Summary
Out of all the game consoles in history, the PlayStation 2 might be the best system for action games. Hack and slash titles were practically birthed on this system with the introduction of Devil May Cry and God of War, changing 3D action games forever.
Even beyond the two big hitters, there were so many great action titles on the system, even more so if you count action hybrids like Metal Gear Solid 2 or Kingdom Hearts. Sadly, most of the greatest action titles aren’t available on current consoles, so you’ll need a PS3 or something older to play them.
After the bare-bones original Zone of the Enders title, Kojima Productions had to step its game up for the sequel. The results were beyond anything one could have expected. One of thefastest action games ever, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner provides an exhilarating experience all in a short but diverse single-player campaign.
This makes Zoe 2 fantastic to play through occasionally since you can blast through it in a few hours, and you can’t say that about other more lengthy PS2 action games. The problem is that Zoe 2 runs poorly on original PS2 hardware, and you’re best off playing it through the HD Collection on Xbox Series X|S or the Mars edition on PS4.
One of the most important action games of all time is Devil May Cry. Its combat system, rewarding stylish play, and no-damage runs have influenced many action games afterward, but DMC1 doesn’t stack up to later entries in the series. It’s great in a bubble, but there are many aspects that the sequels improved on.
You still need to manually switch melee and ranged weapons in the pause menu, which takes too long. There’s no level select, so if you want to grind for upgrades, be prepared to fight Phantom again and again. A remake could fix these issues, but DMC is still a fantastic game, especially for the time on PlayStation 2.
While God Hand received a mixed reception at release, everyone knows this game’s stellar today, and for a good reason. The 3D beat-‘em-up combat system with tank controls works exceptionally well with everything designed around it, and like Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, the campaign’s pretty short.
You can beat this game in five to six hours,making replays more tempting. The bosses are great and all memorable, too. There’s even cool extra content many won’t look into, like the Fighting Ring and casino. God Hand is one of the best action games of the era, and it’s a real shame it’s stuck on the PS2 and the PS3 digital store.
When people think of PS2 action games, they think about DMC, God of War, and a few other classics, but they hardly think about Prince of Persia. Sure, the Sands of Time trilogy is more rooted in the action-adventure genre, but Warrior Within definitely leans more toward the action. It has a solid combat system on offer, vastly improved from its predecessor, but the level design is what truly sets Warrior Within apart.
Akin to the second Metroid Prime, there are two worlds to explore, and it’s fairly nonlinear, like the first 3D Ninja Gaiden. It’s so nonlinear thatmany didn’t see the best endingwhen the game first came out and were confused when starting up The Two Thrones. You can still buy Warrior Within through Steam or GOG, and it’s absolutely worth playing.
The Yakuza series is an incredibly long one that’s daunting to get into for many, but when picking between Yakuza 2 or Yakuza Kiwami 2, you need to play the original. The first Yakuza game on PS2 is frankly rough to play now with its atrocious combat that won’t target enemies correctly.
However, Yakuza 2 fixed this, and the crunchy-feeling beat-‘em-up combat still plays amazingly today. Compared to Kiwami 2, there is no contest regarding which game’s more fun. Sure, the graphics are better, and the story has improved a bit in Kiwami, but once you’ve played a few fights, you will not want to go back to the remake.
After the all-time great original, God of War 2 had much to live up to, and it delivered. The combat was vastly improved with refinements like the Rage meter and a wider variety of weapons to play with. It also has New Game Plus, which was absent in the original. The bosses are much better, and the level design was great, too.
The only nagging problem with this game is the aimless story and progression. Where Kratos goes from one place to another doesn’t make a lot of sense, and it seems the devs are just making stuff up as they go along. The original’s far better in that regard, but the overall gameplay is superior in God of War 2.
When going back to the first instalment in a series, it can be rough, but God of War proves to be just as good as when it first came out. From the first game, the combat’s already exceptional, being more streamlined than DMC but still having depth, like the choice of whether to execute an enemy or simply kill it to gain the type of orbs you want.
The attention to detail also makes God of War an all-time great, being incredibly accurate to those Greek tragedy stories. From start to finish, the campaign here never skips a beat, and like Resident Evil 4, it’s hard not to finish the game once you start playing. The pacing’s that good, and the timeless quality of the original makes it a truly special action game that’ll never be duplicated.
While DMC2 dropped the ball, Devil May Cry 3 brought the series back better than ever. A prequel taking place before DMC1, DMC3 revolves around Dante’s legendary rivalry with Vergil. The campaign here is the best of the series, with the best pacing, story, and soundtrack.
The story moments hit hard thanks to the great voice castand incredible music by Tetsuya Shibata, and it’s a real shame he no longer scores video games today. All that aside, the core combat is incredible with the multiple styles and wild amounts of depth. It’s not the best combat system of the series, but when you look at all the factors put together, DMC3 would be the best DMC title overall.
