20 PS2 Games With Graphics That STILL Hold Up Today
advertisement
VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
The PlayStation 2 was such an incredible console that some of its graphics still hold up today. For this list, we'll be looking at games that were released back on the PS2 almost 20 years ago whose graphics have aged the best. Our list of PS2 games whose graphics still hold up today includes “Silent Hill 3” (2003), “Kingdom Hearts II” (2005), “Burnout 3: Takedown” (2004), “God of War II” (2007), and more!
Script written by Aaron Brown
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ve been blinded by the beauty of these 20 PS2 graphics that still hold up today. For this list, we’ll be looking at games that were released back on the PS2 almost 20 years ago (I felt that one) whose graphics could almost pass as modern day releases. What PS2 game do you think has the best graphics that rival even the next gen titles? Let us know your favorites down in the comments.
With the launch of the PS2 in 2000, video games came closer than ever to the “Pixar” quality of graphics, and the first one to set the bar was undoubtedly Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The vibrant colors popped off the screen and the increased power of the PS2 allowed Naughty Dog to make the island the duo explore almost completely seamless with almost no load times or draw distance. The cartoony character designs are still some of the best in the platforming genre even by today’s standards. Each biome was wonderfully detailed and even though many stayed true to the familiar formula like ice and lava levels, the amount of detail is still impressive. When the game was re-released for more modern consoles, it easily could have passed as a current gen title almost 20 years later.
The most important aspect of any racing game is the sense of speed, and on the track, Burnout 3 easily outpaces the competition. The blur effect on the world around you as you narrowly drift through tight corners with your bumper inches from the guard rail is exhilarating, and all the while you’re attempting to knock your opponents out of the race before they can do the same to you. The slow-mo effect when you take down a fellow racer and watch their car splinter into shards of metal and glass is infinitely rewarding and gives you a brief window to catch your breath before speeding back into the race at hand. The detail in not only the cars but the tracks as well remains impressive even though you’re unlikely to notice as they whip by at blazing speed.
While Shadow of the Colossus is obviously the more high-profile Team Ico game on the PS2, Bluepoint Games’ 2018 remake proved you actually can improve on perceived perfection. However, Team Ico’s first title is a much more isolated and intimate entry in their trilogy of games and because of the smaller scale, holds up far better than the grand scale of Wander scaling the mighty Colossi. The castle’s intricate detail and winding corridors are still just as gorgeous today as they were two decades ago and smashing the encroaching shadows to mist is still a great example of the PS2’s early power to create realistic particle effects. Ico and Yorda’s slightly ethereal designs give their journey an otherworldly aesthetic against the backdrop of the incredibly detailed and realistic castle setting.
Besides boasting on the most impressive opening cinematics, even by today’s standards, each entry in the Onimusha series managed to one-up itself from its predecessor in the graphics department. While the game still used the familiar static camera angles familiar to any fan of the Resident Evil series at the time - this was just before the groundbreaking RE4 was released - Onimusha’s use of real-life actors’ scanned faces brought the characters to life well before this was the industry standard. The environments were impressively detailed thanks to a new 3D engine, as were all the character, enemy, and weapon designs and the amount of particle effects on screen during bigger boss battles was and still is a sight to behold. The larger environments allowed players to truly soak in the ambiance of the world and gave them more opportunities for exploration.
While not the most critically well received game on our list, Ghosthunter’s graphics, especially in the character and enemy animations are still some of the best the PS2 had to offer. Given the more horror centric nature of the title as well as hunting the ghosts themselves, Ghosthunter’s lighting effects particularly in the dimly lit environments that explode with ambient light when battling the specters, remain consistently impressive throughout. Many of the ghost designs can be truly horrific and have multiple forms which will spontaneously evolve during encounters and battles can get quite chaotic with numerous particle and lighting effects filling the screen at any given time. Ghosthunter might not have taken any business away from the proper Ghostbusters but it remains a technical marvel so early in the PS2’s lifecycle.
The Silent Hill series is renowned for its foreboding atmosphere and ambiance and this no better exemplified than in its 3rd entry in the franchise. With each room designed to put the player in a constant state of unease, the game effortlessly keeps the player balancing on a razor’s edge unsure of what horrors await them behind each door. The more confined areas compared to Silent Hill 2 gave the developers the opportunity to add even more disgusting detail to the environments and although the second entry is rightfully regarded as the masterpiece, Silent Hill 3 manages to outdo its predecessor with more horrific creature designs and unsettling environmental design. Even the ambient fog feels more oppressive in this entry, further concealing its unknown horrors.
