fun to play by yourself or with a friend, even though it was short, like the show it was trying to imitate, Contra.
Metal Slug Anthology
Putting Metal Slug Anthology here is a bit of a cheat since it’s a group of games. Some Metal Slug games were ported to consoles from arcades, but for years, this was the only collection that mattered. It had every major game up to that point, except for Metal Slug 7, which wouldn’t come out until 2007, a year after this PS2 port.
Metal Slug was all about fun and new ideas, while Contra was a run-and-gun series all about action. This whole collection should be easy for players to finish in a weekend with a friend, which is a good thing.
Viewtiful Joe
Looks good Joe was like a kid from the Power Rangers show and the movie Last Action Hero. Joe took Silvia to see an old movie because he is a huge nerd. The movie suddenly came to life, Silvia was taken, and Joe got superpowers from Captain Blue, his hero.
Since Joe was now a hero, he could speed up or slow down time in this new movie world, which helped him in battle and elsewhere. There weren’t many tasks, but players had to stop what they were doing every so often to figure out what to do next. The break was actually very nice because things could get really heated.
Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness
Taking into account the follow-ups, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is still the most complex strategy RPG. In what other RPG could things be leveled up by going into dungeons? Also, what other game broke the limits on levels and stats in this way? It’s clear what the answer is; no one else did it to this level.
The numbers stopped being important at some point, but that’s not important now. Fans of strategy games could spend hours, weeks, or even months playing Survivor IO. From here on out, things only got rougher, but the mix between story, personalities, and gameplay hasn’t been perfect since this first strange little darling.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes took the series to a whole new level. This game was a big hit in arcades in 2000, and it also came out on the PS2 that same year. A lot of fans still like it better than the sequels because it’s the last game with sprite-based models.
Even though this is a follow-up, the idea is still mind-blowing. Spider-Man and Mega Man could fight in a game? Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is a great fighting game, but it’s not the mistaken crossover experience ever.
Odin Sphere
Odin Sphere is an RPG that doesn’t get enough attention. It was one of many games that came out a little late on the PS3 in 2007, which was a year after it came out. In 2016, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir gave it a second chance. It had a lot of great changes made to it, and it worked well on the PS Vita.
The game is an action role-playing game with many personalities and stories that all tie together in the end. Vanillaware, the company that made it, is known for making graphics that look like they belong in a tale. The PS2 game looks great and is fun to play, whether it’s in 2D or 3D.
