The PS2 had more than a handful of licensed games. Who among us can say we didn’t know and love Jetix Puzzle Buzzle. Licensed games are meant to cash in on trends, but the PS2 had plenty of tie-in games that were about as well-timed as Google Glass. Here are some PS2 licensed games that were barking up the tree.
Reservoir Dogs – 14 Years
Released in 2006 for the PS2, Reservoir Dogs was a funny ol’ licence to revive. Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 debut had already cemented itself as a cult classic, celebrated for its razor-sharp dialogue, uncomfortably boogeying, and the bold decision to never actually show the botched jewellery heist that drives the entire plot. Instead, the film focuses on the aftermath, as the surviving gang members descend into paranoia while searching for the undercover cop in their midst.
That unseen robbery became the foundation for the rather late game. Rather than simply recreating the film, which would have made it into a Telltale game, developer Volatile Games expanded the missing heist into a full third-person shooter, imagining everything Tarantino intentionally left off-screen. Funnily enough, Volatile Games was a newly formed division of British studio Blitz Games, created specifically to produce more mature titles after creating a whole bunch of Bratz games.
As Blitz co-founder Philip Oliver later explained: “The idea we took with the game was to actually carry out the heist you never saw in the film.” He added that recreating the film scene-for-scene would have resulted in “a pretty low-res version of what the film was,” so the team instead used the unseen events to tell a new story.
Critics were actually…stuck in the middle. Praise was aimed at the licensed soundtrack and the attempt to expand the source material, but repetitive gunplay and clunky mechanics held it back. Its graphic violence also saw it banned in Australia and New Zealand.
It isn’t an essential PS2 game, but as an interactive companion to one of cinema’s most influential crime films, it’s definitely fine.
Miami Vice – 15 Years
Released in 2004, bizarrely not in America, Miami Vice arrived a baffling 15 years after the iconic TV series had ended. Airing between 1984 and 1989, the show helped define the look and sound of the decade, following undercover detectives Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs as they battled drug cartels across a neon-soaked Miami. Why is neon always soaked, why is it never moist neon?
Anyway, Dutch publisher Davilex secured the licence from Universal in early 2004, with British developer Atomic Planet Entertainment producing what was essentially an all-new adventure for Crockett and Tubbs. A Dutch team publishing a British dev’s game based on a very particular place in the US. Sounds like a roll of the Miami dice, but could it be Miami nice?
No. It’s Miami bad.
The game is plagued by stiff controls, repetitive shooting, terrible AI and level design that rarely evolves beyond running through bland corridors dispatching identical enemies. Even by 2004 standards it looked dated, with lifeless environments that completely missed the neon glamour. Or any kind of glamour. Maybe your old science teacher wearing half a bra. Critics were brutal, and accused the developers of lazily slapping the Miami Vice name onto a generic shooter to capitalise on GTA Vice City, and yeah…probably not far off.
While it’s regarded as one of the very worst PS2 games ever, I think I’d prefer it to watching the 2006 reboot, the world’s first motion picture shot on a Game Boy Camera. At least nobody would ever let Davilex do something like this again.
Knight Rider – 17 Years
Knight Rider arrived 17 years after the television series had ended, continuing the PS2’s strange fascination with reviving long-forgotten 1980s TV licences. You should expect more licensed driving games here than the World Cup had Powerade™ hydration breaks.
If you were hoping to step out of KITT and punch criminals as Michael Knight, though, you’re out of luck. This is a driving game through and through, with the legendary talking Pontiac Trans Am taking centre stage as you race between missions, chase suspects and make full use of KITT’s arsenal of gadgets.
Rather than trying to reinvent the formula, developer Davilex just slopped up a whole bunch of fan service. Yes, Davilex again, apparently on a mission to misunderstand American pop culture as confidently as humanly possible.
KITT’s turbo boost, scanner, Super Pursuit Mode and unmistakable voice are all here, while several members of the original cast returned to reprise their roles. They even hassled the hoff to get him to turn up. By that I mean “put money into his bank account” The missions themselves are fairly varied, mixing high-speed pursuits, escort objectives and explosive set pieces that do a decent job of recreating the feel of the television series.
Unfortunately, the execution couldn’t quite match Knight Rider’s even stilted ambition. More like Shame It’s Not Very Good Rider. Critics criticised the simplistic driving physics, repetitive objectives and dated presentation, with many feeling the licence deserved a much bigger budget. Or any. Fans were generally more forgiving thanks to the authentic atmosphere and abundance of references, but few would argue it’s worth knighting.
