The 10 Most CINEMATIC PS2 Games

The 10 Most Cinematic PS2 Games

Welcome to MojoPlays. The PS2 was a groundbreaking console and innovator in nearly every aspect, including its approach to cinematic presentation and storytelling that has become the industry standard.

“Indigo Prophecy” (2005)

Say what you want about David Cage’s heavy handed storytelling, but there’s no denying Cage and the teams at Quantic Dream have a cinematic eye for presentation. What begins as a supernatural murder quickly evolves into fourth wall breaking science fiction cinematic style quick time events. The inventive use of the controller buttons made the whole experience feel more interactive than a usual gaming experience, further immersing players in its intriguing world as the events surrounding the initial murder slowly go off the rails. With multiple playable characters and numerous player choice driven moments that can lead to different endings depending on these choices, Indigo Prophecy laid the groundwork for Quantic Dream to follow and improve upon with each subsequent release and undoubtedly influenced countless other choose-your-own-adventure style narratives from other creative devs.

“Ultimate Spider-Man” (2005)

As one of the world’s most popular and most recognizable superheroes, Spider-Man has been swinging through video games since nearly their inception. Naturally, not all of them are winners, but a few managed to stand out more than the rest - love you, Spider-Man PS1! - and manage to perfectly recapture what makes the character so iconic. Taking place within the long running comic’s timeline, Ultimate Spider-Man and the use of comic panels during cinematics brings its source material to life better than any other adaptation to date. The cel-shaded art style manages to perfectly recreate Spidey’s inhuman acrobatics better than his more realistic counterparts, and the game nails the sarcastic wit of the websinger alongside his relationship with MJ being one of the best adaptations in the medium. Ultimate Spider-Man might not be the biggest or most realistic Spider-Man game, but it IS the ultimate Spidey experience for comic book fans.

“Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal” (2004)

Ever since the original Ratchet and Clank release, the wizards at Insomniac made it clear they wanted “Pixar quality” graphics for their Lombax and his little robot companion’s adventures, and while they were finally able to achieve that level of quality a couple generations later, Up Your Arsenal more than pushed the PS2 to its limits. Featuring some of the series’ most inventive weapons and a galaxy-spanning adventure, the numerous bosses felt appropriately cinematic with shrapnel, explosions and all manner of chaos unfolding as you frantically swapped weapons to bring them down. Alongside the series’ now iconic villain Dr. Nefarious and a classic redemption arc for series goofball Captain Qwark, the bond between Ratchet and his longtime companion Clank is expanded and deepened, adding even more depth to their characters. Even though later entries would become even more movie-like, Up Your Arsenal represents all the best elements of the franchise.

“Beyond Good & Evil” (2003)

Beyond Good and Evil has all the hallmarks of a great thriller. An intrepid reporter finding her way into an underground government conspiracy, a race against time, and shady government agents attempting to stop her at every turn. Add in a bit of alien cover-ups and classic science fiction tech and Beyond Good and Evil could have easily had its own film adaptation. Featuring now beloved characters such as Pey’j and especially Jade, who manages to be both strong but vulnerable drawing players into the conspiracy that threatens their home and their small idyllic life. Throw in a good old fashioned underground rebellion and some of the best character animation on the system and Beyond Good and Evil SHOULD have been an instant classic, but with lukewarm sales at launch, we’ll happily settle for this being a retrospectively appreciated classic rather than a forgotten gem. Too bad it’ll never get a sequel.

“Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)

Few games on the PS2 have the scope of Shadow of the Colossus. The massive open world is atmospheric design perfected as you travel through the barren landscape from one Colossus to the next and the sheer scale of some of the encounters with these beasts remains unmatched even by modern standards. Every Colossus gets an introductory cutscene, briefly allowing the player to size up the stakes before being thrown headfirst into an encounter oftentimes with a creature of skyscraper-sized proportions. With a minimalistic story along with only brief scenes to flesh out the plot, Shadow of the Colossus feels like an A24 or high budget indie film that focuses more on the “show rather than tell” approach to storytelling. And yet even with barely any dialogue spoken, the brilliant camera work and musical score still manage to craft one of the greatest stories and experiences in all of gaming.

