Many video game consoles have made an undeniable mark on the industry, but the leap forward that came with the PlayStation 2 is unbelievable. The new Sony console brought with it many impressive features and what’s largely considered to be one of the best libraries of games for any console.
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The PlayStation 2 found tremendous success with most of its ideas, but it also pushed forward certain innovations that flew under the radar. The PlayStation 2 is largely a two-player console, but the advent of Sony’s multitap allowed more people to jump in on the multiplayer action. However, the average gamer remained unaware of many of the games that support this feature.
10 Mystic Heroes
Koei’s explosive Dynasty Warriors series has helped redefine the action genre with its musou games that specialize in seemingly endless hordes of enemies that need to be taken down. The Dynasty Warriors series has spun off in many unique directions, but Mystic Heroes marks one of the first deviations from the norm as it embraces magic and sorcery over melee weapons and pure combat.
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Mystic Heroes never lets up and it’s a title that not only allows for four-person multiplayer, but there’s also a co-op mode present that allows for even more of a group experience.
9 Micro Machines V4
Micro Machines V4 is an inventive take on the racing genre and while it’s far from a perfect game, it does enough things differently that it deserves its due. The main novelty of Micro Machines is the creative tracks that emphasize the small nature of the vehicles. Players not only race, but they can assault one another with power-ups to gain the advantage.
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Micro Machines V4 allows for four players to race at once, but it doesn’t use a split-screen option. If a player is far behind then they’re left off-screen, making it much harder to win.
8 Rayman Arena
The Rayman franchise is one of the quirkier platformer franchises out there and it’s become a dark horse for Ubisoft over the years. Despite how the Rayman games have done some inventive things for platformers, Rayman Arena (known as Rayman M in Europe) instead focuses on multiplayer gameplay and allows four people to jump in on the action. Impressively, Rayman Arena offers both a battle-type multiplayer as well as foot races, which add a surprising amount of versatility to the spin-off title. While not as acclaimed as the core series, Rayman Arena is much better than it deserves to be.
7 Project Eden
Project Eden is a title that got greatly overlooked during the PS2 era, but it’s the kind of game that would deeply benefit from a modern remake. The game is set in a futuristic society where players control a powerful group of law enforcement officers who are hunting for some missing people. There are four members on the team, all of which have different skills that cater to the game’s puzzles. Project Eden can be played alone where the gamer hops between characters, but the game truly comes alive when four people are playing together and working as a team.
6 Quake III: Revolution
The Quake series is one of the formative shooter franchises for the PC that helped move the genre forward in tremendous ways. The PC was the best place to play Quake during the early 2000s, but the PlayStation 2 offered a satisfying alternative in the form of Quake III: Revolution. The port combines Quake III Arena and Quake III: Team Arena and it’s one of the first games that showed what the PS2 could accomplish with multiplayer that extends beyond simply two players. Quake III: Revolution allows for four-player frag matches with the game handling the frenetic chaos without compromise.
5 Twisted Metal: Black
The video game genre of demolition-based racers has dwindled in more recent years in favor of more traditional titles, but Twisted Metal was one of the original PlayStation’s flagship titles and the series’ big debut on the PlayStation 2 does not disappoint. Twisted Metal: Black helps push the destructive title into the next generation of gaming and one of the biggest advents is that this messy chaos supports four players. An online update version of the game makes the multiplayer experience even more of its priority.
4 007: Nightfire
The Nintendo 64’s Goldeneye 007 is still looked at as one of the best multiplayer games of all time and The PS2’s 007: Nightfire is the console’s attempt to cash in on the previous title’s success. Nightfall crafts an original story and the multiplayer features many love letters to classic James Bond films. The multiplayer here may not be as addictive as Goldeneye’s, but it’s still an extremely satisfying substitute. The PlayStation 2 allows for up to four players to join in on the spy action, with the addition of AI bots adding even more to the experience.
3 Tekken Tag Tournament
The Tekken series has been a mainstay of the fighting genre for decades and it’s been exciting to watch the arcade fighter progressively shift over to the home console market. Each of the early games in the series refines the formula a little more, but Tekken Tag Tournament is a juggernaut of a title that packs a lot into one game. Tekken Tag Tournament still only allows for two fighters in a match at once, but the “tag” aspect of the game allows for four players to duke it out, two-on-two, and leads to some interesting gameplay strategies.
2 Gauntlet Legends: Dark Legacy
The Gauntlet Legends series has fallen out of favor in recent years, but the games had a solid run of being some of the best four-player fantasy action games on the market. There’s a very familiar structure to the Gauntlet Legends series as players choose from diverse classes of fighter-like wizards or warriors as they prepare for an onslaught of enemies. Dark Legacy is the entry of the series on PlayStation 2 and the luxury of hacking and slashing through monsters and enemies with four players is such an enjoyable experience.
1 Timesplitters 2
The PlayStation 2 is teeming with shooters that get the adrenaline pumping, but gamers who truly want to go nuts and celebrate a wild time with a mob of people, there’s no better title than Timesplitters 2. The time-traveling shooter doesn’t just offer slick gameplay, but it has a shrewd sense of humor as it gets anachronistic with the many time periods visited in the game. Timesplitters 2 doesn’t only allow for four-person multiplayer with a multi-tap, but it even allows for a 16-player showdown with the use of the system link accessory. Even now that’s an impressive feat.
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