Miss the PS2? Play These Modern Games

miss the PS2

For many gamers of a certain vintage, gaming peaked as a whole with the PlayStation 2. It’s hard to disagree with that. It was one of the final consoles to release before day one patches and day one DLC were a thing, but games of today just also seem to forget the fun factor that PS2 games put above all else on day one. Luckily, there are some new games of today that didn’t forget that.

 

Tricky Madness

Plays like: SSX series

One of my favourite things about doing this series of modern retro games is discovering one of the many games I yap on about from my widow’s walk on a weekly basis is actually being brought back by people who genuinely care. It’s happened a few times already, and now it’s happened with SSX.

Tricky Madness is a pretty mad effort from solo developer Nathan Dearth, what a cool last name, to replicate the crazy spectacle of SSX all on his own. It’s a massive undertaking, which is obvious when you play this Early Access game and realise it’s probably at like step 1 of at least a dozen.

There’s only a couple of racers and tracks as things stand, which does make it feel a tad undercooked. I also don’t think it’s figured out its aesthetic juuuust yet either. It doesn’t quite…pop. However, the solo dev here really is onto something with the gameplay, which brilliantly captures the ridiculous height and speed of SSX, with you able to increase your speed by pulling off huge tricks and increasing your FREAKY bar. It was a brilliant push/pull mechanic back in the 2000s where you had to risk huge tricks to try and make up ground, and it’s still great in the 2020s.

Tricky Madness sounds great and feels great to play, even with an undeniable pre-alpha feel to it. Pick this up on Early Access on Steam for half the price of the inevitable, I dunno, Bob Ross skin with a low taper fade in Fortnite and have a REAL good time, you legend. Charlotte’s Web.

 

REAL WEB LEGENDS: Carter’s Quest

Plays like: Devil May Cry, Zelda, Suikoden 3 (looks like)

The absolute best endorsement for indie gaming is that it’s so refreshingly obvious that there’s no corporate overlord sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong — developers regularly try out random stuff, just for the fun of it. Did you know that ConcernedApe very nearly recreated the Iranian Embassy siege in Stardew Valley, simply to see if he could?

REAL WEB LEGENDS: Carter’s Quest is very much one of those games where subtlety be damned, we’re gonna play Zelda mixed with Devil May Cry with a Suikoden 3 artstyle.

An irreverent “character action RPG”, you play as Carter after he crash lands to earth in a strange realm, but in a much cooler way than in Rings of Power where Gandalf basically has to be bottlefed by a small Irish woman. It’s no time at all before you’re learning about magic, elves, and Homunculi across a pretty content rich open world.

REAL WEB LEGENDS is a bit like a  5 and a half generation game in that it’s a bridge between consoles like the N64 and PS2. It’s got the exploration and feel of Ocarina, but also the sick unlockable combos of Devil May Cry. It even boasts the off-kilter humor of a lot of other Capcom games from the 6th generation too, like God Hand. I also just want to shout out the cutscenes, which have some really rarely seen framing and more than a couple of dutch tilts, like every serious piece of art has.

If I can offer any feedback on this one though, it’d be to maybe tidy the name? REAL WEB LEGENDS sounds kinda like a webisode spin-off series (remember webisodes?) for some 2000s crime show, or a random novelisation for Animorphs. It doesn’t really stick in the mind much.

Apart from that, REAL WEB LEGENDS: Carter’s Quest does look like it’s going for absolute broke during its stint in Early Access on Steam, with just Act 1 of its massive story being about a dozen hours long, and act 2 coming up in 2025. Don’t look elsewhere if you want to get your freak on.

 

El Paso, Elsewhere

Plays like: Max Payne

As has been stressed multiple times on this channel, “bullet time is always fun time.” Ever since Max Payne pioneered the act of throwing yourself around dingy rooms more than Charlie Sheen circa 2011, if you put bullet time in your game, I am going to be here.

If you also add vampires, I am going to be there. If you make the big bad my ex-girlfriend, I am going to be there. If you add a lot of elevators, I am going to be there. And also down. Sometimes up.

El Paso, Elsewhere is one of the most refreshingly straightforward games you could ever want. Make your way through levels, leap through the air with your dual-wielded pistols and shoot all of the vampires and beasties that come your way, then get to the next level and do the same thing. I struggled to put it down when I played it on Steam Deck a couple years back, and basically flew through it in a couple of sittings.

And while the writing is a bit…maybe not indulgent as such, but in need of another guiding hand to tidy up a few edgelord lines and the overall flow a little, it’s such a unique hook that I couldn’t help getting sucked in by it. It’s not every game that you have to track down your abusive vampire ex. Chuck in a rock-infused hip-hop original soundtrack, as well as some surprisingly emotionally heavy moments, and there’s a little wonder this whipper is being turned into a movie.

El Paso, Elsewhere is currently available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and iOS. Weird that it isn’t on Switch, but let’s not slit hairs eh. I’ve only got so many left on my head.

 

Slitterhead

Plays like: Siren, Grasshopper games, Battlefield 2

Horror games are having maybe their best ever moment right now. Whether you want to watch Leon S Kennedy, the S stands for Saucepot, do random backflips or wash your mouth or whatever is going on there, you’re pretty well covered.

