PlayStation 2

Sony Playstation 2, the long-haul giant

Sony Playstation 2 is the kind of console that stayed in the room long after the party should have ended. It arrived in 2000, then kept getting new games into 2011, with 838 titles in our catalog. Built as Sony's home console follow-up to the original PlayStation, it came with DVD playback and backward compatibility, which made early adopters feel rather smug. That is the sort of practical magic this machine was built on.

What Sony Playstation 2 is

The PlayStation 2 is Sony Computer Entertainment's home video game console and the successor to the original PlayStation. It launched first in Japan in 2000, then reached North America, Europe and Australia later that year. As a sixth-generation system, it went up against Nintendo's GameCube, Sega's Dreamcast and Microsoft's Xbox. The console's long lifespan is part of its identity, because it stayed active for years after its successor arrived.

It was also notable for the built-in DVD drive, full backward compatibility with original PlayStation games and accessories, and the custom Emotion Engine processor co-developed with Toshiba. Sony later released the slimmer PlayStation 2 Slimline in 2004. For a machine that sold 160 million units worldwide, it still managed to feel like a piece of everyday furniture, just one with a disc tray.

What to play first in our catalog

Our PS2 catalog covers games from 2000 to 2011, with familiar publishers turning up again and again, including EA, Konami, Capcom, Namco and Ubisoft. If you want a clear starting point, begin with the .hack// quartet, .hack//Infection Part 1, .hack//Mutation Part 2, .hack//Outbreak Part 3 and .hack//Quarantine Part 4. They are joined by 007: NightFire and 007: From Russia with Love, which give the console a more polished kind of spy-life trouble.

If you want variety, try 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker, 187 Ride or Die, 1945 I&II: The Arcade Games, 2002 FIFA World Cup, 24: The Game, 25 To Life, 4x4 Evo 2 and 4x4 Evolution. That spread tells the story neatly. Racing, sports, shooters, licensed action, and a few oddities that sound like they were named during a very long lunch break.

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