The Shin Megami and its spinoff Persona series are most recognized for their stylish presentation and effortlessly cool aesthetic, and before Persona became the juggernaut that it is today, Shin Megami Tensei 3 was about as cool as the franchise could get. The anime-esque art design and presentation marked a significant shift in the style and tone of the series with the transition to 3D environments which would only be improved and built upon with subsequent entries. The duller hallways of the opening hours soon give way to brilliantly detailed worlds full of some incredibly inventive and oftentimes disturbing character and enemy designs that continue to impress and inspire the series 2 decades later.
The Dragon Quest games have always had a timeless nature to them thanks in no small part to Akira Toriyama’s instantly recognizable art style, but the franchise’s first foray into Sony’s next generation was immediately a step above what came before it. The cel shaded art style made Akira Toriyama’s art popped off the screen like his famous Dragonball series. Characters had more personality and expressive reactions than many other more “realistic” JRPGs of the time and because of this and developer Level 5’s continued pursuit of “playable anime,” the cel shaded style has held up far better than many other other titles released around the same time, continuing to be a staple of the series ever since.
Speaking of cel shaded, we’d absolutely be remiss if we didn’t bring up Auto Modellista, one of arguably the most visually stunning racers on the PS2. While the racing itself was passable at best, it was the cel shaded art style that made what could have been another generic racer stand out from the pack and stand the test of time visually. The cars themselves look ripped straight from the pages of a manga like “MF Ghost” or “Over Rev!” and the motion blur of your 2.5D car whipping around a fully 3D track at speeds in excess of 100 MPH is exhilarating and by far one of the most visually impressive aspects of an already stunning game. While in the years since release, others have attempted to emulate this style, none so far have succeeded as well as Auto Modellista.
Although Final Fantasy X is also a visual stunner for the PS2, we have to give the nod to Final Fantasy XII for bringing the series into fully realized 3D. 12 was also the first entry to ditch the random battles, allowing players to explore the open world and decide whether or not they want to engage in battle or avoid it entirely. 12 also managed to perfectly balance the more fantastical aspects of the series in a grounded and realistic way with some of the species the players encounter being downright animalistic but still feeling organic and a natural part of the world. The world of Ivalice is one of the most fully realized in the series and despite the gorgeous visuals, feels worn and lived in thanks in no small part to its brilliant art direction that left many of the franchise’s cartoony aspects in the past.
The PS2 had no shortage of incredible fighting games, but few managed to reach the level of “arcade perfection” of Tekken 5. The level of design and detail in not only each character but their arenas is still impressive today and even more awe-inspiring when you take the sheer speed and snappiness of the combat into play. Each character felt and looked distinct and had a myriad of content, including the original 3 Tekken games, allowing players to freely customize their experience with their favorite fighters. With all new animations for each character that make their combos feel not only smoother but also more realistic, the game was gorgeous to look at, felt incredible to play and remains one of the highest rated Tekken games of all time.
The unprecedented mash up of Square and Disney in no way should have worked as well as it did, let alone blended this seamlessly. With every Disney world the player visits, they’re transported into their favorite movies from their childhood and each world is lovingly crafted to match not only each film’s art style but also filled to the brim with nods and Easter Eggs for diehard fans of the movies. Watching how Sora, Donald, and Goofy transform to match the charming worlds, even the realistic style of Pirates of the Caribbean, is a treat every time, and being able to explore previously unseen areas of the films is and continues to be an absolute dream for any Disney aficionado.
From the earliest days of the PS1, Polyphony Digital was pushing the console to its limits with its Gran Turismo series, and with the additional power of the PS2, their dream of the most realistic driving experience was closer than ever. The level of detail in the cars and tracks is still only matched by the Gran Turismo series’ subsequent entries but with Gran Turismo 4, Polyphony set a benchmark they’re still trying to match themselves. The level of detail on each vehicle is unmatched which is even more impressive when you take into account that over 700 cars from over 100 years of automotive racing are represented here with stunning detail. Even the tracks based on many real-world locations remain stunning to watch fly by at breakneck speeds.