Still, if you’re willing to overlook the rough edges, you might enjoy the cheese. But if that second game is a kind of cheese, it’s surely Cheez Whiz. You American guys do some weird stuff to cheese, generally speaking.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee – 19 Years
Released in 2004, The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee arrived 19 years after the television series had finished its run. If you’re wondering, it was released a year before the 2005 movie reboot, which had Jessica Simpson and other scenes and actors. Allegedly.
While most people remember the show for the General Lee’s gravity-defying jumps, moonshine-fuelled chases and constant attempts to outwit Boss Hogg, the game wisely recognised that the real star was the orange Dodge Charger itself. Rather than turning the licence into another generic action game, developer Ratbag Games built an open-world driving adventure that was actually their last ever.
The story sees Bo and Luke Duke trying to save a local foster home from Boss Hogg’s latest money-making scheme, but it’s really just an excuse to tear around Hazzard County completing races, outrunning Sheriff Rosco and hunting for stunt jumps and collectibles. It feels sort of a tiny bit ahead of its time in places, with free-roam exploration, vehicle upgrades and plenty of optional distractions giving players far more freedom than you’d expect from a licensed game. Especially in something published by Ubisoft.
As you might’ve guessed, reviews were mixed, with many critics finding the missions repetitive. It’s not the worst game ever though. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to launch the General Lee over rivers for a few hours, this is probably the best way to do it.
Scarface: The World Is Yours – 23 Years
Finally, car or leg. Not just car.
Scarface: The World Is Yours arrived 23 years after Brian De Palma’s gangster classic first exploded onto cinema screens. Rather than awkwardly retelling Tony Montana’s rise and fall, developer Radical Entertainment asked a simple question back in 2006: what if Tony survived the final shootout? Also, what if balls were a mechanic? It’s an alternate timeline that completely ignores the film’s ending, giving players the chance to rebuild Montana’s criminal empire from the ground up after losing everything.
That premise proved to be a masterstroke. Instead of creating a linear movie adaptation, Radical delivered a sprawling open-world crime game packed with empire building, drug trafficking, property purchases and explosive shootouts. The developers even introduced the memorable “Balls” and “Blind Rage” mechanics, rewarding aggressive play while capturing Tony’s larger-than-life personality. Although Al Pacino didn’t reprise his role, probably because he was busy on the game featured an impressive supporting cast, including Robert Loggia, Steven Bauer and other actors from the original film.
Critics were generally positive, praising its satisfying progression, addictive criminal empire mechanics and willingness to forge its own path rather than living in Grand Theft Auto’s shadow. While its mission structure could become repetitive, many felt it succeeded where most movie tie-ins failed by delivering a genuinely worthwhile game in its own right.
It even found itself back in the headlines recently thanks to a highly questionable modern re-release that appeared on digital storefronts, raising eyebrows over its legitimacy before being removed. If you’ve never played it, though, the original PS2 version is still well worth tracking down.
Starsky and Hutch – 24 Years
And here we go back to just car. But we do also get gun!
The first thing to know about Starsky & Hutch is that there are no Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson cameos. Wow. You see, this is based entirely on the original 1970s television series, which every PS2 owner still loved by 2003. Question mark.
Developer Mind’s Eye Productions fully committed to the licence, putting players behind the wheel of the iconic red-and-white Gran Torino as detectives Dave Starsky and Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson chased criminals through Bay City in a series of TV-style adventures.
The developers came up with a genuinely kinda inventive hook. The game plays like an interactive television episode, complete with Huggy Bear reacting to your every move as if you were starring in your own cop show. One player drives while another takes control of Hutch to handle the shooting, creating a surprisingly decent enough co-op experience. It’s no Time Crisis though.
Reception was mixed, but a number of critics appreciated its commitment to arcade fun. Official PlayStation Magazine UK described it as “immensely playable” and praised its entertaining two-player mode, while others enjoyed the television-style presentation even if the missions eventually became repetitive.
While it isn’t in the same league as some games we’ll soon see, Starsky & Hutch is to be fair a relatively inventive adaptation made for quite cheap that understood exactly what made its source material entertaining.
The Warriors – 26 Years
Car is defeated.
Nobody expected Rockstar Games of all studios to adapt The Warriors 26 years after it first premiered. The 1979 classic follows a New York street gang framed for the murder of a respected gang leader, forcing them to battle their way home through a city where every gang wants them dead. At the height of its Grand Theft Auto dominance in 2005, the developer behind the biggest gaming phenomenon on the planet chose to adapt a decades-old gang film instead. It would be like Naughty Dog announcing a game based on Walking Tall. Remember that?
