Ah, the PS2. This was a massive moment in gaming. It was arguably the first “next gen” console, and unlike many of today’s consoles with that claim attached to it, this one actually felt like it.
The jump from PS1 to PS2 was simply outrageous in terms of graphical fidelity. Going from Final Fantasy 9 to Final Fantasy 10 was staggering, and going from Metal Gear Solid to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was simply like watching a video game become a movie. Solid Snake didn’t have eyes on the PS1. On PS2, he had eyes and facial expressions. It was monumental.
But, with this hype came many games that tried to be the next big thing. It was tough to know just what would work back then, so it’s understandable there were more than a few big budget flops.
Today, we’re going to look at those games that shot for the stars but ended up at the bottom of the ocean somewhere.
10 Rogue Galaxy
Fantasy In Space
Rogue Galaxy should’ve been the start of something special. It had Sony behind it, it had Level 5 putting it all together, and it was gorgeous looking.
The problem? It came out in 2007. It was the end of the PS2 lifecycle, where people were already moving on to the next generation of gaming. While it’s no slouch in the visual department, it still felt like a PS2 game.
There was nothing overly special here to keep people on the PS2. It’s a grand adventure for sure, with a fun cast, dazzling colors and a really good combat system, but there wasn’t a great story to hold it all together. It was also coming out during a time when the JRPG, for lack of a better word, was dead.
People were over the “Young boy saves the world through the power of friendship” theme that powered so many in the genre, and Rogue Galaxy was an unfortunate casualty.
9 God Hand
The Underrated King
God Hand did not get a kind reception for the most part, with some of the most infamously low review scores from various sites being the biggest reason for the low sales the game ended up getting. That’s not God Hand’s fault though, as it is one of the most creative and over-the-top action games you can find.
The combat system is fantastic and involves environmental destruction, it has tons of moves to unlock, and some brutally difficult, off-the-wall boss fights that require precise timing, strategy, and patience to overcome. This one came out in 2006 when the PS2 was preparing its last rites, and the harsh tone, modest-looking graphics, and generally low effort-feel turned a lot of people off.
Despite that, it went on to become a cult classic, and the exact game that people refer to when they say “Don’t always trust the critics.”
8 Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra
Too Deep
Xenosaga 3 came late in the PS2’s lifespan, and despite the big budget and the ability to pay off a relatively successful trilogy to that point, the thrill was more or less gone.
It certainly didn’t help that it came out the same year as Final Fantasy 12, but still, it was not a success regardless. This is not because it’s a bad game though. In fact, it’s anything but. It’s the best game in the series, hands down, with the best combat, the best characters, and the best overall story and visual look as well.
But I don’t think the gaming world was really ready for a story like this at the time. It’s like 2001: A Space Odyssey on acid in terms of its complexity, and I think that type of story was just too early for the PS2. Seeing how successful the Xenoblade trilogy has been in the modern era, it makes me wonder what a remaster or remake of this trilogy could do these days, because I think it was just the wrong system at the wrong time.
7 The Getaway
Grand Theft London
The Getaway is a fun game. I can’t deny that. But it failed to deliver on the big promise of what it sold. That promise was Grand Theft Auto in London. It’s not a bad pitch, and honestly, it’s probably got more mature writing, stronger voice acting, and even better visuals than the GTA games at the time.
It wasn’t a bad game at all, but it felt pretty formulaic. It was your typical gangster story with your betrayals and corrupt police. Even way back in 2002, it still felt like well-tread territory from a story standpoint.
I do think the overly mature tone turned people off. That, along with the somewhat hard to understand British accents did not help matters either. Overall, it just wasn’t a game ready to succeed at that time. I think if it came a few years later, in the more edgy phase of the console’s lifespan, it might’ve done better. But this was towards the very beginning, and the time was just not right for this to be successful.
6 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Can’t Let Go
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is the canonical sequel to Final Fantasy VII, but this was nothing close to the phenom of the first game. You play as Vincent, and while he was definitely one of the most popular characters to come out of the original game, his solo experience is just not up to par.
The story is an absolute disaster with retcons left and right, and while some parts are interesting, overall, it doesn’t hold a candle to Final Fantasy VII. The gameplay specifically is just awful, with terrible controls. It’s just a boring and repetitive slog of shooting galleries with some of Vincent’s powers mixed in.
