The PlayStation 2 is regarded by many gamers and critics as one of the greatest home video game consoles ever made. First released in 2000, the PS2 dominated the sixth generation of gaming with its revolutionary processor, graphics chipset, DVD playback capability and vast library of over 3,800 titles.
Platformer games flourished on the PS2 thanks to its enhanced hardware allowing for fluid character animations, vividly rendered 3D worlds and immersive audio. Iconic platforming franchises like Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper were born on the PS2, while established series like Rayman expanded into 3D environments. These games captivated fans with their charismatic characters, inventive level designs, clever puzzles and refined gameplay mechanics.
In this definitive guide, we will countdown the 10 absolute best PlayStation 2 platformers ever made. For each entry, we analyze what made the game stand out within its franchise and the PS2 library, weighing factors like tight controls, challenging gameplay, memorable soundtrack, cutting-edge graphics, replay value and influence.
#10. Psychonauts
Released in 2005 near the end of the PS2 lifetime, Psychonauts is an imaginatively bizarre platformer following Razputin "Raz" Aquato enrolled in a psychic summer camp. Developed by Double Fine and directed by Tim Schafer (Full Throttle, Grim Fandango), players utilize Raz‘s growing extrasensory powers like telekinesis, levitation and pyrokinesis to navigate surreal mental worlds.
The game brilliantly plays with concepts of psychoanalysis and dream logic as each level takes place in fractured mental landscapes reflecting personalities like a conspiracy theorist milkman or a giant lungfish with emotional baggage. The vibrant art direction, unorthodox characters and absurdist wit built a cult following for this overlooked gem. Psychonauts‘ empathy and insights into the human psyche elevate it as an artistic triumph.
#9. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
As one of the PS2‘s premiere platforming series, Sly Cooper introduced the charming master thief Raccoonus Cooper. Developed by Sucker Punch Productions (creators of Ghost of Tsushima and Infamous franchises), Sly and his gang pull off stylish heists to recover pages from his family‘s thieving manifesto stolen by rival gangs.
With cel-shaded graphics emulating classic Saturday morning cartoons, the first game established hallmarks like silky smooth stealth Navigation of environments, clue bottles hidden in levels, character upgrades purchased with coins and varied mini-games. Critics praised the strict adherence to platforming principles focused on precise jumps and exploration rather than combat. Sly‘s dependence on stealth and wits made him an endearing underdog compared to action heroes of the era.
#8. Jak II
After pleasing both critics and fans with their hit game Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Naughty Dog delivered an astonishingly mature follow-up with Jak II. Showcasing the technical leap possible between PS2 games released just two years apart, Jak II featured a seamless open world setting called Haven City with the stunning graphical details and physics Naughty Dog later perfected in the Uncharted series.
More shockingly, the wise-cracking teen Jak had become a bitter, darkly angry hero after two years of imprisonment and experiments. This tonal shift mirrored the gameplay expanding into car combat, hooverboard racing, assault rifle shootouts and other "grown up" mechanics. Still anchored around collecting precursor orbs and power cells through platforming challenges, Jak II pushed boundaries showing veteran developers mastering PlayStation‘s capabilities.
#7. Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sucker Punch outdid themselves with the sequel Sly 2: Band of Thieves, advancing the cel-shaded comic style and jazz-influenced soundtrack. New playable characters Bentley the tech-savvy Turtle and Murray the getaway driver brawler added variety beyond Sly‘s stealth missions. Their unique abilities, like Murray throwing objects to smash barriers or Bentley hacking systems with rhythm games, brought fresh techniques to navigate intricately designed cities like Paris, Prague and Cairo.
Deeper stealth gameplay like pickpocketing and enhanced combat abilities provided greater thrills pulling off synchronized multi-character missions relying on everyone‘s specialties. A more serious crime narrative dealt with themes like addiction and revenge, portraying villains like tiger mob boss Rajan as tragic fallen heroes. By humanizing antagonists, Sly 2 transcended the simple good vs. evil plots expected of kid‘s games.