We should all still find time for Slitterhead, an action horror game that squeezes every penny of its fairly limited budget out to provide something that, while absolutely flawed, should also absolutely not be slept on. Especially considering it’s directed by Keiichiro Toyama, creator of the Silent Hill and Forbidden Siren series, while also boasting music from Akira Yamaoka.

You just need to look at Slitterhead for about 10 seconds to figure out why it’s like a modern PS2 game. It looks a bit rough around the edges, but also it just generally feels and plays like a PS2 game too. Featuring a storyline that might appeal to Parasyte and Tokyo Ghoul fans, Slitterhead has you possessing different people around Kowlong as you look to put a stop to the Slitterheads that are basically like The Thing Replicants.

You’ve got the instant body hopping of something like Forbidden Siren, Second Sight, or even Battlefield 2 on top of a vibe that’s kinda like a Grasshopper game mixed with Onimusha and Astral Chain? It’s a weird, heady blend, and while the time travel nonsense narrative is trying to do way too much, it’s all so bonkers that it works in an endearingly goofy way.

I personally think that flawed, kinda janky games are sometimes more interesting than games that are super polished and worked on by hundreds of people. Check out this diamond in the rough on PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series. Let’s just praey that it does well enough so that we get more games like it.

 

Praey For The Gods

Plays like: Shadow of the Colossus. That’s it. Maybe FIFA 06 as well. Stop reading now.

Remember that time when Zenimax, owners of Bethesda, saw EA winning the worst company in the world multiple times and wanted to get in on the action? You may also remember that No Matter Studios’ Praey for the Gods was a victim of that pointless punching down, back when it didn’t have an awkward A in the name.

Luckily, it was a fairly minor change for this Kickstarter-backed gem, which should immediately and very intentionally call to mind Shadow of the Colossus, one of the best PS2 games ever. Or well, ever, really.

Originally launched in Early Access before getting its big boy climbing boots on in 2021, Praey for the Gods sets you adrift in a frozen world and asks you to climb massive things and pull their batteries in and out to defeat them. You’re basically edging giants to death.

Anyway, while No Matter could honestly have quite easily just made this spiritual successor into a climbing boss rush game, they actually went the extra mile and included stuff like regular enemy combat, grappling hooks, and crafting to do things like let you increase your stamina. As time has gone on, the less I’ve personally been invested in collecting 16 of A to make 1 of B in games, but there’s loads of different settings to mold Praey For the Gods into the experience you see fit.

And it really is honestly quite the experience. The animations may not always be super smooth, but this was made by a team of 3 people with far more mechanics and things going on than its main inspiration, with Shadow of the Colossus itself being made by 40 people. If you want more Team Ico stuff but are worried your knees might explode before whatever this is comes out, check out Praey For The Gods on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and Xbox One.

 

Evil West

Plays like: Darkwatch, Van Helsing, Red Dead Revolver

The PS2 saw a whole bunch of studios finally properly getting to grips with 3D gaming, with so many low to mid-range budget games becoming cult classics alongside the GTAs and the Metal Gear Solids. You can’t spell PlayStation without AA, after all. No, to the left a bit. Nice one. This game, though, is exactly the kind of thing you’d find in a GameStation back in the day, just a stone’s throw away from Bullet Proof Monk on DVD.

Evil West is probably the most PS2 ass video game here. It’s so linear that it makes that Ryan Reynolds movie look like Indiana Jones. Like it’s ridiculously linear to the point where you’re genuinely just pushing forward for about 60% of it. And I love that for it.

In it, you play as Jesse Rentier, an agent in a family-run vampire hunting institute something something grits something constitution etc. Look, forget that, you’re here to juggle werewolves and vampires with your giant iron fist.

The action, while eventually pretty repetitive by the end, is a nice mix of character action, God of War 2018, and the often forgotten Darkwatch, which is really overdue for a port these days. The weird west stylings make Evil West pretty distinct too, as does the heavily DOOM-inspired Glory Kills.

Evil West is honestly one of those games where I feel like I’m wasting my breath describing it. Put your brain on ice, punch some vampires right in the head, and just have a refreshingly straightforward time on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One. It isn’t perfect, but perfection can sometimes feel a little…hollow.

 

Hollowbody

Plays like: Alone in the Dark: New Nightmare, Code Veronica, Silent Hill 2

Though the genre as a whole is thriving, barring remakes or new Resident Evil games, you very rarely ever see big budget horror games anymore. Or they’re this. You know what, it was fine. Anyway, that is a shame, but it’s also completely fine when we have new old school games like this game coming out on a pretty regular basis.

Hollowbody is the work of the solo developer at Headware Games who you might remember from Chasing Static, that weird Chasing Amy sequel. This is a tech-noir old school survival horror affair that plays like a mix of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, Silent Hill, and maybe a bit of Observer too, with a story that might call to mind Blade Runner.