Despite getting Square Enix’s considerable weight behind it, this was a massive bomb in 2006. Luckily, Final Fantasy 12 released that same year and made people forget about this one pretty easily.
5 The Bouncer
Not As Cool As It Thinks
Square Enix used to be pretty experimental, and no game of theirs defined that more than The Bouncer. Despite looking like Final Fantasy with its graphics, this was a somewhat down-to-earth brawler, featuring a story that would best be found in bargain bins in the 90s and some voice acting that would match that.
Despite that though, the game is actually pretty fun. Now, it doesn’t have multiplayer, which is pretty baffling considering the genre, but the combat is solid. You’ve got three characters to play with that have a ton of moves to unlock, some cool boss fights, and unlockable characters to replay the game with as well.
So why did it bomb? It’s only about 2-3 hours long, and it was a full-priced game. It wasn’t nearly good enough to warrant that price. The price combined with the lackluster reviews tanked this one on arrival, though it’s still a fun little time capsule if you ever find a copy lying around somewhere.
4 Driv3r
Can’t Compete With GTA
Driver 3 was trying so hard to be a success off the back of Grand Theft Auto. The vibe of the game felt ripped straight out of GTA 3, and the on-foot segments felt like TEMU presents Rockstar.
The graphics were lackluster, the shooting was particularly terrible, and the whole concept that made the first two games solid if not niche successes was fully abandoned for something just begging to get recognized by a post-GTA crowd.
The game that was made famous by the amount of driving maneuvers you could do was now neutered, and you no longer felt like the wheelman, but just some generic action hero stuck in a bad game with bad controls and a bad overall presentation. This one got a hefty push in marketing too and was supposed to be the next big thing, but it was anything but.
3 Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Trying To Chase Fads
Lara Croft was one of the true video game icons of the ’90s, with the Tomb Raider series being up there in terms of the most popular games whenever they would release.
So, out comes the PS2, and the series sees a fellow ’90s icon all grown up in the form of Metal Gear Solid 2 and thinks, “It’s time to do exactly that.” That’s what Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness was going for, but it didn’t really pull it off. The story was darker, and Lara felt like more of a serious character with an expanded moveset, but this no longer felt like Tomb Raider.
It was so needlessly edgy, trying to capitalize on all the different fads at the time, and it lost its identity. There were less interesting puzzles, the gunplay was awkward, and the game just felt plain unfinished at points, with tons of performance issues to boot.
This would ultimately be the game that would cause the series to go on a long hiatus, and it wouldn’t be until a decade later that Lara Croft would return to form in the underrated reboot series.
2 Psy Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
It’s A Conspiracy That It Failed
This one hurts big time. Psy Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is an awesome game that was hyped to the moon at the time. It had everything to be a huge hit. It was gritty, creative, had a cool story, awesome powers, and solid gunplay. So, what went wrong? From my point of view, nothing really.
It might’ve been a time when third-person shooters were becoming oversaturated on the PS2, but still, there was no reason this game didn’t hit bigger. That is, until you see the other games that released in 2004: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Resident Evil 4, and World of Warcraft, just to name a few.
Psy Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy was a new franchise at a time when the biggest franchises were dropping legitimately monumental sequels. I just don’t think there was room for it, and sadly, the franchise died then and there, with the company going bankrupt years later.
1 Devil May Cry 2
How Did They Mess This Up?
Devil May Cry 2 had it so easy. Devil May Cry was such an epic experience and people were salivating for a sequel. All Capcom had to do was offer more of the first game. What did they do then?
They gave the game to a different team, changed Dante’s voice actor, got rid of all the energy and charisma he had from the first game, got rid of the awesome environments, and replaced them with generic city streets. They also got rid of the great boss battles and replaced them with thrilling fights against helicopters and military personnel, and it’s honestly like a completely different series.
The team put in charge had no experience with 3D action games and production was a rushed mess, resulting in a game that had two playable characters, a story that builds on absolutely nothing from the first game, and some of the worst writing, level design, and overall gameplay in the genre.
Everything that worked in the first game was absent here. The cool factor was gone. The creepy, pseudo-horror vibe was gone. And honestly, Devil May Cry was gone.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