#6. Ratchet & Clank
The dynamic duo of Ratchet & Clank propelled the PS2 mascot platformer into a new generation focused on chaotic weapon-based combat complementing tricky platforming feats. Titular characters Ratchet the daring Lombax and his intelligent robot buddy Clank introduced the galaxy to an awesome arsenal of outlandish firearms like a helicopter blade hurling Suck Cannon or heat-seeking guided Homie Missiles.
Upgrading weapons by using them encouraged playing levels multiple times to maximize their exaggerated capabilities. Flashy graphics filled alien vistas with smooth visual effects like flowing lava or crystal shimmering caves that Bathed environments in mood lighting. Accessible gameplay centered on blowing away enemies creatively counterbalanced environmental puzzles needing gravity or time manipulation gadgets to pass obstacles. Spectacular set pieces like grinding rails through particle-spewing factories or tube gliding down cyber-tunnels made the future never look so exciting through PS2 era eyes.
#5. Rayman 2 Revolution
Already considered one of the great 3D platformers on PC and Dreamcast, Rayman 2 Revolution brought limbless hero Rayman‘s battle to free the enslaved plum fairies to PS2 in phenomenal fashion. Cleaner character models with smoothed edges took advantage of PS2‘s antialiasing to reduce jagged textures plaguing older systems. Lush re-envisioned environments created a magical fairytale realm.
Creators digitized and motion-captured acrobatic performances to animate Rayman‘s athletic prowess when trekking across forests, castles and pirateship rigging. Revolutionary lock-on targeting assisted players to angle precisely aimed shots to hit enemies and objects. While earlier Rayman games focused on relaxed exploration, Revolution balanced action-packed set pieces against captivating locales worth observing just for their beauty. From the opening escape through the Cave of Bad Dreams to the final showdown in the Buccaneer‘s prison, Rayman Revolution brought technical wizardry and graphical splendor showing off PlayStation 2 as a multimedia powerhouse.
#4. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak and Daxter dazzled early PS2 owners by rendering a fully 3D interactive world without load times thanks to optimized textures allowing greater draw distances and seamless transition between areas. Naughty Dog applied lessons from their pioneering Crash Bandicoot series improving character animation to capture Jak‘s adolescent attitude through effortless jumps, casual balancing atop branches and cheeky staring when left idle.
Sidekick Daxter‘s exaggerated reactions grounded the fairytale setting in reality. Charming gibberish dialog between the leads enhanced personality without spelling everything out. Intuitive platforming design guided players while rewarding risky shortcuts tempting daring leaps. Vibrant coastal vistas, arid canyons and mysterious ruins filled precursor orbs to unlock story cinematics expanding the mythology of Naughty Dog‘s fantastical universe centered on its duo‘s unconditional friendship.
#3. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
For the acclaimed sequel, developers Insomniac Games expanded on everything fans loved while innovating new features improving the solid foundations established by 2002‘s smash hit debut. Going Commando overflowed with exotic alien worlds like the creature-infested jungle planet Aranos, the serene gardens of Oozla and the neon-lit casinos of Las Paradiso dazzling PS2 gamers with creative visuals and playful concepts only possible in science-fiction.
The Weapon Upgrade system added secondary fire options and statistic boosting modifications to transform ordinary guns into forces of nature. Strafing run blasting spaceship dogfights and Arena sport vehicle combat introduced welcome variety working towards Skill Points unlocking cheats and extras. Gorgeous cutscenes, additive level goals like acquired collectibles and Crew Member rescue missions encouraged exhaustive exploration uncovering every secret. Sensational skydiving Grind Rail sequences and Morph-O-Ray identity theft body transformation hijinks represent Insomniac Games at their most imaginative pushing PS2‘s graphic and programming limits.
#2. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Insomniac Games rounded out the original Ratchet & Clank trilogy by taking features introduced in earlier entries and enhancing them exponentially for the explosive finale. Fan favorite locations from previous games received fresh graphical overhauls with additional area expansions. Oozla forests grew denser with twisting vines and coral reefs. Metropolis spread into a sprawling urban playground hybridizing vertical city blocks and underground sewers.
