My FPS love affair really blew up way back on the PS2, and while the PS1 had a few cool ones, the PS2 was when FPS games really started to flourish on consoles, and that’s thanks to games like these that still hold up today.
Black
We’re starting off strong here, because Black might genuinely be the best-aged FPS on the PS2 Drop into it today and you will probably still think “yeah, this goes hard, ” and that’s cos it does.
Criterion basically treated it like an action movie you can steer, and weirdly, that’s why it holds up. The gunplay is still absurdly satisfying, thanks to those famously chunky reload animations and sound design that makes every weapon feel like it’s trying to punch a hole through the TV or Mars. Even now, nearly twenty years later, the guns have more personality than any of the characters.
The level design is straightforward but never dull. You’ve got big, noisy playgrounds full of exploding scenery and enemies who behave as if they’ve been told they’re the main character too. It’s unapologetically linear, but in a way that works, and linearity is absolutely not a dirty word all the time with games. You point forward, pull trigger, detonate half the Eastern Bloc. Lovely stuff.
As for the story… well, it is definitely a story in which things happen. CIA nonsense, mysterious villains, gravelly voices — you know, the usual. But you’re not here for narrative nuance; you’re here to reduce goons to fine dust, and Black still delivers that beautifully. Bodycount wasn’t quite as beautiful, sadly, but we are still keeping watch for some kind of port.
Darkwatch
If Black is the best-aged “realistic” shooter on PS2, Darkwatch is the best-aged weird one. Capcom published a wild west horror FPS game and we all wondered how it took so long. Even now, it’s absurdly easy to pick up and have fun with. The gunplay feels snappy, the controls are smooth, and it has pulpy confidence that keeps it entertaining long after the novelty of “undead outlaw” should’ve worn off.
You play Jericho Cross, a train-robber who accidentally unleashes a vampire lord and becomes a vampire himself. Better than getting tuberculosis, I guess? The story is, once again, firmly in the category of “yes, events occur,” but it keeps the action moving and gives you an excuse to shoot demon horses, undead soldiers, and anything else with glowing eyes.
What really makes it age well is the atmosphere and general vibe. Missions are brisk and the mix of supernatural powers with Wild West hardware still feels fresh. The characters and moody lighting also mask the console’s age better than most shooters.
If you’re wondering what happened to the developers, High Moon Studios, they are still around, but deep in the COD content mines where dreams go to die. It’s a shame Darkwatch never became a proper series. The PS2 deserved at least thirteen of these, and I’d have played every single one of them.
XIII
The wild thing about revisiting XIII today is realising just how much better it is than its remake. Not just a little better, but comfortably better. The PS2 original still has that crisp cel-shaded style that hasn’t aged a day, and the comic-book presentation remains its secret weapon. Panels pop up to track enemies and sound effects burst across the screen.
I like Battlefield, but there’s nowhere near enough onomatopoeia for my liking
What really keeps it fun now is how sharp the fundamentals still are. The shooting feels solid, the weapons have character, and the light stealth sections break up the pacing without dragging you into frustration. Especially cos you can batter goons with chairs You never really know what you’re going to see next here.
The story adapted from the comics also deserves credit. Yes, it starts with amnesia (as tradition demands), but the conspiracy plot is genuinely engaging, pulling you across snowy bases, seaside safehouses, and government facilities as you unravel who framed you for the president’s assassination.
Two decades later, XIII holds onto its identity brilliantly. It’s a game that Ubisoft simply wouldn’t make today.
James Bond 007: Nightfire
If you’re revisiting Bond on PS2, Nightfire is the one you will probably still want to play the living daylights out of. Although Agent Under Fire is also surprisingly solid, and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent remains one of the most literal game titles ever shipped. He’s got an eye that is golden!
But Nightfire is the Bond PS2 game to go back to. You’ve got smooth controls, great mission variety, and that unmistakable early-2000s Bond vibe without slipping into self-parody.
The campaign holds up far better than you’d expect, with spectacle and sneaking that combines pretty much. Levels jump between stealth, gadgets, full shootouts, and the occasional high-drama set piece, but nothing outstays its welcome. It’s straightforward, confident, and still easy to enjoy today. Pierce Brosnan’s likeness is pretty good too, but not his voice. That’s supplied by Maxwell Caulfield, who, as well as sounding like a Bond villain, played Alistair Smythe in the Spider-Man series.
The real sleeper strength, though, is the multiplayer. It was wildly underrated at the time and still great fun now. Yes, it’s not as good as Goldeneye, but it’s the kind of couch FPS that immediately devolves into accusations of screen cheating, and that pen gun is still absolutely ridiculous.
As a modern revisit, Nightfire holds up in all the right spots. I’d kill for a port.
Killzone
Revisiting Killzone today is a nice reminder that the PS2 could absolutely pull off an ambitious shooter the more devs mastered what it could do. It was pitched as the “Halo killer” back in the day, which it really wasn’t, but judged on its own terms, it’s aged far better than people remember. The atmosphere still lands, the art direction still gives everything a chunky, industrial grit, and the Helghast remain some of the most striking enemy designs of that entire generation.
The gunplay is slower and heavier than the other shooters in this video, but that works in its favour now. There’s a satisfying heft to every weapon, and the recoil patterns make firefights feel scrappy. It also helps that each of the four playable characters brings their own weapon speciality, which adds replay value.
The campaign isn’t perfect, but it has a good rhythm. You’ve got urban trenches, jungle ambushes, collapsing bases all tied together with a consistently oppressive feeling of smog. And honestly, the presentation alone carries a lot of the experience. The lighting, sound, and overall mood still do a lot of work.
Today, Killzone is rough in places and the controls might take you a minute, but it’s one of the more transportative shooters going. I played it front to back.