The second time Level 5 appears on our list, the developers used their love of the cel shaded style and created an adventure that took players out of this world. While not as immediately eye-catching as Dragon Quest 8, the game was still a feast for the eyes with every world the player visits being visually distinct and full of personality, mixing futuristic tech and medieval architecture. For a time, this was the closest many fans had come to exploring the Star Wars universe on their home consoles as Rogue Galaxy made no secrets about taking inspiration from a galaxy far, far away fused with real time combat and interesting characters. Just as impressive as its graphics was the near complete lack of load times throughout the entire game; something even many modern games are incapable of.
There’s no denying Okami is a gorgeous game. The painted art style blends seamlessly with the paintbrush aesthetic and its use in both combat and puzzle solving. Letting players literally paint the world around them was revolutionary and while there have been many imitators, Okami remains the standard, due in no small part to its incredible level and character design. For PS2 owners this was the closest thing we had to The Legend of Zelda on a Sony console and were it not for the annoying choice to make all dialogue chirping noises, it had the potential to even surpass the mighty Hylian warrior and his princess. Even all these years later and after numerous ports to almost every console, very little has needed to be changed as the game’s graphics and
In the late 90s Square was renowned for their pre-rendered cutscenes, and with the PS2, gamers were promised gameplay that could look as good as those cinematics. Square’s The Bouncer delivered on that promise. Drawing talent from all corners of the industry, the game itself wasn’t quite as revolutionary as the talent behind it, but there’s no denying this was and still is a stunning looking game. Cinematics blended seamlessly into gameplay, and while the brawler mechanics were passable at best, the game maintained its distinct style and cinematic presentation throughout. Characters are well animated as they slam opponents around impressively detailed environments. The ragdoll physics might be a tad over-the-top, but they also bring a sense of satisfaction to each successful combo.
First person shooters are designed specifically to put the player at the center of as much bullet riddled hellscape as possible, and no title on the PS2 did that better than Criterion’s Black. An absolute cacophony of chaos, Black unleashed the true power of its firearms in ways even modern titles have yet to achieve. Forgoing the more realistic nature the genre was adapting at the time, the only objective of Black was to unleash the player in a world full of bullets and explosions and it literally blew the doors off the hinges in this regard. With all manner of enemies, bullets and explosions filling the screen at once, the frame rate remained rock solid as each environment crumbled before the might of one of the best shotguns in gaming this side of Doom.
The true swan song of the PS2, releasing 6 months after the launch of Sony’s follow up, the PS3, God of War 2 still managed to put many of the next generation’s launch titles to shame with its graphics that managed to surpass its predecessor in only 2 years’ time. Kratos’ second quest for revenge was a feast for the eyes as players explored even more varied environments and architecture dripping with detail and as much character as the titular God of War himself. Character models were upgraded, and Kratos’ eternal scowl never looked better as he unleashed his rage through a myriad of weapons that filled the screen with all manner of dazzling particle effects and still looks and plays like a dream even today.
While a lot of mech games on the PS2 opted for the more grounded and realistic take on the lumbering and slower paced mechanized monstrosities, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner allowed players to zip around the environments at lightning speed, focusing more on the speed of the encounters rather than the mech’s loadout. The 2nd Runner has undeniably some of the most satisfying and reactive combat in the genre, taking players from a frigid planet’s icy surface one minute and chasing a speeding train down a tunnel the next. The varied environments and more diverse enemies as well as the anime cutscenes help the game maintain its visual fidelity far more than the first game and makes it even more heartbreaking that we never got a third entry in the franchise after its phenomenal second outing.
While Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater easily could have taken the spot on this list, we’ve decided to highlight Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty not only for its graphics remaining nearly timeless over 20 years later, but also for the fact we went from this (MGS) to this in only 3 years’ time. Hideo Kojima and art director Yoji Shinkawa’s pseudo-realistic character designs and environments are still a sight to behold even today, let alone back in the early days of the PS2. While obviously not on par with MGSV or even Metal Gear Solid 4, Kojima’s blockbuster style direction and the positioning of the camera hide many of the limitations of the time and anyone unfamiliar with the series could easily believe this to be a modern-day stealth game due to its classic presentation and tight gameplay.