Evolution of core gameplay systems achieved new heights of mayhem. Weapon upgrades reached maximum Level 10 potency granting devastating enhancements like Morph-O-Ray‘s petrification beam rendering enemies defenseless statues. Added combat maneuvers like strafing, locked circle strafing and first person mode enhanced mobility options and situational defensive coverage. Limited lives and checkpoints increased difficulty preparing for marathon endurance battles against the greatest villains of the series. Introduction of online multiplayer modes prolonged fun playing with friends competitively or cooperatively rampaging enemy hordes. Gorgeous visuals, diabolical challenges and reinvigorated gameplay cemented Up Your Arsenal as the definitive PS2 Ratchet & Clank experience.
#1. Klonoa 2: Lunatea‘s Veil
Charming protagonist Klonoa persevered obscurity through enduring loyalty from fans of his trippy, dreamlike adventures. As 2.5D sidecrollers waned in popularity approaching PS2‘s debut, developer Namco daringly doubled down on the format perfecting parallax layered backgrounds mimicking 3D perspectives pioneering cinematic approaches later admired in handheld classics like Nintendo‘s Kirby Canvas Curse.
Elaborate storybook fantasy settings enchanted with magical grandeur seeing nature and architecture intertwining harmoniously. Creative implementation of seasonalinality with levels thematically shifting between summer, winter and autumn reflected Lunatea‘s underlying turmoil. Each chapter introduced mechanics building sequentially – undulating vine traversal, hoverboarding down frozen alpine slopes, leaf catching float descents across crystal caves. Spectacular summoning powers weaponized foes setting spectacular attacks flying in patterns requiring precise timing evading.
Klonoa 2 raised 2D animation to unprecedented graphical fidelity while respecting gameplay styles many companies abandoned chasing polygonal fads. From flourishing forests to cascading waterfalls, Lunatea‘s dreamlike majesty crystallized platforming punitive pleasures into a PS2 masterpiece cementing Klonoa‘s enduring legacy.
Closing Thoughts on the Greatest PS2 Platformers
The PlayStation 2 gained a reputation as being the undisputed "King of Platformers" thanks to iconic series born on PS2 like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper and Jak and Daxter pushing the genre forward into stunning 3D worlds realized with rich details, unlocked secrets and fun-loving spirit. These landmark franchises intelligently built upon foundations established by pioneer NES and SNES platformers then evolved new variations fitting PS2 technology advancements.
Meanwhile underappreciated one-off gems like Psychonauts and Klonoa 2: Lunatea‘s Veil demonstrated how strong art direction and sharp gameplay design overcame graphical limitations dated currently but prized for nostalgia. Showcasing range within a single library, PS2 platformers highlighted experimental risks like cel-shaded visuals in 2002‘s bold Sly Cooper leading to universally adopted stylistic choices celebrated recently in award winners like Cuphead and Guacamelee.
From cute and family-friendly mascot antics to surprisingly mature stories tackling complex subject matter inappropriate even for all-ages marketing, the brilliant PS2 platforming library emphasized fantastic gameplay universally appealing fans craving challenge. Many entries received impressive HD remasters years later, exposing new generations towards brilliant designs standing the test of time. Much like PS2‘s all-encompassing "PlayStation Experience" slogan promised, every platforming genre itch could be scratched thanks to stellar first-party Sony titles and beloved third-party partnerships clearly inspiring Nintendo and Sega‘s subsequent console efforts emulating such diversity.
Two decades since dominating sixth generation consoles, PS2 platformers remain hallmarks demonstrating how maximizing limited hardware through creative coding techniques, responsive gameplay mechanics and atmospherically vibrant worlds overpowered raw processing muscle later touted that generation. We hope discussing these 10 absolute best PS2 platformers inspires readers to revisit what made PlayStation 2 command legendary status still referenced frequently when discussing the greatest consoles ever produced.
