Sony’s second console arrived with smashing success, as the PlayStation 2 continued the company’s trend of producing excellent hardware for some of the industry’s best games. The PS2 continued to dominate throughout its lifespan, amassing a massive library of more than 4,000 titles. There were plenty of exceptional games, more than a few duds, and some incredible ones that slipped by most gamers’ notice. This happened for a variety of reasons, and we’ve dug through the archives to find five of the most underrated PS2 games ever released, arranged in no particular order.
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1) The Mark of Kri
The Mark of Kri is a 2002 game from San Diego Studio that features a unique art style consisting of a mishmash of cartoonish character design and ultra-violence. This is presented over a backdrop of Polynesian imagery, and the game is set in a fantasy world that incorporates elements of Maori mythology. It’s an epic fantasy action-adventure game that’s a blast to play and was well-received by critics, many of whom praised its visual style and controls. The game didn’t take long to complete, but it was well worth the 10 or so hours it took to reach the end. Despite critical acclaim, The Mark of Kri was a commercial failure and passed most players by upon its release.
2) Beyond Good & Evil
Ubisoft developed and released Beyond Good & Evil in 2003 on multiple systems, including the PS2. The action-adventure game centers on an investigative reporter named Jade, who is also a spy and martial artist working within a resistance movement to uncover an alien conspiracy. Critics praised Beyond Good & Evil’s animation and art style, and it received numerous accolades. Unfortunately, it was a commercial failure, so plans for a trilogy fell short. In the years since its release, Beyond Good & Evil has become a beloved cult classic, but it failed to attract much notice in 2003.
3) Rez
Rez is a rail shooter that incorporates music and features an interesting setting. It’s set in a malfunctioning AI system, where a hacker must shoot enemies to fix the system. It’s all done in sync with the music, creating a sense of synesthesia through vibration feedback in the controller. Rez is an interesting game that received significant praise from critics, with many mentioning its graphics, music, and gameplay as being particularly noteworthy. It didn’t sell well, so it was largely underrated on the PS2 and the other systems on which it was released in 2001. In the years since, Rez has been re-released as a VR title called Rez Infinite, so it lives on and is playable on the PS4 and PS5.
4) Ico
Ico is an action-adventure game designed to create an immersive experience and is unlike most PS2 games. In it, the player controls Ico, a young boy with horns who is locked in a castle, where he frees a young girl named Yorda. The two work together to escape the castle, navigating obstacles and solving puzzles along the way. Ico was an influential title, adding several game mechanics that would be incorporated into numerous titles that followed. It received plenty of accolades and critical acclaim, but wasn’t a huge seller. In the years since its release, Ico has been re-released and has been touted as an example of how video games can be seen as art.
5) Ōkami
The PS2 featured several artistic and stylistically experimental games, and Ōkami certainly fits the description. The game’s design features cel-shaded imagery and a sumi-e style that distinguishes it from pretty much every other game on the system. The game is absolutely outstanding and received plenty of positive buzz, but it was a commercial failure. This was due to its 2006 arrival, which was at the end of the PS2’s lifecycle. It was released six years later on the PS3 and has been re-released numerous times since. Like Ico, Ōkami is seen as an example of how video games can be art, as evidenced by its beautiful execution.
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