Medal of Honor Frontline
Revisiting Frontline today is a great reminder of how good Medal of Honor used to be. And how good authentic, grounded WW2 games can be when they’re not chucking, I dunno…Hazbin Hotel skins in there? It’s instantly more entertaining than you’d expect for a 23 year old game. Wow. That’s got me feeling like that gif.
The famous D-Day landing still hits, but people forget that the rest after it is pretty good too. You’ll be sabotaging supply lines, sneaking through occupied towns, raiding a U-boat base, yeah, each mission has a clear identity and moves at a brisk clip. The weapons also continue to feel great, with that louder-than-life punch the series used to excel at.
Visually, Frontline was actually considered quite flashy for its day. The debris, smoke, lighting and set-piece explosions were a big deal on PS2, and the orchestral score elevated everything even further. It still looks and sounds very respectable now, though obviously don’t stare at the animations too closely.
Compared to the other PS2 Medal of Honor entries, Frontline remains the tightest and easiest to recommend. Rising Sun has charm but loses focus halfway through, and European Assault does come pretty close. Frontline balances spectacle and structure better than either, and, as far as we’re concerned, is still the king.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
King Kong is one of the strangest success stories on the PS2. And not just cos of that name.
It’s a licensed movie tie-in that not only aged well, but arguably plays better now because of how much you can appreciate it for what it is. No HUD, no clutter, just a tight, atmospheric FPS adventure that trusts you to figure things out without constant hand-holding. You also get to press a button to get Adrien Brody to shout out your ammo count.
And you do also get to batter things as a big ape, which is always nice.
The big surprise, especially revisiting it today, is how unique the first-person sections still feel. Playing as Jack Driscoll, weapons are limited and always a bit on the fly, so you’re constantly improvising with spears, fire, and whatever sharp stick happens to be lying around. The visuals still hold up impeccably despite some 2005 haziness, and the sound design does a lot of heavy lifting too. Jack Black is very committed to his voicework here too.
Then it flips the script and lets you play as Kong, which, again, is always fun.
Even on PS2 hardware with newer versions out there, King Kong holds up shockingly well. And that’s a fact. Shun.
Red Faction
Red Faction is a PS2 game that you could’ve sworn debuted on PC first due to the tech involved, but nope. May 2001 on the PS2, baby.
Geo-Mod was a revelation at the time. It allowed proper, real-time destruction in an era before Battlefield let you kill a guy with a skyscraper. Even today, carving your own tunnels, blasting shortcuts through bases, or just knocking holes in a room because it looks funny is still hugely satisfying.
The moment-to-moment action hasn’t aged quite as gracefully. It’s not the fastest or smoothest shooter on the console, and the performance can dip when things get busy. But once your brain flips into “I can literally make my own route here,” the slower pace becomes part of the fun. It plays more like a sandbox with huge holes in that box than a pure corridor shooter
The atmosphere also helps. You got dusty mines, oppressive Martian facilities, and that early-2000s industrial sci-fi vibe. Even when the combat shows its age, the world building carries things.
And it’s worth mentioning that the sequel, Red Faction II, is a pretty decent follow-up. It’s more polished, more traditional, and less interested in full-map excavation, but still fun and absolutely worth checking out after the original.
The Operative: No One Lives Forever
No One Lives Forever on PS2 is a wonderful little time capsule. Not least of which cos you actually have to travel back in time a bit to play it properly. It’s a slightly trimmed-down port of one of the smartest, funniest shooters of its era, but still absolutely worth playing today. In fact, if you want a goofy alternative to Nightfire, this is ideal. Cate Archer remains one of the best protagonists of the time, and armed with gadgets that feel equally clever and daft in that perfect ‘60s-spy way.
What makes it hold up now is the variety. Most PS2 FPS games pick either stealth or action and cling to it, but NOLF cheerfully mixes everything. There are gadget puzzles, quick shootouts, sneaking, lockpicking, and a steady drip-feed of set pieces that keep the pacing lively. Even when the stealth shows its age, the levels stay fun because they’re designed around giving you options rather than locking you into one approach.
It’s also colourful, playful, and genuinely charming. You’ve got bright interiors, jazzy stings, and enemy chatter that still gets a smile. The PS2 version isn’t the prettiest way to play, but the style outruns the hardware limitations.
The sequel, No One Lives Forever 2, is even better. But here’s the twist: you can’t legally buy either game anywhere due to the infamous rights mess. And weirdly enough, that means the old PS2 disc is probably the most convenient, accessible way left to experience this brilliant series. Who said the future of gaming would be perfect?
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
The first game was a fun experiment and the second game was the next evolution of that, but Future Perfect is the point where the TimeSplitters series hit its peak. Revisiting it today, it’s still one of the most effortlessly fun shooters on the PS2. Or anywhere, really.
Fast action, brain-tickling sound effects, arcadey shooting, and a breezy sense of humour that somehow never gets in the way of the actual gunplay. It’s a comedy-tinged FPS where the jokes land and the shooting feels superb. It is is pretty much perfect.
The campaign holds up especially well. The time-hopping setup lets each level play with a different theme without feeling disjointed, and the game constantly throws new ideas at you. There are train shootouts, haunted houses full of zombies, big sci-fi arenas, and plenty of timey wimey stuff. Cortez is still a great lead too, with that straight-faced delivery making every ridiculous situation even better.
And the multiplayer? Still absolute top-tier PS2 chaos that can be a good way to waste an afternoon with a mate. Even just playing against bots is a good excuse to crank out the Toxicity CD and get blasting.
On a crowded console, Future Perfect stands out as one of the best “pick up and have fun immediately” shooters ever made. It hasn’t lost a step.
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