Rather than producing a straightforward retelling, Rockstar Toronto expanded the story with a substantial prequel before seamlessly leading into the events of the film. Much of the original cast returned to voice their characters, while the game’s visuals pushed the PS2 surprisingly hard. Character models, facial animation and the grimy recreation of 1970s New York still look pretty bloody good, helping it stand comfortably alongside Rockstar’s other sixth-generation releases.
The gamble paid off. Critics praised its brutal combat, authentic atmosphere and respect for the source material, and it remains one of the highest-rated licensed games on the system, and it had a bizarrely brilliant PSP version too. More than twenty years later, it’s still one of the best licensed games of all time. Can you dig it? Well…ya should!
Jaws Unleashed – 31 Years
Released in 2006, Jaws Unleashed arrived an incredible and kinda silly 31 years after Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster first terrified cinema audiences. Rather than being a spin-off with Michael Caine putting the finishing touches on his conservatory, players control a giant great white shark as it tears through Amity Island, devouring swimmers, destroying boats and causing as much chaos as possible. It was a genuinely novel concept. Instead of trying to survive the shark, you were the shark, a premise that would later find much greater success with Maneater, which many consider the spiritual successor to Jaws Unleashed.
The choice of developer was fitting too. Appaloosa had previously created the beloved Ecco the Dolphin series, making their transition from protecting marine life to brutally eating it. The game featured upgradeable abilities, open-ended exploration and plenty of wonderfully over-the-top destruction, allowing you to leap onto beaches, demolish oil rigs and swallow unsuspecting divers whole.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite in tuna. Critics picked on its unreliable camera, awkward controls and weirdly boring mission design, with many feeling the brilliant concept couldn’t overcome its technical shortcomings. Even so, it has developed something of a cult following, largely because there simply aren’t many games that let you play as an unstoppable killing machine from the deep.
While it might be rough around the edges, Jaws Unleashed is still better than Jaws 3D. But then again, so is getting headbutted by a hammerhead in the delicates.
The Godfather – 34 Years
The Godfather arrived an incredible 34 years after Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark gangster film first hit cinemas. Rather than simply replaying the events of the movie, you create your own mobster, Aldo Trapani, who rises through the ranks of the Corleone family, crossing paths with iconic scenes and characters while carving out his own story behind the events of the film. In an era when most licensed games barely let you change an outfit, The Godfather allowed players to create surprisingly convincing characters. It’s a real looker, even now.
The project actually began after Paramount approached EA about creating a game based on the licence. The developers decided an open-world structure was the best fit, with executive producer David DeMartini explaining that they wanted players to experience “what went on behind the scenes” while following the film’s story from a different perspective. The game even featured dialogue recorded by Marlon Brando, although only a small amount was usable due to his declining health. It ultimately became his final acting role.
Unlike many movie tie-ins, The Godfather was genuinely well received and is genuinely good. Critics praised its satisfying progression, extortion mechanics and the way it expanded the world without trampling over the original narrative. While comparisons to Grand Theft Auto were inevitable, most agreed it successfully forged its own identity, earning review scores in the mid-to-high 70s and selling more than 4 million copies worldwide.
If you’ve somehow missed it, it’s one of the easiest recommendations here, and that sequel isn’t awful either.
The Great Escape – 40 Years
And finally, we’ve reached the oldest licence of them all. Released in 2003, The Great Escape arrived a staggering 40 years after the original film first reached cinemas. To put that into perspective, that would be like a major developer announcing a brand-new game based on Aliens today. Bad example. Uh, Crocodile Dundee. There ya go.
Based on the 1963 war classic starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough, the film follows Allied prisoners of war as they orchestrate one of the most ambitious escape attempts of the Second World War.
Rather than simply recreating Steve McQueen’s famous motorcycle chase, developer Pivotal Games expanded the story into a full stealth-action adventure. Players control multiple characters throughout the prison camp, sneaking through compounds, stealing documents, sabotaging German operations and, naturally, attempting to escape. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Prisoner of War had released just a year earlier, meaning the PS2 briefly found itself with not one but two WWII prison camp stealth games. It’s easy to spot the influence of Hitman and Metal Gear Solid, with disguises, stealth mechanics and mission-based objectives.
Reception was about as positive as a pregnancy test on a packet of crisps though. Critics praised the variety of objectives and the way Pivotal expanded the film into a fully fledged stealth adventure, but awkward controls, inconsistent AI and some frustrating mission design stopped it from becoming a classic.
If there was one game that perfectly summed up this bizarre era of PS2 licensing, it was The Great Escape. Forty years after the film, somebody looked at Hitman and thought it needed more Nazis. Someone should do that Crocodile Dundee game. Nowhere near enough Australians for my blood.
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