“Onimusha 3: Demon Siege” (2004)

Capcom had already experimented making their Onimusha series more film-like than their Resident Evil series by using the likenesses and motion capture of real-life actors in the game’s starring roles and this practice continued with Onimusha 3. Not only did Takeshi Kaneshiro return as Samanosuke but the Onimusha 3 added renowned actor Jean Reno as Inspector Jacques Blanc and dropped the pair in worlds opposite one another. Onimusha 3’s switch to a 3D engine also allowed for more dynamic camera angles alongside arguably one of the best and most badass opening cutscenes on the PS2 directed by none other than martial arts superstar Donnie Yen. The worlds of modern-day Paris and Feudal Japan were brilliantly designed, and the placement of the camera remains some of the best work Capcom has done in the genre along with cutscenes that remain unmatched by the series’ other entries.

“Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne” (2003)

Remedy has long been a developer embracing the cinematic nature of video games and Max Payne 2 is where the studio really started finding its groove. Perfectly blending the crime noir aesthetic with an improved bullet time system made gameplay not only more engaging but also pulled you in with engaging characters and a brilliantly well-crafted twisty narrative that fully embraced the pulpy nature of the genre. With dramatic comic book-style cutscenes complete with Max Payne actor James MaCaffrey’s gravely performance bringing the world and Max’s tormented existence to life, players are immediately pulled into the world from the opening moments. With a much darker and somehow even more twisted narrative than its predecessor, Max Payne 2 set a new benchmark for mature storytelling on the PS2 and set Remedy up for a future as one of the leaders of blending cinematic narratives with innovative gameplay.

“Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” (2002)

The GTA series might be renowned today for its cinematic storytelling, but that wasn’t always the case. GTA3 was a great proof of concept, but the world itself was more memorable than the story. However, with the follow-up Vice City, Rockstar started delivering on the premise. Taking players back to the nostalgic era of the 1980s with the neon-soaked streets and Miami Vice-inspired attire, Vice City nailed the atmosphere of the time period and gave the series one of its best protagonists with an irreplaceable performance from Ray Liotta bringing Tommy Vercetti to life. Full of epic confrontations, deals gone wrong and last minute betrayals, Vice City felt like a lost Martin Scorsese crime thriller from the 80s. Simply driving around the world and soaking in the atmosphere while listening to the many licensed tunes was a vibe and we’re all here for it.

“God of War II” (2007)

When it comes to cinematic spectacle, few do it better than Kratos and his quest for revenge against the Gods. With each entry attempting to one up the other, God of War 2 begins with one of the series’ biggest boss encounters and only gets grander in scale from there. From sending Kratos to hell and back, to riding across the sky on a Pegasus, and eventually confronting the Sisters of Fate to rewind time itself, Kratos’ journey is one exciting thrill ride event after another. With the grander scale of the conflict coming into play as Kratos seeks revenge against not only Zeus but all the Gods of Olympus by the end of the game, God of War 2 gives players a summer blockbuster worth of thrills, action set pieces, gallons of blood and gore and easily would have dominated the summer box office had it been released in theaters.

“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)

It’s no secret Hideo Kojima is a big fan of films, and this passion has been highly influential in his work, so with his third entry in his Metal Gear Solid series, Kojima crafted not only what is widely considered the best entry in the franchise, but also essentially his own Bond film complete with his own Bond girls. With cinematic camera angles that not only perfectly capture the wonderfully choreographed and chaotic action, but also emotionally fuel the scene, Kojima crafted one of the best espionage narratives alongside some of his most creatively Kojima-style boss fights, all culminating in one of the more emotionally devastating boss fights on the PS2, all in the player’s hands. The mastermind even went so far as to craft a theme song for the opening credits further nodding to the entry’s major influences of Ian Fleming’s beloved character.

What was the most cinematic experience you played on the PS2? Share your favorites in the comments.