Starting life as a Kickstarter success, in Hollowbody you play as Mica, who begins her search for her missing partner in a rundown, depressing British coastal town that’s a bit cheerier than Rhyl, but only just. Rhyl has a few more shirtless monsters patrolling its streets.

The one thing that Hollowbody absolutely nails is the atmosphere. I’ve found that a horror game can look and often feel a bit rough, but impeccable sound design can carry you a long, long way. Hollowbody is pretty creepy at points with some nice environmental designs, but obviously some of the animations and combat is going to be a bit rough from a studio this size. As in one person. Which makes it even crazier that they went in post-launch and added a third-person camera option to go alongside the fixed camera default.

One thing that might not be for everyone though is that the game is a bit short, and the puzzles can be a bit too simple. Personally speaking, as a certified puzzle hater who won’t be happy until Jonathan Blow answers for his crimes, I don’t mind that at all. If you want to visit Rhyl but don’t feel like getting your jabs, you can check out Hollowbody at a very fair price on PC. Who knows, it might take a path to other platforms at some point.

 

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

Plays like: Onimusha, Dark Cloud

From the resurgent Resident Evil to Monster Hunter’s ridiculous success, Capcom has been having “a good one” for ages now. You can tell, based on the fact that they released a game in 2024 that was almost certainly never going to be a huge success, but they backed it just because they probably felt passionate about it.

Destined to belong on hidden gems videos for the rest of time, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is the kind of heady, experimental, proudly Japanese concoction that really came to the fore on the PlayStation 2. Playing kinda like a mix of a Level 5 banger mixed with Onimusha, They Are Billions, and I dunno, Bloons TD, Kunitsu-Gami is wonderfully different.

In short, in the day, you are inching your way up a plagued mountain, setting traps, rescuing villagers and preparing for the onslaught of the Seethe demons a night. You protect a maiden whose job is to cleanse the spirits from the mountain with pretty fun hack and slash combat, as well as the ability to enlist NPCs you’ve saved as strategic units.

There is a lot going on here, but it’s really wild to see just how much your daytime activities can affect what you do at night. While making a simple mistake isn’t as brutal as it is in something like They Are Billions, missing something as you carve a path for the maiden can make your life a whole lot harder.

Kunitsu-Gami is complex without being overwhelming, action-packed without you needing to constantly yank on devil triggers, and more addictive than custard creams. If you worry that all AAA publishers are just putting out the same games, let Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess be a palette cleanser for you on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One.

 

Pumpkin Jack

Plays like: Maximo, Medievil

While the PS1 and N64 saw some incredible 3D platformers, we got an absolutely wild range of them like you wouldn’t believe on the PlayStation 2. Remember Haven: Call of the King? Anyone else, bit of Haven? [cricket sound effect] The PS2 also saw the pretty great Maximo duology, which are the first games I thought of when I saw this next game.

Also feeling a lot like the third Medievil game we never got, Pumpkin Jack is a Burton-esque-ish 3D platformer in which you play as the titular Jack of the Pumpkin clan. Basically, there’s a good wizard, and you are bad. Go kill Gandalf.

You’re tasked with slashing and blasting your way across multiple vibrant levels, with there not really being too much fat on this bone. You jump around, pull off some fairly simple combos, and very occasionally mess around with your head, and that’s about it.

Pumpkin Jack is one of those beautiful weekend games that you can easily dip in and out for a few hours, or really lock in and complete it all in an afternoon. It has a nicely spooky yet jaunty atmosphere, enough variety to stop its simplicity from grating, and some funny jokes that feel very much like PlayStation 2 silliness.

Yet another indie banger developed by a single person, check out Pumpkin Jack during the next sale on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Switch.

 

Aragami 1 and 2

Plays like: Tenchu

The PlayStation 2 saw many golden ages for genres, but few were as better served as the stealth genre. From MGS to Splinter Cell to Hitman, you were a-feasting if you wanted to be a-creeping, and this last game definitely feels like the lost spin-off entry in a now pretty much lost stealth franchise.

Developed by the sadly now also lost Lince Works, Aragami is basically like Tenchu, except you invisibly move around in the shadows by teleporting. Stay in the light, and you become pretty vulnerable, as head-on combat is tough to the point where the game is basically just telling you “don’t”.

There are multiple paths to complete each level, and you don’t even need to kill each enemy — it can feel like you’re moving pieces around a bit like chess. It’s a unique concept, with you even able to summon shadow dragons for some gnarly kills. It’s also a real looker, with a nice cel-shading style and a clever UI where your cloak tells you everything you need to know.

There was also a sequel, Aragami 2, that released in a pretty sorry state in 2021, but has since been patched up to be far smoother. It’s a much more forgiving game generally than the original, as you’re now able to properly take enemies on. It feels a little less like its own unique thing, and falls into repetitive territory quite quickly, but can still be pretty fun. The Steam reviews sum it up really well: if the first game is like Splinter Cell, then Aragami 2 is like Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

You can also have plenty of fun in co-op in both games, which is pretty novel for the stealth genre. Still waiting for that Sly Cooper and Solid Snake team-up, guys. Aragami 1 is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, while Aragami 2 can be played on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Switch.

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