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ve been blinded by the beauty of these 20 PS2 graphics that still hold up today. For this list, we’ll be looking at games that were released back on the PS2 almost 20 years ago (I felt that one) whose graphics could almost pass as modern day releases. What PS2 game do you think has the best graphics that rival even the next gen titles? Let us know your favorites down in the comments.
“Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy” (2001)
With the launch of the PS2 in 2000, video games came closer than ever to the “Pixar” quality of graphics, and the first one to set the bar was undoubtedly Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The vibrant colors popped off the screen and the increased power of the PS2 allowed Naughty Dog to make the island the duo explore almost completely seamless with almost no load times or draw distance. The cartoony character designs are still some of the best in the platforming genre even by today’s standards. Each biome was wonderfully detailed and even though many stayed true to the familiar formula like ice and lava levels, the amount of detail is still impressive. When the game was re-released for more modern consoles, it easily could have passed as a current gen title almost 20 years later.
“Burnout 3: Takedown” (2004)
The most important aspect of any racing game is the sense of speed, and on the track, Burnout 3 easily outpaces the competition. The blur effect on the world around you as you narrowly drift through tight corners with your bumper inches from the guard rail is exhilarating, and all the while you’re attempting to knock your opponents out of the race before they can do the same to you. The slow-mo effect when you take down a fellow racer and watch their car splinter into shards of metal and glass is infinitely rewarding and gives you a brief window to catch your breath before speeding back into the race at hand. The detail in not only the cars but the tracks as well remains impressive even though you’re unlikely to notice as they whip by at blazing speed.
“Ico” (2001)
While Shadow of the Colossus is obviously the more high-profile Team Ico game on the PS2, Bluepoint Games’ 2018 remake proved you actually can improve on perceived perfection. However, Team Ico’s first title is a much more isolated and intimate entry in their trilogy of games and because of the smaller scale, holds up far better than the grand scale of Wander scaling the mighty Colossi. The castle’s intricate detail and winding corridors are still just as gorgeous today as they were two decades ago and smashing the encroaching shadows to mist is still a great example of the PS2’s early power to create realistic particle effects. Ico and Yorda’s slightly ethereal designs give their journey an otherworldly aesthetic against the backdrop of the incredibly detailed and realistic castle setting.
“Onimusha 3: Demon Siege” (2004)
Besides boasting on the most impressive opening cinematics, even by today’s standards, each entry in the Onimusha series managed to one-up itself from its predecessor in the graphics department. While the game still used the familiar static camera angles familiar to any fan of the Resident Evil series at the time - this was just before the groundbreaking RE4 was released - Onimusha’s use of real-life actors’ scanned faces brought the characters to life well before this was the industry standard. The environments were impressively detailed thanks to a new 3D engine, as were all the character, enemy, and weapon designs and the amount of particle effects on screen during bigger boss battles was and still is a sight to behold. The larger environments allowed players to truly soak in the ambiance of the world and gave them more opportunities for exploration.
“Ghosthunter” (2003)
While not the most critically well received game on our list, Ghosthunter’s graphics, especially in the character and enemy animations are still some of the best the PS2 had to offer. Given the more horror centric nature of the title as well as hunting the ghosts themselves, Ghosthunter’s lighting effects particularly in the dimly lit environments that explode with ambient light when battling the specters, remain consistently impressive throughout. Many of the ghost designs can be truly horrific and have multiple forms which will spontaneously evolve during encounters and battles can get quite chaotic with numerous particle and lighting effects filling the screen at any given time. Ghosthunter might not have taken any business away from the proper Ghostbusters but it remains a technical marvel so early in the PS2’s lifecycle.
“Silent Hill 3” (2003)
The Silent Hill series is renowned for its foreboding atmosphere and ambiance and this no better exemplified than in its 3rd entry in the franchise. With each room designed to put the player in a constant state of unease, the game effortlessly keeps the player balancing on a razor’s edge unsure of what horrors await them behind each door. The more confined areas compared to Silent Hill 2 gave the developers the opportunity to add even more disgusting detail to the environments and although the second entry is rightfully regarded as the masterpiece, Silent Hill 3 manages to outdo its predecessor with more horrific creature designs and unsettling environmental design. Even the ambient fog feels more oppressive in this entry, further concealing its unknown horrors.
“Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne” (2003)
The Shin Megami and its spinoff Persona series are most recognized for their stylish presentation and effortlessly cool aesthetic, and before Persona became the juggernaut that it is today, Shin Megami Tensei 3 was about as cool as the franchise could get. The anime-esque art design and presentation marked a significant shift in the style and tone of the series with the transition to 3D environments which would only be improved and built upon with subsequent entries. The duller hallways of the opening hours soon give way to brilliantly detailed worlds full of some incredibly inventive and oftentimes disturbing character and enemy designs that continue to impress and inspire the series 2 decades later.
“Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King” (2004)
The Dragon Quest games have always had a timeless nature to them thanks in no small part to Akira Toriyama’s instantly recognizable art style, but the franchise’s first foray into Sony’s next generation was immediately a step above what came before it. The cel shaded art style made Akira Toriyama’s art popped off the screen like his famous Dragonball series. Characters had more personality and expressive reactions than many other more “realistic” JRPGs of the time and because of this and developer Level 5’s continued pursuit of “playable anime,” the cel shaded style has held up far better than many other other titles released around the same time, continuing to be a staple of the series ever since.
“Auto Modellista” (2003)
Speaking of cel shaded, we’d absolutely be remiss if we didn’t bring up Auto Modellista, one of arguably the most visually stunning racers on the PS2. While the racing itself was passable at best, it was the cel shaded art style that made what could have been another generic racer stand out from the pack and stand the test of time visually. The cars themselves look ripped straight from the pages of a manga like “MF Ghost” or “Over Rev!” and the motion blur of your 2.5D car whipping around a fully 3D track at speeds in excess of 100 MPH is exhilarating and by far one of the most visually impressive aspects of an already stunning game. While in the years since release, others have attempted to emulate this style, none so far have succeeded as well as Auto Modellista.
“Final Fantasy XII” (2006)
Although Final Fantasy X is also a visual stunner for the PS2, we have to give the nod to Final Fantasy XII for bringing the series into fully realized 3D. 12 was also the first entry to ditch the random battles, allowing players to explore the open world and decide whether or not they want to engage in battle or avoid it entirely. 12 also managed to perfectly balance the more fantastical aspects of the series in a grounded and realistic way with some of the species the players encounter being downright animalistic but still feeling organic and a natural part of the world. The world of Ivalice is one of the most fully realized in the series and despite the gorgeous visuals, feels worn and lived in thanks in no small part to its brilliant art direction that left many of the franchise’s cartoony aspects in the past.
“Tekken 5” (2004)
The PS2 had no shortage of incredible fighting games, but few managed to reach the level of “arcade perfection” of Tekken 5. The level of design and detail in not only each character but their arenas is still impressive today and even more awe-inspiring when you take the sheer speed and snappiness of the combat into play. Each character felt and looked distinct and had a myriad of content, including the original 3 Tekken games, allowing players to freely customize their experience with their favorite fighters. With all new animations for each character that make their combos feel not only smoother but also more realistic, the game was gorgeous to look at, felt incredible to play and remains one of the highest rated Tekken games of all time.
“Kingdom Hearts II” (2005)
The unprecedented mash up of Square and Disney in no way should have worked as well as it did, let alone blended this seamlessly. With every Disney world the player visits, they’re transported into their favorite movies from their childhood and each world is lovingly crafted to match not only each film’s art style but also filled to the brim with nods and Easter Eggs for diehard fans of the movies. Watching how Sora, Donald, and Goofy transform to match the charming worlds, even the realistic style of Pirates of the Caribbean, is a treat every time, and being able to explore previously unseen areas of the films is and continues to be an absolute dream for any Disney aficionado.
“Gran Turismo 4” (2004)
From the earliest days of the PS1, Polyphony Digital was pushing the console to its limits with its Gran Turismo series, and with the additional power of the PS2, their dream of the most realistic driving experience was closer than ever. The level of detail in the cars and tracks is still only matched by the Gran Turismo series’ subsequent entries but with Gran Turismo 4, Polyphony set a benchmark they’re still trying to match themselves. The level of detail on each vehicle is unmatched which is even more impressive when you take into account that over 700 cars from over 100 years of automotive racing are represented here with stunning detail. Even the tracks based on many real-world locations remain stunning to watch fly by at breakneck speeds.
“Rogue Galaxy” (2005)
The second time Level 5 appears on our list, the developers used their love of the cel shaded style and created an adventure that took players out of this world. While not as immediately eye-catching as Dragon Quest 8, the game was still a feast for the eyes with every world the player visits being visually distinct and full of personality, mixing futuristic tech and medieval architecture. For a time, this was the closest many fans had come to exploring the Star Wars universe on their home consoles as Rogue Galaxy made no secrets about taking inspiration from a galaxy far, far away fused with real time combat and interesting characters. Just as impressive as its graphics was the near complete lack of load times throughout the entire game; something even many modern games are incapable of.
“Ōkami” (2006)
There’s no denying Okami is a gorgeous game. The painted art style blends seamlessly with the paintbrush aesthetic and its use in both combat and puzzle solving. Letting players literally paint the world around them was revolutionary and while there have been many imitators, Okami remains the standard, due in no small part to its incredible level and character design. For PS2 owners this was the closest thing we had to The Legend of Zelda on a Sony console and were it not for the annoying choice to make all dialogue chirping noises, it had the potential to even surpass the mighty Hylian warrior and his princess. Even all these years later and after numerous ports to almost every console, very little has needed to be changed as the game’s graphics and
“The Bouncer” (2000)
In the late 90s Square was renowned for their pre-rendered cutscenes, and with the PS2, gamers were promised gameplay that could look as good as those cinematics. Square’s The Bouncer delivered on that promise. Drawing talent from all corners of the industry, the game itself wasn’t quite as revolutionary as the talent behind it, but there’s no denying this was and still is a stunning looking game. Cinematics blended seamlessly into gameplay, and while the brawler mechanics were passable at best, the game maintained its distinct style and cinematic presentation throughout. Characters are well animated as they slam opponents around impressively detailed environments. The ragdoll physics might be a tad over-the-top, but they also bring a sense of satisfaction to each successful combo.
“Black” (2006)
First person shooters are designed specifically to put the player at the center of as much bullet riddled hellscape as possible, and no title on the PS2 did that better than Criterion’s Black. An absolute cacophony of chaos, Black unleashed the true power of its firearms in ways even modern titles have yet to achieve. Forgoing the more realistic nature the genre was adapting at the time, the only objective of Black was to unleash the player in a world full of bullets and explosions and it literally blew the doors off the hinges in this regard. With all manner of enemies, bullets and explosions filling the screen at once, the frame rate remained rock solid as each environment crumbled before the might of one of the best shotguns in gaming this side of Doom.
“God of War II” (2007)
The true swan song of the PS2, releasing 6 months after the launch of Sony’s follow up, the PS3, God of War 2 still managed to put many of the next generation’s launch titles to shame with its graphics that managed to surpass its predecessor in only 2 years’ time. Kratos’ second quest for revenge was a feast for the eyes as players explored even more varied environments and architecture dripping with detail and as much character as the titular God of War himself. Character models were upgraded, and Kratos’ eternal scowl never looked better as he unleashed his rage through a myriad of weapons that filled the screen with all manner of dazzling particle effects and still looks and plays like a dream even today.
“Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner” (2003)
While a lot of mech games on the PS2 opted for the more grounded and realistic take on the lumbering and slower paced mechanized monstrosities, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner allowed players to zip around the environments at lightning speed, focusing more on the speed of the encounters rather than the mech’s loadout. The 2nd Runner has undeniably some of the most satisfying and reactive combat in the genre, taking players from a frigid planet’s icy surface one minute and chasing a speeding train down a tunnel the next. The varied environments and more diverse enemies as well as the anime cutscenes help the game maintain its visual fidelity far more than the first game and makes it even more heartbreaking that we never got a third entry in the franchise after its phenomenal second outing.
“Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001)
While Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater easily could have taken the spot on this list, we’ve decided to highlight Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty not only for its graphics remaining nearly timeless over 20 years later, but also for the fact we went from this (MGS) to this in only 3 years’ time. Hideo Kojima and art director Yoji Shinkawa’s pseudo-realistic character designs and environments are still a sight to behold even today, let alone back in the early days of the PS2. While obviously not on par with MGSV or even Metal Gear Solid 4, Kojima’s blockbuster style direction and the positioning of the camera hide many of the limitations of the time and anyone unfamiliar with the series could easily believe this to be a modern-day stealth game due to its classic presentation and tight gameplay.
